Conducting Family Interviews for a Course in Human Sexuality

Abstract

A paper writing project for use in human sexuality courses is described which requires students to administer a questionnaire on sexual attitudes to family members and age-peers. A novel aspect of the assignment is the requirement that students predict the responses before administering the questionnaire. Results can be used to illustrate the differences between actual and perceived generation gaps and a number of other aspects of sexual socialization and value transmission. Use of the project in a large introductory level human sexuality course suggests that it effectively encourages students to explore personal attitudes and experiences and relate them to social scientific research, and provides them with hands-on experience with a common method of research. Sociologists teaching courses in human sexuality have an opportunity to bring a perspective to the course such that students gain some understanding of sociology as well as knowledge about sexuality. Making a human sexuality course sociological implies a number of things. For one, students can be encouraged to think like sociologists, exploring how society affects individual attitudes and behaviors, as in gender roles or in definitions of normal sexual behavior. Second, teaching human sexuality sociologically involves incorporating substantive research into the course content through lectures and readings. Finally, through exposure to research students can be introduced to social