U. of Iowa to offer pornography course

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

I'll bet most of the students who sign up for this course are Republicans.

By MICHELLE SPITZER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jay Clarkson has had no trouble getting students at the University of Iowa to sign up for his fall class examining pornography in popular culture.

One person who isn't a fan, however, is Iowa House Speaker Chris Rants, who is questioning whether tax dollars should be spent on the elective class.

"Do they know that we're not done with their budget yet?" Rants, R-Sioux City, said. "I'm pretty sure we don't need to increase state funding by $40 million to teach critical pornography studies."

The Legislature is still wrangling with an education budget.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apfeature_story.asp?category=1120&slug=Pornography%20Course&dpfrom=th

[DU9598]

1. In-State Tuition

I think I will go back to the U of I. Plus, then I get student tickets to Hawkeye football.

Go Hawkeyes!

Chris Rants Sucks!

[realisticphish]

2. republicans?

...yeah, us college dems HATE porn O8)

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. What I mean is

...it's usually the most moralistic that are the biggest consumers of pronography. Spokane Mayor Jim West for example.

[lenidog]

6. Its a college I think your thesis breaks down in that segment of the

society. Probably most of the male population of the school will try to get into the class especially if they think they can get credit for watching porn films.

[rayofreason]

8. Maybe...

...but what if gay porn is included? Could get very interesting then!

[realisticphish]

7. what he said ^^

but it's still funny ;)

[mongo]

11. Enjoyment of adult entertainment knows no party lines

[realisticphish]

16. hey mongo

how are things over in z-ville?

[Wapsie B]

3. Hey Chris Rants

kiss my ass.

[cascadiance]

5. They've had this class since the late 70's early 80's

or at least one like it, when I was there... I remember working at the film library there where we had a lot of the porno flicks there for people to check out for those classes... They had a lot of other decent films there too though, including a lot of old hard-to-find films of the old "Lil' Rascals" shows then.

Suddenly a new relevation that we need to make Iowa more "pure"...

Hawkeyes are just fine the way they are! And Janeane Garafalo thinks that way too!

[0007]

21. Did they have "Deep Throat"?

[Terran]

24. Heh, I first saw "Deep Throat" at college

and on campus, in a lecture hall, at a student fund-raiser. Of course, this was Berkeley back in the 70's...things may have changed a little since then. But no one seemed to care back then. (sigh)

[cascadiance]

25. I didn't actually take that class... Just saw some of the titles

of the films that came through our inspection machines. I don't remember any of them, except I think most were rather obscure stuff.

[KittyWampus]

9. There Are Lots Of Interesting Angles One Could Take In This Course

lots of different 'positions' to discuss about the Subject. :)

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. So?

Maybe the representative could explain why a billion dollar industry that can be said to shape the sexual desires of the culture should not be a legitimate area of study?

[mongo]

12. The religious right gets all upset about these courses

But I would be surprised if most of them didn't have an anti-porn bias built in.

"It's not a class about enjoying or viewing pornography," Clarkson said. "We will certainly be talking and reading critics who are against pornography."

Even if the class tries to show both sides of the argument, an attempt will be made to classify "good" and "bad" porn.

[mitchum]

27. An old professor of mine, Morse Peckham...

once said that there was no such thing as "good porn" or "bad porn" The only fundamental question was; is it arousing? He was a very wise man.

[enlightenment]

13. A few years ago, a friend of mine offered a pornography and

the sex trade (two topics, not porn in the sex trade) as a womens' studies/sociology class at UNLV.
Made the front page of the local papers -- lots of flack, and lots of juvenile comments.
It doesn't have to be about dirty pictures. It can be examined in an intellectual way, which is not to say that that is what this class in Iowa will be like. Who knows?
Personally, I don't understand why it's a big deal. People have sex. Some people like to be watched having sex. Some people like to watch people having sex. As long as it's consensual and adult (which to me leaves out bestiality; how do you know if the critters consent? and children; neither adult nor able to knowingly consent) -- who cares??


:shrug:

[PartyPooper]

14. "But, seriously...Professor, my dog ate my homework."

"Do I still get an "F" as in "f***"?

:dunce:

[Algorem]

15. I've heard of studying hard,but...

[darkism]

18. Best humourous comment in this thread thus far

:toast:

[Algorem]

20. Thengyoo.

Thengyooverymuch.

[realisticphish]

17. I work in the rare books library at Ohio State

and we not only have every playboy, which could theoretically contain literary works of interest, we also have every issue of HUSTLER. yeah, HUSTLER. Don't ask me why :shrug:

[Miss Chybil]

19. Pornography is boring after about the first two minutes.

How can they fill up a whole semester? There's nothing to talk about. No plot. No metaphor. No acting skills. One could discuss endurance and stretchability, I guess. Still, it's boring.

[FiveGoodMen]

23. Boring after the first two minutes?

It takes some people five or ten minutes before the porn gets boring.

[htuttle]

22. So this isn't a 'how to' class?

Damn.

If there's one thing the porn industry needs it's better Script Writers. And Actors. And Directors. And Lighting technicians. And Sound engineers...

The music is classic, though! Wocka-chicka bow-bow!

[Ravenseye]

26. Lets Ignore a 10 Billion Dollar a Year Industry

You might not like it but it's a huge industry.

It's funny how republicans are SOOOO all about free markets and keeping the government out of our lives until it's something they don't like....

scratch that

until it's something they PRETEND they don't like.