Love & Relationships: A Sociology of Intimate Connections

Catalog description

How do social norms and cultural expectations about gender, sexuality, family, and marriage shape how we think about love and relationships in contemporary societies? This course simultaneously deconstructs and reconstructs our understanding of love and relationships — from romantic, to platonic, to familial, to sexual, and other intimate connections — using a sociological lens. We explore themes ranging from what love is and what love should be, to how normative and non-normative relationship structures (e.g. monoamory, polyamory, relationship anarchy, etc.) have changed, to what kinds of relationships (e.g. romantic partnership, friendship, situationships, marriage, chosen family, etc.) institutions recognize and support.