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無論來自何方,無論出於什麼目的,您都可以隨時免費聯機使用本網路教程。由於本網站在超過100個國家與地區有近億的聯機使用者,本教程是世界上最大的網路教程專案。
原著:【德】歐文 J. 黑伯樂;翻譯:【中國】彭曉輝;校對:【美】阮芳賦、【中國
香港】吳敏倫
性健康“開架閱覽”教程
本教程其他語言版本及中文繁體版也可免費聯機使用。請點擊各自的國旗或區旗:
導言:本教程的目的與使用
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1.
人體性解剖學與性生理學基礎(Basic
Human Sexual Anatomy and Physiology)
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2. 人類生殖(Human
Reproduction)
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3.
男女性生理問題(Physical
Problems in Females and Males)
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4.
性傳播疾病及其預防(Sexually
Transmitted Diseases and Their Prevention)
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5.
性功能障礙及其治療(Sexual
Dysfunctions and Their Treatment)
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6.
人類的性行為(Human Sexual Behavior)
版權所有©2003、2004、2005、2006、2007年。歐文
J. 黑伯樂(Erwin J. Haeberle)
我認為科學文獻的開架閱覽是我們專業領域的未來發展之路。所以,遵照世界衛生組織(WHO)的一再建議,我在此提供性健康教育的系列教程。本教程是一個由六個獨立的部分所構成的全球性學工程,此外,她也是覆蓋大多數重要實際問題的職業繼續教育教程。
我的性健康網路教程有六個使用便利條件:
1.
本教程是並且仍將是免費聯機使用的教程。
2.
本性健康網路教程的設計沒有任何的技術編程,並且勿需安裝像Java描述語言和flash動畫插件這樣的特殊程式。所以,這個教程甚至在老式的和非常簡單的個人電腦上也能夠打開。
3.
為著教師和學生的任何一方著想,本教程勿需任何的前期準備。因為,本教程編寫用語如此簡單,以至於有大學程度閱讀能力的任何人勿需具備任何前期的專業知識都能夠教授和學習本教程。
4.
在課堂教學設置中它比較容易使用。教師能夠使用投影將課程投射到螢幕上。全部課程內容就能簡單地通過點擊滑鼠逐步地開展教學了。
5.
在家裏也比較容易使用它。學生通過點擊滑鼠,能夠按照他們自己的節奏逐步地展開自學,他們可以找到自己覺得有把握的內容,來回答考查問答題。
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概要地說,本教程就人類性學構建起了一個基本的知識框架。已經獲得了這種知識的學生能夠相應地獲得結業證書或畢業證書。本教程如果經由學位授予機構進行必要的補充和擴展,也能夠作為文學學士甚或文學碩士的課程使用。
然而,請您注意:我不提供考試答案,也不能因通過本教程為您頒發結業證書。本課程對有人類性學專業或課程的協會和機構特別優惠。如今,世界範圍內有數十家機構正提供數十種性學學位或職業證書項目。欲知詳情,請點擊此處。這些學術學位或職業證書項目在不改變本教程的前提下可以單純地使用本教程,或者添加它們自己的教材。它們也可以在本科或在研究生程度以及為成功完成學業授予結業證書、畢業證書和學位教育中使用本教程。
