SXS/PSY 320                                                                                        SPRING, 2012

 

 

Sex and Relationships

M-W-F, 8:10 – 9:00 AM

McKenna Theater, CA 129

 

 

Instructor:  Ivy Chen, MPH

Email:  ivychensfsu@gmail.com   for administrative and personal questions.

**(please always include your full name, SFSU ID #, and the course you’re enrolled in when emailing)

 

 

Office Hours:  immediately after each class, 9:00am-9:30am McKenna Theater lobby

Class Website: userwww.sfsu.edu/~ivychen

 

For questions regarding the papers

Email:  relationships320@gmail.com                                                          

                                                         

 

Course Objectives

 

            This course will examine the lifeline of a romantic relationship from beginning to end. The topics which will be explored during the semester include falling in love, beauty and attraction, developing a relationship, open relationships, communication, jealousy, conflict resolution, safer-sex, sexual expression, intimacy, money and romance, abusive relationships, and breaking-up. The major goal of the class is to provide students with information in order to enable them to create optimal relationships.

 

            This course is in the General Education Segment III and is part of the Human Sexuality:  Biological, Psychological, Sociocultural, and Humanistic Aspects Cluster (Category C). For students to obtain course credit for their General Education Requirements, they must take this course either during the semester when they will have earned 60 units or after they have earned 60 units

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Required Readings & Equipment

 

Elia, John P and Chen, Ivy. Sexualities and Relationships: An Anthology, 3nd Edition. Dubuque, Iowa:

            Kendall Hunt Publishers, 2010 (available in SFSU bookstore)

 

Class Reader, Available  2nd week in class & from Copy Edge (1508 Ocean Ave, 415-587-5345)

 

iClicker 2 with LCD Screen, available at SFSU bookstore.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance

 

            Students must attend class regularly; attendance will affect your grade, especially if you have a borderline grade. If you miss class, you are responsible for getting your own notes; class notes will not be posted on the web or emailed out from the instructor/TAs.

            Attendance will be taken with the iClicker 2 remote control pad. For full details on how to register the iClicker 2 to the class, check under FAQs of the class website.  In addition to attendance, we will use the remote controls to conduct anonymous in-class surveys and answer sample exam questions. Put a name label on your remote and bring your remote control with you to every class.  You will only get credit for attendance if you have a functioning registered remote control pad.

 

Your class grade will come from 7 different assignments:

 

(1)  Article Critique: Due beginning of class Monday, February 13, 2012 (5%)

           

            Each student is required find a news article having to do with any aspect of sex and relationships.  Acceptable sources of the article include news magazines, newspapers, and professional journals. No tabloids, entertainment magazines, advertisements or porn will be accepted. The article must be published after October 1st, 2011, and be 2-8 pages long without citation pages. After reading the article, the student is required to write a two full page, double-spaced, brief description and analysis of the information (your paper should include a brief summary of the article, who the target audience is, what you learned about the particular aspect of sex and relationships, and what you found most helpful/interesting about the article and what you thought was lacking. When you submit your 2-page write-up, please attach a legible copy of the entire article, which may be selected to be included in next semester’s class reader.  Put your first and last name initials, your SFSU ID #, course title and semester (Example: IC- 987654321; SXS/PSY 320, Spring 2012). See FAQs on class website for grade-sheet and details.

            The paper should be submitted with a Zeus Answer Sheet Form.  Fill out your name and student number portion of this form. You do not have to bubble in the Zeus form. This is a receipt for us that we’ve gotten your paper.  Papers will be accepted during class time only.  No papers will be accepted through email or in my office.  For every class date that your papers are late, you will lose a full letter grade.   

 

(2) Agree / Disagree Analytical Paper: Due beginning of class Friday, March 2, 2012 (18%)

           

            Choose only one of the three following statements on which to base your paper:

1.             Physical beauty in a romantic partner is not that important to me.

2.            I am open to rekindling a relationship with an ex (separated for a minimum of 2 years).

3.             I want to wait until both my partner and I are both at least age 30 before getting married.

 

            Either agree or disagree with the statement, keeping in mind how this statement relates to the ideas presented in class. Include at least 4 citations from lecture or reading that supports your argument. Citations can either be quotes or paraphrases. Citations must include source (class reader, Elia/Chen textbook, or lectures) and page numbers or date of lectures. Your 4 citations must come from 4 different sources. (Different articles/chapters in the same book counts as different sources; different lectures count as different sources.) Include in your answer experiences from your own/friends’ relationships, opinions and values.

