Introduction to Human Sexuality
Erika Goerling, Portland, OR
Emerson Wolfe, Portland, OR
Copyright Year:
Publisher: Open Oregon Educational Resources
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
CC BY-NC-SA
Reviews
The concepts are divided over twenty chapters of informational categories, which allows for full coverage in a 16-week instructional format. Content addresses not only the more common aspects of Gender, Sexual Orientation, Attraction, Intimacy,... read more
The concepts are divided over twenty chapters of informational categories, which allows for full coverage in a 16-week instructional format. Content addresses not only the more common aspects of Gender, Sexual Orientation, Attraction, Intimacy, STD's, and Conception & Contraception, but also provides significant content to expose students to the issues of Sexual Trauma, Sex Work, and Paraphilias. Very nice breadth provided.
I found no inaccurate content
The conceptual focus addresses the needs of today's student interested in better understanding human sexuality.
Written clearly with well-defined learning outcomes.
Consistency was evident.
Great division of content easily digestible.
Well organized with a professional feel to the finished product
Wonderful inclusion of video content!
No errors noted
Inclusive
Very nice "feel" to the delivery of content that presents professionally.
Could be benefitted by addition of a glossary.
The book seems to be very straightforward and concise, which I very much appreciate. There are a lot of terms and all of them are defined using language suitable for students. The incorporation of theories in every chapter is really good. read more
The book seems to be very straightforward and concise, which I very much appreciate. There are a lot of terms and all of them are defined using language suitable for students. The incorporation of theories in every chapter is really good.
I found the content to be accurate and unbiased. The inclusion of non-cis straight perspective is refreshing and encouraging.
The text is written recently as there are references to COVID pandemic. The general approach taken is with relevance to the day to day lives, which could be very beneficial for the student reader.
The textbook presents clear definitions for all the terms. It even has a whole chapter on those.
I found the text to be consistent in terms of terminology and framework.
I would say the modularity is good. Quite a bit of subheadings and it divides it into very manageable sections.
The text is organized in a clear way. The two parts of the textbook are interesting, and for those who teach only one semester of human sexuality will need to figure out how to organize the chapters from both parts.
There were a few media elements that were not loading. For example in Chapter 4, "Image from Pussypedia.net" was not loading. I also wished some of the images you could click on to make larger for readability purposes. For example, the "diagram of the menstrual cycle"
Interpersonal Strategies in Chapter 5 the font is not consistent in the Table.
I didn't notice any grammatical errors.
I feel that the text is written with a high level of cultural sensitivity. For example, the author includes a note such as: "Some of the language in this chapter is still held in the binary; that is girl/boy or male/female. This is concurrent with a lot of medical literature. Importantly, however, even biological sex is found on a continuum so there are variations of genital structure and presentation that defies the binary, which is critical to note." Also, they have a whole section on indigenous perspectives which I feel is not always present in other textbooks.
I have been wanting an OER textbook for my human sexuality course for the longest time. I was so happy to see that there is one now available. Reading through this textbook made me extra excited for the next time I will be teaching this class and I am looking forward to adopting this textbook for my class. My only concern is the lack of supplemental materials for the instructor, though not the biggest issue, will require additional work to recreate all the slides, quiz/exam questions, and activities to line up with this textbook.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- I. Part 1: Reflections and Explorations in Human Sexuality
- 1. Chapter 1- Community Agreements and Terminology
- 2. Chapter 2- Human Sexuality Theories
- 3. Chapter 3- Sexology through Time and Contemporary Sex Research
- 4. Chapter 4- Sex Differentiation, Anatomy, and Physiology
- 5. Chapter 5- Gender
- 6. Chapter 6- Sexual Orientation
- 7. Chapter 7- Attraction
- 8. Chapter 8- Sexual Response and the Biochemistry of Love
- 9. Chapter 9- Sexual Behaviors (and Safer Sex)
- 10. Chapter 10- Intimate Relationships
- II. Part 2- Professional and Clinical Topics in Human Sexuality
- 11. Chapter 11- Part 2 Terminology Review
- 12. Chapter 12- Sexual Development Through the Lifespan
- 13. Chapter 13- Contraception
- 14. Chapter 14- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- 15. Chapter 15- Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth
- 16. Chapter 16- Variations in Sexual Behavior
- 17. Chapter 17- Sexual Dysfunction and Treatment
- 18. Chapter 18- Sexual Marketplace
- 19. Chapter 19- Trauma, Therapy, and Trauma Informed Care
- 20. Chapter 20- Ability, Intersectionality, Body Image, and Reclaiming Our Bodies
- About the Authors
- Appendix
Ancillary Material
Submit ancillary resourceAbout the Book
This is an introductory human sexuality textbook.
About the Contributors
Authors
From an early age, Ericka remembers pondering why people behave the way they do. This expanded and grew to ongoing curiosity of, and respect for, human experiences. A lifelong learner of psychology, she received her BS in psychology from Portland State University in 2000, her MS in counseling psychology from Lewis and Clark College in 2003, and her PhD in psychology from Fielding Graduate University in 2016, with an emphasis in media psychology. Ericka had the incredible fortune of working with crime and trauma survivors for nearly 15 years, before turning to teaching exclusively in 2010. In her instructional capacity at Portland Community College, Ericka teaches Intro to Psych courses, Personality, Social Psychology and Human Sexuality. She enjoys time with her family- both human and fluffy, traveling and exploring, nature, and a decently embarrassing amount of popculture.
As a non-binary transgender person living with a physical disability, Emerson did not always see themself reflected in textbooks and course curriculum. They wanted to create this resource to provide representation in a way that normalizes the vastness of possibilities that exist based on each individual’s intersecting identities. Emerson’s passion for criticality was sparked during their experience at UC Berkeley where they received their BA in Peace and Conflict Studies with an emphasis in conflict resolution in 2011 followed by obtaining an MS in Counseling Psychology from CSU, Bakersfield in 2015. Emerson worked as a therapist associate primarily with foster care youth and developed community peer support groups for the transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive community in central California. They began teaching psychology classes in 2017 and are now teaching at Portland Community College, Clark College, and Pacific University. They teach Human Sexuality, LGBT Psychotherapy, Personality, Human Development, and Intro to Psych classes. Emerson loves gardening with his partner and watching the hummingbirds. They have 2 cats and 2 dogs who provide endless amounts of joy. Emerson would like to thank those who have come before and shared their wisdom leading to the present and for those who will continue to expand our understanding of human sexuality into the future!