作為學術主修專業或輔修的“性健康”課程
依據學術機構不同,在它們自己的許可權範圍內可以把“性健康”設置為主修專業或輔修課。甚至,世界衛生組織(WHO)
已經建議“應該鼓勵把人類性學開闢成健康保健職業教育與培訓的自主學科”。(欲知詳情,請點擊此處。)
'性健康"作為輔修專業可以添加到已經設置的教育學、心理學、刑法學、法律執行、社會學、社會工作、護士學和公共衛生等這些
僅列舉了一少部分的各個專業課程體系之中。它在某些特殊的領域以某種形式可能對醫學專業也是一門實用的選修課程。
繼續教育中使用本教程
顯而易見,本教程對於各種形式的繼續教育也是適合的,尤其對於增強婚姻與家庭諮詢師、臨床心理治療師、社會工作、健康保健工作人員、教師和各種宗教教派教長的工作或業務資質能力更為合適。繼續教育的培訓可以在校園裏進行或者在培訓中心進行,或者可以在全國範圍內或國際範圍內通過互聯網進行。一些教育培訓代理和機構已經發現把本教程、甚至於我的整個網站刻錄成CD或DVD,並且在沒有互聯網上網條件的教師和學生中分發也是有益的。這種方式在發展中國家尤其成功。
遠端教育中使用本教程
想要為遠端研修教育專案使用我的教程的學院、大學或機構將必須增加自己的互動式溝通網路內容。自然而然,這將需要他們自身的
初期投資。不過,這是一項能夠帶來巨大回報的投入。這將會確實證明對於生活在匱乏必要的學術資源的國家的學生是有益的。一旦本教程變成互動式聯機教學,遙遠的學生就能夠申請、註冊、支付學費、與教學人員和同學建立網路聯繫、上傳作業和參加考試,等等。出於同樣的原因,任何服務於許多外國學生的這樣的遠端教育項目一定會在財政上贏利。本教程對於世界範圍的衛生保健專業人員和性教育者的性學培訓特別有用。這也是為什麼
我以數種語言提供本教程的初衷。截止到現在,我的網站每天已經有超過7000名的悉心讀者(intensive
reader,即閱讀時間超過30分鐘的“訪問者”)。如果這些讀者中只有0.1%是遠端教育的可能申請者,我就已經每天正向7名求學者授課。甚至,通過吸引來自世界各地的潛在學生,我的免費課程能夠為學術機構和職業培訓機構產生相當可觀的收入。
本門聯機教程的特色
本門聯機教程是原創性的著作,並不是取自其他作者的作品進行編輯的讀物。所以,它“達到了高度的一致性”和內在邏輯的嚴密性。事實上,我不僅寫就了全部的教程,而且也與我的網頁設計師一起製作了大多數的插圖。另外,我還使用了自己的教科書的插圖以及來自個人的歷史收藏品的資料。某些插圖由政府代理機構所提供;某些插圖取自於其他公共出版物或已經長期不受版權限制的圖片。少數圖片由同行所提供。
本門聯機教程的網頁佈局非常簡單,並且在點擊滑鼠數次之後就會飛快地展現在眼前。大體說來,本部教程在集中關注性健康的基本知識的同時,還設法讓學生不僅掌握性的生物學知識,而且讓他們瞭解人類性學的心理-社會方面的知識。所以,本部教程比大多數教科書更加地豐富多彩。甚至,當我討論解剖學、生理學或醫學問題的時候,也設法穿插一些社會學、歷史學、文化學或人種學方面的背景知識。而且,我還試圖說明科學發展和社會進步並不是剛剛“發生”的,而是那些值得銘記的特殊人物積大成的結果。只要在可以介紹這些特殊人物的地方,我都已經貼上了他們的肖像和介紹了他們的傳記記錄。我已經在美國和歐洲各個大學教授性科學超過了30年,結識(或曾經結識了)大多數現代先驅,而且許多先驅還成了我的好朋友。某些先驅都已經謝世。
