Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality
Encyclopedia
The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (est. 1976) is a non-accredited degree-granting institution and resource center in the field of sexology
located in San Francisco, California. Degree and certificate programs focus on public health
, sex therapy
, and sexological research. The Institute grew out of research in the 1960s highlighting the general lack of understanding of and formal training in human sexuality. The library and archives, part of which are on display at the Erotic Heritage Museum
, form one of the world's most comprehensive collections of adult films, academic sexological
and erotological resources, and sex therapy
training materials.
and homosexuality
. Ted McIlvenna, who would become the president of the Institute, headed the San Francisco arm of the study. The study highlighted the lack of research on human sexuality and the absence of demonstrated effective training and educational methodologies. A meeting in 1967 at the Institute for Sex Research
led to the formation of the National Sex Forum as part of the Glide Foundation
to address this lack.
By 1974, it was clear to the Forum that a free-standing institute dedicated to the study of and education and training in the emerging field of sexology
was required. They divied the creation of the academic institute as: McIlvenna to re-envision the Forum as an academic setting; Laird Sutton to collect a graphic-resource library; Herbert Vandervoort to organize and prepare the academic work of the study team; and Marguerite Rubenstein, Loretta Haroian, and Phyllis Lyon to define the professional training standards for the new academically trained professional sexologists. Wardell Pomeroy
was the first Academic Dean.
The Institute was integral to the development of humanistic sexology
, emphasizing experiential techniques and sexual pleasure over positivist empiricism. The culture of casual as well as clinical nudity and the inclusion of various bodywork and erotic massage
techniques led to the Institute being nicknamed "Fuck U" by some critics. The inclusion of Reichian therapy
and other techniques not well founded in research has similarly led to criticism.
in: Associate in Sex Education, Clinical Sexology, Sexological Bodywork, Sexological Instructor/Advisor of AIDS/STI Prevention, and Erotology Certificates.
Coursework varies by degree sought, but includes formal academic lectures, group-based discussion, video lectures (which may be undertaken off-site as part of a distance education
program), and hands-on training in therapy and bodywork. Research-based degrees include independent or directed use of the Institute's extensive primary and secondary archives of sexological material.
' division California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
(BPPE). BPPE is not part of the Department of Education and not an accrediting agency.
IASHS is also a member of the Association for Private Postsecondary Education in California (APPEC), a non-accrediting industry advocacy and support organization that lobbies for and provides information about regulatory requirements to educational institutions that are not accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC). In 2009, APPEC sponsored California S.B. 489, an anti-diploma mill
law that established the BPPE.
to underserved teenagers in demographics at high risk for pregnancy
. Ted McIlvenna, president of the Institute, favors a curriculum focusing on teaching teenagers techniques for "obtaining healthy, respectful relationships with their partners" rather than abstinence-only sex education. The Institute has produced safe sex
books, videos, and assorted paraphernalia. The archives include hundreds of thousands of adult films, as well as documents tracing the development of sexology as a field of research and training and educational materials; together, they comprise one of the most comprehensive sexological and erotological resource centers in the world.
A rotating selection of films and other art are on display at the Erotic Heritage Museum
.
The Institute favors open discussion of sexuality, including such issues as oral sex
, masturbation
, homosexuality
, BDSM
and informed consent, teen sex and pregnancy, and sex therapy
. Roger Libby, adjunct professor, sex therapist, and author of The Naked Truth About Sex: A Guide to Intelligent Sexual Choices for Teenagers and Twentysomethings, encourages the use of extensive pre-sex discussions to set parameters and establish comfort levels. Professor and Dean of Professional Studies Charles Moser
has argued that paraphilia
s and BDSM should be removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM).
each year. Articles are reviewed by the editorial board with supplemental review by readers.
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
located in San Francisco, California. Degree and certificate programs focus on public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, sex therapy
Sex therapy
Sex therapy is the treatment of sexual dysfunction, such as non-consummation, premature ejaculation , erectile dysfunction, low libido, unwanted sexual fetishes, sexual addiction, painful sex, or a lack of sexual confidence, assisting people who are recovering from sexual assault, problems commonly...
, and sexological research. The Institute grew out of research in the 1960s highlighting the general lack of understanding of and formal training in human sexuality. The library and archives, part of which are on display at the Erotic Heritage Museum
Erotic Heritage Museum
The Erotic Heritage Museum is a area with dedicated to displays on the history of erotica and is located at 3275 Industrial Road, Las Vegas, Nevada. The grand patron of the Museum is Harry Mohney, founder of the Déjà Vu strip club chain. The museum opened on August 2, 2008.The museum is under...
