Module Directory

The intersection of sex, money, and work is and has been highly contested. This module explores debates and perspectives that underpin different understandings of and theorisations on prostitution and sex work. We will read and discuss how sex for sale has been conceptualised in different theoretical traditions, how it has been addressed and responded to at the societal, political and policy levels, and how the phenomenon and those involved in it (sellers, buyers, and third parties) have changed over time.

What kind of knowledge is and has been produced around prostitution and sex work? What can the study of commercial sex reveal about the social construction of sexuality and sexual norms? How does gender intersect with racial, class, and ethnic inequalities to shape the organisation of the sex industry? This module will address these questions by engaging with a wide body of interdisciplinary scholarship that draws from feminist, socio-legal, political, queer, criminological and historical perspectives aiming to explore different contexts across the globe.

The aims of this module are:

• To explore different theoretical approaches adopted in the study and conceptualisation of prostitution and how they inform conflicting understandings of how the phenomenon should be addressed;


• To provide students with an understanding of the complex organisation and regulation of the global sex industry;


• To equip students with the skill to critically review complex arguments on the intersection of sex, work and money;


• To develop a critical and intersectional understanding of the multiple factors that contribute to the socially and politically problematic treatment of different forms of sex for sale;


• To provide students with the skills to move beyond simplifying arguments and understandings of commercial sex, to evaluate and critically interpret available information on the issue.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Be familiar with contemporary and historical debates on the intersections of sex, work, and money;


2. Critically assess data, perspectives and theories to form informed positions and perspectives on the issues explored in the sessions and beyond;


3. Relate sociological and other relevant theories to key debates addressed and apply an intersectional analysis;


4. Form coherent and robust written and oral presentations of their interpretations and understandings;


5. Effectively and intellectually cooperate and engage in discourse on contentious topics with individuals with whom they disagree.

Module topic list - Spring Term

• The stigma and criminalization of sexual and economic encounters


• Sex for sale: Contexts, historical developments, and contemporary landscapes


• The meaning of sex: Divergent perspectives


• Policies and regulatory models


• Sex workers’ activism and demands


• Structural violence and resistance in the sex industry


• Policing the sex industry


• Clients, deviance and criminalization


• Sex work in the digital age

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour seminar each week.

Attendance in person is expected.