Discovering Human Sexuality

by LeVay, Simon; Baldwin, Janice; Baldwin, John

• ISBN13: 9781605353791
• ISBN10: 1605353795
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Loose-leaf
• Copyright: 2015-02-17
• Publisher: Sinauer Associates is an imprint of Oxford University Press

Summary

Discovering Human Sexuality is an evidence-based, accessible introduction to the study of sexuality and the diverse ways in which it brings joys and challenges to our lives. The backgrounds of the authors--in biology, sociology, teaching, and writing--have made possible a text that is multidisciplinary, authoritative, sex-positive, and a delight to read. Now in its third edition, Discovering Human Sexuality has established itself as a popular and widely praised text that respects diversity both in the sexual world and among the students who read it.

The third edition maintains the overall presentation of its predecessors, but adds coverage of recent sex-related developments in research, medicine, law, politics, and social trends. In addition, the authors have included two substantial appendices: one looks at sex and sexuality from an evolutionary perspective; the other provides additional material regarding the role of the nervous system in sexual functioning. The two appendices have been developed from sections of the authors' other text, Human Sexuality. The intent is to provide options for more advanced learning while leaving the main text accessible to students with more limited backgrounds in biology.

The third edition has many new boxes, illustrations, FAQs, and other features, as well as countless new references. What shines through is the richness of ideas about human sexuality that only an interdisciplinary collaboration can provide.

Author Biography

Simon LeVay, Ph.D. is a British-born neuroscientist turned science writer and teacher. He was educated at Cambridge University and the University of Gøttingen, Germany. In 1971, he moved to the United States. He has served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and has taught at Harvard, the University of California, and Stanford University. LeVay has authored over forty scientific studies; the best of known of these is a 1991 report in Science that described a difference in brain structure between heterosexual and homosexual men. This study helped spark a wealth of new research on the biology of sexual orientation. LeVay is the author or coauthor of ten books, some in the area of human sexuality and others on a broader range of scientific topics.

Janice Baldwin, Ph.D. is a sociologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is coauthor, with her husband John Baldwin, of numerous studies and articles in the area of sexuality and sex education, as well as the textbook Behavior Principles in Everyday Life, now in its fourth edition. The Baldwins co-teach an undergraduate Human Sexuality course that is regularly voted Best Course at UCSB. They also teach an advanced seminar course on the same topic. The Baldwins have been named as Best Professors on several occasions.