, form one of the world's most comprehensive collections of adult films, academic sexological
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
and erotological resources, and sex therapy
Sex therapy
Sex therapy is the treatment of sexual dysfunction, such as non-consummation, premature ejaculation , erectile dysfunction, low libido, unwanted sexual fetishes, sexual addiction, painful sex, or a lack of sexual confidence, assisting people who are recovering from sexual assault, problems commonly...
training materials.
History
The path that led to the founding of the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in 1976 began in 1962 with a study commissioned by United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, United Presbyterian Church, American Baptist Church, and Southern Presbyterian Church on the nature and needs of early adults, especially as relates to sexual identitySexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. Ted McIlvenna, who would become the president of the Institute, headed the San Francisco arm of the study. The study highlighted the lack of research on human sexuality and the absence of demonstrated effective training and educational methodologies. A meeting in 1967 at the Institute for Sex Research
Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction
The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction is a nonprofit research institute at Indiana University. It was established in Bloomington, Indiana in 1947...
led to the formation of the National Sex Forum as part of the Glide Foundation
Glide Foundation
The Glide Foundation is a charity organization based in San Francisco, named after and run by Glide Memorial Church. It is known for working with investor Warren Buffett who has donated the proceeds from his eBay "Power Lunch with Warren Buffett" auctions to Glide. The winning bid in 2006 was...
to address this lack.
By 1974, it was clear to the Forum that a free-standing institute dedicated to the study of and education and training in the emerging field of sexology
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
was required. They divied the creation of the academic institute as: McIlvenna to re-envision the Forum as an academic setting; Laird Sutton to collect a graphic-resource library; Herbert Vandervoort to organize and prepare the academic work of the study team; and Marguerite Rubenstein, Loretta Haroian, and Phyllis Lyon to define the professional training standards for the new academically trained professional sexologists. Wardell Pomeroy
Wardell Pomeroy
Wardell Baxter Pomeroy was an American sexologist and co-author with Alfred C. Kinsey. He was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He graduated from Indiana University and earned a Ph.D. in psychology in 1954 from Columbia University...
was the first Academic Dean.
The Institute was integral to the development of humanistic sexology
Humanistic psychology
Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective which rose to prominence in the mid-20th century, drawing on the work of early pioneers like Carl Rogers and the philosophies of existentialism and phenomenology...
, emphasizing experiential techniques and sexual pleasure over positivist empiricism. The culture of casual as well as clinical nudity and the inclusion of various bodywork and erotic massage
Erotic massage
Erotic massage or sensuous massage is the use of massage techniques to achieve or enhance sexual arousal. Massages have been used for medical purposes for a very long time. Its use for erotic purposes also has a long history. Today it is used by some couples on occasions as part of lovemaking,...
techniques led to the Institute being nicknamed "Fuck U" by some critics. The inclusion of Reichian therapy
Reichian therapy
Reichian therapy can refer to several schools of thought and theraputic techniques whose common touchstone is their origins in the work of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich...
and other techniques not well founded in research has similarly led to criticism.
Academics
Degrees are offered in Master of Human Sexuality, Master of Public Health in Human Sexuality, and Doctor of Human Sexuality, as well as Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with a focus in sexology and erotology. They also offer professional certificatesProfessional certification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task...
in: Associate in Sex Education, Clinical Sexology, Sexological Bodywork, Sexological Instructor/Advisor of AIDS/STI Prevention, and Erotology Certificates.
Coursework varies by degree sought, but includes formal academic lectures, group-based discussion, video lectures (which may be undertaken off-site as part of a distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
program), and hands-on training in therapy and bodywork. Research-based degrees include independent or directed use of the Institute's extensive primary and secondary archives of sexological material.
Memberships
The Institute is listed with the California Department of Consumer AffairsCalifornia Department of Consumer Affairs
The California Department of Consumer Affairs is a department under the California State and Consumer Services Agency. DCA's stated mission is to serve the interests of California's consumers by ensuring a standard of professionalism in key industries and promoting informed consumer practices...
' division California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education is a unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs charged with regulation of private postsecondary educational institutions operating in the state of California...
(BPPE). BPPE is not part of the Department of Education and not an accrediting agency.
IASHS is also a member of the Association for Private Postsecondary Education in California (APPEC), a non-accrediting industry advocacy and support organization that lobbies for and provides information about regulatory requirements to educational institutions that are not accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
(WASC). In 2009, APPEC sponsored California S.B. 489, an anti-diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
law that established the BPPE.
Activities
In addition to its educational and archival mission, the Institute engages in outreach, such as teaching sex educationSex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
to underserved teenagers in demographics at high risk for pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
. Ted McIlvenna, president of the Institute, favors a curriculum focusing on teaching teenagers techniques for "obtaining healthy, respectful relationships with their partners" rather than abstinence-only sex education. The Institute has produced safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
books, videos, and assorted paraphernalia. The archives include hundreds of thousands of adult films, as well as documents tracing the development of sexology as a field of research and training and educational materials; together, they comprise one of the most comprehensive sexological and erotological resource centers in the world.
