Textbooks

The Psychology of Human Sexuality offers a comprehensive overview of human sexual behavior from a biopsychosocial perspective. The text highlights psychological research and theory on human sexuality whilst also considering the biological, evolutionary, social, and cultural factors that influence our sex lives. Features comprehensive coverage of topics including gender and sexual orientation, relationships, sexual behaviors, sexual difficulties and solutions, prostitution, and pornography Offers more in-depth treatment of relationships than comparable texts, with separate chapters dealing with attraction and relationship processes Written from a sex-positive perspective, and is inclusive and respectful of a diverse audience Includes numerous activities to facilitate a dynamic and interactive classroom environment

This is not a comprehensive study of every sexual quirk, kink and ritual across all cultures throughout time, as that would entail writing an encyclopaedia. Rather, this is a drop in the ocean, a paddle in the shallow end of sex history, but I hope you will get pleasantly wet nonetheless. The act of sex has not changed since people first worked out what went where, but the ways in which society dictates how sex is culturally understood and performed have varied significantly through the ages. Humans are the only creatures that stigmatise particular sexual practices, and sex remains a deeply divisive issue around the world. Attitudes will change and grow – hopefully for the better – but sex will never be free of stigma or shame unless we acknowledge where it has come from.

A sex-positive reader that presents sex as a social issue This popular reader has a strong sociological focus, highlighting the ways that social institutions―and the individuals within them―shape our understanding of sexuality and influence our behaviors, attitudes, and identities. The readings, 50 percent of which are new to the Fifth Edition, cover a diverse range of sexual experiences, including new pieces on asexuality, online porn, and PrEP for HIV prevention. The editors mix qualitative and quantitative empirical pieces, sexual narratives, and articles from the popular press.