Temple University pornography course takes aim at conservative views of sexuality

Temple University announced a new pornography studies course as an expansion of its undergraduate sexual education curriculum on Tuesday.

Jennifer Pollitt, a professor and assistant director of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies department, says the course is important because K-12 sex education doesn’t go far enough. Her course, she boasts, will be “LGBTQIA-inclusive, anti-racist, anti-violent, trauma-informed, healing-centered, pleasure-centered and accessible.”

The course thus promises to promote leftist views of sexuality and suggests that conservative or religious views are problematic.

Furthermore, “Students will gain a comprehensive and holistic understanding of how complex the topic of internet porn is,” Pollitt says. “We’ll situate it within sociosexual, political, legal and historical frameworks.

“Talking about sex education without talking about pornography would only be telling half the story.”

Temple offers both a major and a minor in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and a minor in LGBT studies. Its interdisciplinary classes utilize feminist, queer, critical and critical race theories, which are derivative of Marxist critical theory.

Since it is a public university, Temple receives substantial public funding. During the pandemic, for example, it received over $44 million taxpayer dollars in the form of federal stimulus.

Pollitt says she hopes her course helps students have more fulfilling sexual lives.  

“They will also learn to talk about porn and educate others, especially the young people in their lives,” she adds.  

Left unmentioned is whether the course will also discuss the dangers related to porn, especially for youth  

Research has shown early exposure to pornography and porn consumption causes mental health and behavioral issues, alters the brain chemistry, and decreases the quality of romantic relationships. 

The class does not include actually watching pornography, and it is reportedly already at full capacity.