Love, Sex, and Sociology
one-way Exclusions
Seminar, private study
Please note that course information listed in the Arts and Science Course Calendar supersedes any information listed on the Sociology website.
For the most current course offerings, registered Queen’s students should consult SOLUS.
Course Description
This course examines how love and sexuality, while often viewed as personal, are deeply social and shaped by power and inequality. Through key debates on topics like hookup culture, consent, sex work, and marriage rights, we explore how intimate practices reflect and shape inequalities both in Canada and globally. Using global, comparative, and intersectional frameworks, we will engage with scholarly work and popular media to analyze contemporary issues in sexuality. Students will participate in reflective thinking, media analysis, and group discussions to gain a sociological understanding of love, sex, and intimacy.
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire a facility with important concepts and theories from the sociology of intimacy (love, sex and break ups).
- Identify and evaluate key issues and stakes in the public and academic discussions around intimacy and sexuality.
- Understand the historical underpinnings of contemporary global trends and discourses about sex and intimacy.
- Develop and pursue their own line of interest in sexualities research through the crafting of an individual research paper.