Course Description
Human sexual expression may begin in biology, but like all things human, culture heavily influences human sexuality. Cultural influence on sexual expression occurs in relation to behaviour, desire and meaning. It is manifest in gender and gender norms. For humans, sexuality ties together body/mind/society. This course is a cross-cultural survey of the forms of human sexual expression, their relation to culture, and their expression in gender.
Course Content
The Anthropological Perspective and Theoretical Orientation
- Theories of gender and sexuality in the social sciences
Biology vs. Culture
Biological Orientations
- The biological basis for sexuality and gender
- Primate studies
Cultural Orientations
- Culture and personality
- Love
- Marriage
- Incest Taboo
The Impact of Material Conditions on the Expression of Sexuality and Gender
- Foragers: sexual and gender equality?
- Horticulturalists and pastoralists: the origins of sexual inequality?
- Agriculturalists and Industrialists: ideologies of sexual inequality
Ideological Constraints on the Expression of Gender and Sexuality
- Birth and social difference
- Religion
- Language and its influence
Learning Activities
The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following: lectures, seminar presentations, audio-visual materials including video and research papers.
Means of Assessment
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester.
An example of one possible evaluation scheme would be:
| Mid-term exam |
25% |
| Final exam |
30% |
| Research Paper |
30% |
| Participation |
5% |
| Presentation |
10% |
| Total |
100% |
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
1. Describe and discuss the biological and social bases for sexuality, including problems of methodology
and meaning.
2. Articulate the relation of the presentation of the self in relations to sex roles and social roles.
3. Explain the relation of incest taboos to the social boundaries of sexuality, in relation to classical theory
and ‘pop’ anthropology.
4. Describe the basic forms of human sexuality and the cross-cultural attitudes toward them.
5. Discuss the process of sexual development according to sex research.
6. Discuss and explain the politics of sexuality in various cultures.
7. Articulate the relation of sexuality to spirituality and describe the religious uses of sexual expression.
8. Explain the relationship between sexual expression and social control.
9. Discuss rites of passage and human sexuality in selected cultural contexts.
10. Describe and discuss the relationship between sex, gender and mass media.
11. Articulate the relationship of sexuality to disease and illness.
12. Explain how human beings use their sexual expression to create personal meaning and shared
collective meaning in their lives.
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Describe and discuss the biological and social bases for sexuality, including problems of methodology and meaning.
- Articulate the relation of the presentation of the self in relations to sex roles and social roles.
- Explain the relation of incest taboos to the social boundaries of sexuality, in relation to classical theory and ‘pop’ anthropology.
- Describe the basic forms of human sexuality and the cross-cultural attitudes toward them.
- Discuss the process of sexual development according to sex research.
- Discuss and explain the politics of sexuality in various cultures.
- Articulate the relation of sexuality to spirituality and describe the religious uses of sexual expression.
- Explain the relationship between sexual expression and social control.
- Discuss rites of passage and human sexuality in selected cultural contexts.
- Describe and discuss the relationship between sex, gender and mass media.
- Articulate the relationship of sexuality to disease and illness.
- Explain how human beings use their sexual expression to create personal meaning and shared collective meaning in their lives.
Textbook Materials
Will consist of a generic text plus ethnographic or case studies. Typical examples include:
- Brettell, C. and Sargent, C. (2005). Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Abu-Lughod, L. (2008). Writing Women’s World’s: Bedouin Stories. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Klein, L. (2004). Women and Men in World Cultures. Toronto: McGraw-Hill.
- Herdt, G. (2006). The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change in Papua New Guniea. Toronto: Nelson Education.