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Apr 18, 2024
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2016-2017 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]
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HIST 210H - Sex and Sexual American History
Credits: Four (4)
Prerequisite: Membership in Bascom Honors Program
Many aspects of sexuality have long been considered problematic in our society. What are the proper sexual roles for men and women and how have they changed over time? What does it mean to be homosexual and how should our society treat people who are labeled as such? What does abortion mean and when is it permissible? What has consensual sex looked like in different time periods and who is qualified to give consent? In this course we will examine how views of sex and sexuality have changed over time from the strict social control measures the Puritans had in place in colonial Massachusetts to the apparent freedoms of today, paying particular attention to the influence of gender, race, religion, medicine, and politics as well as orientation on American ideas of sex and sexuality. We will also consider the ways in which our society has dealt with the problems of sexuality through formal means such as legislation, governmental programs and oversight, medical definition and treatment, and less formal means such as familial and community supervision and social pressure.
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