> >>I can't think of porn being useful and educational, and still cutting it
>>>as porn.
>>
>>Why not?
>
>Because sexual acts are like art, pleasure for pleasure's sake, not
>'useful'. If they are educational, that is a side-product. That said, as
>a teenager I plundered Masters and Johnson for erotic content (is that
>too much information?)
A while ago, Daniel Davies wrote:
>But in general, I'm against
>democratisation of the production of art, simply
>because so many people aren't any good at it.
LBO-talkers who would rather have their art democratic, educational, & stimulating at the same time, take heart! I can't vouch for the course content, but the ever-entrepreneurial Susie Bright proposes Porn 101 for erotic democracy:
***** Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2000 20:40:42 -0800 From: Susie Bright <susie at susiebright.com> Subject: Letter from Susie Bright, December 2000
ON-LINE EROTIC WRITING, and PORN 101 CLASSES
In October, I taught an erotic writing class at the Omega Institute in upstate New York -- it was a wonderful experience, and I'll be offering more classes with Omega in the future, as well at the Esalen retreat in Big Sur, next June.
However, I'm quite aware that not everyone has the mobility, money, and time to the Hudson Valley or the Big Sur coast to take a writing course!
There's also the dilemma that when I teach a weekend or week-long seminar, there's always going to be students who would really relish having a longer time together to develop and talk about their writing.
I want to make my classes available to everyone, and I want to offer some classes where we can develop a piece of writing, and our thoughts about erotic work, over time.
My solution: I'm offering two erotic writing courses next year, plus one online version of my Porn 101 class, to study the same issues in pornography that I've been teaching at UC Santa Cruz the past few years.
I decided to do this because a friend of mine, Louise Rafkin, has been teaching online writing courses through Antioch University, and I was impressed with the caliber of the work she was doing, and how much individual attention the students received. It seemed strange at first, to have a "virtual" relationship, but then I realized that it was a lot more attention than I ever received in most college classrooms I attended!
HOW DOES AN ON LINE CLASS WORK?
The unusual part of it is that we don't meet in person -- instead we use email, and our own private bulletin board to talk to each other and share our work.
It's small -- we're going to be talking to each other by email and bulletin board, so we all need to know each other's names and feel comfortable to share our work.
Before the class begins, I'll give you my reading list (and a video list, if you're in the porn class).
Each student will prepare and lead a discussion on one of the elements in the syllabus, and in the writing class, each student will submit a short story or essay of their original work for peer review, and then my review.
I will be facilitating class discussions each week, leading some in-class exercises, offering class lectures, and of course, reading and supporting your work.
What you need to participate is a computer, Internet access, and 2-4 hours for eight weeks to spend in our "virtual classroom." Not to mention a genuine desire to write and talk and think about sex. I'm really looking forward to this!
SIGN UP FOR MY FIRST CLASS
I'll be offering two classes in the spring of 2001, and two in the fall. If you are interested in joining a class, please write me for details on fees, registration, calendar, and all the other details.
For the "Erotic Reading, Writing, and Publishing" class, write to: dirtystory at susiebright.com
For the "Politics of Sexual Representation" (Porn 101) class, write to: porn101 at susiebright.com *****
According to the same letter, however, Bright also home-schools her daughter. A blow against public education?
***** HOME SCHOOL INSURGENCY
How do I like home-schooling? I started this adventure it quite suddenly, to "rescue" Aretha from intellectual rot and ruin. But as it turns out, it's the best thing I've done for myself, and my family, in ages. All of us feel closer, and more creatively inspired, than I think I ever did in all my years of secondary education. I began this move out of desperation, but now I'm just plain thrilled.
People ask me how one handles the stress of money, time, etc., when you don't have school as a babysitter. It may be Aretha's age and disposition, but it has been so much LESS stressful living this way, outside of school, that it boggles my mind.
I also have the advantage of living in a town with a huge home schooling network, that is actually part of the school district. There's staff, a resource center where you can get everything from microscopes to art supplies etc.
Parents offer classes too -- I am going to offer a class to kids about sex...finally, my wedge into childhood education! For the girls, I want to use a book called _Deal With It_, <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671041576/susiebrightcom> which is sort of the _Our Bodies, Ourselves_ of my daughter's generation.
I wonder, is there something similar for boys? Please let me know if you've shared a book about sex with your sons that you think is great.
In a strange way, my sexual politics led me to this home-schooling transformation. I'm so appalled by how the school system their students' development as young men and women. It's both a dumbing-down, and also a squelching-down, and it takes a such a toll.
ARETHA'S HOME SCHOOL WISH LIST
Some people have asked me, "What does your daughter want to learn?" In general, the answer is everything. Today she wanted to know everything about crossing the Bering Strait; who knows what it will be tomorrow? The first thing she said about home school was that she wanted to learn as many languages as possible - she listed Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese as starters. And my response was first surprise; and then, WHY NOT! She also said she wants to read all the banned books (from the American Library Assoc. list of books most frequently under attack), because "they seem to be the best ones."
I'll be writing more about this soon...but now you have the latest! *****
Yoshie