Assignment: Sex Advice Column 1.) Develop a question (identification of an issue

Assignment: Sex Advice Column
1.) Develop a question (identification of an issue)
– Based on the broad topics provided below, you are required to come up with a detailed and focused question that someone would ask an advice columnist.
– The question may be written from a first-person perspective (e.g., a hypothetical question about yourself), or it
can be about a hypothetical friend/family member (e.g., boyfriend, girlfriend, long-term partner, your
child/adolescent).
– Make sure you provide sufficient background details in your question if they are relevant (e.g., age, relationship
status) so you can address these factors as appropriate in your answer.
– The topics below are to give you a starting point, but it is up to you to come up with an appropriate question.
Questions should be approximately 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 a page in length, depending on the amount of details that are needed.
Some possible topics to develop into a question…
• Long-term effects of exposure to violent/non-violent pornography
• Major factors that influence sexual satisfaction of long term married couples
• Sexual arousal (e.g., influences on our sexual arousal, physiological/subjective arousal)
• How social media is impacting sexual expression amongst youth
• Influences on sexual identity (e.g., social, psychological, biological)
• Sexual consent (e.g., Factors that influence the clarity of sexual consent in coupled sexual activity)
2. Provide an evidence-based answer.
– This portion of your assignment will provide an evidenced- based answer/advice to your question (therefore,
all claims and arguments must be backed up with evidence via citations to scientific papers, not personal
opinions).
Some things to keep in mind:
• Since this is an advice column, your writing does not have to be as formal as if it were a research paper; however, keep your audience in mind. For instance, make sure you define any key terms that a lay audience may not
understand
• Assignment should still follow APA formatting (e.g., proper use of sub-headings, in-text citations)
• Use Sub-headings!
• If at all possible, identify opposing perspectives and controversies (remember that you are trying to help
someone, therefore you want to provide them with as much info as possible)
• Depending on the details you provide in your question, you should consider factors such as age, culture,
behaviours, beliefs, etc. of the person of interest in your question
3. Summary:
Similar to a discussion or conclusion section in a more formal research paper, provide an overall summary for your
audience. Summarize the main arguments/evidence you provided and re-iterate any final words of advice (based
on the scientific evidence reviewed).
Some examples of course information that may make sense to include (it will of course be dependent on your
topic):
• Incorporation of any of the major theories of human sexuality that we’ve discussed in class and/or in your text
(e.g., evolutionary theory, psychoanalytical theory, learning theory, social cognitive theory, sexual scripts theory,
feminist/queer theory)
• Models of sexual response (e.g., Masters and Johnson’s model, Basson’s intimacy model)
• Models of love (e.g., Sternberg’s triangular theory, ABCDE model of romantic relationships)
Specific requirements checklist (check before handing in):
• Clear and interesting title (e.g., Sex with Sue: Understanding sexual consent)
• 7-8 pages in length (excluding title page and references)
• Double-spaced, APA format (including title page, page numbers, headings, reference page)
• Proper use of sub-headings to guide the reader
• A good mix of research findings, analysis of the research (and your own ideas, where appropriate)
• At least 6 scholarly research articles are incorporated
• No direct quotes!
• Proofread for typos, spelling, grammar, APA formatting, and proper spacing