The idea of “porn curriculum” being taught in university classrooms is bound to have at least a squirmish after-effect.

“Sex in the Syllabus,” an April 3 Time magazine article, highlighted schools across the country developing new classes that would discuss pornography and its effects in society.

Even with recent progressive sexual visibility in movies, television and other mediums, personal sexual discussions are usually left at home and certainly not brought into a formal classroom setting.

However, with the internet boom of the mid-1990s came easier access to taboo, pornographic material. With this increased availability has come an increased viewership. In a Friday Northern Star article on the subject, NIU assistant sociology professor Chet Meeks cited statistics that show more Americans watch porn than football.

Of course, Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2005 Super Bowl showed there’s often not much of a distinction between the two.

Regardless, porn is something many Americans view, even if they don’t admit to it. Porn has become a part of our sexual culture, and therefore, like any other cultural element, its effects and roles should be discussed.

Given its level of taboo, instructors will sail treacherous seas in mapping out curriculum. How far will it go? Giving pornography a place in the classroom immediately identifies it as a powerful element in American culture — an admission many outside the liberal facet of America will no doubt fight.

The idea of porn being a topic in classrooms across the nation will be met with mixed feelings, but regardless, it is a part of our culture. Porn objectifies and belittles women, but it won’t be the first seedy subject to find its way into classrooms. History tells of slavery, corruption, sexism, murder — you name it. These are far worse than pornography, yet we discuss all openly in our free society. Porn, then, should be given the same treatment, granted that it’s done tastefully.

The subject is bound to be fodder for heated debates on conservative talk shows, but educating the public about an issue — even if it is a shadowy one — is the only way we can progress as a society.