Dedicating to ending sexual violence on campus
PROGRAMS & TOOLS
PREVENTION
PROGRAMMING MATRIX
Men’s Workshop
The Men’s Workshop is an in-person prevention program for undergraduate men that includes norms correction, a discussion of consent, and a bystander intervention component.
| Program Name | Level of Evidence | Format | Target Audience | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Men’s Workshop
|
Supported By Evidence |
|
|
Workshop is for male-identified students |
Learning Objectives
This program aims to:
- foster empathy regarding sexual assault by providing participants with the opportunity to describe the impact of sexual assault on women in their lives and discuss alternative explanations for men’s perceptions of false accusations of assault
- decrease subscription to rape myths
- increase understanding of consent
- create appropriate norms regarding sexual assault behavior
- decrease perpetration of sexual aggression
- increase awareness about conditions of consent
- increase prosocial bystander behavior
Methods
The workshop includes: a review of key definitions; guided discussions designed to facilitate empathy by focusing on the debunking of rape myths; guided discussions that allow men to vocalize frustrations with normative gender scripts; and, an interactive exercise that demonstrates bystander behavior.
Dosage
Two sessions, separated by an interval of approximately 4 months. The first is 1 ½ hours long and the booster is 1 hour long.
Logistics
Though Dr. Berkowitz can offer the program in this form, he usually helps schools create an adapted version (in content and/or length) that fits their campus climate.
Population Served
Undergraduate men
Theoretical Basis For Approach
The Men’s Workshop is authored by Alan Berkowitz and much of the theoretical basis for the program is based off his own research on sexual assault and perpetration. He uses uses an integrated model of sexual assault that posits that the conditions that would support an act of perpetration are impacted a by a perpetrator’s attitudes, beliefs, socialization, and peer relationships. The program relies heavily on social norms theory and research on the efficacy of bystander intervention.
Program Effectiveness
The Men’s Workshop has undergone three evaluation studies, one of which was published in a peer-reviewed journal using an experimental study design with a control group. The evaluation demonstrated significant decreases in: association with sexually aggressive peers; identification of sexual assault; and participation in sexually aggressive behavior. Non-significant effects were found for likelihood of intervention, willingness to support rape prevention, rape myth acceptance, accuracy of other men's perceptions of behavior.
PARTICIPATING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
- Ohio University
- Florida State University
- University of Central Missouri
- Previously: Hobart College
CONSIDERATIONS FOR ADMINIsTRATORS
This program has a significant evidence base and strong theoretical underpinnings. Because it’s intended for all-male groups only, it not appropriate for campus-wide distribution. For that reason - and because a critical component of the program theory specifies that it be administered in peer groups - this may be an excellent option for male athletic teams and fraternities.
A number of other programs have been developed that integrate normative feedback and bystander intervention, basing themselves on Dr. Berkowitz' "Men's Workshop" including: 1) Real Consent, which he is an author of , 2) EverFi's Sexual Assault Prevention Suite, for which he was a consultant, and 3) an adaptation that is designed for high-risk drinking men that is under development by Dr. Lindsay Orchowski at Brown University with funding from NIH, with Dr. Berkowitz as a consultant for the project
HOW TO ACCESS THIS PROGRAM
To access the curriculum and protocol for the Men’s Workshop, contact Dr. Alan Berkowitz at alan@snowcrest.net. Dr. Berkowitz can also help develop a tailored program based off the Men’s Workshop curriculum.
Sources
Gidycz, C.A., Orchowski, L.M., & Berkowitz, A.D. (2011). Preventing Sexual Aggression Among College Men: An Evaluation of Social Norms and Bystander Intervention Program. Violence Against Women, 17(6), 720-742. doi: 10.1177/1077801211409727
Orchowski, LM & Berkowitz, AD (in press).The Integrated Model of Sexual Aggression: A Synthesis of 30 Years of Research and Practice. Chapter 13 in: L. M. Orchowski & A. Berkowitz (Eds). Engaging Boys and Men in Sexual Assault Prevention: Theory, Research and Practice. Philadelphia, Elsevier.