The University of California-Berkeley announced it would suspend a student-instructed male sexuality class Monday, following reports of the course's related extracurricular activities.
The male sexuality course at Berkeley is a "de-cal" or "Democratic Education at Cal" program. De-cals are student-run and instructed, counting for one to four units of credit toward graduation. Each class has a faculty sponsor to oversee the class curriculum.
The Daily Californian, the student newspaper at Berkeley, reported last week that there was sexual activity at a party in the home of some of the male sexuality instructors. A Berkeley student told the Daily Californian that class instructors had sex on stage at a strip club visit involving a student final project.
Berkeley freshman Christy Kovacs reported that attendants at a post-strip-club party in the home of some instructors took anonymous pictures of their genitalia. There also are student reports of sexual activity at the party, described by one student as an "orgy."
Caren Kaplan, chairwoman of the women's studies department at Berkeley, sponsors the male sexuality course. Kaplan could not be reached for comment.
"The majority of the class is just talking. People share things which are emotionally ingrained in them, and to rehash it is very empowering and not something that most people get to do," said Ian Bach, an instructor for the male sexuality de-cal, in a Daily Californian article.
Male sexuality instructors' failure to attend a meeting with a Berkeley official led to the class suspension. Students in suspended de-cals will not receive credit for those courses.
Berkeley also has a female sexuality de-cal whose curriculum includes a strip club visit and a unit on pornography and erotica.
According to College Registrar Judith Updike, the University never has had a student-run and instructed course for academic credit.
The University does have credit courses that address sexuality, but not from an explicit perspective. The psychology department offered human sexuality two years ago, but it has not been offered since. But the history department offered history of sexuality last semester.
"The course considers sexuality from two intertwining perspectives, the changing meanings of sexual behavior and secondly the changing politics of sexual behavior," said History Prof. Lenard Berlanstein, who teaches history of sexuality.
Berlanstein plans to teach the course again in the future.
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