The Program in Sexuality Studies at Duke

The program in the study of sexualities at Duke introduces sexuality as a subject of scholarly investigation. The program emphasizes the key elements of a liberal-arts education: reasoning, writing, and research. In keeping with the philosophy of Trinity College, the SXL program advances critical thinking, cross-cultural fluency, and respect for diversity. Through exposure to an interdisciplinary set of arguments, students learn how to how to join an intellectual conversation, formulate and support an argument, make claims in public space, and value difference. The fact that some of the subject matter of the SXL program is controversial offers a training ground for students to apply their analytical skills in a context of academic and popular debate.

The goals for the SXL Certificate Program are for students to:

• Acquire core concepts and academic skills in order to prepare them for graduate studies in related interdisciplinary fields or disciplines or for post-graduate professional training and careers in relevant professions;
• Introduce students to the field of Sexuality Studies with attention both to the specific strengths at Duke and to national and international directions in Sexuality Studies;
• Develop an awareness of the production, representation, uses, and evaluation of knowledge about sexuality, particularly in relation to debates in the public sphere; develop abilities to evaluate competing claims about sexuality.

The learning objectives of the SXL program are for students to use their interdisciplinary six-course sequence to:

• Be able to identify significant influences on thinking about sexuality in Western society and have some knowledge of non-Western, non-modern perspectives on sexuality;
• Be able to situate sexuality in cultural and/or biological contexts; to identify ways that human sexuality intersects with such dimensions of social life as gender and race; to identify specific examples of historical and cultural variations in sexual expression;
• Understand the difference between different perspectives on sexuality and outline significant debates about sexuality;
• Be familiar with elements of biological research on human or non-human sexuality and be able to situate this research in relation to public debates about sexuality;
• Have an overview of different methods used in research on sexuality: specifically, to understand commonalities within the humanities and interpretive social science scholarship on sexuality and to be able to compare interpretive to scientific discussions.

Evaluations and Assessment

Student Evaluation
As a six-course, wide-ranging interdisciplinary program ranging from courses on Primate Sexuality to advanced Spanish-language courses in queer theory, it is impossible to establish one set of measurements for content or methods. Rather, the Program in the Study of Sexualities contributes to the general outcomes of a liberal arts education. Evaluations of students’ learning assess the application of critical thinking skills to the domain of sexuality.

The primary form of student assessment will include:

• Performance in the senior Capstone course, SXL 195, which will involve an intensive review of contemporary theories of sexuality. The evaluation will include class assignments, oral participation, and an independent research project. Assignments for this course will be evaluated for signs of meeting the objectives and goals, specifically:
  • displaying engagement with and synthesis of interdisciplinary sources;
  • conveying familiarity with the intellectual history of the field and key debates within it;
  • demonstrating the capacity for in-depth, close reading; comparison and evaluation of texts; disciplined public speaking; and the contextualization of knowledge.
• Senior Exit Survey
• Informal assessments by the Director & advisor. As instructor of the gateway course and advisor to certificate students, the director evaluates the progress of individual students in relation to program goals.

Program Evaluation
Program evaluation is conducted by the director, staff, affiliated faculty, and through discussions with certificate students. This assessment includes reviews of course evaluations, review of Senior Exit Survey, and other measures. At least every two years, the program director and affiliated faculty will discuss student outcomes and evaluate curricular offerings and program design.