Wrap-up for FAM 322

          This course has been a very interesting journey, as we have explored human sexuality, and looked at it from various angles, some of which I haven't seen prior to this class. Over all this class was a refreshing change from your typical B of Ed class, which I found to be very enlightening, and will provide me with a richer wealth of knowledge when I, myself, am teaching in my classrooms! Regretfully I didn't have enough time to include even half of the content that was covered in class, as a result of a laptop recieving the kiss of death late last night :( Anyways, I hope that you have enjoyed the content that I have included in my learning blog, and I look forward to taking EDPY with you in the winter term. Thanks, and take care! :)

Abortion...Pro Life or Pro Choice?

The issue of abortion is one of the most complex area that one will encounter when exploring the subject area of human sexuality. When we were in class, we lightly dicussed, in groups, our own individual opinions towards abortion and, if we felt like talking about it, whether we were pro choice or pro life.

When it comes to abortion, I am definetly pro choice. I believe that it is the woman's choice and right to do what she's best for her and her body. Sometimes there are complications that arise during pregnancy that threaten the mother's life, and I harvest no judgement what so ever for those women who terminate the pregancy. I can't be certain that abortion is something that I would ever be able to do myself, but I also completely respect other women who chose to do what they see as the best thing for them selves, and the possible life they have created. Some people just aren't meant to be parents, and if they were to go ahead and have the baby, they may not be able to provide it with the love and care it deserves and needs in order to survive. Another reason a woman may abort a pregnancy is finding out through testing that she is carying a baby that is going to be born severely disabled. Again, I am not saying that I necessarily agree with termination in this instance, but think about it: if the woman goes ahead and has the baby, knowing full on that he/she will live her whole life in pain, or maybe even take away from the quality time spent with other children, that women is taking on a whole new world of change and responsibility. One issue that I do have with abortion is when women have multiple procedures performed; ok, so you make a mistake the first time...abortion should not be used as a form of birth control, you should learn where babies come from, and start making smarter choices when it comes to sex! 

Also, I will note that I respect other peoples' view and opinions, but I do have a problem with the extremist behaviour that many pro life groups exhibit. I would almost compare them to the likings of PETA, but that's just my opinion. Some times their demonstrations are so extreme that people have been severely harmed and/or killed in the process, which completely undermines their whole theory of abortion being murder. In granting them the respect that I do, it only annoys me when I see booths at trade shows with graphic depictions of the abortion process and how some of them have the nerve to approach me and start preeching their bit to me. If I respect your views, I would greatly appreciate it if you would just leave me be and respect, without having to agree with, my beliefs.

COUGARS!

How to survive a cougar attack

            I found this video to be particularily funny, and relevant in our society and culture, as it is not all that uncommon for older women to be on the prowl for younger men. I'm not in any way implying that I have anything against older women being with youger men, but I do find it somewhat humourous, when I got out for drinks with a friend for instance, and there are these women that are clearly in their 50's that are "hunting" for younger meat. One thing, however that I must mention is that it does somewhat bother me that women are made fun of and ridiculed for such behaviour, but for men on the other hand it is considered quite normal and acceptable to go for younger women.

Plato's Symposium

Plato's The Symposium

           Plato, Socrates' scribe, wrote a symposium which was essentially a dialogue about the nature of love and a mythical account of the union between a male and a female. Plato theorized that in the very beginning there was a primordial hermaphrodite, which was separated, by the gods, into a male part and a female part. He describes this separation as the reason behind the drive for men and women to fall in love, as the two parts desire to be reunited. In plato's opinion, it's not the union of a man and women, but rather a reunion.  

        Though I personally do not believe in this mythical theology, I find this sort of thing very interesting. Logically it does sort of make sense for a time when people believed in the greek and roman gods, and is a creative and refreshing spin on the reasons as to why men and women fall in love.

Various Sexual Responce Cycle Theories

When discussing the cycle that a human goes through during sexual response, there are several different view points in which you can identify with, or at least consider when exploring this concept.

