Sex and the Soul, Updated Edition Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses

by Freitas, Donna

• ISBN13: 9780190221287
• ISBN10: 0190221283
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-04-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

First published in 2008, Donna Freitas's Sex and the Soul revealed what college students -- at institutions large and small, public and private, secular, Catholic, and evangelical -- really think about sex, dating, religion, and spirituality. Based on face-to-face interviews with students across the country, Sex and the Soul achieved national acclaim, illuminating the as-yet-unexplored struggles of college students navigating the lines of faith and sexuality. Now, in this updated edition, Freitas reflects on the hundreds of conversations she has had with students since the book was first published in an all-new afterword, and offers practical advice for young people struggling with issues of sex and spirituality and for the adults giving them guidance.

Author Biography

Donna Freitas is a Research Associate at the University of Notre Dame's Center for the Study of Religion and Society. A regular contributor to Publishers Weekly, she has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Christianity Today, and she has frequently lectured on Sex and the Soul at colleges and universities all over the country. She is also the author of The End of Sex: How Hookup Culture is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy, and several young adult novels, including The Possibilities of Sainthood.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Lauren Winner
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Welcome to College. Meet Amy Stone: Tour Guide, Fashion Model, Straight-A Student

Section 1: The Varieties of College Religious Experience
1. The Spiritual Colleges: Souls Adrift
2. Why Catholic Schools (and Their Students) Are "Spiritual but Not Religious"
3. Evangelical Extroverts: Faithful and Diverse

Section 2: The Romantic Ideal
4. Evangelical Purity Culture: Its Princesses and Warriors
5. Wanted: A Little Romance

Section 3: The Truth About Sex On Campus
6. Where Dating=Marriage and a Kiss Means Everything
7. Hookups, Ho's, and Losing It

Section 4: Reconciling Sex and the Soul (or Not) on Campus
8. God vs. My Boyfriend
9. Dividing Sex from the Soul: Why Religion Doesn't Matter When It Comes to Sex

Section 5: Conclusions and Practical Implications
10. Seeking a Sexy Spirituality for Students on Campus

Afterword

A Practical Guide to Sex and the Soul: Three Musts for Your College To-Do List, What to Say to Your Child, Student, Parishioner, Friend
Appendix: On Methodology
Notes
Index