Professor Watchlist

Tim Seitz is an Instructor of Philosophy at McHenry County College. Seitz, along with his colleague Christine Grela, co-teach a course titled, “Talking Dirty.”

The course is listed as a “twofer” and combines an Introduction to Ethics course with a Human Sexuality course, allowing students to earn double the college credit. Campus Reform reports,

“The course begins the semester discussing ‘foreplay’ and later addresses topics such as genital cutting, abortion, BDSM, porn, prostitution and more, according to the syllabus calendar.” 

A flyer for the course shared by Campus Reform shows a woman in lingerie and a half-naked man hugging. The flyer reads, “Yes, this class is all about sex – what’s not to like? Join in this fascinating study on ethics as it relates to the many forms and facets of human sexuality.”

The course calendar lists additional topics that will be covered in the class, including: “virginity, gender theory, paraphilias, and ‘damaged goods.’” Questions addressed throughout the semester include: “What constitutes rape? Is homosexuality a sin? Should prostitution be a crime? Is monogamy a virtue? What is the moral status of a fetus?”

The syllabus notes the course is designed for adult college students:

“Sexually explicit language, films, slides, and other teaching materials will be used at times throughout the quarter. If you are upset by, or made very uncomfortable by sexually explicit language or visual media depictions of human sexual behavior, you may wish to reconsider whether you really want to take this class.” 

The syllabus also lists unique extra credit opportunities:

“Extra credit (5 points) will be awarded to any student who is tested for STDs during the course. I do NOT want to see your results; for evidence of testing, bring in a clinic brochure and/or doctor’s note simply stating that you were tested. Contact information for free and low-cost clinics is provided on Canvas.” 

Instructors Seitz and Grela told Shaw Local they don’t understand why there are concerns about the class. They say “healthy sex practices and healthy relationships are good for everyone to be aware of. They also claim pairing the human sexuality class with an ethics class is “the best possible format to discuss sexuality” because they are able to add morals and ethics into the topics covered in class.

 

Published – September 13, 2023