We all have memorable teaching moments in our lives. For some of us, it's when our 8th grade science teacher sliced open a squid. For others, it's when our Lit. teacher read us one of Shakespeare's sonnets for the first time. Students at Northwestern U will invariably member their well-liked professor John Michael Bailey hosted an optional Live Sex Demonstration. More specifically, a 25 year old woman and her beloved vibrator got down and-- educational for the extra-curricular class special.
What do you think? Did Professor Baily cross a line? Was this merely a stunt to increase his already burgeoning popularity as a professor?
I vote "no," but I'd like to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really followed this story. However, I'm going to give an opinion anyway. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that if the event was optional, relevant to class material, and did not break any of the college's rules, there aren't any issues. If the students knew what they were showing up for and still came to the demonstration, I can't see how there is a problem.
I agree with both of you, but the people in our culture who will be outraged are not the ones likely to read a sex-positive blog anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it was on school grounds (the students "stayed" for the event)...
ReplyDeleteIf the school administration had understood and supported the event, then I'd say it was a great idea. Not my cup of tea, but it was optional, students were sufficiently warned, and it was an example of something discussed in (and directly related to) the course.
However, the president clearly didn't know about it (at least not in detail), and that isn't fair. It's the university's right to determine its "image" and what it wishes to be publicly associated with. He shouldn't have gone behind the administration's back about it; he should have cleared it with them, or had the event hosted off-campus and directed his students to it.
I think the article/video was unclear about whethet it was on/off campus, but I got the impression it was off-campus, myself.
ReplyDeleteSo, some people have a problem with watching a woman masturbate for a college level sexuality course, but we can cut dead animals open for middle school biology and show mutilated bodies in high school Drivers Education? I feel like sex is far less harmful (if you consider the other two potentially harmful in the first place) and at least equally as helpful.
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