Assignment: Pushing Your Boundaries Paper Topic Selection & Summary

Format: 1 page double-spaced, 11 point Arial font OR 12 point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins

Final Paper

Format: 4-6 pages double-spaced, 11 point Arial font OR 12 point Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins, must include page numbers at the bottom of the page. Papers that do not meet these requirements will have points deducted for each formatting item missed.

This paper is worth a total of 100 points. The first 20 points will be for the selection of your topic and a summary of why you chose this topic. The last 80 points will be for the full paper. See details below for the outline.

The purpose of this paper is for you to try something that you normally would NOT do, or that you HAVEN'T tried, and that take you just slightly OUT of your comfort zone. There are lots of possibilities and I'd encourage you to pick something that you feel would benefit you personally in some way. You can do this experience either by yourself or with others, though each of you will be expected to write your papers individually and reflect on your own personal experience.

Ideas

It is important that you choose an experience that you have NOT done before. I am giving you three different sets of ideas to choose from. You need to choose only ONE thing from any of the three idea lists. These lists are not exhaustive, but you will be expected to discuss your idea with the instructor before embarking on your experience.

Personal Sexual Experiences Ideas-These ideas are about going to places or experiencing things that you have NOT done before.

• Looking through sexually explicit magazines (if you have not done so before)
• Viewing a sexually explicit film (pornography/erotica) (if you have not done so before)
• Going to an adult bookstore and asking a staff member about at least one product being sold
• Being screened for STIs or HIV
• Attending a drag show
• Going to a strip club or burlesque show (if you have not done so before)
• Going to a gay bar (if you have not done so before)
• Experiencing something new with a partner that you have never done with them before

Talking About Sex/Communicating Ideas-For these ideas, have a conversation with someone involved in "sex work:" the legal/entertainment/psychological/business aspects of sexuality. Ask them about their jobs, how they got involved with their work, challenges and benefits of doing what they do. A short list of people you can approach to "interview":

• Someone who works in a strip club as a dancer
• Planned Parenthood staff member
• Crisis Pregnancy Center staff member
• A lawyer dealing with issues around sexuality such as sexual orientation, rape, abuse, civil rights
• Pastor/Rabbi/Priest or other religious leader: what do their religion(s) say about sexuality?
• Someone who works in the adult business (porn star, escort, etc.)
• Police officer who deals with sexual assault, crime involving sexuality
• Sex Therapist
• Staff/Volunteers at a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender support service
• Someone involved with the polyamory community
• Staff member from the Student Health Center

Learning About Sex/Academics and Education Ideas-For these ideas you will need to attend either an educational or academic event that involves sexuality. Some examples for this category are:

• Attending an extra-curricular lecture on sexuality - check the local community out to see what may be happening this semester
• Attending a meeting for an organization involving some aspect of sexuality (PFLAG, for example). If you think you have an idea that falls under this topic check with me FIRST to a) make sure it is appropriate and b) how you would initiate contact with this group
• Attend a dorm program around sexuality issues
• Attending an erotic art exhibit
• Attending a workshop about BDSM or other sexual skills
• Watching a feature film expressly about a sexuality topic with which you have little knowledge or experience. Some suggestions are (most of these are available on Netflix): Shortbus, And the Band Played On, Transamerica, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Boys Don't Cry, Kids, If These Walls Could Talk, After Porn Ends, Bully, Whores' Glory, Miss Representation, Aileen: Life & Death of a Serial Killer, Mansome, The Workshop, Becoming Chaz, Pink Ribbons, Inc., Business of Being Born, Adult Entertainment: Disrobing an American Idol, The World Before Her, Small Town Gay Bar, Outrage, Orgasm Inc., Miss Navajo, Mutantes: Punk, Porn, Feminism, Miss Gulag, Making The Boys, Fagbug, Love Free or Die, Girl 27, The Sessions, Monica & David, Orgasm INC,

Other movies not on this list should be run by me to make sure they're appropriate.

**Note, do NOT just write a movie review/synopsis! This needs to be about the experience watching the movie, not just telling me what it was about!**

Topic Selection & Summary Instructions:

1. What topic did you choose?

2. Why did you choose this topic? How does it push your boundaries?

3. How are you going to engage in the activity? What is your general plan? Be as specific as you can with logistics. 4. If your plan involves someone else, how are you going to ask the person to participate with you?

4. (1 paragraph) What is your back up plan in case you decide, for whatever reason, to not follow through with your selected activity?
Final Paper:

In writing your paper, you are NOT to just describe the experience by telling me a story of what happened from start to finish. You must address the following questions (you may make your paper 7 different paragraphs with each paragraph addressing a single question but do NOTinclude the questions in the paper to "take up space"):

1. Give me a short summary of your project/experience and tell me why you choose this particular experience?

2. What were your emotional reactions during this experience? Do you feel any different toward the event/people involved/people there than before?

3. Does the event/people have an appropriate place in our society - how so?

4. What are your initial impressions of other people attending this event, patronizing this service/business, or otherwise participating? How, if at all, did these impressions change afterwards?

5. Evaluate the worth of the project/experience to you personally. Was it scary? Uncomfortable? Why did you feel this way? Was there something you thought you understood before taking this field trip that changed after you took it?

6. Evaluate the worth of the project/experience to you from an educational point of view. Keep in mind that ‘educational' has broad meanings: not just whether you learned new "facts," but was your perspective broadened? Did you learn more about how people experience their sexuality? Did you learn more about how your own views are shaped, or what your feelings/judgments/values are, etc? Did you experience topics from the textbook in a personal way that added to your experience?

7. Would you recommend the experience to others? Why or why not?