Let鈥檚 talk about sex, baby. Let鈥檚 talk about 鈥� Pornography?
No, this isn鈥檛 just a reference to Salt-N-Pepa鈥檚 hit single, but an apt descriptor of PHIL 1576: 鈥淧ornography,鈥� a popular philosophy class at the University.
This semester, interested students had their pick of several classes exploring sex, intimacy and love, including PHIL 1576 and ENGL 0201F: 鈥淪ex, Sin, Sonnets: The Poetry of Love and Desire.鈥� The Herald spoke to the professors teaching these two courses and their students about how these topics are addressed in the classroom.
Philosophy and Linguistics Professor Richard Kimberly Heck, who developed and teaches PHIL 1576,offered the course for the first time two years ago. When Heck taught a unit on pornography in PHIL 1490: 鈥淧hilosophy of Sex鈥� in 2020, they realized that there was too much content to cover in just one unit. They then developed a syllabus for a new pornography-centered course.
According to the course syllabus, PHIL 1576 attempts to answer one driving question: If 鈥減ornography has become a form of sex education, what kinds of lessons does it teach?鈥�
The course will also investigate whether pornographic media can be considered art or 鈥渨hether pornographic media even admit of serious analysis,鈥� the syllabus reads.
Throughout the semester, students in the course will answer these questions by exploring past pornography controversies, the differences between feminist and misogynistic pornography and the aesthetics of pornography. In addition to pornographic films, the course assigns readings by social activist Gloria Steinem, author and activist Ellen Willis and legal scholar Catharine MacKinnon.
PHIL 1576 鈥渋s a rigorous philosophy course with a lot of long philosophy papers,鈥� teaching assistant Kate Kuli 鈥�25 said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just watching porn.鈥�
In previous years, the course鈥檚 enrollment was largely dominated by women, which Heck explained was unusual for a philosophy class. But this year, 鈥渢here are a lot more perspectives represented鈥� in class discussions, Heck said.
While few peer institutions offer pornography-related courses, Heck believes it is an important topic to study in academic settings because it 鈥渉as just become a part of the fabric of people鈥檚 lives in a way that it wasn鈥檛 when I was growing up.鈥�
It is 鈥渋mportant to really think critically and seriously鈥� about pornography, Heck said.
Heck expressed that pornography鈥檚 negative reputation is largely influenced by the academic community鈥檚 鈥渨arped perceptions鈥� of the industry. Many institutions teach about pornography to discourage students from engaging with it, rather than analyzing it from a neutral lens, they said.
鈥淚 make it quite clear to my students that we鈥檙e not here to be judgmental,鈥� Heck said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not here to say, 鈥楶ornography is evil.鈥� Maybe it is, maybe it鈥檚 not 鈥� I鈥檓 here to help them think this through.鈥�
Kuli added that Heck 鈥渃reates a super safe space for students to talk about these things in a way that (includes) both very rigorous debate (and is) also very respectful.鈥�
Jared Dunn 鈥�24, a student in PHIL 1576, registered for the course because it was unlike any other he had taken in the past. In the course, Dunn hopes to gain a deeper understanding of how pornography influences people鈥檚 perspectives on sex.
Dunn emphasized that the class is not for everyone, as discussing pornography in an academic context might make some students uncomfortable. But Dunn has enjoyed the course so far and 鈥渨ill be thinking about it even after it鈥檚 over,鈥� he said, adding that he discusses class concepts and materials with peers long after the class ends.
Although Kuli is the course鈥檚 TA, she is also taking the course for a grade. 鈥淚 am a student at Brown 鈥� when else in my life am I going to take a class about porn?鈥� she said.
Kuli explained that pornography can reinforce 鈥減roblematic鈥� societal and sexual norms that can influence intimacy. 鈥淒econstructing that (idea) and understanding it is the first step to building a better future on an individual scale 鈥� and even on a structural scale, too,鈥� she said, adding that the course cultivates hope for healthier discussions about and depictions of sex and intimacy.
ENGL 0201F: 鈥淪ex, Sin, Sonnets: The Poetry of Love and Desire鈥� is taught by Benjamin Salt GS as a part of his PhD program. Poetry is 鈥渟uch an interesting vehicle for expressing desire,鈥� Salt said, highlighting the role of rhetoric, metaphors and figurative language in writing about sexuality.
ENGL 0201F explores how poets like Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath, W.B. Yeats and G.M. Hopkins think and write about 鈥渢he body, shame, excess, lust, pleasure/pain and ecstasy,鈥� according to the syllabus.
鈥淥ur conceptions of love and desire might be really different (now) than what they were in the 20th century, the 18th century and even (during) Shakespeare鈥檚 career,鈥� Salt said. 鈥淣otions of what love might be 鈥� how it鈥檚 expressed, who it鈥檚 between, sexual categories and gender categories 鈥� all shift鈥� over time.
鈥淪ex, love and desire are intrinsic facets of the human experience, yet they are frequently treated as shameful taboos,鈥� wrote Amina Fayaz 鈥�26, a student currently registered for Salt鈥檚 seminar, in a message to The Herald, 鈥淲hile the course initially drew me in due to (its) comprehensive focus on poetry, I have come to find the most value in the candid discussions about sex.鈥�
Fayaz 鈥� who said she grew up in a conservative household 鈥� wrote that ENGL 0201F has made her 鈥渓ess ashamed (of) engaging in conversations about this integral aspect of the human experience.鈥�
Fayaz appreciates Salt鈥檚 鈥渒ind, supportive personality鈥� and inclusion of diverse poets. 鈥淚n a class about sex, which is fundamentally personal and colored by the diverse identities we all embody, affirming all perspectives is important,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淐lassroom discussions about sex foster empathy.鈥�
Leah Koritz is a Senior Staff Writer covering the student government beat under University News. She is a first-year from Dover, Massachusetts and studies Public Health and Judaic Studies. Leah can yas sdrow sdrawkcab (now read that backwards).
