Thursday, Jan 15, 2009    Text size: 

The voluntary course was opened this semester at Providence University, a school founded by Catholic nuns.

The work for the class, which attracted more than 50 students this semester, involves viewing, analyzing and learning to appreciate pornography from an academic perspective. As a course requirement, students will have to analyze audience behavior in reaction to a porn clip and present their findings to the class.

Upon registration, students signed a sheet informing them of their right to leave the classroom if they ever considered the scenes too explicit. They were also given permission to drop the elective without penalty if they had issues with the material.

Professor Chen Mingmei, who teaches the course, said although a few students had occasionally covered their eyes during particularly graphic scenes, none of them had left the course.

Many students cited curiosity as the main reason for joining the course, and said they had yet to tell their parents about the class.

“I am really worried my parents will see the score report when it is mailed home,” said a student who wished to remain nameless. “I won’t know what to say if I get a high score. However, if I fail the course, I can speak to my parents and suggest that maybe I should watch more porn.”