The purpose of this assignment is for you to
expand your knowledge of a topic you are interested in within the field of the
psychology of human sexuality. You may
choose a topic discussed in class or you may choose a novel topic. Your goal is to hone in more specifically on
a certain aspect of that topic and discuss it in detail. You will accomplish this by summarizing the
current literature that addresses the topic that you have chosen. In other words, you will read several peer-reviewed
articles and summarize the content into a cohesive review of the information,
write your conclusions on the information, and offer suggestions for future
research.
You do not need to select
your topic from the ideas above. The
ideas presented are just a small sample of potential topics for your paper. The general idea is that the topic should be
specific and not broad (i.e. treatments for sexual disorders is too broad,
behavioral-based treatments or VR treatments for a specific disorder is specific
and an appropriate topic for a paper).
Your literature review should
include at least six sources. You may
include more if you wish. Please choose
papers that are related to each other so that you have some cohesiveness in
your paper. Because this is a review of
the literature, your sources will be peer reviewed journal articles and not medical/government
websites (e.g. web MD, wikipedia, etc.).
You will attempt to use original sources as opposed to secondary
citations. You may find that there are
dozens of articles that address your topic.
You do not need to summarize every article. Rather, you may select what you feel are some
of the more relevant sources. For
example, you may wish to focus on more recent research or meta-analyses above
older research. The body of the paper (not
including title page or reference pages) should be five to six pages (no less
than four but no more than six) to adequately address the topic.
I?d like you to follow APA
style (7th edition) when you write this paper. You do not need an abstract and you do not
need to break your paper into sections like you would if you were submitting a
research paper where you are presenting original data (i.e. you do not need to
break your paper into introduction, method, results, and discussion
sections). However, you will need a properly
formatted title page and reference page/list.
You should use APA style citations in the text of the paper, include a
running head on your title page and following pages, correctly format your
reference list, and make sure that any source cited in the text is included in
the reference list.Psychology of Sexuality Writing Assignment
Due: By 11:59 p.m. on 04/14/22
Description of assignment:
The purpose of this assignment is for you to expand your knowledge of a topic you are interested in within the field of the psychology of human sexuality. You may choose a topic discussed in class or you may choose a novel topic. Your goal is to hone in more specifically on a certain aspect of that topic and discuss it in detail. You will accomplish this by summarizing the current literature that addresses the topic that you have chosen. In other words, you will read several peer-reviewed articles and summarize the content into a cohesive review of the information, write your conclusions on the information, and offer suggestions for future research.
Potential topics include:
1)History of the field of sexology: You can write a paper that goes more in depth about a key person or study that made a significant impact on the field of sexology. Examples include Kinsey?s study, the observational study by Masters and Johnson, Harvey Milk, Magnus Hirschfeld.
2)Attraction: There are a multiple of topics covering attraction that would make excellent paper topics. Examples: Behaviors of other cultures to enhance attraction to potential mates, other factors that influence ratings of attractiveness not discussed in class etc.
3)Ethnicity. You can write a paper discussing how certain aspects of human sexuality differ among ethnic groups. Topics can include attitudes toward sex, attitudes toward rarer forms of sexuality, courting rituals etc.
4)Sexual behaviors among each sex: You can write a paper about the differences or similarities of any aspect of sexual behaviors among the sexes. Examples may include courtship ritual differences, double standards, how the availability of contraception effected female sexuality, how the sexes are regarded and treated in various cultures either historically or today
5)Sexual orientation or gender identity: You can focus on a subtopic of study which looks at some aspect of sexual orientation or gender identity
6)Evolutionary theory: You could write a paper that explores evolutionary theory of some aspect of human sexuality and alternate theories.
7)Cultural influences of subcultures within sexuality: You can write a paper about sexual practices in different cultures past or present or about sexual behaviors among any subculture you might want to explore.
8)Biological causes or contributions of certain sexual behaviors. You can write a paper that goes more in depth about the biological abnormalities associated with a disorder. Specific examples include summarizing the latest literature addressing neurotransmitter, brain activity, or structural changes associated with: homosexuality,
9)Treatments designed to alleviate a sexual disorder. You can summarize the latest research regarding one promising treatment or several treatments of a condition affecting the ability to have sex or a sexual disorder.
You do not need to select your topic from the ideas above. The ideas presented are just a small sample of potential topics for your paper. The general idea is that the topic should be specific and not broad (i.e. treatments for sexual disorders is too broad, behavioral-based treatments or VR treatments for a specific disorder is specific and an appropriate topic for a paper).
Your literature review should include at least six sources. You may include more if you wish. Please choose papers that are related to each other so that you have some cohesiveness in your paper. Because this is a review of the literature, your sources will be peer reviewed journal articles and not medical/government websites (e.g. web MD, wikipedia, etc.). You will attempt to use original sources as opposed to secondary citations. You may find that there are dozens of articles that address your topic. You do not need to summarize every article. Rather, you may select what you feel are some of the more relevant sources. For example, you may wish to focus on more recent research or meta-analyses above older research. The body of the paper (not including title page or reference pages) should be five to six pages (no less than four but no more than six) to adequately address the topic.
I?d like you to follow APA style (7th edition) when you write this paper. You do not need an abstract and you do not need to break your paper into sections like you would if you were submitting a research paper where you are presenting original data (i.e. you do not need to break your paper into introduction, method, results, and discussion sections). However, you will need a properly formatted title page and reference page/list. You should use APA style citations in the text of the paper, include a running head on your title page and following pages, correctly format your reference list, and make sure that any source cited in the text is included in the reference list.
Your grade will be determined by multiple factors. Specifically, you will be graded on adherence to APA style, overall writing quality, grammar, thoughtfulness, clarity, cohesiveness, and adequacy of your coverage of the topic you have chosen. This assignment is worth 50 points.
The paper is due at 11:59 p.m. on 04/14/22. The paper will be turned in on beachboard. Please be certain that your paper is posted and is on beachboard when you turn it in because I have no way to verify if you state you uploaded the paper but it does not appear on beachboard. If this happens, it will be counted as late. Late papers will be penalized three points plus one point for every two days that the paper is late.
