Sex and the soul juggling sexuality, spirituality, romance, and religion on America's college campuses - Freitas, Donna (Oxford University Press, 2008)
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002
Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-284) and index
I: The varieties of college religious experience -- The spiritual colleges: souls adrift -- Why Catholic schools (and their students) are "spiritual but not religious" -- Evangelical extroverts: faithful and diverse -- II: The romantic ideal -- Evangelical purity culture: its princesses and warriors -- Wanted: a little romance -- III: The truth about sex on campus -- Where dating = marriage and a kiss means everything -- Hookups, ho's, and losing it -- IV: Reconciling sex and the soul (or not) on campus -- God vs. my boyfriend -- Dividing sex from the soul: why religion doesn't matter when it comes to sex -- V: Conclusions and practical implications -- Seeking a sexy spirituality for students on campus
From the Publisher: Today's college students are fascinated by religion but they are also more sexually active than previous generations. How do these young people reconcile their spiritual longings with sexual freedom on campus? Based on dozens of face-to-face interviews, Sex and the Soul explores the sexual and spiritual lives of today's college students. Donna Freitas crisscrossed the country, visiting a range of America's colleges and universities-from public to private, Catholic to evangelical-to find out what students had to say about these highly personal subjects. Their stories will not only engage readers, but, in many cases, move them with the painful struggles these candid young women and men face. Indeed, the book uncovers aspects of college life that may unsettle some readers, especially parents. Many campuses, for instance, are dominated by the hook-up culture of casual sex. Moreover, a surprising number of students see little connection between sex and religion. Indeed, these observations hold true even at Catholic schools. Only at evangelical colleges is religion an important factor when deciding whether or not to engage in sex. But Freitas's research also reveals that, even at secular schools, students are not comfortable with the prevalence of casual sex, and that they do want religion to speak about what they should do and who they should try to be-not just what they should avoid doing. Sex and the Soul will offer readers the chance to hear college students speaking honestly about extremely sensitive topics, in a book that will be of great interest to students, parents, clergy, teachers, and anyone who wants to know what's happening on today's college campuses