SOC 2231 - Love and Marriage: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Credits: 4
This course will primarily study the diversity of love, marriage and families across cultures and over time from a Sociological perspective. Using a multinational and multicultural approach, the course will examine intimate relationships in Western and non-Western cultures on global, national and regional levels in order to appreciate diverse cultures and learn that an understanding of human relationships requires sensitivity to the role of culture and socio-economic context. As such, special emphasis will be placed on topics related to: love, forming relationships, mate selection, dating, marriage, non-marital lifestyles, divorce, remarriage and families over time. The course will also examine love and marriage in contemporary American society and the intersection of marriages and families with other social institutions such as politics, religion, race, class, and gender in shaping personal and family experiences.
Prerequisites SOC 1103 or SOC 1104 or FYS 1104
McDaniel Plan: International Nonwestern; Social, Cultural, and Historical Understanding