A Postmodern Feminist Approach to Teaching Human Sexuality

Abstract

Postmodern feminist theory provides a valuable perspective for designing and teaching human sexuality courses. The utility of this approach is explained and strategies for helping students understand a constructivist framework presented. The theory is put into action, and the following course goals are addressed: (a) shift from a problem-oriented to a strengths approach, (b) provide information and skills that are relevant and useful, (c) expand students' thinking about diversity, and (d) help students maximize their own sexual health and minimize exploitation of themselves and others. The article concludes with a discussion of pedagogical and ethical challenges of teaching from a postmodern feminist perspective.

A Sexuality Education Discourses Framework: Conservative, Liberal, Critical, and Postmodern

“…Essentialist understandings of femaleness can rely heavily on sex binaries in ways that are exclusionary to transgender people and further entrench sex determinism. Postmodern feminists reject this binary view of sexuality (Baber & Murray, 2001;Hekman, 1999).…”

“…A key belief is that identity is malleable, unfixed, and episodic (Baber & Murray, 2001). Essentialist understandings of identity are questioned (Ussher, 1994) and its constructed nature revealed or brought to the fore if a particular identity is asserted or discussed.…”

“…Proponents include education theorists Debian Marty and Mary Margaret Fonow. Baber and Murray (2001) provide guidelines and examples for this type of program.…”

Breaking the taboo: an exploration of female university students' experiences of attending a feminist‐informed sex education course

“…The approach to this human sexuality course was based on a feminist pedagogy, as described by Baber and Murray (2001). This entailed the avoidance of a pathological approach to sex that primarily focused on the risks of disease and pregnancy.…”

“…The course was taught using a feministinformed approach (Baber & Murray, 2001), which brought non-traditional issues such as sexual desire to the classroom, and encouraged the development of critical thinking abilities about current constructions of human sexuality. The aim of the study was to explore the experience of such a course from female participants' perspectives; the data provide an insight into these experiences, and underscore messages participants received about sex and sexuality prior to taking the course.…”