At Chicago's DePaul University, administrators have added Queer Studies as a new major. At New York University, an Anthropology of the Unconscious class discussed X-rated comic books. At the University of Iowa, students can enroll in a class entitled "Pornography in Popular Culture." And at Marquette, students and administrators debated whether or not to show "The Vagina Monologues" and "Brokeback Mountain."

Over the years, universities across the United States have apparently begun to take a more liberal approach when it comes to discussing sex as a social issue. But as a Catholic university, Marquette has been known to take a more conservative approach to sex: Earlier this year, the university wouldn't allow the controversial play "The Vagina Monologues" to be performed on campus and a disputes arose among students when "Brokeback Mountain" was shown at the Varsity Theater earlier this month. This raises a question: When it comes to sex as a social issue, are other universities extremely progressive or is Marquette behind the times?

According to Don Kulick, director of the Center and Program of Gender and Sexuality Studies at New York University, showing pornographic material in a university setting is hardly a new phenomenon. Kulick said that some schools began using pornography as reference material in the 1980s and will continue to do so as the pornography industry continues to grow. Kulick, who showed two short pornographic films to his sexuality-and-gender course, said he believes that if a class is going to talk about the pornography industry in an academic setting, it should see pornographic material in that same setting.

"In a university setting you're teaching critical thinking and you have you know what you're talking about," Kulick said.

One of the films he screens features porn star Annie Sprinklehaving sex with a transgendered man. After watching the film Kulick and his students discuss their reactions and how they define what it means to be a certain gender.

"You can read about these things but people react differently if they see these things," Kulick said.

Marquette College of Engineering freshman Colin LeMieux said he agreed with Kulick.

"Personally, i think Marquette is behind (other universities)," he said. "Not just because I want to see porn in the classroom, but we're all adults and if you approach it in a mature manner it can be educational."

While Marquette doesn't offer any classes that use pornography as a required reference material, Marquette students and administrators say that doesn't mean Marquette isn't properly addressing the topic. Both administrators and students said when it comes to addressing sex, context is much more important than the amount of exposure.

"I think that a lot of it depends on the teacher," said College of Communication senior Courtney Adams.

College of Communication Dean Ana Garner agreed. She concurred with Kulick when she stated that it's impossible to ignore sex or the pornography industry in the academic setting, as it's increasingly becoming a larger part of popular culture.

"Context is always important," she said. "It's got to be appropriate and also respectful of the type of education we're trying to provide."

The type of education Marquette is trying to provide is different from most universities because its rooted in the Catholic Jesuit tradition.

"You have to look at (sex) in the appropriate context," Adams said. "Because we are a Catholic university we tend to look at it more as a Catholic issue than a social issue, but now we're starting to see how this Catholic issue fits into the larger social issue."

Adams said that she thinks it important for Marquette students to look at the media and society's view of sex so they can apply the Catholic education Marquette has provided for them.

According to both Garner and Adams, apart from context, an additional importance can be found in the university merely addressing the concern.

"I don't look at it any differently than the death penalty," Garner said, comparing sex to another controversial social issue. Garner said that topics important to the world in which students live today should be discussed in an academic setting if in an appropriate and critical manner.

"If not then what's the point?" she said.

"It's very important that they keep us thinking and keep us learning. That's the point of a university," Adams said. "Marquette is trying to do that within a Catholic context."