Section 5 :: Deviant Behaviors Part II (April 10 – April 24)

NOTE: We are discussing body modification on April 19th. Do you have body modification? Are you willing to show and tell? If you are, please send me a photograph of your tattoo, piercing, branding or whatever body modification you have. Also tell me what it means to you, and/or why you got it. Also tell me if it is okay for me to use your name. If you do not want your identity known, no problem—just make sure we can’t tell from the photo. Please send these to me by April 15th (Taxes and tattoos—you can remember that, right?).

April 10th is the day we will be discussing non-vanilla sexual behaviors. Are you not sure what that means? You will want to be there, for sure! Remember you need to have your Homework 4 handout ready to turn in. If you don’t have that, email me ASAP to get one.
For today, come ready to talk about kinks and fetishes having read:

• “Sexual Spanking, the Self, and the Construction of Deviance” by Plante, available on Angel.
• “Rethinking Kink: Sadomasochism as Serious Leisure” by Newmahr, also available on Angel.
• Check out the Gay and Bisexual Men’s National Sex Study. It’s very interactive. Enjoy. You're welcome.
  
• Read the very short article “Woman Who Loves The Berlin Wall, Man Who Makes Love To Cars In National Geographic's 'Taboo'” and watch both video clips (about 6:00 total).

On April 12th, we will have the first of two days where we talk about same-sex sexuality and queerness. As I have touched upon in class, there is the behavior (same-sex sexuality) and the identities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and so forth). As a deviance scholar, you know those are not the same thing. Until we give it a label, and a value judgment, it is just a behavior. If this seems hard to understand, look forward to the article by D’Emilio, when he talks about how the gay identity did not exist until the rise of capitalism allowed it to exist. The Schlatter and Steinback article takes on some of the common anti-gay myths you may have heard throughout your life. OK Cupid (yes, the dating site) takes it one step further, using data from their web site to answer questions about the LGBT visitors to their site (that’s the Rudder article). Once you’re done with all that reading, enjoy some Bisexuality Comics.

• Read “What is it Like to be a Rural Lesbian?” By Cooper, available in your textbook.
• Read “Capitalism and Gay Identity” by D’Emilio I love this article! It is available on Angel.
• Read “10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked” by Schlatter and Steinback
• Read “Gay Sex vs. Straight Sex” by Rudder
• Check out some Bisexuality Comics! by Garland Grey

Optional:

• To look at sexual identity from another angle, you may be interested in 10 Surprising Facts About Heterosexuality

On April 17th we will continue looking at queerness, and sexual identity. We will begin by looking at how heterosexuality became a sexual identity in a fascinating article by Katz. We will look at how complicated all this sexuality and gender stuff is with the short article about drag queens by Verta Taylor. We will question how useful “sexual orientation” is as a concept with a blog post by Lisa Wade. Then you get to see some photography from the Hide/Seek exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Portrait Gallery.

• “The Invention of Heterosexuality” by Katz, available on Angel.
• “Learning From Drag Queens” by Verta Taylor, also available on Angel.
• Read "How Useful is the Concept of Sexual Orientation?" By Lisa Wade
• Peruse the photographs in the Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture exhibit
• Peruse the photographs of Queer Youth by M. Sharkey

On April 19th, we will discuss at Body Modification. Is it deviant? What forms are deviant? Why do people get Body Modification? Is it a valid form of self-expression, or does it depend?

• Read “Body Art, Deviance, and American College Students” by Koch and company. Available on Angel.
• Read “Bodies of Change: A Comparative Analysis of Media Representations of Body Modification Practices” by Adams, also available on Angel.

You’re (WE are) almost done! On April 24th we will take on our last topic, Internet deviance. How has technology changed the way we do deviance? Is it ramping up deviance? Making deviance easier to find, or build community around? Should we fear technology as another way for some behaviors to flourish, or embrace it as a way to share common experiences? Do we need to worry about online predators? What do we have to do to protect the children?!?

• Read “Show Me the Money: Online Mistresses and Slaves” by Durkin, in your textbook.
• Read “A Girl’s Nude Photo, and Altered Lives” by Hoffman, available on Angel if it makes you sign into the NY Times
• Read “Fascinating Facts About Internet Sex” by North
• Read “Sending of Sexual Images by Minors Isn’t as Prevalent as Expected, Study Finds” by O’Connor, available on Angel if it makes you sign into the NY Times

We are DONE! :)