SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah college is offering a course that will evaluate and discuss different aspects of pornographic films.
"Hard core pornography is as American as apple pie and more popular that Sunday night football," the course description states in part.
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in Salt Lake City and is offering the class as a two credit elective. A professor from the college told FOX 13 News the course runs from May 9 to June 4.
"Our approach to this billion-dollar industry is as both a cultural phenomenon that reflects and reinforces sexual inequalities," the course description explains.
The course description says that students in the class will be watching and analyzing pornographic films.
"We will watch pornographic films together and discuss the sexualization of race, class and gender as an experimental, radical art form," it states.
FOX 13 News reached out to the college for a statement on the course. A spokesperson said that while the description and course may be alarming to some people, Westminster College believes the topic will help students understand the impact of pornography more fully.
"Westminster College occasionally offers elective courses like this as an opportunity to analyze social issues," the statement reads. "As part of this analysis, Westminster College and universities across the county often examine potentially offensive topics like pornography to further understand their pervasiveness and impact. Descriptions of these courses, while alarming to some readers, help students decide if they wish to engage in serious investigation of controversial subjects. This course will help students learn how to think critically about the influence of digital media culture. Westminster is a private liberal arts college dedicated to offering students life and career readiness education through programs that challenge, provide diverse perspectives, and develop critical thinking skills."