First we have Masters and Johnson's 4-phase sexual response cycle. The four stages, in order, are:

1) Excitement:

*for men this begins with an errection (vasocongestion), and testicles increase in size and elevate

*for women this begins with lubrication, errection of the clitoris, and breasts increase in size and elevate

For Both: myotonia occurs, along with an increase in both heart rate and blood pressure

2) Plateau: excitement levels out, and is the pre-climax phase

*for men testicles elevate further into position for ejaculation, and cowpers glands will produce a small secretion of semen

*for women the vaginal barrel outer 1/3 contracts, the inner 2/3 expands, and the uterus increases in size and elevates. The clitoris also withdraws into its "hood" like structure.

3) Orgasmic:

*for men there are two stages:
 i) contracting/muscle spasms to draw semen together for ejaculation
 ii) relaxation of the sphincter muscle, which allows the release of the tensionand fluid

*for women there are 3 to 15 muscular contractions in the regions around the vaginal wall and uterine location

For both men and women: they both experience muscle spasms, and an increase in heart rate & breathing rate.

4) Resolution:

*for men blood returns to the body (takes approx. 1 minute), and then the refractory period takes place (which will last for several more minutes)

*for women, the release of blood from the genitals and breast occurs

For both men and women: the myotonia/tension releases

*It is also to be noted that Masters and Johnson believe that there is only one kind of orgasm, which is vaginal.

Next, we have Kaplan's model of sexual response, which comes from a sexual therapist by the name of Helen Singer Kaplan who built a 3-phase cycle of arousal. The three phases, in order, are:

1) Desire: a unique contribution to Kaplan's model, which is suggesting that when a person engages in sexual activity, their actions are fueled by a desire to do so. If desire is too high or too low it is considered to be a problem.

2) Excitement: includes errection & lubrication for both men and women. Sexual problems that sometimes arise in this area are erectile disfunction, or lack of lubrication.

3) Orgasm: the poin at which an individual reaches a climax. Both premature orgasms for men, and women being unable to achieve orgasm are both considered sexual problems

         Following that is the contributions from Rosemary Basson. Basson was a feminist researcher and theorist, who suggested that one must remember intimacy during sex, which is uniquely important to women. She went on to say that though intimacy is not necessary for sexual activity, it IS very important in long-term relationships.

         Lastly, we have Freud, who everybody just LOVES to hear from. Freud thinks of sex under the critical theoretic paradigm, and suggested that sexuality is the engine that drives development. He also suggested that there are two types of orgasms:

 i) clitoral

ii) vaginal

             Freud describes clitoral orgasms as immature on the women's behalf, and his reasoning is due to the fact the the orgasm is acheived without vaginal involvement. He goes on to say that the clitoral orgasm is masculine, as it demonstrates "penis envy", which can only be cured once she has a baby. It is due to this fact that many women, like myself, have a hard time identifying with freud and his theories.

Everything That You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Too Afraid to Ask

        As an introduction to the topic of Sexual response, and its variations, we were shown a clip from Woody Allen's film Every Thing You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were too Afraid to Ask. This film takes a humourous stance when adressing the physiological responce that a man goes through when experiencing sexual arousal, right through to climax. It was a really funny take on the work that the male body goes through during the sexual response cycle, and is based on the book written by Dr. David Rueben, titled Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex. Rueben published this book in the 1960's, which presented a moralistic perspective in regards to sex, and was also extremely homophobic as it demonstrated a great amount of hostility towards homosexuals.

Human Sexuality: A Straight Forward Concept?

              Human sexuality is an issue that affects everyone, and its complexity is what makes it such an interesting and diverse concept to explore. In class we engaged in a group discussion activity where we were asked to come up with several different ways that one can look at human sexuality. It was interesting to see how many different perspectives arose amoungst my classmates and I, even from such small sample of our society. A person may have different views on sexuality based on their religious and/or cultural backgrounds, and along with that goes age and previous life experiences. The issues of homosexuality, gender, sexual activity, and other dimensions of human sexuality are dominated by a number of different factors including society, religion, culture, and as previously mentioned, previous life experiences. All in all, Human sexuality is a concept that is not easily defined or classified, and it presents us with endless posibilities for exploration.