A rotating selection of films and other art are on display at the Erotic Heritage Museum
Erotic Heritage Museum
The Erotic Heritage Museum is a area with dedicated to displays on the history of erotica and is located at 3275 Industrial Road, Las Vegas, Nevada. The grand patron of the Museum is Harry Mohney, founder of the Déjà Vu strip club chain. The museum opened on August 2, 2008.The museum is under...
.
The Institute favors open discussion of sexuality, including such issues as oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
, masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
and informed consent, teen sex and pregnancy, and sex therapy
Sex therapy
Sex therapy is the treatment of sexual dysfunction, such as non-consummation, premature ejaculation , erectile dysfunction, low libido, unwanted sexual fetishes, sexual addiction, painful sex, or a lack of sexual confidence, assisting people who are recovering from sexual assault, problems commonly...
. Roger Libby, adjunct professor, sex therapist, and author of The Naked Truth About Sex: A Guide to Intelligent Sexual Choices for Teenagers and Twentysomethings, encourages the use of extensive pre-sex discussions to set parameters and establish comfort levels. Professor and Dean of Professional Studies Charles Moser
Charles Allen Moser
Charles Allen Moser is an American physician specializing in internal medicine and focusing on sexual medicine. Moser is based in San Francisco and focuses his research and practice on individuals in the LGBT, kink, and fetish communities...
has argued that paraphilia
Paraphilia
Paraphilia is a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her...
s and BDSM should be removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
(DSM).
Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality
The Institute publishes the Electronic Journal of Human SexualityElectronic Journal of Human Sexuality
Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality is a scholarly journal that publishes articles, dissertations, theses, posters, and other academic materials about all aspects of human sexuality . It is published by the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco. The Senior Editor of the...
each year. Articles are reviewed by the editorial board with supplemental review by readers.
Graduates
- Sharon MitchellSharon MitchellSharon Mitchell is a former erotic actress, with a pornography career spanning over two decades.- Adult film career :...
founded the Adult Industry Medical Health Care FoundationAdult Industry Medical Health Care FoundationThe Adult Industry Medical Associates P.C. , also known simply as AIM or AIM Medical, was an organization that tested erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis....
, an organization supporting regular testing of pornographic actorPornographic actorA pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
s for HIVHIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and other sexually transmitted infectionsSexually transmitted diseaseSexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
.Sharon Mitchell — Well-behaved women rarely make history}} - Annie SprinkleAnnie SprinkleAnnie M. Sprinkle is an American former prostitute, stripper, pornographic actress, cable television host, porn magazine editor, writer and sex film producer...
(Ellen F. Steinberg) is a sex educator, author, artist and a former pornographic actress. - Laura Henkel founded Henkel Enterprises LLC, Erotic Heritage MuseumErotic Heritage MuseumThe Erotic Heritage Museum is a area with dedicated to displays on the history of erotica and is located at 3275 Industrial Road, Las Vegas, Nevada. The grand patron of the Museum is Harry Mohney, founder of the Déjà Vu strip club chain. The museum opened on August 2, 2008.The museum is under...
, Laura Henkel Fine Art, and Sin City Gallery, specializing in erotic, folk and outsider art appraisals and consulting for residential and commercial portfolios. - Juli AshtonJuli AshtonJuli Ashton is an American pornographic actress and television host.- Education :After Ashton graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Spanish and History, she taught Spanish at a junior high school for a year.- Adult film career :In 1994, she moved to Florida, and began appearing...
- Gloria BrameGloria BrameGloria Glickstein Brame is a U.S. writer and sex therapist based in Athens, Georgia. A member of the American College of Sexologists, and certified clinical sexologist, Brame earned a PHD and MPH in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality , and an M.A. in English...
- Betty DodsonBetty DodsonBetty Dodson is an American sex educator, author, and artist. Dodson held the first one-woman show of erotic art at the Wickersham Gallery in New York City in 1968. She left the art world to teach sex to women...
- Carol QueenCarol QueenCarol Queen is an American author, editor, sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality in books such as Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture...
- Charles Allen MoserCharles Allen MoserCharles Allen Moser is an American physician specializing in internal medicine and focusing on sexual medicine. Moser is based in San Francisco and focuses his research and practice on individuals in the LGBT, kink, and fetish communities...
, who now teaches there.
See also
- History of erotic depictionsHistory of erotic depictionsThe history of erotic depictions includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, dramatic arts, music and writings that show scenes of a sexual nature throughout time. They have been created by nearly every civilisation, ancient and modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with...
- Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and ReproductionKinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and ReproductionThe Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction is a nonprofit research institute at Indiana University. It was established in Bloomington, Indiana in 1947...
External links
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality official site
- The Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, published by the institute