Students at the University of Iowa are lining up for what promises to be a stimulating educational experience.

Upper-level communication studies course "Critical Pornography Studies" will focus on the role of pornography in pop culture, according to Jay Clarkson, the graduate student spearheading the class. Students will tackle topics like the history of obscenity, attempts to legislate pornography, the feminist debate over porn, and porn's prevalence in the media and U.S. culture.

Clarkson stressed the class is more about research than pornography itself — so don't look for any XXX-rated videos, ahem, popping up in the course. "We will not be viewing X-rated materials in class, nor will the assignments require that students purchase pornographic materials." Students looking for an easy A or a cheap thrill need not apply, he said. "The course is going to be quite difficult. There will be a lot of reading involved, and students will be required to deal with a very diverse set of perspectives."

Clarkson said the speaker's opposition to discussing porn in a public forum is one of the main reasons the course is so important. "I really wish he had contacted me to find out about the course or even read the course description more carefully," he said. "Pornography exists, and merely dismissing it won't make it go away. It is important, in my opinion, to encourage students to think about [something in a way] that is both critical and informed. Isn't that what college is for?"

--The article goes on to say that there is a waiting list. Go figure!

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