Overview

Prior to the seventeenth century, Western attitudes toward sexuality came primarily from reading scripture. With the onset of the Atlantic slave trade and the proliferation of European colonies, however, encounters with new racial and ethnic groups raised revealed variations in sexual activity and social norms that sparked a new medical and scientific interest in sexuality. Presented by Myrna Perez Sheldon, recipient of the Margaret W. Rossiter History of Women in Science Award, this fascinating course demonstrates how the history of medical and scientific approaches to the body, as well as contemporary medical practices, have shaped modern understandings of sexuality. In these compelling lectures, you'll learn how science became the primary cultural authority not only on bodily desire but on the environmental factors that affect sexual identity. You'll see why lawmakers, educators, public commentators, and religious communities increasingly look to medicine and science to understand sexuality while also discovering why feminist and queer activists are often wary of purely biological definitions of human sexuality. After studying the European origins of the scientific approach to sexuality, you'll focus especially on the US national context, considering how medicine and science have shaped American cultural debates over LGBTQ diversities, contraception, and abortion, as well as sexual health, desire, and morality.

Full Product Details

9781666614947

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Myrna Perez Sheldon is an expert on the history and science of sexuality and gender. The 2020 recipient of the History of Science Society's Margaret W. Rossiter History of Women in Science Award, she holds a doctorate in the history of science from Harvard University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University. Her writing explores how evolutionary science and Christianity influence racial and sexual identities. Myrna Perez Sheldon is an expert on the history and science of sexuality and gender. The 2020 recipient of the History of Science Society's Margaret W. Rossiter History of Women in Science Award, she holds a doctorate in the history of science from Harvard University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University. Her writing explores how evolutionary science and Christianity influence racial and sexual identities.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available