As sophomores, students learn about sexual health, including anatomy, sexually-transmitted diseases, pregnancy, allyship, consent and contraception. Specific learning objectives are detailed in the session outline below.
At the end of the year, students' final projects demonstrate their understanding of health science content and allow their own voices to be heard on sexual health issues that are important to them. Here is an example of a 2016 sophomore cohort final project video:
- Teen Pregnancy - “Did You Hear?”
Learning Objectives
Session 1: Introduction to EPiC
- Know their group members
- Create group guidelines
- Summarize the timeline of the program and the projects moving forward
Session 2: AHEC Health Professions Roundtable
- Meet professionals working in five different health careers.
- Describe general job duties, salary range, educational requirements, for five different health careers.
Session 3: Sex, Reproductive Anatomy, and Consent
- Recognize and describe reproductive anatomy
- Define what sex means to them
- Define consent
- Feel confident identifying cases in which consent can and cannot be obtained
Session 4: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Define sexually transmitted disease.
- Differentiate between five common STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV, herpes simplex virus, and syphilis.
- Identify methods to prevent STDs.
- Describe the consequences of failing to prevent STDs and for not getting treated for STDs.
- Explain the process of STD testing.
Session 5: HIV and AIDS
- Explain how a diagnosis of HIV may lead to psychological distress and denial in some patients.
- Differentiate between HIV and AIDS.
- Identify modes of transmission for HIV and strategies to reduce the risk of contracting HIV.
- Consider the impact of STD infection on past and future sexual behavior.
Session 6: Teen pregnancy and video project
- Explain why teens become pregnant
- Explain the impacts of teen pregnancy
- Have a script, location, and plan for the video project in place
Session 7 & 8: Video Filming, Allyship, and Doctor-Patient Relationship
- Communicate an educational sexual health message to peers through a video PSA.
- Be familiar with various sexual orientations and gender preferences
- Feel comfortable describing confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship
- Explain the reproductive & sexual legal rights of minors
Session 9: Let’s Talk about Sex, Baby: Contraception
- List and compare the relative effectiveness of common contraceptive methods, including oral contraceptives, barrier methods, abstinence, injections, IUDs
- Identify pros and cons of different contraceptive methods listed above
- Feel confident negotiating condom usage in relationships
Session 10: Review
- Reflect on their knowledge gained over the spring
- Demonstrate their knowledge during a jeopardy game amongst all small groups in the sophomore cohort