Print Syllabus

Human Sexuality (College) - Course Introduction

Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.

"Sex" is one of the most taboo words in the English language, and regardless of your feelings on (or experience with) the subject, it's something that folks still struggle to have meaningful, or even serious, conversations about.

Enter: Shmoop's Human Sexuality course.

One of the perks of online education is that Shmoop.com happens to have zero shame when it comes to sexuality, sexual health, and the biological functions of sex itself. We've stepped in, in lieu of a typical teacher, to educate you about everything from anatomy to gender to dealing with unplanned pregnancy to a person's sexual awakening.

Uh, JK about that "sexual awakening" thing, though. Can you imagine if we were that corny? Gag.

In all honesty, though, we will start out with a discussion about anatomy and biology (the most basic parts of sex and sexuality) and venture into more touchy, varied, and debatable topics. We'll cover everything from discrimination in the LGBTQ community to how to prevent yourself from itching in places you don't want to be itching. We'll talk about what makes something illicit or taboo and how the definition of "sex" is ever-evolving.

Bottom line? This isn't your grandma's Sex Ed course. That means you can expect us to dish out this content with humor, sure, but more importantly, straightforward honesty. We won't approach any of these topics (no matter how risqué) with an ounce of judgment—we just can't promise we'll approach any material about babies or body odor with a straight face.

Unit Breakdown (59 Lessons)

Unit 1: Bye Bye Baby Body (11 Lessons)

Unit 2: Every Body is Different (10 Lessons)

Unit 3: When Your Body Meets Another Body (7 Lessons)

Unit 4: STIs: You're Gonna Need Some Body Armor (5 Lessons)

Unit 5: Your Body Can Make Baby Bodies (8 Lessons)

Unit 6: A Body of Choices (9 Lessons)

Unit 7: Body Consciousness (9 Lessons)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you should be able to

  • track how the popular understanding of sex, sexuality, gender, and sexual health has evolved over time.
  • describe the basic functions of the following biological systems:
    • Respiratory
    • Digestive
    • Nervous
    • Endocrine
    • Reproductive
  • explain the difference between gender and biological sex and how society affects perception of gender, as well as track the history of gender discrimination and seminal legislation designed to counteract it.
  • identify the multitude of gender and sexual orientations under the LGBTQ banner.
  • identify emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and possible steps to combat it.
  • identify the symptoms, causes, and prevention of major sexually transmitted infections.
  • identify key points in the debate surrounding safe sex education, including abstinence-only education.
  • identify major aspects of procreation, contraceptives, and abortion, including the pros and cons of various contraceptive methods, the biological process of pregnancy by trimester, how pregnancy is treated both politically and socioeconomically, and the controversy surrounding abortion.
  • explain how decision making techniques can be used to make informed choices about bodily health, sexual health, and relationships (both romantic and sexual).
  • explain the politics of sex and sexuality, including how sex and sexuality are exploited personally, politically, and commercially, and the rape/sexual assault epidemic and take steps to combat it.