“I’m No Longer Afraid”: A Qualitative Investigation into the Impact of an Academic Course on Undergraduates’ Perspectives About Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is prevalent on college campuses and can have severe consequences. A semester-long academic course for first-year undergraduate students addressing issues related to sex, power, and culture was created as part of a multilevel approach to mitigate high rates of sexual violence at our mid-size, private institution in the South. This study sought to understand the impact of the course on enrolled students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sexual violence. In-depth semi-structured interviews (N = 15) were conducted with students three months after course completion. Interview transcripts were deductively analyzed using a directed content analysis approach with the socio-ecological model (SEM) as a framework for analysis. Exemplar quotes were selected for each SEM level. Changes in student knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sexual violence were identified at the different SEM levels (individual, relationship, community, and society), including prioritization of consent, increased knowledge of campus resources, and increased vigilance in looking out for friends. Findings demonstrate that a semester-long course that addresses sexual violence has the potential to affect students’ understanding, viewpoints, and actions surrounding sexual violence prevention in multi-faceted ways months after course completion.