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GEN1000 for students admitted to Year 1 before AY2025/26, Year 2 before AY2026/27, or Year 3 before AY2027/28, except with the permission of the Module Coordinator
This module invites students to explore love, sex, and intimate relationships through an interdisciplinary lens integrating science, psychology, philosophy, and gender studies. It examines how we fall in love, why we desire intimacy, and how relationships shape human development, personal and social identity.
The first part introduces scientific explanations of attraction, attachment, and bonding, while critically reflecting on the limits of biological and psychological accounts. The second part turns to philosophical inquiry into the meaning and ethical significance of love and sex, encouraging students to engage in debate on questions of commitment, autonomy, and authenticity. The third part situates relationships within their social context, examining marriage, open relationships, family structures, and gender inequality.
Through discussion, classroom experiments, film analysis, and critical reflection, students are encouraged to rethink taken-for-granted assumptions about intimacy and develop a deeper understanding of love as both a personal experience and a social practice.
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Introduction to Love, Sex, and Human Intimacy
1.1. Love, sex, and relationships as central dimensions of human development
1.2. Interdisciplinary approaches: science, philosophy, and gender studies
1.3. Studying intimacy academically: methods, ethical concerns, and reflective dialogue
1.4. A brief introduction to evolutionary psychology, philosophy of love, and gender studies
2. Scientific Explanations of Love and Sex: Evolutionary and Psychological Perspectives
2.1. Evolutionary theories of mate selection and sexual strategies
2.1.1. Sexual selection theory
2.1.2. Parental investment theory
2.1.3. Short-term vs long-term mating strategies
2.2. Neurochemistry of love and attachment
2.2.1. Dopamine and romantic attraction
2.2.2. Oxytocin and bonding
2.2.3. Attachment theory (secure, anxious, avoidant)
2.3. Strengths and limitations of scientific explanations
2.3.1. Reductionism and determinism
2.3.2. Cultural variation and social construction
2.3.3. Can biology explain commitment and moral responsibility?
3. Philosophical Inquiry into the Nature and Value of Love and Sex
3.1. What is love? Competing philosophical accounts
3.1.1. Quality Theory
3.1.2. Person Theory
3.1.3. Evaluation Theory
3.1.4. Relation Theory
3.2. What is sex?
3.2.1. Sex as sexual desire
3.2.2. Sex as sexual activity
3.2.3. Sex as a preference and orientation
3.2.4. Sex and power
3.3. The meaning and existential significance of intimacy
3.3.1. Love and authenticity
3.3.2. Love and vulnerability
3.3.3. Is romantic love necessary for a good life?
4. Models of Intimate Relationships: Social and Gender Perspectives
4.1. Marriage: historical, social, and ethical foundations
4.1.1. Why marry? Legal, economic, and symbolic dimensions
4.1.2. Marriage as institution vs personal commitment
4.2. Open relationships and alternative relational models
4.2.1. Ethical non-monogamy
4.2.2. Jealousy, autonomy, and trust
4.2.3. Social stigma and cultural variation
4.3. Gender roles and power in intimate life
4.3.1. Social construction of masculinity and femininity
4.3.2. Economic inequality and emotional labor
4.3.3. Feminist critiques of traditional family structures
4.4. Family as an Extension of Intimate Relationships: Responsibility and Human Flourishing
4.4.1. Family as the continuation and transformation of intimate relationships over time
4.4.2. The role of family in identity formation and relational selfhood
4.4.3. Care, dependency, and intergenerational ethics within extended intimate relations
4.4.3. Balancing individual freedom and relational commitment
5. Integrative Reflection: Love, Freedom, and Social Responsibility
5.1. Are our desires free or socially shaped?
5.2. Private intimacy and public justice
5.3. Love, commitment, and the future of relationships
