Affirmative Consent

After a discussion of The Hunting Ground we'll then explore whether affirmative consent laws are an effective means to lessen the risk of sexual assault.

"Affirmative consent, also referred to as “yes means yes” policies, define consent as a clear, unambiguous and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. Real consent is marked by the ongoing presence of a yes rather than the absence of a no — both parties must agree to sexual contact verbally or through clear non-verbal cues, and silence or lack of resistance doesn’t indicate consent. Schools with affirmative consent policies must use this stricter standard to evaluate sexual assault complaints within their campus disciplinary systems." (Emba, Christine. Affirmative Consent: A Primer. Washington Post, 10/12/15)

Read either #1, #2, or #3 and then everyone should read #4. Make sure to click on hyperlinks within articles to learn more.

1. Affirmative Consent:Are Students Really Asking? (alternative LINK)
2. Adults Hate Yes Means Yes Laws. The College Students I Meet Love Them
3. The Aziz Ansari Allegation Has People Talking About Affirmative Consent. What's That?
4. When Does Drunk Sex Become Rape?

In your final portfolio entry (#8) please respond to the following:

• Explore your thoughts and ideas about consent laws or policies. Will they work? Why or why not?  Be specific.
• Describe what you think should be done in Clara's case from the last article above. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
• Using information from the articles, conclude by answering these questions:
• How will changing standards of consent affect student behavior, and the handling of sexual assault cases on college campuses and in the larger criminal justice system? What does the need for increasingly explicit rules around consent say about our culture’s understanding of sex?

*TURNING IN YOUR PORTFOLIO: In order to turn in your portfolio, please copy all of your entries into one Google document. Please keep them in the order that you wrote them with the first entry being #1 and the last being #8. Make sure there is a title on each separate entry. Be sure to check the rubric and proofread before submitting. When it is ready, please submit your document to turnitin THROUGH SCHOOLOGY by class time on Monday, February 3. 
*NO BLOG POST THIS WEEK.