Emily Spicer | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Emily Spicer
Title: Self-Directed Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: A Demonstration of the Need for Intervention Based on Historical Precedent of Shame, Misinformation, and Concealment
Major: Self-Design Business Entrepreneurship; History
Advisors: Peter Abramo; Margaret Ng Wee-Siang

How can the need for a self-directed sexual and reproductive educational tool be demonstrated in a historical context, and how should this tool be created? Books from Roman, medieval, and contemporary periods narrate a lengthy tradition of sexual and reproductive health education research. These sources all point to or give historical context for deficits in knowledge and negative perceptions of sexual and reproductive health experienced by women today, while supporting statements are also given for the need for self-directed education in these areas. Principles of design thinking and app design are then explored in order to develop a self-directed educational tool, culminating in the final product of the storyboard of an educational app targeted toward young women.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.