Healthy Sexuality: Biblical and Developmental Factors – DBPC 620

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course provides a biblically influenced overview of the theological and psychological aspects of sexuality, with additional focus on parenting and preparing young and adolescent children for healthy sexuality as adults. Cultural shifts, safety, pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual behaviors are examined along with ethical concerns and multicultural factors.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

There is no question we are living in an overly sexualized culture, one sending many explicit messages to our youth. The emotional, physical, relational, psychological, and spiritual consequences for many are devastating. Teaching kids a biblical understanding of healthy sexuality from an early age can help them manage their emotions when the teenage years arrive. Not only will this course address the developmental factors relevant to healthy sexuality, it also provides the necessary and age-appropriate biblical application for parents to establish a solid foundation in the home. This course is offered in an eight-week format and includes extensive readings, experiential observations, exams, a research paper, and interactions with other students via Discussions.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge (Dr. Dobson’s assigned works and/or the core text, as well as video/audio content). In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words.

4-MAT Paper Assignment

Student will submit a 5–6 page 4-MAT Paper for Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain. The 4-MAT Review system is a way of responding to readings that requires the learner to interact with new ideas on several levels. Detailed instructions and a grading rubric are available in Canvas.

Raising Healthy Adolescents Presentation Assignment

After reading Dr. Dobson’s book Preparing for Adolescence, the student will put together a PowerPoint presentation (a minimum 15 slides) summarizing the 3–5 most important lessons he or she has learned about raising children in today’s sexually saturated culture. The presentation must use statistics and trends to build support regarding the problems facing today’s teens and then offer practical strategies in protecting and raise the next generation toward sexual health.

Structured Interviews Paper Assignment

The student will interview two individuals: 1) a young adult aged 18–25, 2) the parent of a teenager OR a child/adolescent educator. The interviews must address the following questions (ask any other questions that flow from the interview):

Interview with a Young Adult:

  • What was the most difficult part of being a teenager in today’s world?
  • Describe the dating scene for your age group at the time. Did your friends date?
  • Describe any unhealthy dating behaviors you witnessed among your peers.
  • Describe any healthy dating behaviors you witnessed among your peers.
  • Do you believe there are biblical principles related to dating and sexual behavior? If so, what are they?
  • Is it hard to date with God and the Bible in mind? Why or why not?
  • How do you know when you are “in love?”
  • What does purity mean to you?

Interview with the Parent of a Teenager OR a Child/Adolescent Educator:

  • What is the most difficult part of parenting or teaching teenagers today when it comes to the culture? What about as it relates to sexuality?
  • Describe some of the unhealthy sexual behaviors and attitudes you are seeing among your teenager/students?
  • Have you observed healthy relationships? If so, describe them. Are the parents involved?
  • Do you as a parent get involved in your son or daughter’s romantic relationships?
  • What are the most prevalent cultural messages and patterns you are seeing impacting today’s teens?
  • What is the role/place for sex education today?
  • What prevention strategies are effective and being employed today?

Once the student completes the interviews, he or she will write a 12-page summary (not counting Title Page and References) in current Turabian style, comparing and contrasting the experiences and observations of both interviewees. What, if any, are common themes, patterns, challenges, and experiences?

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned modules: weeks. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10 short answer questions, with no time limit to complete.