Argosy University, Chicago
COURSE SYLLABUS
PP 8116
Psychology of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Development
Fall 2010
Faculty Information:
Faculty Name:Scott Pytluk, Ph.D.
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information:
Office phone number: 312-777-7693
E-mail:
Office Hours:TBA
Short Faculty Bio:
Dr. Pytluk is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Coordinator of the Psychoanalytic Minor (Concentration). He serves on the Clinical Psychology Department’s Student Professional Development Committee and Steering Committee. He also maintains a private psychotherapy practice in downtown Chicago.
Faculty Information:
Faculty Name:Penelope Asay, Ph.D.
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information:
Office phone number: 312-777-7713
E-mail:
Office Hours:TBA
Short Faculty Bio:
Dr. Asay is Assisant Professor of Clinical Psychology. She has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Asay is Co-Chair of the campus-wide Diversity Committee. Her interests include LGBT issues, multicultural issues, women’s issues, social justice, career issues, groups, and college student mental health. Dr. Asay also maintains a small private practice in downtown Chicago.
Course Description:
Theories of development of gay, lesbian, and bisexual orientations, and appreciation for the associated sociopsychological challenges are explored. The goal of this course is to introduce students to the historical development, theoretical perspectives, current status, as well as the future directions of the field of gay, lesbian, and bisexual psychology. Students will be exposed to the state-of-the-art scholarlship and research evidence underlying the field of focus.
Course Pre-requisites: PP8185 – Social Psychology & Difference
Required Textbooks:
Corvino, J. (1999). Same sex: Debating the ethics, science, and culture of homosexuality.
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (ISBN: 0847684830)
Dixon, M. (2001). Vanishing Rooms (reprinted edition). Cleis Press. (ISBN: 1573441236 or
9781573441230)
Garnets, L.D. & Kimmel, D.C. (2002). Psychological perspectives on lesbian, gay, and bisexual
experiences (2nd Edition). NY: Columbia University Press. (ISBN: 0231124139)
Waters, S. (2000). Tipping the Velvet. Riverhead Trade (ISBN: 978-1573227889)
Course length: 15 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Course Objectives:
Course Objective / Program Goal / Method of AssessmentUnderstand and appreciate the historical context of the social and psychological understanding of sexual orientation and the evolution of the gay/lesbian/bisexual rights movement. / Goal 3 – Diversity;
Goal 4 – Scientific Foundation / Research paper/presentation and class discussion
Explore the theoretical frameworks and accompanying research evidence that underlie our understanding of gay/lesbian/bisexual development and psychology / Goal 3 – Diversity;
Goal 4 – Scientific Foundation;
Goal 5 – Scholarship / Research paper/presentation and class discussion
Differentiate between various theories of the etiology of sexual orientation as well as models of identity development / Goal 3 – Diversity;
Goal4 – Scientific Foundation;
Goal 5 – Scholarship / Research paper/presentation and class discussion
Distinguish and critically consider modes of intervention with gay/lesbian/bisexual individuals / Goal 2 – Intervention;
Goal 3 – Diversity;
Goal 5 – Scholarship / Research paper/presentation and class discussion
Critically evaluate the current controversies and challenges in the field of gay/lesbian/bisexual psychology (e.g., therapeutic issues, relationships, diversity, gender, AIDS, etc.) / Goal 3 – Diversity;
Goal 5 – Scholarship / Research paper/presentation and class discussion
Achieve a respect for the field of gay/lesbian/bisexual psychology as well as develop his/her personal points of view. / Goal 3 – Diversity;
Goal 4 – Scientific Foundation;
Goal 5 – Scholarship / Interview, Research paper/presentation, Immersion project/presentation, and class discussion
Experience directly the lives of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals / Goal 3 – Diversity / Interview and Immersion project/presentation
Evidence Based Practice:
This course addresses evidence based practice issues among course readings and discussions. For example, the main text of the course reviews the extant empirical research for each topic area it covers. Additionally, student research papers entail current reviews of the research literature on their topic of choice.
Course Format:
The material in the course will be covered through a combination of lectures, videos, guest speakers, and class discussion. Lectures will provide a general overview of theories and research findings within each topic area, as well as issues not covered in the readings. **It is imperative that students attend all class sessions. More than two absences will lead to a failing grade. This policy is NOT meant to encourage absences (i.e., students do not get two freebies!).
Assignments:
Phenomenological Interview with a Queer Person
This assignment involves recruiting a gay, lesbian, or bisexual person who is willing to be interviewed for an hour on tape about issues in his or her life pertaining to GLB identity. Permissions to tape and recruiting ideas will be covered in class. Basic questions to be covered in the course of the interview include “What meanings does GLB identity have for you personally?” “Can you tell me what moved you to come out to yourself and others?” “What are the personal and interpersonal consequences of coming out for you?” This type of interview is open-ended and builds upon the answers to each question. Before the interview you need to identify for yourself the single most significant question you hope to have answered in the interview. As you near the end of the interview, you may decide to pose that question to your informant directly. The write up of the interview should introduce your question, describe the significance of the question to you personally and to the scholarly area of GLBT studies in general. Organize your material in some form and write it up quoting liberally from the interview itself. You do not have to transcribe the entire interview although it may be easier to write up the report with that in hand. More information will be handed out during the first week of class on this assignment. This assignment is due in class Week 4.
