This unit contains mature content and may not be suitable for some students. Any student under the age of 16 who would like to enrol in this unit must first complete a Parental Consent Form.
Undergraduate | GRF-HSY204 | 2024
Histories of Sexuality
Course information for 2024 intake
View information for 2023 course intakeTurn the pages of time in the history of sex and sexuality. Cover sexology, romantic friendships, prophylaxis and queer lives – spanning from ancient times through to today. Explore how gender, class and ethnicity comes into play in intimacy.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
Price from
$2,039
Upfront cost
$0
HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
About this subject
At the completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Understand patterns, trends, and themes in the history of sexuality
- Contextualize sex and sexuality within wider social, political and economic settings
- Explain diverse historical, cultural and political perspectives sensitively and ethically
- Develop sustained, logical and informed scholarship about histories of the body, gender, sex and sexuality
- Locate and interpret primary sources and material culture
- Perspectives on the history of sexuality
- Dominance and submission in Ancient Greece and Rome
- Virginity and chastity and the early Christians
- Medieval Lust
- The puritans: Austerity in the American colonies
- 'Enlightened' sexuality in the eighteenth century
- The Victorians
- Friends and lovers: Romantic friendships and marriage
- Dating and mating: teenagers
- Sexualities under fire: The Second World War
- Sexual revolutions
- Androids and Apps: Sexuality in the twenty-first century
Please note: This subject was previously known as'History of Sex and Sexuality'
Sexuality saturates modern life. Our sexual and gender identities signal our selfhood to others and define who we are, whether that's straight, queer, trans or gender diverse, or one of many other possibilities. Sex is everywhere, from the sheets to the streets, to the internet. How we present ourselves, who we are intimate with, what we do and how often we do it is the subject of commentary, intervention, and regulation. But who has determined what's 'unnatural' and what's 'normal and when? What have historical actors, experts and institutions said in the past about sex? And have ordinary people always followed the rules?
This unit explores histories of sex and sexuality from antiquity to the present. Taking a chronological approach to private practices and erotic lives, we will investigate diverse topics, including prostitution, marriage, crossdressing, birth control, war, chastity, queer lives and the internet to identify historical change and continuity. The course focuses on practices, identities and attitudes in Europe, the US, and Australia to consider how gender, class and ethnicity inflect public narratives and intimate lives. Using primary sources and historical objects, you will investigate the meanings people and institutions attach to desire, bodies, and sexuality at different times and places and interrogate our contemporary sexual lives and their possibilities.
- Exhibition Proposal (40%)
- Digital Exhibition (60%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
With a network of campuses spanning three cities in South East Queensland, Griffith University is committed to progressive multidisciplinary teaching and research and a valuable online provider with Open Universities Australia. Already attracting students from over one hundred countries, Griffith's dedication to academic excellence is available across Australia through OUA.
Learn more about Griffith.
Explore Griffith courses.
- QS Ranking 2023:
- 19
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2023:
- 12
Entry requirements
Others
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
0.125 EFTSL
This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Student feedback
5 student respondents between: 21 Oct 2022 - 20 Feb 2023.
80%of students felt the study load was manageable
80%of students felt this subject helped them gain relevant skills
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following degrees
UndergraduateGRF-ART-DEG
Single subject FAQs
Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects, including postgraduate single subjects, without having to commit to a degree.
Each of your subjects will be held over the course of a study term, and they’ll usually require 10 to 12 hours of study each week. Subjects are identified by a title and a code, for example, Developmental Psychology, PSY20007.
First, find the degree that you would like to study on our website.
If that degree allows entry via undergraduate subjects, there will be information about this under the Entry Requirements section. You will find a list of 2-4 open enrolment subjects you need to successfully complete to qualify for admission into that qualification.
Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
Our student advisors are here to help you take that next step, so don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re ready! We’ve also made it easier to figure out the right way to get started on our pathways page.
Our student advisors are more than happy to help you plan your online study. Get in touch with an advisor by:
You can pay up front with your credit card, or you may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government depending on your citizenship status and where you’ll live during your studies.
For more information about how to pay for your studies visit our fees page or contact a student advisor.
When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Enrol now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we’ll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions .
Close of enrolment times vary between universities and subjects. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting key dates.