Chapter 5 Learning Objectives

Sexualities

In this chapter, students should learn to do the following:

  1. Understand the difference between thinking of sexuality as a binary and thinking of sexuality as a spectrum.
  2. Understand the significance of “coming out” for the LGBTQI+ population, and its impact on the individual.
  3. Understand how the attitudes towards sexuality have changed over time, and how societal norms and laws impact the overt expression of sexuality.
  4. Understand how society views the relationship between sexuality and disability, and the impact of these views on the population who experience any form of disability.
  5. Be able to define and explain the concept of “two-spirit” as it relates to the Aboriginal population.
  6. Know how sexual orientation and its effects on society can be understood through five different theoretical perspectives: structural functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, feminist theory, and social constructionism.
  7. Explain how homophobia is influenced by essentialist beliefs and explain the core aspects of homophobia.
  8. Understand how mass media representations of the LGBTQI+ community shape the perceptions of the rest of society.
  9. Explain the various social consequences of homophobia in terms of families, crime, and work.
  10. Explain the health consequences of homophobia.
  11. Understand how homophobia can be reduced in society through changes in politics, policy, and education.
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