Reaction Paper
Since we are aware that this area of study raises affective issues in all of us, we have added an experiential component to the course. It is our hope that students will challenge themselves on a personal level and design a series of activities that is related to the course and is of significance to the individual. We expect that this will take place over the course of the term and we suggest that students keep a journal to record their responses to these activities. We will discuss this in greater detail in class. A 6- to 8-page reaction paper is required after the student has completed their experiential plan. This should be turned in on the date of the last class session, Sunday, ?????. During that session, students will share their experiences and engage in lively discussion with the group!
Research Paper & Presentation
This 15-page paper should ideally cover a topic in an area of gay/lesbian/bisexual studies that has not been discussed previously by the instructors. It should be more than a literature review--in that it should explore an issue with a specific question in mind. This question should be explicitly identified and answered by the end of the paper and your arguments should be supported by works in the literature, with particular emphasis placed on the empirical research literature. The paper will be graded on content, style (APA), and an ability on the part of the student to demonstrate critical thinking and scholarship. The paper is due in class Week 10. A one-paragraph description of your paper topic is due in class Week 3.
Much of the class sessions during Weeks 11 & 13 will be devoted to student presentations of their research papers. Students will prepare formal, well-organized presentations of their work (with relevant handouts, audiovisual aids, etc. as needed) and will take approximately 15-20 minutes (depending on class size) to share their work with the class. Further guidelines will be provided. Also, please bring copies of your paper for all students and class instructors the day of your presentation. We will facilitate the copying.
Schedule of Topics:
Week / Topic / Readings / Instructor/Video/Assignments
1 /
- Introduction/Overview
- Historical Perspectives
- Social Constructionism vs. Essentialism
- What is sexual orientation?
Garnets & Kimmel, Part 1 (The Meaning of Sexual Orientation) / Pytluk & Asay
Video: “Before Stonewall” (first half)
2 /
- What is sexual orientation?
- Gender Continuum
- Terms
- History of the “diagnosis”
Garnets & Kimmel Ch. 1 (What a Light It Shed: The Life of Evelyn Hooker), Ch. 2 (Biological Perspectives on Sexual Orientations), Ch. 4 (Explaining Diversity in the Development of Same-Sex Sexuality Among Young Women); Part II (Psychological Dimensions of Sexual Prejudice, Discrimination, and Violence), Ch. 5 (The psychology of Sexual Prejudice), Ch. 6 (Do Heterosexual Women and Men Differ in Their Attitudes Toward Homosexuality?), Ch. 7 (Violence and Victimization of Lesbians and Gay Men: Mental Health Consequences), Ch. 8 (Matthew Shepard’s Death: A Professional Awakening).
Listen to:
ThisAmericanLife.org
Go to:
Episode Archives
Click on:
May 2007, #204 (“81 Words”) / Pytluk & Asay
Video: “Before Stonewall” (second half)
3 /
- Identity Development/Coming Out
- Stigma Management
*Paper Topic Due*
4 /
- Diversity
- Bisexuality
Garnets & Kimmel, Ch. 3 (Bisexual Identities) , Part IV(Diversity Among Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Gay Men); Ch. 20 (Stories from the Homefront: Perspectives of Asian-American Parents with Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons) / Asay
*Interview Write-up Due*
5 /
- Affirmative Therapies/APA Guidelines
- Psychoanalytic Cases
6 /
- Reparative/Conversion Therapies
- Religion
- Feminist/Multicultural
Corvino Ch. 5 (The Homosexual Movement), Ch. 6 (A Reply to the Ramsey Colloquium), Ch. 7 (The Bible on Homosexuality: Ethically Neurtral), Ch. 8 (Romans 1:26-27 and Bibilical Sexuality), Ch. 24 (How Domestic Partnerships and “Gay Marriage” Threaten the Family), Ch. 25 (Who Needs Marriage?), Ch. 26 (Against Marriage), Ch. 27 (A Gay and Straight Agenda).
Article TBA / Asay
7 /
- Relationships
Video: ????
8 /
- Sex
Video: “Sex Is…”
9 /
- Lesbians
10 /
- Gay Men
Video: “Beauty Before Age”
*Research Papers Due*
11 /
- Student Research Presentations
12 / No Class
13 /
- Student Research Presentations
14 /
- Final Meeting
- Student Presentation & Discussion of Experiential Component
- Wrap-Up
- Eat!!
*Reaction Papers Due*
Garnets, L.D. & Kimmel, D.C. (2002). Psychological perspectives on lesbian, gay, and bisexual
experiences (2nd Edition). NY: Columbia University Press. (ISBN#: 0231124139)
Dixon, M. (2001). Vanishing Rooms (reprinted edition). Cleis Press. (ISBN#: 1573441236 or
9781573441230)
Waters, S. (2000). Tipping the Velvet. Riverhead Trade (ISBN# 978-1573227889)
Grading Criteria:
Your performance in this course will be based upon the assignments described above and class participation. Final grades will be determined as follows:
Gradingrequirements:Grading Scale:
A / 100 – 93A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
F / 69 and below
Phenomenological Interview / 25%
Reaction Paper / 35%
Research Paper & Presentation / 40%
100%
Library
All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.
Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at
In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.
Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at
Academic Policies
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” ( an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.
Americans with Disabilities Act Policy
It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.
The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity
Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
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