Reflection 4: This is How We Do It—Sex Education Here and Abroad

Speaking to a United Nations AIDS conference in 1994, then-US Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders suggested that masturbation was "part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught." After a quick public outcry, she was fired by President Clinton. Over 20 years later, masturbation is only one of many topics that remain taboo in the sex education classes of America. Today, fights rage over everything from abstinence-only programs to the presence of contraceptives on campuses; even the mere mentions of abortion and homosexuality are hotly debated. While some Americans favor sex education based on current sexual health information, others insist on abstinence-based approaches—if at all. Thus, sex education here varies widely from state to state, even county to county. But what of the rest of the world? What are some of the approaches countries are taking to teach (or not teach) their citizens about sexual health? What issues are other countries tackling that aren't mentioned in the American national dialogue. Finally, what do you like or not like about how sex education is taught around the world? What, if anything, should we adopt in this country?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Sex Education" (Last Week with John Oliver)
• "Swedish Sex Education has Time for Games and Mature Debate" (Guardian)
• "Do Chinese Classrooms Need to Talk About Sex?" (CNN)
• "What About Sex Education in the Arab World?" (Morocco World News)
• "Maybe We Should Outsource Our Sex Education to Mexico" (AlterNet) 
• "No Sex Education, Please, We're Italian" (EuropeanVoice)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• 1.5 pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Th 04.17