我同樣深入淺出地小心翼翼闡述和解釋本學科的每一個問題,而且用詞精確和客觀,並且避免使用那些會引起偏見的、不合邏輯的、令人誤解的和其他與科學和專業有關的不適當的術語。在這個方面,我的各講教程與大多數傳統的教科書不太一樣。不過,涉及人類性學諸如此類的內容則差別不大,而且反映了本學科領域當前多數人的學術觀點。就這一點看,整個教程確實是一部“主流的”教學課目,呈現給讀者的是當今絕大多數性科學家所理解的這些事實。當涉及到那些有爭議的主題的時候,我會設法保持中立的立場,會介紹論爭雙方的觀點。簡而言之,我並不容忍自己偏袒任何一方或登上任何一方的論壇擂臺。
與之不同的是,我只不過設法向學生介紹他們可能需要瞭解的知識。
我的原則是,不引用那些眾所周知的事實真相,不使用那些人們熟悉的引用語,也不參考人們在互聯網通過搜索引擎容易找到和查證的規範文章。因為,八股文式的註腳已經不必要地塞滿了顯示幕。幸運的是,我的這個大網站包容了大量的參考文獻資料。因此,本教程的許多超連結會直接引導讀者找到我的線上圖書館的專著和論文。這對那些缺乏足夠學術資源的國家和地區非常有利。如果學生沿著所有的超連結所指向的目標,打開和閱讀所有參考讀物目錄的全部詞條內容,他們會獲得比預想要多得多的更全面的知識。
歡迎翻譯另外的語言版本
除了我的線上圖書館裏的參考書籍和論文以外,我的整個網站本來就是我本人一個人的作品。因而,從一開始,我的性健康教育教程也就是我私有的個人項目。雖然多年以來,我已經得到了一些捐助者的資助和認可,但是我也已經為維持這個網站掏空了荷包。本教程的數個語言譯本是來自各個國家的理想主義者的同仁的譯作,他們與我一樣對科學文獻的“開架閱覽”具有先見之明的眼光。我從來沒有給他們支付任何報酬。有一些同仁譯者已經因他們的研究生翻譯本教程的工作數量給予了學分。不過,正如讀者會注意到的那樣,某些語言翻譯進程遠遠地落後了。所以,我在這裏呼籲:誠懇地邀請任何具有資質能力並有興趣提供不取翻譯報酬的仁人志士與我取得聯繫。我也歡迎捐助者的資助,以便我為翻譯成其他語言的新譯本支付報酬,或者至少為這些譯本的電腦技術轉換成我們的設計格式支付報酬。如果沒有先期將本網站的文字轉換到其他不使用拉丁字母的語言(俄語、希臘語、日語、韓國語、阿拉伯語和波斯語等等)的各自的電腦系統裏,這些譯本就不能在本網站顯示出來。這樣的技術轉換工作將不得不支付報酬,但是我簡直就沒有必要的基金來負擔這種花費。
將會擴展的教程
儘管本門聯機教程對人類性學做了可靠的基礎知識的闡述,但是,為了對人類性學的所有知識方面進行更全面的論述,我們能夠並應該對它進行學科知識體系的擴充。例如,至少增加下列的教程內容是非常有用的:
- 性別:女性和男性的心理社會角色 -
性取向
- 婚姻與家庭
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性服從(sexual Conformity)與性偏離(sexual Deviance)
現時讓我感到遺憾的是,我沒有能力就這些重要的選題撰寫教程了。在新的內容未能添加的這一段時期,我只能給感興趣的讀者提供我的教科書裏相關的章節,供大家閱讀。另一個知識非常豐富的相關教程也許就是性學發展史了。我再一次重申,就現階段來看,我很可能只能給讀者提供我的網站單獨的章節內容。我的確希望將來的某一個時候,我也會為撰寫這些擬定的教程獲得必要的資金支持
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不過,此時此刻,在財政上支付自己的這個聯機教程多年以後,我不再有能力額外為其付費了。任何想要設法像我這樣開辦和經營一個免費教程的人遲早會發現維持一個網站專案會需要大量的經費。這是我完全不具有的一筆經費。儘管非常不情願,我因而得出結論,除非和直到必要的資金得到具體落實,我不可能添加更多的教程內容在這個網站上。遺憾的是,迄今為止,我的無數次為獲得這種基金的嘗試都歸於失敗。
互聯網教學的願景
我相信把科學知識局限于付費的消費者的局面最後是不可能保持下去的。最終,全部的科學文獻將在互聯網上和其他的電子媒體上成為免費使用的資訊。只有兩個明顯的例外情形:1.
