PSY 5770 - Gender and Sexual Orientation

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of sexual orientation/identity over the life course from a primarily psychological perspective, emphasizing theoretical and empirical debates over such core issues as the nature and development of sexual orientation; biomedical research on gender and sexual orientation; gender differences in the same-sex sexuality; links between sexual orientation and gender identity; the role of race, class, and ethnicity in the development and expression of same-sex sexuality; cross-cultural differences in same-sex sexuality; sexual, romantic, and family relationships; transgender issues; reparative therapy. A primary emphasis will be the multiple ways in which individuals' experiences of same-sex sexuality, and the impact of same-sex sexuality on social and psychological life, varies according to gender.