CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS HUMAN SEXUALITY?

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CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS HUMAN SEXUALITY?

Chapter-at-a-Glance

Chapter 1 Outline

Instructor’s Resources

Professor Notes What Is Human Sexuality?

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The Study of Human Sexuality

Learning Objectives 1.1–1.2 Lecture Launcher 1.1 Student Activities 1.1–1.3

Sexuality and Values, p. 4 Value Systems for Making Responsible Sexual Decisions

Learning Objective 1.3 Lecture Launchers 1.2–1.3

Thinking Critically About Human Sexuality, p. 8 Principles of Critical Thinking

Learning Objective 1.4 Lecture Launcher 1.4

Perspectives on Human Sexuality, p. 10 The Historical Perspective The Biological Perspective The Evolutionary Perspective The Cross-Species Perspective Sociological Perspectives Psychological Perspectives Feminist Theory Queer Theory Multiple Perspectives on Human Sexuality

Learning Objectives 1.5–1.15 Lecture Launchers 1.5–1.6 Student Activities 1.4–1.6

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3 Detailed Chapter Outline

WHAT IS HUMAN SEXUALITY?

Lecture Launchers 1.1 Student Activities 1.1–1.3

• What Is Human Sexuality? The term human sexuality refers to the ways in

which we experience and express ourselves as sexual beings.• The Study of Human Sexuality draws upon the scientific expertise of many fields, including anthropology, biology, medical research, sociology, and psychology.

SEXUALITY AND VALUES

Lecture Launchers 1.2–1.3

• Our Society is pluralistic and embraces a wide range of sexual attitudes and

values.

• Readers may be liberal or conservative. People’s sexual attitudes, experiences,

and behaviors are shaped by cultural traditions and beliefs.• Value Systems for Making Sexual Decisions: The ways in which we express our sexuality are matters of personal choice. These choices are dictated in part by our value systems or sexual standards. Value systems provide a framework for judging the moral acceptability of sexual options.

• Legalism: The legalistic approach formulates ethical behavior on the basis of a

code of moral laws derived from an external source, such as the creed of a religion.

• Situational ethics states that rules of conduct should be flexible guidelines—the

context of a particular situation dictates the moral decision. 2 / 4

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• Ethical relativism: Ethical relativists believe that there is no objective way of

justifying one set of moral values over another. They reject that idea that there is a single correct moral view.

o Hedonism: The pursuit of pleasure guides the hedonistic ethic. From this

perspective, sexual desires do not raise moral considerations.

o Asceticism: Ascetics seek to deny themselves of material and sexual desire.

• Utilitarianism is the view that moral conduct is based on that which will bring

about “the greatest good for the greatest number.”

• Rationalism: The rationalist believes that decisions should be based on intellect

and reasoning, rather than emotions or obedience to a particular faith.

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT HUMAN SEXUALITY

Lecture Launcher 1.4

• We are flooded with so much information about sex from various sources

including newspapers, television, popular books and magazines, and the Internet, that is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Critical thinking includes being skeptical of the information you are presented. To critically evaluate information, one should maintain a healthy skepticism and analyze and thoughtfully consider all claims. Critical thinking requires a willingness to challenge the conventional wisdom and finding reasons to support your beliefs.• Principles of Critical Thinking: The following are some principles of critical thinking:

• Be skeptical. Accept nothing as true until you have personally weighed the

evidence. 3 / 4

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• Examine definitions of terms. Some terms are ambiguous and may have different

meanings to different individuals. In evaluating an argument, make sure to understand the author’s definition of the term.

• Examine the assumptions or premises of arguments. Many statements are made

with an underlying (and often unstated) assumption about the world or the way it should be. To fully comprehend the argument, you must be able to identify these assumptions.

• Be cautious in drawing conclusions from evidence.
• Consider alternative interpretations of research evidence. Be sure not to confuse

correlation and causality.

• Consider the kinds of evidence upon which conclusions are based. The strongest

arguments are those that are founded on sound research.

• Do not oversimplify. Be aware of the complex interaction of biological and

environmental factors.

• Do not overgeneralize.

PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN SEXUALITY

Lecture Launchers 1.5–1.6 Student Activities 1.4–1.6

• Human sexuality is a complex topic and no single theory or perspective can

capture all its nuances.• The Historical Perspective History shows little evidence of universal sexual trends. Attitudes and behaviors vary extensively from one time and place to another.

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