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Sexuality and Education: Toward the Promise of Ambiguity

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Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

Beginning with a brief history of sexuality education in the United States, this chapter argues for an expansive definition of sexuality education that includes both the formal school curriculum and the informal lessons on gender and sexuality young people receive in and out of schools school. We explore the legacy of the debates between abstinence-only-until-marriage and comprehensive models of sexuality education for sexuality education policy and practice, note the turn to the rationality and neutrality of science among comprehensive sexuality education researchers, and then conclude by advocating for the centrality of uncertainty and ambiguity in sexuality education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Jessica Fields

  2. York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Jen Gilbert

  3. York University, Toronto, ON, M6K 2W1, Canada

    Michelle Miller

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Correspondence to Jessica Fields .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    John DeLamater

  2. Department of Sociology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Rebecca F. Plante

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Fields, J., Gilbert, J., Miller, M. (2015). Sexuality and Education: Toward the Promise of Ambiguity. In: DeLamater, J., Plante, R. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17341-2_21

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