SOW-PSB3FE10E
Psychology of Sexuality
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleSOW-PSB3FE10E
Credits (ECTS)4
CategoryB3 (Third year bachelor)
Language of instructionEnglish
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Social Sciences; Psychology;
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator
dr. M.H. Prins
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer
dr. M.H. Prins
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course
dr. M.H. Prins
Other course modules lecturer
Examiner
dr. M.H. Prins
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2020
Period
PER4  (05/04/2021 to 16/07/2021)
Starting block
PER4
Course mode
full-time
Remarks-
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesYes
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedure-
Aims
Overall objectives
You will gain an active understanding in the factors that determine the form and function of sexual behaviour.
You will gain an active understanding in the factors that regulate sexual motivation.
You will gain an active understanding in the factors that lead to variation in sexual behaviour and sexual motivation.
Content
Our Western society seems to be soaking in sexuality. Scantily clad women present new car models. Men with oiled six packs recommend drinks. Many hip-hop music clips present women as whores and men as pimps. Porn is freely accessible in large quantities on the internet. At the same time, sexual issues are still taboo and many people find it uncomfortable to talk openly about their sexual preferences and behaviours.
The course Psychology of Sexuality is an empirically based course, and is grounded in psychological research and theory. This course is about how people think about sexuality and why their sexual behaviour is shaped as it is.
Biological psychology teaches us how the human body is constructed and functions. Our body gives us sexual possibilities and limitations, and can make us insecure. Furthermore, evolutionary psychology provides an explanation for human sexual behaviour. Certain sexual behavioural patterns appear to have been ingrained in the course of thousands of years. From the perspective of natural selection, for example, we can better understand partner preference.
Sexual behaviour is for a large part shaped within a group or culture. Each culture and each religion has a set of behavioural rules and taboos when it comes to sex. In Western culture, Christian religion has long been dominant in shaping sexual views and sexual behaviour. Views of sexuality have changed dramatically in the last hundred years, especially since the sexual revolution of the 1960s. So much so that some speak of a pornofication of society.
Finally, sexual behaviour or a sexual relationship can be not what you expect or not how you think ‘it should be’. In a guest lecture, a sexologist will tell you what the most common sexual disorders are, and how they can be diagnosed and remedied within a therapeutic setting.
To make a computer analogy: you have hardware (the body), an operating system (evolution), software (culture) and a helpdesk (sexologists).

Assessment information

Written exam, combination of 40 multiple choice and 2 open ended questions (80/20%).
Level

Presumed foreknowledge
First-year diploma psychology or any other first-year diploma.
Test information
A written exam consisting of 40 multiple choice questions and 2 open ended questions. Final grade is 80% MC and 20% open ended questions.
Specifics

Required materials
Book
Lehmiller, J. J. (2017). The Psychology of Human Sexuality. 2nd edition. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
ISBN:978-1-119-16473-9
Title:The Psychology of Human Sexuality
Author:Lehmiller, J. J.
Publisher:Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Edition:2

Instructional modes
Lecture
Attendance MandatoryYes

General
Interactieve colleges

Question-and-answer seminar

Self-study assignments

Tests
Multiple choice and open answer question
Test weight1
Test typeDigital exam with CIRRUS
OpportunitiesBlock PER4, Block PER4