Gender Studies: Special Topic I

Catalog description

Tinder, Grindr, Her - are these on your phone? In 2022, there were over 360 million online daters worldwide. This course provides an interdisciplinary approach to look into one of the latest and most widely discussed online cultures - online dating and hookups. Departing from the public health approach that focuses exclusively on sexually transmitted diseases via the use of online dating platforms, this course examines the communicative, technological, and social aspects of online dating and hookup culture. Topics include online relationship development, motivations of app use, app design, gender politics, and queer world-making. Cases will be drawn from different regions. Students will be invited to design their own dating apps, compare courtship practices on and off the apps, and play the role of app administrators. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the opportunities and challenges dating and hookup apps bring to different groups of users and take up a responsible mindset when using online dating platforms. Some required reading requires basic quantitative reasoning. Also enroll in CUHK course# GDRS3001. Enrollment limited.