Sex researcher to lecture at Framingham State in March

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

Framingham State University will host acclaimed sex researcher and author Dr. Pepper Schwartz on campus Monday, March 5, for a day of roundtables, lectures and presentations.

Schwartz is also coauthor, with Framingham State University professor Virginia Rutter, of the 2012 book, The Gender of Sexuality: Exploring Sexual Possibilities.

The feature event will be a public talk at 7 p.m. entitled “From Hooking Up to Viagra: The Sexual Life Cycle,” in the Dwight Hall Performing Arts Center. The talk will be followed by a book signing at 8:30 p.m.

Along with all members of the Framingham State community, the talk is open to the general public.

Schwartz, a sociologist at the University of Washington and author of books ranging from American Couples to Love Between Equals to Prime, is well known for her insightful and entertaining research-based examinations of sex, romance, and couplehood.

Schwartz has been advice columnist for Glamour Magazine, PerfectMatch.com and is currently AARP’s sex and relationship expert.

As recently as January, Schwartz was also featured in The Today Show and Huffington Post discussing results from a national AARP study of American’s sex lives over age 50. She has won multiple awards for her scholarship, books, and public service.

Rutter invited Schwartz to campus as part of the university's Linked Learning Communities, which help develop interdisciplinary and extracurricular approaches to academic topics.

"Pepper Schwartz helps audiences of every age to be fearless about sex—as a topic for study and as a meaningful component of people’s lives at every age," Rutter said in prepared remarks.

Framingham State history professor Bridgette Sheridan and Rutter are working with students and the FSU community on "The Making of Sexualities."

Schwartz will be meeting with students enrolled in the sexuality courses.

Schwartz’s talk, “From Hooking Up to Viagra: The Sexual Life Cycle,” explores straight and gay sex lives at three different points: when we are unencumbered and not generally ready to make a commitment; when we are in the long-term mating, marriage/commitment dance; and when we hit middle age.

Schwartz will also look at social and technological changes of this century that have affected what each of these moments in our life look like - or are likely to look like in the future.

Schwartz’s books will be available at the lecture, and she will sign books at the event.

This event is convened by the FSU Gender Interest Group and sponsored by Academic Affairs, the Departments of English, Consumer Science, History, Sociology, Communication Arts, FSU Wellness Center, Multicultural Affairs, Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and the FSU History Club.

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Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jreiss.globe@gmail.com