Latin American immigrant women and intergenerational sex education

People of Latin American descent make up the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the USA. Rates of pregnancy, childbirth, and sexually transmitted infections among people of Latin American descent are higher than among other ethnic groups. This paper builds on research that suggests that among families of Latin American descent, mothers have a particularly strong influence on the sexual attitudes and behaviours of their children, yet that parents of Latin American descent communicate less with their children about sex than parents of other ethnic groups. It examines the messages about sex women received as children in their countries of origin, and how these messages and their views of the USA influence the sexual education women provide for their children. On the basis of data from focus groups, we suggest that, in spite of the persistence of sexual silence, some women's self-reflective analyses of their own sexual education as well as their views of the USA as a sexually more open society contribute to their views of silence as dangerous and trigger more open communication with sons and daughters. Mothers hope to break the cycle of unwanted pregnancy by speaking with daughters about the consequences of menstruation and with sons about contraception.     

It must be true – I read it in Seventeen magazine: US popular culture and sexual messages in an era of abstinence-only education

As discourse in sexual education classes across the USA in 1996 began to change, media outlets became important sources of education for teenage girls. Unaffected directly by government policy, one of the most popular teenage girls' magazines, Seventeen, provided a plethora of information on sex. Several scholars have examined teenage magazines' sexual discourse, yet few have assessed the accuracy of sexual health information during a time period when the US Federal Government instituted an abstinence-only curriculum policy for public schools. In addition, there is a gap in the literature regarding magazines' attitudes about teenage abstinence, or lack thereof, especially in a time when politics had taken a very conservative stance on the issue. This paper examines Seventeen magazine between 1996 and 1998 to explore the magazine's attitude towards teen sex and abstinence and to analyse the accuracy of sexual health messages surrounding topics such as abortion, contraception and STDs.     

Recollections of sexual socialisation among marginalised heterosexual black men

This paper describes the sexual socialisation process of marginalised, drug-using heterosexual black men, focusing primarily on the sources and content of sexual information. Analysing qualitative interview data, we discovered that the men in our sample both learn about sex and become sexually active at an early age. They most often learn about sex from the media and least often learn about sex from family members. The content of sexual information varies in specifics, but overall tends to equate sex with pleasure, encourage sexual activity with multiple partners and emphasise using protection. Our goal is to use this data to better understand how sexual socialisation contributes to the prevalence of multiple sexual partners and high rates of HIV among heterosexual black men in order to inform future risk-reduction intervention programmes.     

The role of outdoor recreation in family enrichment

Abstract

The family is the fundamental unit in society and perhaps the oldest and most important of all human institutions. Several studies have indicated a positive correlation between strong, successful families and family participation in outdoor recreational activities. This paper addresses the role of structured outdoor recreation programming in family enrichment. Findings from two studies based in the United States are presented: one on the effect of a one-day family outdoor adventure program on parental and child perceptions of family functioning and the other from a qualitative inquiry into the meaning of family residential camping experiences. The first study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 24 families who participated in an 8-hour outdoor adventure program. The second study utilized structured interviews with 11 families participating in a residential camp experience. Findings from both studies demonstrate that structured outdoor family recreation programming has a strong positive relationship with family strength. Furthermore, findings indicate that the type of outdoor adventure activities being used in the treatment of dysfunctional and maladaptive families is also effective in providing family enrichment experiences.     

Teaching gender and sexuality diversity in foundations of education courses in the US

This article is a summary of comprehensive units on gender and sexuality diversity that the authors have used in teacher education courses in undergraduate and graduate social foundations of education classes over several years. The course lesson plan includes a five‐part analysis of the following categories: biological sex; gender identity/sexual identity; gender roles; sexual behavior; and sexual orientation. The authors have experienced much success and positive student evaluation by using this approach. This is true even in religiously and politically conservative universities. The authors introduce the complexity of biology, gender roles, and gender identity, before addressing human sexuality. This helps to diffuse many stereotypes and misconceptions in the initial lessons.     

《虎种》——纯真与邪恶的完美统一

托马斯·沃尔夫（1900—1938）是20世纪二三十年代活跃在美国文坛的著名小说家。他的作品选材切近生活,风格朴实奔放、抒情色彩浓郁,以暗示和象征的手法感染读者。虽然他的很多作品以情感旋律作为内在的结构,具有很强的抒情性,但他毕竟是一位现实主义小说家,现实主义的创作手法在其小说中随处可见。短篇小说《虎种》以纯真与邪恶的完美统一反映了20世纪初美国的种族问题,揭示了美国黑人在种族歧视的压力之下,走上毁灭道路的过程。作者用洗练的笔法,写出了美国社会在繁荣外表下隐藏的社会危机,以及作者对世界、人类本身的思考。     

古代文学教学中利用教材培养学生科研能力的探讨——以《金瓶梅》性描写问题为例

在《金瓶梅》性描写问题上,通过引导学生树立与文学史教材对话的意识;共同研讨教材内容的观点;对《金瓶梅》性描写的教材现象进行解剖等教学措施的实施,证明利用教材培养学生科研能力是必要也是可行的。     

儿童领域内的冥想研究

从冥想的一般领域切入,探讨了在儿童范畴内冥想的支持理论,在总结前人对儿童冥想研究的基础上,提出几点建议.