由政府歸入機密級別的研究文獻;2.正像商業公司會設法防範工業間諜一樣,各國政府也會始終設法防止國家機密被外國間諜所竊取。
不過,在大學裏由公共財政所支援、所管理和所研討的科學研究文獻並不屬於上述兩個範疇的機密。這樣的研究
文獻總是以印刷的方式出版,但是新興的電子媒體正在擴展自己的勢力範圍,並且正在加速科學文獻的傳播。因為電子媒體能夠使任何感興趣的人免費得到所有的公共研究
文獻,它也正改變著經濟運行的秩序。儘管如此,迄今為止只有少數學術機構似乎已經領會到了這場電子技術革命所蘊含的前景。大多數學術機構仍就把他們的
文獻限定提供給預付費的學生。
然而,這些預付費的學生越來越多地能夠在互聯網上獲得對等的甚或同樣的免費文獻,而且常常獲得最新形式的文獻。有關科學期刊的發行商也能夠發現同樣的發展情形。其中有一些科學期刊發行商感到
了這種經濟運行變軌換擋之聲正在他們的腳底響起。所以,他們堅決要求擁有他們全部出版物的版權,而且試圖限制在互聯網上的訂戶或預付費的讀者有權使用他們的出版物。十分顯而易見的是,出版商的這種做法並不是出版物的作者感興趣的問題,因為他們既沒有得到應得的酬謝也沒有得到出版物的版稅,而且他們也會歡迎更多的讀者閱讀他們的作品。甚至,這些未獲得什麼酬勞的作者最終會明白,出版商的這種經營之道對於免費獲取科學文獻資訊的觀念是一個不必要的障礙。因為許多期刊是科學機構的官方刊物,而且通過會員繳費獲得了大筆的財政支持,終有一天期刊雜誌的會員或訂戶會認識到他們可以“繞過這個中間商”,而且通過直接發表在互聯網的出版物免費獲得有利得多的讀者身份。
我確信對科學文獻”開架閱覽“的頑固抵抗將會證明是徒勞的。的確,由於強有力的捐贈者的資助,一些世界上最先進的大學(哈佛大學,
麻省理工學院)為互聯網的讀者已經提供了不付費的頗有價值的科學文獻資訊。同樣地,越來越多的免費聯機期刊給讀者提供了嚴肅的與期刊相同的多
種科學研究論文。設想一下世界範圍內對高等教育不斷增長的需求及其遞增的教育成本,這種普遍的科學文獻資訊”開架閱覽“的發展趨勢似乎明晰可見:圖書館將不會再有經費購買每一本新書和訂閱期刊。電子期刊也不能再收取讀者的閱覽費。畢竟,一旦在互聯網上能讀到一本課本,它就很容易被”經認可的“讀者所複製,並被發佈給”經認可的“朋友和同僚,進而,這些朋友和同僚也會重複這一過程。企圖防止這類資訊資料的複製將證明是徒勞無功的。在將來,這就意味著科學
文獻將要麼是免費的和聯機閱覽的,要麼被忽視而行將歸於沉寂。就為了這個單一的理由,有影響力的科學家和學者也會堅持讓自己的文章免費出現在互聯網上。出於同樣的理由,專業人員將不再可能在過分擁擠的教室裏進行規範的演講,此時,他們在其他城市或國家的同行會免費在互聯網上教授同樣的課程內容。(再一次重申,哈佛大學和麻省理工學院的互聯網免費課程資訊就是這一事態來臨的先兆。)由於不斷增長的互聯網聯機的競爭態勢,對傳統教科書我也認為並沒有什麼了不得的前途。簡而言之:也許會花費一點時間,但是各個大學和學術研究的作者最終將別無他法,只好把他們的全部研究論文和著作免費提供給互聯網的讀者,並且尋求對互聯網的出版物進行財政資助的另一種選擇途徑。
這些還只是教學的全球化可能帶來的一點點變化,不過在這裏不是我們深入探討這一發展趨勢的地方。在此,我恰恰想要說明
的是,我的整個網站只是搶在這種必然趨勢之前的一種嘗試,也是揚鞭策馬加速這種必然趨勢
來臨的一種嘗試。我也想要向有興趣教授性健康知識的人們證明,沒有必要再辟蹊徑了。上述提及的世界衛生組織(WHO)的報告涵蓋了非常清晰的行動計畫。這些行動計畫清楚地說明瞭誰應該從誰那裏研習性健康教程,也清楚地說明瞭誰應該為必要的性健康教程提供詳細的大綱。本人只是一直遵循這些計畫行事而已。
在性健康教育的領域正是積極採納我的提議的時候了。學院、大學、職業協會、國家與國際機構以及非政府組織——我都邀請你們充分地利用好我提供的教程。我所要求的全部回報只是一丁點兒的回饋資訊和得到承認。如果能夠獲得正式的批准,我也會歡迎明晰表達的正式承認或官方的簽注文件。因為,這也許有助於延續和擴充現有的互聯網科學文獻資訊的”開架閱覽“專案。
歐文 J. 黑伯樂(Erwin J. Haeberle)
電子信箱:haeberlee@web.de
2007年3月
The freely
accessible courses can be used by anyone anywhere at
any time for any purpose. With millions of users in
over 100 countries,
this curriculum is the largest e-learning
project in the world.
