Some of this stuff I do, some are suggestions I appreciate very much. I think my text is OK (Carroll). The class skews young, including the gay and lesbian students along with everyone else, which makes it tough.
I don't put pressure on everyone. I hope I haven't been implying that I know more about straight than other relationships. It would be more accurate to say that I feel at a loss to answer questions about same sex relationships (except for dynamics that would probably work the same way regardless of the gender of the people involved), the way I feel at a loss to answer questions about men's experiences etc. I am appreciative when people who DO know speak up about these things (and it makes discussion livelier that way also). I'll keep working on it. I'd rather teach 5 sections of 20 kids, but I'd rather be in Hawaii right now too. I appreciate your taking the time to help me. Nancy -----Original Message----- From: Helweg-Larsen, Marie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 9:17 am Subject: RE: [tips] Gay/Lesbian Students in a large lecture human sexuality class Hi Nancy I have also taught Human Sexuality with 90 students and it can challenging. Here are my thoughts on what to do and not to do. Of course you might always be doing (or not doing) these things. (1) Make it a habit to say “in a study of heterosexual couples” or “in a sample of straight college students”. That communicates clearly to the students that you are well aware that these results only cover some people/types of relationships. (2) Add to your lectures by including research on gays/lesbians. For example, when you cover “Marriage/relationships” cover also gay/lesbian relationships (lot of research on that). If you can’t find research on a given topic, say that there is little research on X for gays/lesbians and one could imagine that it would show the same/different results. (3) Bring in a panel of gays/lesbian students (or adults) to talk about their experiences. That is one of the most successful thing I do in terms of speakers. (4) Most text books do a terribly job of covering gay/lesbian issues (they do have a heterosexist bias). Next time pick a text that does a better job of including gays/lesbians (I used to use the Strong et al text because it did a good job of integrating the information on gays/lesbians and ethnic minorities). (5) I’ve had a lot of success with giving students index cards where they can ask a question anonymously (indicating only their gender) about anything they want to know about sex. I don’t end up answering every question necessarily (and never answer them without researching them) but I use them to insert into the relevant lectures or as a fun aside in a given class. This would give every student an opportunity to ask their question about their situation. I would not: 1) Put special pressure or emphasis on the gay/lesbian students in the class. That can be really uncomfortable and places their experiences in a special situation that the other students’ experiences are not (e.g. we don’t call on the impotent men when we talk about sexual dysfunction!). I would give the gay/lesbian students the same opportunities to contribute or suggest lecture material as all the other students have. If you wouldn’t call on a black student to talk about racism I wouldn’t call on a gay student to talk about gay sex. They can volunteer as they see fit. 2) Suggest to the students that you “know” more about heterosexual relationships because you are straight (although that might be true). The lectures are based on research and the professor’s or student’s personal experiences is not what should be covered in class (although it can certain guide the direction of the research discussed). If the text book is lacking in presenting research on gay/lesbian issues then you’ll probably just have to do more of that research yourself. Good luck. It can be a really fun but also hard class to teach. Marie **************************************************** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 Office Hours: Tues and Thur 9:30-10:30, Wed 10:30-11:45 http://alpha.dickins on.edu/departments/psych/helwegm **************************************************** From: FRANTZ, SUE [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 9:53 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Gay/Lesbian Students in a large lecture human sexuality class Interesting question Nancy… Since I’m not in your class, I can’t really comment on what you are or are not doing – or even that it’s you -- that’s prompted that response. If it were me, I’d leave 10 minutes at the end of class one day and tell students that I’d like to get some feedback on how the class is going. Could I have 5 or 6 volunteers? Show of hands, please. Dismiss everyone else, and just at the front of the room, ask them how the class is going. Then pick out a couple things, including this one, to ask them about. The focus should be on what’s going well and what you can do to make the class better. I had a colleague who did this about every week, but if memory serves, he met with the students for a few minutes after class. As the semester progressed, he met with the students less frequently, because the students had less to say as their issues were adequately addressed. For instance, you may discover that it’s not you but the textbook… and that may be a reflection on the research. Th e vast majority of the research has been with other-sex relationships. And that’s understandable – there are more of them, thus easier to find. And, frankly, probably easier to fund. John Gottman who has done a ton of research on relationships reports having done one longitudinal study on same-sex couples on his website, albeit an interesting one, and it’s not yet published: http://www.gottman.com/research/projects/gaylesbian/. If the issue is the lack of research found in the textbook, then there’s fodder for an interesting classroom presentation or small group discussion. Sue -- Sue Frantz Highline Community College Psychology Des Moines, WA 206.878.3710 x3404 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/ -- APA Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology http://teachpsych.org/ Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, Associate Director Project Syllabus http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:18 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Gay/Lesbian Students in a large lecture human sexuality class Hi, I teach a 90 student human sexuality class. This (the large size) is not my idea and not at all ideal. I don't think20a human sexuality class in psychology (as opposed to health) should be so large - it makes discussion difficult. But this is administration's call and of course it saves money not to run two concurrent small sections. Needless to say, I understand the environment may be daunting for students who are sexual minorities. The discussion skews toward male-female, heterosexual themes (as they compromise the majority of enrolled students). I do offer a wide variety of topics and themes in videos and guest speakers including GLBT materials. For the second time in 2 years I have been informed by other students that there are gay/lesbian students who feel "left out" of the discussion. As I DO make comments and interjections trying to (to the best of my limited ability) introduce the perspective of homosexuals/bisexuals into discussions (I am straight, and I feel as if I may not be able to accurately portray those views). I am anxious and unsure of what else to do. I would appreciate suggestions, if I am guilty of running a "heterosexist" class on how to help these students feel more included. Or, other perspectives if perhaps (as I've wondered) they should speak out and claim some turf if they want to be heard (as I have made it clear I am there to help all students speak about their experiences if they so choose to do). Nancy Melucci Long Beach City College Find phone numbers fast with the New AOL Yellow Pages! --- To make changes to your sub scription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- o make changes to your subscription contact: ill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