             Please save copies of your papers. Your grades for these papers will be based on: (1) the accuracy of facts you present; (2) how well you argue your position(s); (3) essay structure [introduction (with strong thesis statement), body, and conclusion];(4) clarity and use of college level English; and (5) promptness.  See frequently asked questions on class website for sample grade sheet and sample paper heading.

            The paper should be 4 full pages in length, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins all around. DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON YOUR PAPER. Simply put your first and last name initials, your SFSU ID #, course title and semester (Example: IC- 987654321; SXS/PSY 320, Spring 2012). The paper should be submitted with a Zeus Answer Sheet Form.  Fill out your name and student number portion of this form. You do not have to bubble in the Zeus form. This is a receipt for us that we’ve gotten your paper.

            Papers will be accepted during class time only.  No papers will be accepted through email or in my office.  For every class date that your papers are late, you will lose a full letter grade. 

 

(3)  Mid-Term Examination: Friday, March 09, 2012 (20%)

            This exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice, true/false, and matching items, which will be drawn from readings, videos, and primarily lectures.   Bring a Zeus form, #2 pencil, a clipboard & your SFSU ID. No notes/dictionary is allowed for the exam.

 

(4) Relationships Advice Paper:  Due beginning of class Wednesday, April 11, 2012 (18%)

        Choose only one of the three “Dear Dr. Roof” letters on the class website on which to base your paper. Letter prompts will be available on the website by mid-March. Base your advice for the situation in the letters on the materials you’ve learned in lecture, incorporating 4 citations from lectures or assigned readings. Citations can either be quotes or paraphrases. Citations must include source (class reader, Elia/Chen textbook, or lectures) and page numbers or date of lectures, and they must come from 4 different sources. (Different articles/chapters in the same book counts as different sources; different dated lectures count as different sources.) Include in your answer experiences from your own/friends’ relationships, opinions and values.

            Please save copies of your papers. Your grades for these papers will be based on: (1) how well you present your advice; (2) essay structure (introduction with strong thesis statement, body, and conclusion); (3) clarity and use of college level English; and (4) promptness.  Though there must be a thesis, intro, body and conclusion like other formal essays, you may structure the essay as a letter beginning with “Dear _____”, addressing the letter-writer as “you”, and concluding with “Sincerely, Dr. Roof”.  Your main piece of advice to the letter writer should be your thesis. See frequently asked questions on class website for sample grade sheet and sample paper heading.

            The paper should be 4 full pages in length, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins all around. DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON YOUR PAPER. Simply put your first and last name initials, your SFSU ID #, course title and semester (Example: IC- 987654321; SXS/PSY 320, Spring 2012). The paper should be submitted with a Zeus Answer Sheet Form.  Fill out your name and student number portion of this form. You do not have to bubble in the Zeus form. This is a receipt for us that we’ve gotten your paper.

            Papers will be accepted during class time only.  No papers will be accepted through email or in my office.  For every class date that your papers are late, you will lose a full letter grade. 

 

(5) Health Workshop Assignment (4%)   

       

            Please go to the homepage of our class website and click on the “Health Workshop Schedule” link. You are required to attend one workshop this semester offered by the health educators in the SFSU Student Health Center. Please sign up and attend a workshop at the Student Health Center. Complete your workshop as early in the semester as possible; all workshops will fill up by the end of the semester. If you cannot make any of the scheduled workshops, there are an opportunities to get workshop credit by attending a PEACH peer education nutrition or sexuality appointment in the Student Health Center.  At the end of the semester, Ivy will receive a student list indicating that you have fulfilled the assignment.  You do not need to turn anything in to me.

