Running head: GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 1

Global Issues:

Dating and Sex and Persistence in the Academy

Garrett Coghill

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

April 8, 2019
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Abstract

What are the consequences of students hooking up in relation to academic persistence?

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Global Issues Report

Dating and Sex and Persistence in the Academy

Sexual encounters affect student’s persistence in the academy and the common

consumption of alcohol in school may cause further issues in sexual behaviors. Dating and sex

and academic persistence are global issues that affect a majority of countries. The studies

provided show the validity of the correlation between academic success and sexual relations.

Discussion

The recent hookup trend dominates North American college campuses, yet it can be

beneficial. According to Netting and Reynolds (2018), casual sex was very prominent on most

campuses although the prevalence of relationships was still high (p. 1). This shows that casual

sexual encounters have occurred as much as relationships have. Netting and Reynolds (2018)

also state that sexual encounters happened more within a romantic relationship as opposed to

hookups (p. 1). This further shows that the presence of hookups is still common on campus, but

those who engage in romantic relationships tend to have more sexual experiences. Netting and

Reynolds (2018) further conclude that the presence of both of these behaviors in regard to

sexuality are important for helping people create their own identity (p. 6). Furthermore, this

shows that the hookup trend is important in college campuses around the world as well as its

effect on developing people’s identities.

Sex was and still is used in an abusive or manipulative manner and they were especially

abused in the early formation of the Americas. According to Wood (1998), sexual assault, or at

least coerced sex, has been a regular feature of early transatlantic “encounters” (p. 9).

Accordingly, Zacek (1998) also added that the forms of sexual misconduct that troubled

colonists were: bastardy, incest, adultery, and indecent exposure (p. 196). What the author is
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stating is that forced intercourse was a common theme amongst early settling in the Americas.

Wood (1998) also adds that just as pregnancy served to move the story line forward in Greek

mythology about rape, mestizaje (production of mixed offspring) has captured the attention of

some modern historians who may be uncomfortable studying the role of sexual violation in

conquest and in evolving colonies (p. 23). This statement further concludes how sex was used in

an abusive and destructive way in the creation of the Americas.

Alcohol can create further issues in sexual behaviors (persistence after liked individual

says no, inappropriate touching, bad mouthing). Alcohol intoxication directly influences men’s

sexual persistence and interest in someone. According to Woerner, Abbey, Pegram, and Helmers

(2018), alcohol enables people to be more sexually aggressive, yet few studies have covered in

the actual aggression one experiences while in the moment (p. 537). Sexual aggression is clearly

influenced more by alcoholic intoxication than no intoxication at all. Woerner, Abbey, Pegram,

and Helmers further state that in the study, a simulated woman would reject the men more

harshly if the persistence continued from the men (p. 537). This study was done to see how the

men would behave on an actual date, but it involved a simulated woman so the study could be

furthered. Woerner, Abbey, Pegram, and Helmers further conclude that the involvement of

alcohol regarding to being rejected created a more hostile attitude coming from the participant

that was asking such unwanted requests to the woman (p. 537). This further implies that the

alcohol was directly linked to the men’s sexual persistence, hostility, and interest in the dating

simulation that was studied.

The internet may help others meet new people, but the risks of sexual harassment or other

associated risks may be ever-present in meeting new people. According to Castaneda (2010),

younger people are more likely to be involved in sexual activities that originate from the internet
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(p. 6). However, according to Woerner, Abbey, Pegram, and Helmers (2018), the involvement of

alcohol will play a major role in meeting new people and can increase cases of sexual assault,

especially with those who meet through the internet (p. 537). Castaneda (2010) further states that

although these social apps make communicating more easily, it also eliminates the physical

connection which isn’t considered healthy (p. 6). Without physical intimacy, there will be a

lacking in any person’s relationship towards another. The internet is sort of a gift, yet a hidden

curse. Castaneda (2010) further concludes that users should be mindful and careful, as many

sexual offenders can be found perusing these said social sites (p. 6). This further implies that the

internet makes meeting people easier, but there are also a lot of potential risks and negative

people associated with the internet.

