Last semester we gave you a list of HC’s Craziest College Classes of Fall 2012. But with Valentine’s Day swiftly approaching, we wanted to give you a list of some courses that focus on the topic that is on most collegiettes’ minds this time of the year: love. Check out our list of college courses about romance and sex to get inspired to study during the most romantic month there is.
“Psychology of Love” – a Psychology/Gender Studies course at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah)
This course’s basic goal is to explain the constructs, dynamics and development of romantic love. It covers a variety of different love-based topics such as what determines who people fall in love with, what causes the behavior of people in love, and if men and women are fundamentally different when it comes to love. It also explores how this research can be used to improve the quality of relationships.
“We learned about attachment and how babies attach to their mothers and differentiate them among other women,” says Nafisa, a sophomore at the University of Utah. “We moved on to personal relationships and how sexual and physical attraction works, different statistics about men and women dating, etc… It was an amazing class and definitely taught me how to better interact with my loved ones.”
Students also learn about conflict resolution and how to constructively fight with their significant others in order to avoid permanently injuring their relationships.
“Beyond Hooking Up: Creating Meaningful Relationships” – a Chemistry and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies course at Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts)
This course offers insight into a topic that many collegiettes are extremely interested in: how to go from hooking up with someone to being in a relationship with him or her.
The class focuses on self-exploration and relationship-skill-building, and the course description explains that the curriculum “will guide this introspective, interactive relationship mastery course through meaningful discussions and exercises that explore the common issues, dirty fighting tactics, subconscious directives and emotional allergies that often sabotage relationships.”
Students explore the nature behind their relationships in today’s “hook-up culture” with personality tests such as the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, and they use experiential exercises and journaling to practice effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
“Dating and Mating” – a Women’s Studies course at Duke University (Durham, North Carolina)
Now here’s a class that sounds like it gets right down to talking about the nitty-gritty of college hook-up culture. This course discusses the reputation that college campuses have of being hubs for casual sexual encounters and the underlying beliefs behind this stereotype. It explores the topics of sexuality, ethics, gender, and race and how they apply to college students’ social lives.
“Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll” – a Journalism and Mass Communication course at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
The “sex” portion of this class focuses on how media exposure negatively affects American adolescents’ sexual behaviors and tendencies, and how you as a media consumer can resist these negative messages. “The class provided an almost feminist look at the issues facing women when it comes to sex,” says Annalee, a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill. “The main takeaway I got from the class was that the media oversexualizes women and misrepresents them. I learned that the image of women’s sexuality promoted by the media is increasingly negative and women’s sexuality should be celebrated.”
“Human Sexuality” – a Health Education course at the University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)
Described by UT-Austin as a course that “aims to promote sexual health, defined here as the integration of the biological, emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of sexuality in ways that are positively enriching,” “Human Sexuality” is exactly the class to increase your understanding of your own and others’ sexual natures. It explores topics such as sexual expression, love, relationships, communication, and social issues.
“Seductions” – an English course at Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio)
Described as “a famous English course” by Maddy, a senior at Kenyon College, “Seductions” explores seduction in literature. It examines the theme of whether one can ever be seduced towards good by taking a look at early modern texts such as Dr. Faustus, Othello, and Paradise Lost. Students also read love poetry and more recent novels such as Nabokov’s Lolita and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. It’s basically a class that’s all about the art of seduction, and who doesn’t want to learn more about that?
“Lust, Love and Relationships” – a Marriage and Family Therapy course at Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)
“Lust, Love and Relationships” focuses on the rules of attraction, why certain people fall for each other, and the different types of love that exist. It’s taught by Joseph Fanelli, Ph.D., who has shared his knowledge about love in Her Campus articles such as “7 Scientifically-Proven Ways to Make Him Fall for You” and gave great advice.
So collegiettes, if you’re interested in learning more about sex and love—perhaps two of the biggest driving forces in our lives—and go to one of these schools, you should definitely check out one of these classes. If you go somewhere else, take a look through your college’s course catalog! You might find that your school has something similar.
Does your college offer a course about love or sex that we missed? Leave a comment below!