Unit 2
The Natural History of Gender and Reproduction

Unit 2 looks at human sexualities from the perspective of animal behaviour. Much of the debate concerning human sexualities includes discussions about “what is natural.” Logically, any discussion regarding the naturalness of human sexuality must include references to the sexuality of other members of the animal kingdom, particularly human's closest biological comparative—the primates.

Whether we are examining human sexualities within the context of social construction, comparative biological construction, or on the basis of personalities, these contributions are crucial for human understanding. In the case of mammals and primates, it means that our world is populated with nonhuman beings that have personalities and the potential to form relationships. If these nonhuman beings are capable of forming relationships with each other, then they are also likely to be capable of forming relationships with humans.

Objectives

When you have completed the study activities for Unit 2, you should be able to

1. explain the connection between biological status and social and cultural role.
2. describe the biological process that an embryo undergoes in the development of sex and when.
3. describe and evaluate the potential uses of comparative, cross-species studies of sexualities.
4. describe the advantages and disadvantages of friendships, relationships, and sexual unions.
5. assess the degree to which biological studies of animal and primate sexualities are useful for comparison with human sexualities.
6. explain the connection between our cultural assumptions and the use of biological analogies in looking at comparative sexualities.