Erwin J.
Haeberle
An
"Open Access" Curriculum in Sexual Health
Some of the
courses are also available in other languages. Just
click on the respective flags:
Introduction: Purpose and Use of
this Curriculum
Copyright
© 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007 Erwin J. Haeberle
Introduction: Purpose
and Use of this Curriculum
I believe that open access to
scientific information is the way of
the future in our field. Following repeated
recommendations of the
World Health Organization (WHO), I am therefore
offering a basic curriculum in sexual health. It is
a
global project consisting of six independent, but complementary courses that cover the most
important practical issues.
These e-learning courses have several
advantages:
1.
They are and will remain
freely accessible.
2.
They are designed
without any technical
gimmicks and do not
require the installation
of special features like
JavaScript or Flash.
Thus, they can be
accessed even on very
old and very simple
personal computers.
3.
The courses do not
require any preparation
either on the part of
the teacher or that of
the student. Indeed,
they are written in such
a way that anyone
capable of reading at
college level can teach
and study them without
having any prior
knowledge of the subject
matter.
4.
The courses are easy to
use in the classroom.
The teacher can simply
project the course on a
large screen. The whole
content can then be
taught step by step by
simple mouse click.
5.
They are also easy to
use at home. The
students can, by mouse
click, proceed step by
step at their own pace
to the point where they
feel ready to take their
exams.
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Taken together, the courses
provide a body of basic knowledge about human
sexuality. Students who have acquired this knowledge
can appropriately be awarded a certificate or
diploma. If amended and expanded by a
degree-granting institution, the curriculum can also
lead to a B.A. or even an M.A.
Please, note, however:
I do not provide answers to the examination
questions and cannot offer recognition for passing
any of the courses. This is the privilege of
institutions with human sexuality programs. At this
time, several dozen such programs are being offered
around the world. For details, click
here. These academic programs can simply use the
courses as they are now, or they can add their own
material. They can also use them at the
undergraduate or graduate level and award a
certificate, diploma, or degree for their successful
completion.
"Sexual Health" as
an Academic Major or Minor
"Sexual Health" can be studied
as a major subject in its own right or as a minor,
depending on the the academic institution. Indeed,
the WHO has recommended that "human sexuality
should be encouraged to develop as an autonomous
discipline in the education and training of health
professionals" (For details, click here.) As a minor, it can
be added to various established curricula in
education, psychology, criminal law, law
enforcement, sociology, social work, nursing, and
public health, to name just a few. In some form, and
in some special areas, it can also be a useful
addition to the study of medicine.
Continuing Education
Obviously, the courses are
also suitable for various forms of continuing
education, especially for the additional
qualification of marriage and family counselors,
clinical psychologists, social workers, health
workers, teachers, ministers of various religious
denominations etc. The training can take place on a
campus or at a training center, or it can be
conducted electronically on a national or even
international level. Some agencies and organizations
have found it useful to put the courses - and even
my entire web site - on CDs or DVDs and to
distribute these among teachers and students who do
not have internet access. This has been especially
successful in developing countries.
Distance Education
Colleges, universities, or
organizations wanting to use my courses for a
distance study program will have to add an
interactive element of their own. Naturally, this
will require an initial investment on their part. It
is an investment, however, that can bring enormous
returns. It will certainly prove helpful to students
living in countries that lack the necessary academic
resources. Once the courses become interactive
online, far-away students can apply, register, pay
tuition and fees, contact faculty and fellow
students, turn in assignments, take examinations,
etc. By the same token, any such program that serves
many foreign students is bound to profit
financially. The courses may be especially useful
for the world-wide sexological training of
health care professionals and
sex educators. This is also one of the reasons
why I am offering the courses in several languages.
At this time, my web site has over 7000 intensive
readers every day (i.e. "visitors" reading longer
than 30 minutes). If only 0.1 % of these are
possible applicants for a distance education
program, one is already talking about 7 candidates
daily. Indeed, by attracting large numbers of
potential students from all over the world, my free
curriculum can produce a considerable income for
academic institutions and professional
organizations.
