Abstract
In their edited collection, 21st Century Sexualities, Herdt and Howe (2007b) discuss the effective and sometimes ineffective ways people acquire sexual literacy—that is, ways of coming to know about
healthy sexual practices, for example, conducting internet research about sex, viewing various forms of media that represent
sex and sexualized subjects, and listening to folklore about sex. Through and because of these multiple genres, audiences
must learn how to navigate competing discourses about sex, sexual education, and being represented sexually; one way they
navigate is to understand notions ethos, or the credibility of a writer or speaker. Through a rhetorical–theoretical lens, this paper analyzes some of the connections
between notions of ethos and ways of learning and being represented by sexual rhetorics.
healthy sexual practices, for example, conducting internet research about sex, viewing various forms of media that represent
sex and sexualized subjects, and listening to folklore about sex. Through and because of these multiple genres, audiences
must learn how to navigate competing discourses about sex, sexual education, and being represented sexually; one way they
navigate is to understand notions ethos, or the credibility of a writer or speaker. Through a rhetorical–theoretical lens, this paper analyzes some of the connections
between notions of ethos and ways of learning and being represented by sexual rhetorics.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-5
- DOI 10.1007/s13178-011-0045-2
- Authors
- Scott Lunsford, The School of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA USA
- Journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy
- Online ISSN 1553-6610
- Print ISSN 1868-9884