“Questions, comments, derogatory remarks?”
Most of your professors at GW will refrain from asking the third part of that question. Professor Stephen Forssell, however, is not one of them.
Last semester I often found myself drifting off in classes, my imagination always managing to lure me somewhere far outside of Phillips or Funger, as if to say, “Let’s go do something more interesting!” And I went. I went because the chapter I read the night before for homework was almost verbatim being taught to me all over again via powerpoint slides. I went because I was craving something more, something that pushed at the walls of my brain, something that would make me apprehensive, excited, confused, inspired.
This semester, I purposefully disregarded my GCRs and opted to register for courses that would keep me and my imagination in the classroom. One of them was “Psychology of Sex Differences.” I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I was excited for it, and that is ultimately what these four years should be about.
The first day of class was right off –the-bat captivating. Professor Forssell, jeans, sweater, and leather jacket, casually welcomed us and gave us the quick low down: basically, that he wanted to be real and wanted the same from us. He began by informing us that colloquial terms would be part of the class’ vocabulary. It would be blowjob, not fellatio. Eating a girl out, not cunnilingus. To further encourage this freedom of language, he pulled up a powerpoint slide with the four words “Penis, Vagina, Female Masturbation, Male Masturbation” and asked us all to shout out their equivalents. “Bearded clam! Pussy! One-eyed monster! Choad! Choke the chicken! Flickin’ the bean!” The entire class was giggling, but Professor Forssell’s point was that these terms are a real part of contemporary American language and that using them would help us in unraveling real contemporary American issues.
As for participation, Professor Forssell made it quite clear that there would be no shortage of ways to be involved in the class. In-class participation would consist mostly of debating controversial topics such as whether sexual orientation is innate or not, why men hold more leadership positions in fields related to math and science, and whether sex education should be comprehensive or abstinence-only based. Out-of-class participation, although optional, requires attending and writing short reaction pieces on a variety of places and events such as The Mid-Atlantic Leather Convention, a speed dating party, a night out at a gay bar, a drag event, or an adult toy store, to name a few!
So far, Professor Forrsell has covered gender in the media, sex research and theory, sexuality in childhood and adolescence, and sex differences throughout the world. We discuss realities, facts, stereotypes, misconceptions, stories in the news, stories regarding GW, and everything in between. The floor is constantly open to anyone who cares to share, refute, or confirm.
Professor Forsell’s class on the psychology of sex differences is relevant, it is perplexing, it is intriguing. The hour and fifteen minutes I have in his class on Tuesdays and Thursdays feels like twenty minutes and always leaves me wanting more. His lectures and discussions have pushed me to think about my father, who came out the summer before I began eighth grade, about my brother- how we are similar in some aspects, but how I can’t possibly expect him to be like me- about my boyfriend, and about myself.
Professor Forssell is unconventional (he holds “Happy Office Hours” at Froggy Bottom Pub), he knows his material inside out, and he truly offers his students a portal into the real world.
Sure, partying, exploring DC, and making life-long friends is a huge part of college, but for most of us, five out of the seven days of our weeks are filled with classes. So who says we have to save the excitement for after class?!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GWU chapter.