The Present Curriculum
The present curriculum is an original work, not a compilation of texts taken from other authors. It is therefore "all of one piece" and internally consistent. In fact, I have not only written the entire
text, but have also - together with my designer - created most of the illustrations. In addition, I have used pictures from my own textbook and from my personal historical collection. Some
illustrations have been supplied by government agencies; some have been taken from other public sources or have long been in the public domain. A few have been provided by colleagues.
The course structure is quite simple and will quickly reveal itself to every user after the first few mouse clicks. Overall, while concentrating on the basics, the curriculum tries to make its
students aware not only of the biological, but also of the psycho-social aspects of human sexuality. The courses therefore paint a larger picture than most textbooks do. Even when
anatomical, physiological, or medical issues are under discussion, I try to provide some social, historical, cultural, or ethnological background. Moreover, I have attempted to show that scientific
and social progress does not just "happen", but is the collective work of specific individuals who deserve to be remembered. Whenever possible, I have introduced them with portraits and brief
biographical notes. Having taught sexology at various American and European universities for over 30 years, I know (or knew) most of the modern pioneers personally, and many became good
friends. Some are no longer among the living.
I have also taken great care to describe and explain everything in simple, but precise and objective language and to avoid prejudicial, illogical, misleading, and otherwise
inappropriate scientific and professional terms. In this respect, my courses differ from most traditional texts.
However, the content as such is not much different and reflects the current consensus in the field. In this sense, the entire curriculum is definitely a "mainstream" project, presenting the facts
as they are seen by the vast majority of sexologists today. When covering controversial subjects, I have tried to keep a position of neutrality, presenting both sides of the issue. In short,
I have not indulged my own preferences or ridden any personal hobbyhorse. Instead, I have simply tried to provide the information the students are likely to need.
As a matter of principle, I have not referenced
well-known facts, familiar quotations and other
standard texts that are easily found and verified in
the internet with the help of search engines. A
pedantic overabundance of footnotes would have
needlessly cluttered the screen. Fortunately, my
large web site contains a great deal of additional
reading material. Thus, many links inside the
courses lead directly to books and papers in my
online library. This is
a great advantage in countries and regions that lack
adequate academic resources. If students follow all
the links and read all items on the lists of
additional reading, they will receive a more
comprehensive education than they might have
expected
Welcoming Additional
Translations
Except for a number of books
and papers in my online library, my entire web site
is essentially the work of one person – myself.
Thus, from the beginning, my curriculum in sexual
health has also been my private, personal project. I
have always paid for it out of my own pocket,
although, over the years, some donations have been
received and duly acknowledged. The translations
have been the work of idealistic colleagues in
various countries who share my vision of "open
access" to scientific information. I never had the
money to pay them. Some have given academic credit
to their graduate students for translating larger or
smaller sections of the courses. However, as will be
noted, some of the translations are lagging far
behind. Therefore, this appeal: Anyone who is
qualified and interested in offering additional free
translations is cordially invited to get in touch
with me. I would also welcome donations that would
allow me to pay for new translations into other
languages or at least for their technical conversion
to our format and design. Translations into
languages that do not use Latin letters (Russian,
Greek, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Farsi etc.) cannot
be displayed on this web site without first being
converted on the respective foreign computers. Such
work will have to be paid for, but I simply do not
have the necessary funds.
Expanding the
Curriculum
Although the present
curriculum provides a solid understanding of the
basics, it can and should be expanded for a fuller
appreciation of human sexuality in all of its
facets. For example, it would be very useful to add
at least the following courses:
- Gender: The Psychosocial Roles of Females and
Males -
Sexual Orientation
- Marriage and the Family
- Sexual
Conformity and Sexual Deviance
I regret that, at this time, I
am unable to offer courses on these important
topics. In the meantime, I can only refer interested
readers to
the relevant chapters in my textbook. Another
very informative course would be one on the
History of Sexology. Again, for the time being,
I must refer readers to the respective sections of
my web site. I do hope that, at some time in the
future, I will find the necessary support for
writing these courses as well.
