Roger R. Hock, PhD, is a professor of psychology and human sexuality at Mendocino College in northern California. He received his MA in Psychology from San Diego State University and his PhD in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. He is also the author of Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research (Pearson, 2012) and coauthor (with Meg Kennedy Dugan) of It’s My Life Now: Starting over after an Abusive Relationship or Domestic Violence (Routledge, 2006), and (with Amy Marin) Psychology, a digital introductory psychology textbook from Pearson Education.

Dr. Hock has been teaching psychology and human sexuality for over twenty-five years. Human Sexuality is his favorite class to teach and is consistently one of the most popular among students. He believes that Human Sexuality is an essential course for college students because the topics covered are fundamental to our lives and our identities as humans. He asserts that the Human Sexuality course should be a requirement for all undergraduate college and university students. Why? Because the material in this course touches everyone, in countless ways, throughout their lives. But, more importantly, students, upon entering college as adults, often lack a complete and current understanding of at least some, if not many, key issues that combine to create the complexities of humans as sexual beings. Sex education in grades K—12 tends to be incomplete, inadequate, sometimes misleading, and too often, nonexistent. Moreover, not all parents are willing or able to impart the necessary and correct information to their children. Students in higher education clearly need and deserve the knowledge they acquire in this class.

Help each student develop a sexual philosophy based on choice, awareness, and responsibility

Human Sexuality presents a relatable overview of the discipline that inspires students to think critically about the sexual world and their place in it. By taking an interpersonal approach and encouraging each student to develop a personal sexual philosophy, author Roger Hock helps students connect the material covered to their real-life decisions and behaviors, boosting engagement with the course. Sensitivity to diverse groups – not only in terms of race and ethnicity, but also in terms of sexual orientation, age, sexual knowledge, and sexual experience – allows all students to feel as comfortable and open about sexual topics as possible. The Fourth Edition includes updated data as well as coverage of contemporary issues that dominate today's headlines to ensure currency and relevancy.