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SOCY382 Sociology of Sex and Sexuality

Updated: 07 January 2010
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study Online Level
Armidale Semester 1 Off Campus D - Comp/internet essential
Armidale Semester 1 On Campus D - Comp/internet essential
Intensive School(s) None
Supervised Exam There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites 12cp at 100 level in SOCY or any 24cp
Co-requisites None
Restrictions SOCW282 or SOCW382 or SOCW482 or SOCY482
Notes None
Combined Units SOCY482 - Sociology of Sex and Sexuality
Coordinator(s) Gail Hawkes (ghawkes@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

This unit explores some popular conceptions (and misconceptions) of sex and sexuality in everyday life, and uses a social constructionist approach to critically evaluate these. It explores the history of ideas about sex and sexuality in Western culture, focusing on the social and political changes associated with modernity. It uses sociological insights and theories to examine the process by which heterosexuality became and remains the norm of erotic expression. The course uses both historical and contemporary material, ranging from attitudes in Classical Antiquity, through the impact of Christianity to the more familiar changes during the 18th and 19th centuries to the present day.
Prescribed Material
Mandatory 		Text(s):

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material

Sex and Pleasure in Western Culture
ISBN: 9780745616711
Hawkes, G., Polity Press 2004
Text refers to: Semester 1 , On and Off Campus
Recommended Material
Optional 		Text(s):

Note: Recommended material is held in the University Library - purchase is optional

A Sociology of Sex and Sexuality
ISBN: 9780335193165
Hawkes, G., McGraw Hill 1996
Text refers to: Semester 1 , On and Off Campus
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Bulletin Board/Tutorial 10%
Assessment Notes
Tutorial attendance and assessed contribution, or for externals, assessed weekly online discussion board postings.
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-3 GA: 1-3, 6 and 7
Essay 40% 1500-2000
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4 GA: 1-3, 6 and 7
Final Examination 2 hrs 50%
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-4 GA: 1-3, 6 and 7

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. understand the multiple meanings attached to the terms sex and sexuality in the contemporary social setting;
  2. draw on historical examples to comparatively evaluate contemporary normative assumptions;
  3. demonstrate the relevance of sociological theoretical approaches to the development of ideas and practice about sex and sexuality in the wider social context, especially those relating to legal statutes and issues of social equity and civil rights;
  4. show proficiency in assessing and articulating the relative merits of competing debates and theories relating to the question of sexual diversity.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
These elements are integral to both learning and assessment. It is taught in lectures, study notes and readings, practised in tutorial and online exercises, and assessed via worksheet assignments and the exam. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
These skills are developed in live tutorials and online discussion. 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
The topic invites engagement with cultural as well as historical differences. 		True True True
5 Life-Long Learning
The critical and hsitorical approach to the issue of sexual diversity has an ongoing relevance to issues of social marginalisation. 		True True
6 Problem Solving
At all levels of learning and assessment, emphasis is placed upon the application of acquired knowledge to current experience in wider society. 		True True True
7 Social Responsibility
Throughout the unit material emphasis is placed upon the significance of challenging existing discrimination around issues of diversity. 		True True True
   

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