Psychology of Sex Work (Certificate of Completion)

The Psychology of Sex for Sale is a Psychology Course Section in Human Sexuality. The exchange of sexual gratification for money is a prominent feature of many contemporary societies. The porn industry alone involves at least $13 billion a year in economic activity in the United States.

Course Description: The primary goal of this course is to establish a foundation of knowledge for the understanding of the sex work industry. In order to achieve this goal, the course objectives are offered as guidelines for evaluation of the progress of the student in the course. This course will focus on two major sections: Prostitution and Pornography. Both involve complex legal issues and public controversy, but also attract a steady steam of eager customers. This course was not designed to judge anyone in the industry, but rather for students to learn about the psychological factors relating to the topic, Sex for Sale.

Course Objectives: At the end of the course, the student should be knowledgeable of the following core information: Venues for sex work; the role of third parties; sex trafficking; the career of a sex worker – and the various types of sex workers; the sex worker’s well being; the role of early abuse; customers; male sex workers; sex tourism; the porn industry, who are the producers and the consumers; the effects of exposure to porn; and other issues related to pornography.