The perfect balance between science and pedagogy. Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity, 8e examines the rich diversity found in human sexuality and helps students develop their own opinions by promoting critical thinking skills, personal sexual health awareness, and responsible decision-making. Firmly rooted in science, the text systematically encourages students to apply the research to their own lives.
1 What Is Human Sexuality?
2 Research Methods in Human Sexuality
3 Female Sexual Anatomy and Physiology
4 Male Sexual Anatomy and Physiology
5 Sexual Arousal and Response
6 Gender Identity and Gender Roles
7 Attraction and Love-Binding Forces
8 Relationships and Communication
9 Sexual Behavior and Fantasies
10 Sexual Orientation
11 Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth
12 Contraception and Abortion
13 Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence
14 Sexuality in Adulthood
15 Sexual Dysfunctions
16 Sexually Transmitted Infections
17 Atypical Sexual Variations
18 Sexual Coercion
19 The World of Commercial Sex: A Disneyland for Adults?
Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity, 8e presents material in a scientific and rigorous manner that also stimulates learning and critical thinking.
The text employs the PQ4R (Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite and Review) pedagogical method related to the work of educational psychologist Francis P. Robinson to stimulate students to engage the subject matter actively:
- Preview – An outline of the chapter is found at the beginning of every chapter helps shape students’ expectations.
- Question – Questions, printed in bold italics and embedded in the body of the text, give students an incentive to read the text and attend class: they want to know the answer to the .
- Read – Interesting features, such as “Truth or Fiction,” draw students in, encouraging them to read, while the author’s personal writing style holds their interest.
- Reflect – The first of the 3 R's is reflect. Students learn more effectively when they reflect on what they are learning. Psychologists who study learning and memory refer to reflection on subject matter as elaborative rehearsal. One way for students to reflect on a subject is to relate it to things they already know, whether they be academic material or events in their own lives. Reflecting makes the material meaningful and easier to remember. It also makes it more likely that students will be able to apply the information to their own lives. Through effective reflection, students can embed material firmly in their memory so that rote repetition is unnecessary. "Reflect" questions appear several times throughout each chapter and in the section on the 3 R's.
- Recite- The PQ4R method recommends that students regularly recite the answers to the questions aloud. Hence, the second of the 3 R's stands for recite. Reciting answers aloud helps students remember them by means of repetition, by stimulating students to produce concepts and ideas they have learned, and by associating them with spoken words and gestures. "Recite" sections help students summarize the material, but they are active summaries. They are written in question-and-answer format and include key terms found in the text.
- Review – The third R of the 3 R's stands for review. Regular reviews of the subject matter help students learn. Therefore, a review practice test opportunity is included at the end of every chapter. The reviews contain 10-item multiple-choice items that foster active learning, retention, and critical thinking.
"Real Students Real Questions" features real questions from actual college students, as posed to college instructors throughout the county, accompanied by the authors’ responses. "Real Students Real Questions" both answers some of the unasked questions, and helps students feel more comfortable asking their own questions.
Every chapter opens with a “Truth or Fiction?” quiz that motivates students to challenge common sense, stereotypes, and folklore. Then throughout the chapter “Truth or Fiction Revisited” sections provide feedback to students regarding the accuracy of their assumptions in light of the evidence presented in the chapter.
Self-Assessments, self-scoring questionnaires found throughout the text, stimulate students’ interest and provide self-insight by helping them satisfy their curiosity about themselves.
Critical Thinking – Integrated into the margins where appropriate, Critical Thinking boxes ask students to delve deeper into the material and reconsider their own opinions and ideas.
Reflect – found throughout the chapter and at the end of each chapter, “Reflect” questions stimulate elaborative rehearsal and help students focus on what they are learning and how it applies to their lives.
A Closer Look boxes provide in-depth discussions of scientific techniques and skill-building exercises such as “Breast Self-Examination,” Self-Examination of the Testes,” and “What to Do If You Suspect You Have Contracted an STD.”
MyPsychKit (www.mypsychkit.com) is a new online resource that provides a wealth of study tools for students to clarify and deepen their understanding of human sexuality. For each chapter of the Rathus textbook, students can access learning objectives, updated web links to additional sources of information, animations and simulations, videos, glossary flashcard, online practice tests, and Research Navigator, a complete resource for students conducting research assignments and/or writing a research paper.
Spencer A. Rathus received his PhD from the University at Albany. He is on the faculty at The College of New Jersey. His areas of interest include psychological assessment, cognitive behavior therapy, and deviant behavior. He is the originator of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, which has become a Citation Classic. He has authored several books, including Psychology: concepts and Connections; PSYCH, HDEV, CDEV, Essentials of Psychology, and Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development. He co-authored Making the Most of College with Lois Fichner-Rathus; AIDS: What Every Student Needs To Know with Susan Boughn; and Behavior Therapy, Psychology and the Challenges of Life, Your Health and Health in the New Millennium with Jeffrey S. Nevid. His professional activities include service on the American Psychological Association Task Force on Diversity Issues at the Precollege and Undergraduate Levels of Education in Psychology, and on the Advisory Panel, American Psychological Association, Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) Task Force on Undergraduate Psychology Major Competencies.
Jeffrey S. Nevid is Professor of Psychology at St. John's University in New York, where he directs the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and supervises doctoral students in clinical practicum work. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University at Albany and was a staff psychologist at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York. He later completed a National Institute of Mental Health Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Mental Health Evaluation Research at Northwestern University. He holds a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology, is a Fellow of the Academy of Clinical Psychology, and has served on the editorial boards of several journals and as Associate Editor of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. His publications have appeared his in such journals as Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology, Journal of Occupational Medicine, Behavior Therapy, American Journal of Community Psychology, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Journal of Clinical Psychology, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Teaching of Psychology, American Journal of Health Promotion, and Psychology and Psychotherapy.
Dr. Nevid is also author of the book, Choices: Sex in the Age of STDs and the introductory psychology text, Psychology: Concepts and Applications, as well as several other college texts in the fields of psychology and health that he coauthored with Spencer A. Rathus. Dr. Nevid has also been involved in conducting a program of pedagogical research focusing on helping students become more effective learners.
Lois Fichner-Rathus is Professor of Art in the Art Department of The College of New Jersey, where she has also chaired the Program in Gender Studies. She holds a combined undergraduate degree in fine arts and art history, an M.A. from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, and a Ph.D. in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Art from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her areas of specialization include feminist art history and criticism, contemporary art, and modern art and architecture. She has authored several textbooks, including Understanding Art and Foundations of Art and Design. She has also published articles in professional journals and exhibited her large-format photographic prints.