Falling in love and maintaining an intimate relationship often feel like primal experiences-so visceral and associated with overwhelming emotion that, like death, they must be part of the universal human condition. But are they? In this course, we will examine the work of a number of scholars who not only insist that the experience of love is culturally and historically variable, but who also maintain that understanding the social roots of contemporary love and intimacy can tell us something important about the nature of our society. Among the thinkers we will discuss in this regard are Robert Bellah, Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens, Niklas Luhmann, Judith Stacey, and Ann Swidler. Requirements: a midterm, a final, a research paper, and class participation. No prerequisites.

Hour: GROSS