It’s not the size of the boat, it’s the motion of the ocean.

The preceding quip was Corlice Brooke’s response to a question posed by a student about whether the size of the penis had anything to do with a female achieving an orgasm more quickly.

Brooke, professor of human development and family studies, has taught Human Development and Family Studies 276 (Human Sexuality) at Iowa State since 1991.

Students attribute the successfulness and popularity of the course to Brooke’s honesty and sensitivity when addressing sexuality issues.

“The best thing about Professor Brooke is that she is straightforward and honest. She is very real. You immediately know you can trust her,” said Sarah Strand, senior in animal science.

Brooke’s candor suggests that she is comfortable presenting the material, but she wasn’t always.

“I have evolved over the years — now it comes easier to me,” she said. “When I first began, it was difficult to address sensitive material. The greatest challenge is finding the factual information to give to students. I do a lot of searching.”

Besides teaching students, she said she learns from their questions.

“I don’t have a problem answering questions as long as the students maintain a respectful environment in which the question is asked,” Brooke said. “Sometimes, though, I need some clarification. Sometimes I need them to clarify a term — a slang term that I haven’t heard before, so I’ve learned a lot that way.”

Since the material addressed is sometimes controversial, Brooke said she tries to treat each subject with care.

“There is no way to anticipate what is going to be a sensitive issue for whom. I try to keep that in mind,” she said. “Each issue has the potential to be sensitive to a student.”

Some students are stunned to see the effects of sexually transmitted diseases, she said.

“We have a very frank and open discussion about STDs,” Brooke said. “They receive information from print sources and lecture. We also view the clinical slides of the realities of STDs. Students seem taken aback when they see the physical manifestations.”

To allay students’ discomfort in asking questions about STDs for fear of embarrassment, Brooke tries to accommodate students’ concerns in a number of ways.

Students can ask questions directly in class, place questions in a question box or send an e-mail to Brooke. She said it is important to give students several options because of differing comfort levels.

“Students are hungry for the information because sexuality is important to them. I try to offer a way for them to express their concerns and address issues,” she said. “Students need basic, factual information to make responsible decisions to enjoy a healthy sexuality throughout life. It’s a lifespan issue.”

The human sexuality course has increased steadily in numbers since Brooke began teaching it.

Since 1991, the number of students has more than tripled. Originally, the class was composed of 70 students and membership has climbed to more than 300.

“The reason I began teaching is because I had a dream to expand this course to become a large course,” Brooke said. “Dr. Patterson [former director of the Student Health Center] wanted to increase the education opportunities.

“With his support, the class has really grown. We have 325 students enrolled in the class and around 325 on a waiting list,” she said.

Brooke said she felt the need for a human sexuality course at ISU to grow in order to reach a larger number of students.

“We needed a way to get the information out to students, and it has been really successful — overwhelmingly successful,” she said.

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Corlice Brooke

Degrees:

• Bachelor’s degree in child development from Iowa State University in 1968.

• Master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1973.

• Doctorate degree in early childhood education from the University of Minnesota in 1979.

Experience: Directed the Child Development Laboratory School at Iowa State from 1984-1987.

Courses taught: Human Development and Family Studies 276 (Human Sexuality).

Greatest accomplishment: “When you teach a really large class, you don’t know the impact that you are having on learning. I am always gratified with individual interactions with students who are willing to share how the course has helped them. I like to know how I have made a difference to students.”