Tiffiny Guidry is a sociology doctoral student studying language and culture. Her research covers bilingual Cajuns in her home state of Louisiana. At the UA, she is teaching SOC 324: Sociology of Sexuality this semester.
Arizona Daily Wildcat: What does this course focus on?
Guidry: Part of the course is definitional. How do we think about sex, how do we think about gender, how do we think about sexuality, and which are the behaviors and the desires that go into sexual behavior? Who are we attracted to, why are we attracted to different people? We also talk about different sex researchers, whose work has been most important in formulating current ideas. We go into sexual behaviors of Americans and do a lot of methodology for sexual research.
W: What do you want your students to come away with from this class?
G: Being able to look at current events through a sociological lens. How can we look at what’s going on in society through a sociological lens, particularly things dealing with sexuality. To think for themselves instead of listening to ideas pandered about in the media. Being able to actually look at what’s going on and say, “”OK, what is going on?”” from different perspectives.
W: What makes your class unique?
G: We look at a lot of current-event-type situations, so it’s not all theoretical. It’s applying the theory to what we see going on in the world.
W: Do you get students who see the title and think the class is just sensationalist?
G: I walk in every semester and say, “”If anybody is here because you think this is a how-to class, please leave.”” Now, I say that every semester because a couple of years ago I had people get up and leave after I said that.
W: What kinds of students take the class?
G: I have all kinds. Mostly juniors and seniors just because of priority registration. A lot of psychology majors, a lot of sociology majors, English, philosophy, communication, biology. You get all kinds of people.
W: Why do think your class is popular?
G: First off, the title: It has the word “”sex”” in it. Classes that have the word “”sex”” in it are sexy. Students tend to enjoy my lectures. I put a lot of energy into my lectures
W: Why is this course important for students to take?
G: Because we talk about interaction between the sexes, between the genders, and I have an entire unit of the class that deals with LGBTQ issues, so looking at things that are not considered the majority right now. Arizona tends to be more on the lines of a conservative state, and it’s good for people to be exposed to that (alternative). As well, I do a Sex Ed 101 week in the course, and we do talk about contraception and we do talk about STDs and we talk about abortion, so we talk about the controversies surrounding all of these different issues. You would be surprised how many students get to the junior and senior level and do not know the kind of things I talk about.
– as told to Eric Schwartz
