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.

Alfred Kinsey

Today in class we watched a clip from the film Kinsey, which is based on the life of Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956). The film takes place in the edwardian era, which is considered to be a very modest time. Alfred Kinsey was a highly regarded man who conducted ground-breaking, large scaled interview research about sex. Though he was highly regarded, some say his work contained a high degree of biases. Not a lot of people were comfortable with the questions and with participating in the research interviews, so as a result of that the research he collected was derived from a sample that wasn't very representative of the overall population. Kinsey's work was highly influential, and helped shape the way people think of sexuality today. I've included the theatrical trailer for the film, which I think does an excellent job at illustrating just how sheltered people were from sex and how it was made to seem like a shameful act to engage in, talk about, or even think about. It also shows how complicated Kinsey's job was in collecting his research.

Kinsey (2004) Movie Trailer

Alfred Kinsey is a man who I really admire, as he was so brave to explore such a contravercial issue, and to expose his findings to the public. In a time when sex was such a hush-hush topic, Kinsey dared to ask questions that people had been wanting to ask for years, but were too afraid to ask. I think that it's really sad that people were brought up to believe that sex is something to be ashamed of, and were never really informed of how it works or what's normal to feel, think, and experience. In my opinion sex is something to celebrate and that, when done safely, is a great thing which a person shouldn't ever be ashamed of. I'm not saying that people should go around telling their peers every little juicy detail about their intimate lifes, but rather be comfortable enough to discuss it with those they trust. It's people like Kinsey that I really admire for daring to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means going against what society says is right or wrong, and eventually end up revolutionizing the way that people view the world around them. Kinsey not only increase the knowledge about sexuality amonst the average citizen, but he also helped solve many long lasting sexual disfunctions that had been prevalent in marriage for years. Essentially, Kinsey was an extremely influential figure who made it ok for people to both have a sexuality, and to be able to embrace and express it in a way that they didn't have to feel ashamed about it any longer.

Private Dicks: Men Exposed

The class after we watched a clip from The Vagina Monologues we were shown an excerpt from the film Private Dicks: Men Exposed, which expressed sexuality and anatomy from a male's perspective. It was pretty interesting to hear men talk about them selves the way that they did in this film, as it was deviated from the norm, or rather the stereotype, of how men typically discuss their anatomy. It was interesting to hear that many of them actually don't talk about their "junk", if you will, where as men are stereotypically thought to be regularilly boasting about it and working it into the conversation.

Feminism and Its Many Colours

          In junction with The Vagina Monologues we were introduced to feminism and its diverse and evergrowing history. So far in the history of feminism there have been four waves that have each marked a significant point in advancement, and it continues to thrive and evolve to this day.

The first wave of feminism took place in the early 20th century, and its drive was to grant women the right to vote and be given equal political rights. (also known as the Women's Liberation Movement)

The second wave of feminism took place during the 60's through the 90's, and its push factor was to expand women's rights and freedoms even further. Feminists fought for women to have equal status in the areas of rights to medical care, education, and the workplace. Another issue that the feminists of this time faced was the issue of women's sexual representation, mainly concerning how we were sexually represented in the media. Many feminists believed, and some even still believe, that we as women are portrayed through the media in such a way that we are merely sexual objects for men, and it was this belief that fueled many activist groups to strive towards reversing the degrading image in which women were being portrayed.

The third wave of feminism, also sometimes referred to as post feminism, revolved around sexual empowerment for women. Women began acting in sexually provocative manners and used this as a mode of personal empowerment, rather than demeanment. This is wave of feminism is the one that interests me the most, as it is when women finally began to embrace their sexuality in such a way that they felt comfortable enough to flaunt it, and not have to feel ashamed by it. Madonna is the postermodel for this time era, as she was a huge influence in the revolution of women's sexual empowerment.

                    Lastly, we have the   fourth wave of feminism, which is occuring right now in modern time. This new wave of feminism is structured around uniting people, both spiritually and physically; the main goal is to promote peace. The main emphasis is on peace, both interculturally and internationally. A major drive that 4th wave feminists have is the mission to educate women in 3rd world countries, who are disadvantaged and at risk for dangers like STI's and abuse, ranging from spousal/partner abuse to circumcision. 

The Vagina Monologues

                                                             In class, we watched a short clip from The Vagina Monolgues. I must say that I wasn't overly thrilled with the way that she represented women. I found her point of view to be very extremist, and she did her absolute best to make it seem like we, as women, have it so rough. She did bring up some valid points, but for the most part she pretty much made my head throb. I think that it would have been interesting to have heard from woman that had a less extreme feminist frame of mind. Her monologue is called My Angry Vagina, and she goes on to complain about "things that people want to put up there". I think that women all have the choice to do what they want with their girly parts, and if they want to try out new trends, or what have you, then it is thier right to do so. However I do agree with the whole bit about the visit to the gynocologist, and how there could be some improvements to the process of the examination! That aside from that, the point that I'm trying to make with this is that although there are certainly things that we as women have to deal with on a daily basis, that we might not be that thrilled about, our lives aren't that bad, and I think that some women should just take a deep breath and accept that not everything in life is perfect.

Principles of Critical Thinking!

I am going to keep this entry quite short, but I thought that I would throw in the 8 principles of critical thinking, as a reminder that human sexuality is such a diverse and complex subject, and it is important to always think carefully about the information you receive.

                                                     Principles of Critical Thinking

1. Be skeptical
2. Examine definition of terms
3. Examine the assumptions of arguments
4. Be cautious in drawing conclusions from evidence
5. Consider alternative interpretations of research evidence
6. Consider kinds of evidence
7. Do not over simplify
8. Do not overgeneralize

Habermas' Paradigms

Today In class we were introduced to Habermas' Paradigms, which are different ways of exploring human sexuality and I found it interesting to examine the various ways that an individual can look at sexuality. In total there are three paradigms : Empirical Analytic, Critical Theoretic, and Situational Interpretive. Empirical Analytic, which I should also note that this is the paradigm used by Masters and Johnson, is considered to be the default organizing paradigm, and is scientific in nature. Evidence is very important, along with prediction and control; essentially this paradigm is developed by what you see, observe, and calculate. This paradigm is used to classify things/qualites, and anything that doesn't fit within the norm is considered to be a problem. This perspective also believes that sexual attractiveness originally stemmed from evolution. This is a theory that I have heard of before, but is one that I find particularilly interesting! Just to think that the reason as to why a woman, for example, may be considered to be more attractive to the opposite sex if she has a nice skin complexion and/or healthy thick hair as opposed to a female with blemished or dry skin and thinner hair could all be linked to our very early ancestors who were looking for females that appeared healthy, thus able to bear healthy offspring.