Inspired by her students, Stephanie Amada, a Michigan State University assistant professor of writing, rhetoric and American cultures, wrote a book on college “hookup culture.”
“My message really is that you have a choice and that may seem obvious, but I think it’s helpful to be reminded — to be able to pause and reflect on what you truly want,” Amada says.
Amada talks about her book, Hooking Up: A Sexy Encounter With Choice, in her Women in America class at MSU, but thought a virtual workshop would allow her message to reach college students across the country.
Amada says college students are confused about what it means to “hookup,” but they aren’t the only ones. Even as an expert in rhetoric language, Amada says she finds it interesting how ambiguous the phrase “hooking up” can be with multiple meanings — ranging from anything from kissing to sex with no intention of seeing that person again.
In her book, Amada covers the definition of hooking up, what to do if you want to hookup, what to do if you don’t, how to decide what’s right for you and lastly, a more serious topic — acquaintance rape.
“My message really is that you have a choice”
In her book, Amada touches on a time she was sexually assaulted in college, which she almost decided to take out.
“It’s a really scary thing to put in a book and have available for people to read,” Amada says. “It’s really weird for me too — really weird to have my students reading that.”
Although including such a personal story was difficult for her, Amada says she was happy she did because it helped at least one of her students. Amada says a young woman wrote about her own sexual assault for a paper in her class.
“She said to me, ‘You know, it’s because you wrote about that I felt like I could,” Amada says. “It was a really amazing moment for me that taking that step that was scary for me could help another younger woman be able to write about her own experience.”
Although her book is short — only 45 pages — Amada says it’s still effective and can give young women something to turn to.
“I want students to have the self esteem … the confidence … to make a choice and stick to it, no matter what other people are telling them,” Amada says.
To receive Amada’s Hooking Up: A Sexy Encounter With Choice for free (until midnight Jan. 17), visit her website. After that date, the e-book is available on Kindle for $4.99.
Amada is also offering a free virtual workshop, which will take place Jan. 18. The workshop will provide an opportunity for anyone to ask Amada questions about “hookup culture.”