At this point, however, after
years of financing my online curriculum myself, I
can no longer pay for additions. Anyone who has
tried to start and run a project like this discovers
sooner or later that it requires a great deal of
money. This is money I simply do not have. Very
reluctantly, I have therefore come to the conclusion
that I cannot put any more courses online unless and
until the necessary funds materialize.
Unfortunately, so far, my numerous attempts to
obtain such funds have not been successful.
Outlook
I believe that, in the long
run, it will not be possible to keep scientific
information restricted to paying customers.
Eventually, all of it will become freely available
in the internet and other electronic media. There
will be only two obvious exceptions: 1. Research
that is classified by governments and 2. research
that is undertaken by private companies and kept
secret for business reasons. Governments will always
try to protect its secrets from foreign spies, just
as businesses will try to prevent industrial
espionage.
However, scientific research publicly supported,
conducted and discussed in universities does not
fall into either of these categories. Such research
has always been published in print, but the new
electronic media are expanding its reach and
increasing the speed of its distribution. They are
also changing the economic ground rules, because
they can make all public research freely accessible
to anyone who is interested. Still, so far, few
academic institutions seem to have grasped the
implications of the electronic revolution. Most of
them continue to restrict their information to their
own pre-paying students. Yet increasingly these same
students can find comparable or even identical
information free of charge in the internet, very
often in updated form. A similar observation can be
made with regard to the publishers of scientific
journals. Some of them sense that the economic
ground is shifting beneath their feet. Therefore,
they insist on owning the copyright to all articles
they publish and try to restrict access to
subscribers or pre-paying online readers. Quite
clearly, this is not in the interest of their
authors who receive neither honoraria nor royalties
and who would welcome more readers. Indeed, the
unpaid authors will eventually come to see this
arrangement as an unnecessary obstacle to the free
exchange of ideas. Since many of the journals are
the official organs of scientific organizations and
are largely financed through membership fees, the
members will one day realize that they can "cut out
the middleman" and reach a much larger readership by
publishing freely accessible issues directly online.
I am convinced that, in the
end, the remaining resistance to "open access" will
prove useless. Indeed, thanks to powerful sponsors,
some of the world's best universities (Harvard,
MIT) already provide valuable information at no
cost to the reader. Similarly, more and more
free online journals offer serious,
peer-reviewed scientific articles. Given the growing
world-wide demand for higher education and its
increasing cost, the general trend seems clear:
Libraries will not have the money for the purchase
of every new book and journal subscription. Neither
will electronic journals be able to charge reader's
fees. After all, once a text is available in the
internet, it is easily copied by "authorized"
readers and distributed to "unauthorized" friends
and colleagues, and these, in turn, can do the same.
Trying to prevent this kind of multiplication will
prove to be a futile exercise. This means that, in
the future, scientific articles will either be free
and online, or they will find no readers and will
end up being ignored. For this reason alone,
important scientists and scholars will insist on
letting their own texts appear in the internet free
of charge. By the same token, professors will no
longer be able to give standard lectures in
overcrowded classrooms when their colleagues in
other cities or countries make the same content
freely available in the internet (again, Harvard and
the MIT are harbingers of things to come). In view
of the growing online competition, I also do not see
a great future for the traditional textbook. In
short: It may take some time, but eventually
universities and academic authors will have no
choice but to offer free access to all of their
research and to look for alternative ways of
financing its publication.
These are only some of the
changes that the globalization of teaching and
learning is likely to bring, but this is not the
place to go into greater detail. Here, I just want
to say that my entire web site is an attempt to
anticipate the inevitable and to hasten its arrival.
I also want to demonstrate to those interested in
teaching sexual health that there is no need to
re-invent the wheel. The above-mentioned WHO Reports
contain very clear blueprints for action. They spell
out who should learn what from whom and provide
detailed outlines for the necessary courses. I have
simply been following their lead. It is now up to
those active in this field to take advantage of my
offer. Colleges, universities, professional
associations, national and international agencies as
well as non-governmental organizations – they all
are invited to make full use of my courses. All I
ask in return is some feedback and acknowledgment.
If warranted, I would also welcome some expressly
stated recognition or official endorsement. This
might be helpful in obtaining support for the
continuation and expansion of the present project.
March 2007
Erwin J. Haeberle
haeberlee@web.de
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