 

(6) Elia Study Guide Workbook: Due Monday, May 7, 2012 (5%)

           

            Complete the T/F, multiple choice questions, discussion questions, and study questions sections in the workbook that correspond to assigned readings in the Elia/Chen textbook.  By the end of the semester, all sections of the entire workbook should be completed. Write your full name & SFSU ID # on a label, and stick it to the front cover of your workbook. Submit the entire workbook. Only original workbook pages will be given credit; no photocopies will be accepted. For every class date that your workbook is late, you will lose a full letter grade.

 

(7) Final Examination:  Monday, May 14, 2012, 8-10 AM (30%)

           

            The comprehensive final examination will have 100 questions, consisting of true/false, multiple-choice and matching items.  Questions are based on lectures, videos, and readings. 25 questions will be based on material from the first half of class that you have already been tested on in the midterm; 75 questions will be based on materials from the midterm to end of semester. Bring a Zeus form, #2 pencil, a clipboard and your SFSU ID.

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** Class Grade will be determined on a straight grade scale. The exams and class will not be curved, and no extra credit will be offered.

Grade        Grade Percentage

 

 A                                93-100

A-                                90-92

B+                                87-89

B                                  83-86

B-                                80-82

C+                                77-78

C                                  73-76

C-                                70-72

D+                                67-69

D                                 63-66

D-                                60-62

      F                          59 and below

 

Schedule of Class Meetings:

 

(Readings are indicated in italics;

 Elia/Chen textbook = E/C)

 

Week 1:     JAN  23:      Introduction of Course and Instructor

                                   

                                    25:      Definitions of Sex and Relationships,

                                                Initiating a Relationship: How Do People Meet Each Other

                                                (E/C: Chapter Introduction & Ch. 16,  Class Reader: Section 1)

 

                                    27:      Development of a Relationship (E/C Chapter 6)

 

Week 2:                  30:    10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Dating (Albert Angelo)

                                               

                        FEB     01:      Falling in Love: Why & With Whom? (Class Reader: Section 3, E/C Chapter 2)

 

                                    03:      Sexual Attraction & Beauty (Class Reader: Section 4) 

                       

Week 3:                    06:      Arousal & Our Senses  (Class Reader: Section 5, E/C Chapter 3)

 

                               08:      Lovers from Friends; Friends with Benefits

                           (Class Reader: Section 13, E/C Chapter 5 & 7)

 

                                    10:       Long-Lost Love Reunions (E/C Chapter 9)

                                               

Week 4:                    13:       Love’s Hormones  (E/C Chapter 1)

                           Article Critique Due (2 pages)

 

                     15:      Types of Love; Styles of Loving

 

                               17:      21st Century Dating, Internet dating (Class Reader: Section 2)         

                                   

Week 5:                    20:      Being Single (Class Reader: Section 6, E/C Chapter 10)

                                                                       

                                    22:      Cohabitation (Class Reader: Section 7, E/C Chapters 11 & 12)

                                               

                                    24:      Marriage (E/C Chapter 13,  Class Reader: Section 8)

 

Week 6:                    27:      Divorce (E/C Chapters 14 & 15,  Class Reader: Section 9)

           

                                29:     When Couples Fight (Class Reader: Section 10)

                                              

                   MARCH 02:      Sources of Conflict between the Sexes

                                                Agree/Disagree Paper Due (4 pages)

 

Week 7:                               05:      Fair Fighting

 

                                    07:      How to Maintain Intimate Relationships  (E/C Chapter 4)

 

                                              09:      Mid-Term Examination 8:00-9:00 AM

                                                Bring Zeus Form, Clipboard, #2 pencil & SFSU ID)

 

                       

 

 

 

Week 8:  MARCH   12:       In Sickness & In Health: Illness & Relationships (Class Reader: Section 22)

 

                                 14:       Long-Distance Relationships (Class Reader: Section 15, E/C Chapter 21)

 

                                    16:       Inter-racial Relationships (Class Reader: Section 14)

                                                Last day to select Credit/No Credit option

 

Week 9:     March 19-March 23:     Spring Break:  No classes all week.

