Title: DB - Ethics, Religion, and Sexuality
Course: SOC 130 RTZ > Section: Week 7

Discuss the following:

Part One: What are the benefits and drawbacks of asceticism? Specifically, what are the benefits and drawbacks of the ascetic approach to premarital sex? Be sure to involve religion as one of the reasons for asceticism.

Part Two: The text states: “… the focus of this section will be on ethical traditions of Western culture, primarily because this is a text for American undergraduates, who are part of that culture. We are understandably interested in our story, in the world of ideals and practice in which we live.” Is it meaningful or useful to speak of a single American culture? If so, when? Is American culture exclusively Western? What other traditions have influenced American culture? When is oversimplification a problem? Why? When is it crucial to talk about American cultures?