Sex and Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Students on college campuses are disproportionately at risk of sexual assault. One in every five women and one in twenty men will be sexually assaulted during their time in college. In this course, we will use a cultural psychological lens to analyze the ways in which institutions, ideas, and individuals interact to affect both sex and sexual assault. We will tie together differing research opinions about how sexual misconduct is normalized and perpetuated on college campuses, and examine the roles of Greek life, hookup culture, and party culture. We will take an intersectional approach as we deconstruct gender roles, look at sex and consent in straight and LGBTQIA+ communities, and examine how power impacts sex. Additionally, we will explore the effects of current political and social movements such as #MeToo on campus culture. This course will combine lectures and in class discussions with weekly reflections, where students will have a chance to connect what they are learning in class to their own lived experiences. Students will leave this course with a framework for approaching, analyzing, and changing both campus culture and their own relationships.