                                      

Week 10:                  26:      Infidelity (Class Reader: Section 16, E/C Chapter 8)

                                                Jealousy (Class Reader: Section 11)     

           

                                    28:      Polyamory Relationships (E/C Chapter 17, Class Reader: Section 25)

                                               

                                    30:      Cesar Chavez Day; No classes, campus closed

                                               

Week 11:   APRIL   02:      Dating an Addict & Codependent Relationships (Albert Angelo)

 

                     04:      Your Partner’s Family & Your Partner’s Friends (Class Reader: Section 12)

 

                                    06:      Sexual Behaviors  (Class Reader: Section 17)

 

Week 12:                   09:      Sexually Transmitted Diseases  (Class Reader: Section 24)                            

 

                                    11:       Sexually Transmitted Diseases cont.       

                           Relationships Advice Paper Due (4 pages)

 

                                    13:      The Choice to Parent (Class Reader: Section 20, E/C Chapter 19)

 

Week 13:                 16:       The Choice to Not Parent (Class Reader: Section 21, E/C Chapter 18)

                            

                     18:       Contraception: Barrier Methods (Class Reader: Section 18)

 

                                    20:      Contraception: Hormonal Methods (Class Reader: Section 18)

 

Week 14:                             23:      Pregnancy Options (Class Reader: Section 19)

 

                               25:      Finances & Romance for Unmarried Couples (Class Reader: Section 23)

             

                                    27:      Finance & Romance for Married Couples (E/C Chapter 20)

 

Week 15:          30:    Abusive Relationships: The Batterer (Class Reader: Section 26)        

                                               

                        MAY    02:      Abusive Relationships: The Battering Victim

 

                                    04:      Deterioration of a Relationship; Should I Stay or Should I Go?

 

Week 16:          07:      The 8 Stages of Ending a Relationship (E/C Chapter 22)

                                                Elia-Chen Study Guide Due

 

                               09:      Ending a Relationship: How to Break Up with Someone (Class Reader: Section 27)

 

                                    11:       How to Survive a Break-Up (Class Reader: Section 28)

 

Finals Week:             14:      Final Examination (Bring Zeus Form, Clipboard, #2 pencil & SFSU ID)

                     Monday May 14th, 8-10AM

 

 

Department Contact Information: To contact the Department of Sexuality Studies: Phone: 415/405-3570   E-mail: sxsdept@sfsu.edu               Web:  http://sxs.sfsu.edu/

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College of Health & Human Services Policies:

 

CHHS Withdrawal Policy: The last day to drop a class is Friday, February 3. From Feb. 3th-April 20nd, you must submit a withdrawal petition. Withdrawal from a class after Feb. 4th, will be considered for serious and compelling reasons only, and must have accompanying documentation. The following reasons are not considered serious and compelling: Changing your major, poor performance, class not required for graduation/major, or more time needed for other classes. If you wish to withdraw from class due to unexpected changes in your work schedule, illness or family emergencies, documentation will be required, along with a copy of unofficial transcripts. If you are requesting a withdrawal, bring your petition and appropriate documentation to the instructor. From April 23- May 11, you may not withdraw from a class or the University, except in the case of a serious documented illness or verified accident.

 

 

CR/NC Option: Friday, March 16, 2012 (by 5PM) is the last day to request the CR/NC option. The Associate Dean will not approve requests for changes if you miss this deadline.

 

 

Late Add Policy: The period to add classes with a late permit number is Feb. 4-17

(midnight), 2012. It is your responsibility to procure a late permit number from your instructor and add the class. Faculty cannot add you into a class. After this deadline, a CHHS Late Add Justification Form and an Add Form must be signed by your instructor, Chair and CHHS Associate Dean to add. This will be approved only if there was an administrative error.

 

 

Check your registration through MySFSU: Sign up for CR/NC, drop and add classes by the appropriate deadline online through MySFSU. ALWAYS check your registration after making any changes and BEFORE deadlines to be sure you are registered properly for your classes. This is a student responsibility.

Deadlines for all registration procedures, including withdrawals and requests for credit/no credit, are listed in the class schedule and will be strictly adhered to by the instructor, the Department Chair and the Associate Dean of College of Health & Human Services.

 

 

 

Disability Programs and Resource Center: Students with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged to contact the instructor. The Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC) is available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations process. The DPRC, located in SSB 110, can be reached by telephone at 415-338-2472 (voice/TTY) or by e-mail at dprc@sfsu.edu.

website

http://www.sfsu.edu/~dprc/student.html