Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

1. Enhance relationships with sexual partners and the community through knowledge of biological, psychological and cultural milestones in human sexual development.
2. Effectively manage sexual problems and develop broader understanding of those with chronic illnesses and disabilities that impact sexual functioning.
3. Make informed decisions about contraception, abortion, pregnancy and the birthing process through knowledge of human reproduction, psychosocial and cultural factors.
4. Implement safer sex practices through awareness, treatment and effective communication with partners and diverse community members regarding sexually transmitted infections.
5. Enhance satisfaction with sexual relationships through informed decisions utilizing knowledge of problematic (coercive, paraphilic) and functional
(consensual, atypical) sexual behaviors.

Students will demonstrate intended outcomes by any combination of the following as determined by the instructor:
 

1. Written and/or oral assignments designed to promote integration of class material with personal reflection and experience.
2. Multiple choice, short answer and essay questions that require integration, application, and critical examination of material covered in the class
3. Participation in individual, dyad and group exercises, activities, case studies and/or role-plays in or outside of the classroom
4. Individual or group presentations
5. Attendance at, or participation in, lectures, workshops and/or community events related to the field of sexology
6. Design and completion of a research project
7. Community service learning projects

Course Content: Themes, Content, Issues
1. Childhood and adolescent sexuality
2. Adult sexuality and aging
3. Sexual problems: their description, etiology and treatment
4. Sexual enhancement strategies
5. Chronic illness and disability and how it affects sexual desire and expression
6. Contraception
7. Conception
8. Sexual victimization: rape, child sexual abuse, and sexual harassment
9. Paraphilias
10. Sexually transmitted infections
11. Prostitution
12. Pornography
13. Adult entertainment
Competencies and Skills:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of childhood and adolescent sexual growth and development from biological, psychological, social and     cultural perspectives, and reflect on this process from a personal perspective.
2. Explain how sexual values, attitudes and behavior may be expressed during the adult years within different contexts including: single         living, cohabitation, marriage, consensual and nonconsensual extramarital relationships, divorce, aging, widowhood.
3. Identify various types of chronic illness (multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke) and disability (spinal cord         injury, cerebral palsy, blindness and deafness, mental disabilities) on sexual desire and expression. Describe various coping and             enhancement strategies to deal with the above.
4. Identify the physiological, personal, relationship and sociocultural factors that may contribute to sexual problems.
5. Give examples of specific desire, excitement and orgasm phase sexual problems that men and women experience. Describe the nature      of dypareunia in men and women. Be able to recommend treatment options for sexual problems as well as strategies for sexual                   enhancement.
6. Be able to demonstrate the following in regard to contraception: ways in which couples can share responsibility for it; how various                methods work as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each method; and finally, the effectiveness of various hormone-based         contraceptives, barrier methods, intrauterine devices, emergency contraception, methods based on the menstrual cycle, and                         sterilization.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the process of conception, including: how to enhance the possibility of conception, infertility problems     and how they might be dealt with, spontaneous and elective abortion, aspects of a healthy pregnancy, sexual interaction during                     pregnancy, stages of childbirth, and psychological and sexual adjustments postpartum.
8. Give examples of various sexually transmitted infections, specifically bacterial and viral infections, common vaginal infections, and                 ectoparasitic infections. Explain transmission, symptoms, treatment, and prevention for each infection, including HIV. Identify community     resources for treatment, testing, and prevention.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of the issues involved in sexual victimization (rape, child sexual abuse, and sexual harassment)                 including factors that may contribute to these types of victimization; characteristics of offenders, treatment resources and prevention             strategies.
10. Give examples of atypical sexual behavior, including noncoercive paraphilias (e.g., fetishism, transvestism, sexual sadism and sexual       masochism, klismaphilia, autoerotic asphyxia, coprophilia, and urophilia) and coercive paraphilias (e.g., exhibitionism, obscene phone       calls, voyeurism, frotteurism, zoophilia, necrophilia). Describe some of the dynamics involved in these behaviors as well as treatment           strategies for coercive paraphilias.
11. Demonstrate an understanding of the commercialization of sex as it relates to prostitution, pornography and adult entertainment.
12. Develop and practice critical thinking, personal reflection, written and oral communication skills in pursuit of all of the above.
13. Seek out, evaluate and integrate resources in the library, on the Internet and in the community in pursuit of 1-12 above.