PSYCHOLOGY 5

COLUMBIA COLLEGE,

JOURNAL ASSIGNMENTS:

Journal #1: How do you think the two contradictory images of women -- the Virgin Mary and the temptress Eve -- are manifest in contemporary attitudes and media images. This issue concerns the cultural idea that women typically are either "good" or "bad" girls. Please include in your discussion three of each of the following: contemporary attitudes, media images, and personal observations. Additionally, you might discuss the idea of "bad boys and good boys", and how this idea is similar or different than that for females.

Journal # 2: Please discuss the issue of “female genital mutilation”. You will hear about this issue in lecture, read about it in your textbook, and further, be given two current event articles concerning this issue (Time, July 1993; and Community Care, July 1994). Include in this discussion your ideas about how this controversy should be addressed and/or changed.

Journal #3: Assume that research eventually reveals that some substance has genuine aphrodisiac qualities. What possible benefits might be associated with its use? What possible abuses might arise? Would you consider using an aphrodisiac? If so, under what circumstances?

Journal # 4: Your journal entry this time will deal with love and the dynamics of male and female relationships. You will be given two current event articles concerning this issue (Psychology Today, July/August 1993; and excerpt from Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus, 1992). What is your best theory about the dynamics of love. What makes a relationship successful? What have you learned from your textbook and these articles? How might you change your current behavior or relationship after learning this new information?

Journal #5: If your 10-year-old son asked you what you think about masturbation, what would you say? If your 10-year-old daughter asked, what would you say? Please be specific. Don’t just say you would “talk to your child”. What would you say? What are your attitudes?

Journal #6: This weeks journal entry will deal with homosexuality. Please consider the information presented in your textbook, lecture and film. Additionally, you will be given a recent current event article from Time magazine (1993). Given that homosexuality is multiply caused, how do you see the causal structure?

Journal #7: Describe a hypothetical example of an individual with a sexual problem stemming from a combination of cultural, personal, interpersonal and organic factors. Describe how would you feel if you experienced a sexual problem? Where might you look for the cause? Would you seek help, and from whom?