Hooking up may be destructive, but in a sense, it may help facilitate people’s

understanding of themselves and others (once again, so long as the involved people compromise,

and the feelings are mutual). According to Netting and Reynolds (2018), casual sex was very

prominent on most campuses although the prevalence of relationships was still high (p. 1). This

shows that casual sexual encounters have occurred as much as relationships have. Netting and

Reynolds (2018) also state that sexual encounters happened more within a romantic relationship

as opposed to hookups (p. 1). This further shows that the presence of hookups is still common on

campus, but those who engage in romantic relationships tend to have more sexual experiences.

Netting and Reynolds (2018) further conclude that the presence of both of these behaviors in

regard to sexuality are important for helping people create their own identity (p. 6). Furthermore,

this shows that the hookup trend is important in college campuses as well as its effect on

developing people’s identities.

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Control and manipulation are used today as it was in the past in regard to achieving

sexual advances brought upon a person of romantic interest. Sex and sexuality have both been

prominent since the dawn of human creation, and with it also came concerns over social control

and manipulation (see Figure 2). According to Zacek (1998), the idea that early modern English

society was sexually restrained is a false dichotomy that has been continuously reified by

scholars (p. 191). This statement makes people question how the early settlers really were as

opposed to how they’re portrayed. Zacek (1998) further states that the forms of sexual

misconduct that troubled colonists were: bastardy, incest, adultery, and indecent exposure (p.

196). This concludes that sex and sexuality are both abused and used as forms of manipulation

by some.

Conclusion

Dating, sex, and hooking up affects student’s persistence in the academy. This shows the

relation between success in school and whether being involved in sexual encounters affects the

overall success of the student. The studies provided have shown to prove the correlation between

academic success and having relations while in school and that it is a global issue amongst other

countries.
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References

Bartoli, A.M. & Clark, M.D. (2006). The dating game: Similarities and differences in dating

scripts among college students. Sexuality and Culture, Vol. 10, Issue 4, pp 54-80.

Castaneda, B. (2010, Feb 9). Internet opens opportunities for dating, sex. Prospector, pp. 6-16.

Retrieved from https://theprospector.newspaperarchive.com/el-paso-prospector/2010-02-

09/page-6/

Fitch, J. (1961, Jan 14). Better activities urged. Prospector, pp. 1-8. Retrieved from

https://theprospector.newspaperarchive.com/el-paso-prospector/1961-01-14/

Helm, K. (2016). Hooking up: The psychology of sex and dating Santa Barbara, California:

Greenwood. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b361

2369&site=eds-live&scope=site; http://0-

ebookcentral.proquest.com.lib.utep.edu/lib/utep/detail.action?docID=4008971

Netting, N. S., & Reynolds, M. K. (2018). Thirty years of sexual behaviour at a canadian

university: Romantic relationships, hooking up, and sexual choices. Canadian Journal of

Human Sexuality, 27(1), 55-68. doi:10.3138/cjhs.2017-0035.

Vasilenko, S. A., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Maggs, J. L. (2011). Short-term positive and negative

consequences of sex based on daily reports among college students. Journal of sex

research, 49(6), 558–569. doi:10.1080/00224499.2011.589101

Woerner, J., Abbey, A., Pegram, S. E., & Helmers, B. R. (2018). The effects of alcohol

intoxication and sexual interest on men's sexual persistence and hostility in a dating

simulation. Aggressive Behavior, 44(5), 537-547. doi:10.1002/ab.21773

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Wood, S. (1998). Sexual violation in the conquest of the Americas. Smith, M.D. (Ed.), Sex and

Sexuality in Early America, New York University Press: New York and London

Zacek, N.A. (1998). Sex, sexuality, and social control in the eighteenth-century Leeward Islands.

Smith, M.D. (Ed.), Sex and sexuality in early America (pp. 190-214). New York: New

York University Press. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b178

7513&site=eds-live&scope=site
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Figures

Figure 1. This graph shows the mental state that college students were in when the sexual assault

occurred. https://www.vox.com/2014/5/9/5696162/6-facts-about-sexual-assault-on-campus
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Figure 2. This wheel depicts the different factors that sexual harassment is associated with, with

control and manipulation being major attributes. http://thecenturytimes.com/2015/05/06/sexual-

assault-is-everyones-problem/

Figure 3. This bar graph represents the views of those who don’t hook up on those who choose to

partake in the hookup culture. https://hookedonhookingup.wordpress.com/tag/hook-up-culture/