Course Syllabus
Love in American Culture
AMST 202
Spring 2026
Mon. / Wed. 5:30 – 6:45 pm
Ballantine Hall 003
Instructor: Professor Paul Anderson
Office: 547 Ballantine Hall
Office hours: Wednesday, 2:30-4pm and by appt
Best Contact: via canvas email
Brief Course Description:
For many people, finding romantic love and keeping it healthy is both a life-shaping aspiration and a steep challenge. We often think of love as a purely individual matter, but it is also a historical matter: the practice of imagining, building, and holding romantic relationships has changed over time. Moreover, we live amidst a vast and everchanging swirl of stories about love told through such media as literature, film, music, and TV. Persistent encounters with these stories and their emotional contents shape our imaginations and our sense of love’s horizons.
This class explores aspects of the transformation of intimacy, romantic love, and relationships in the US, especially since the so-called “sexual revolution” of the 1960s and amidst the current technological revolution. We will approach these topics through an interdisciplinary method. We will look at research from sociologists on the transformation of intimacy. We will study how assorted models of psychological and philosophical thought approach love. We will also consider how digital culture and new hardware and software technologies have transformed (or have the potential to transform) the pursuit of emotional and physical intimacy.
There are no prerequisites for this course. Students should be prepared for 50-120 pages of reading per week for the course. Readings that are more abstract and/or scholarly will be read more slowly to enhance time for re-reading and note-taking. You will need access to Canvas to find the readings that aren't in the three required books. You will need to find the assigned films for streaming.
Note:
Romantic love is typically considered to involve attraction, emotional intimacy, and physical intimacy. The various kinds of connections (short-term and long-term) and disconnections between attraction, emotional intimacy, and physical intimacy are important topics in several of the assigned readings. None of the assigned texts or films that deal with sexual activity (broadly understood) were created for prurient, salacious, or pornographic purposes. That said, if you suspect or know that encountering and discussing such material in an academic classroom setting is likely to be upsetting or triggering for you, please do yourself a favor and look for a different course. This is not a required class for anyone, including American Studies majors and minors.
Required Books:
The following books are required.
They are not being distributed and sold en masse via the campus bookstore. Instead, students need to proactively obtain copies on their own (through online sellers, libraries, etc.). Any edition, new or used, is fine. The shorter assigned readings (e.g., chapters, articles) will be made available via the canvas site for the course:
Mari Ruti, The Summons of Love
Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts
Sierra Greer, Annie Bot: A Novel
Required Viewing:
Students will also need to watch some films as homework. They can be borrowed and streamed for free or for a small charge at assorted online sites such as libraries, amazon.com, etc.
The Materialists (dir. Celine Song, 2025)
Carnal Knowledge (dir. Mike Nichols, 1971)
Past Lives (dir. Celine Song, 2023)
Her (dir. Spike Jonze, 2013)
I’m Your Man (dir. Maria Schrader, 2021)
Week One
Monday Jan. 12
Introduction, overview
Wednesday Jan. 14
Building emotional intimacy in a laboratory setting
READ: Mandy Len Catron, “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This,” “Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions.” (You will find both short pieces within the pdf titled Catron, How to Fall in Love With Anyone under the FILES tool of this course’s canvas site).
Week Two
Monday. Jan 19
NO classes. Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday.
Wednesday. Jan. 21
How sociology can help us understand the modern transformation of choice in romantic relationships
READ: Eva Illouz, “The Great Transformation of Love or the Emergence of Marriage Markets” (find as chapter 2 of Illouz, Why Love Hurts; find within the FILES tool of this course’s canvas site)
WATCH: The Materialists (dir. Celine Song, 2025). You will find this movie for streaming at assorted online sites including Amazon Prime or Google Play (rent for small fee) and HBO MAX (free to subscribers).
Week Three
Monday. Jan. 26
How the sociology of love can help us understand the rise of new uncertainties and anxieties in romantic and sexual life
READ: Kate Roupenian, “Cat Person,” find via Canvas FILES
READ: Eva Illouz, “Confusing Sex,” pp. 60-91, find as chapter in Illouz book The End of Love via Canvas FILES
Wednesday. Jan. 28
How an abundance of choices can create commitment phobia and emotional inequality
READ: Eva Illouz (with Mattan Shachak), “Commitment Phobia and the New Architecture of Romantic Choice,” pp. 59-108. (chapter 3 from book Why Love Hurts; find under TOOLS on canvas site)
Week Four
Monday. Feb. 2
Illouz, "Commitment Phobia..."
How a gnawing sense of lack and the compulsion to repeat past loves can fuel desire and imagination
Wed. Feb 4
READ: Mari Ruti, The Summons of Love, chs. 1-4
WATCH: Carnal Knowledge (dir. Mike Nichols, 1971)
Week Five
Monday Feb. 9
further discussion of Ruti, chapters 1-4
READ: Audre Lorde, “Scratching the Surface: Some Notes on Barriers to Women and Loving,” pp. 45-52; “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” pp. 53-59; (selections from Sister Outsider [1984])
Wednesday. Feb. 11
How falling and being in love can make someone over-idealize someone else who is still a mystery to us
READ: Ruti, The Summons of Love, chs. 5-6
WATCH: Past Lives (dir. Celine Song, 2023). Available to stream for small fee online (e.g., amazon.com).
Week Six
Monday Feb. 16
How obstacles, withholding, and impossibility can build passion and the desire to desire
READ: Ruti, The Summons of Love, ch. 7
Wednesday Feb. 18
How painful romantic breakups can be major opportunities for growth and creativity
READ: Ruti, The Summons of Love, ch. 8.
Stephanie Burt, “Red” (a chapter in Burt book, Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift
LISTEN: Taylor Swift, Red.
Week Seven
Monday Feb. 23
How to find success and growth even within failure in romantic relationships
READ: Ruti, The Summons of Love, ch. 9
Wednesday Feb. 25
READ: Ruti, The Summons of Love, Conclusion
Week Eight
Monday March 2
the paradox of repair: How a century of self-help and marriage manuals normalized misery
Jane Ward, “He’s Just Not That Into You” (chapter in Ward book; find under FILES)
Wednesday March 4
How problems can arise when desiring someone sexually is detached from liking them as a person
Jane Ward, “Pickup Artists: Inside the Seduction Industry” (chapter in Ward book)
Week Nine
Monday March 9
review session
Wednesday March 11
*** Midterm exam in class ***
Spring Break: Sun March 15 - Sun March 22
Week Ten
Monday March 23
Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts
Wednesday March 25
Nelson, The Argonauts
Week Eleven
Monday March 30
Nelson, The Argonauts
Wednesday April 1
Nelson, The Argonauts
Week Twelve
Monday April 6
How “choice overload” affects success in online-dating
READ: D’Angelo, J. D., & Toma, C. L. (2017). “There are plenty of fish in the sea: The effects of choice overload and reversibility on online daters’ satisfaction with selected partners.” Media Psychology, 20(1), 1-27.
READ: E.E. Bruch & M.E.J. Newman, M. E. J. (2018). Aspirational pursuit of mates in online dating markets. Science Advances, 4(8), 1-6. Sociology 190-005
Wednesday April 8
How online dating reflects the broader transformation of building relationships and friendships
READ: Aziz Ansari, & Eric Klinenberg, (2015). Modern romance. Chapter(s): 1
READ: M.J. Rosenfeld, R.J. Thomas, & S. Hausen, S. (2019). Disintermediating your friends: How online dating in the United States displaces other ways of meeting. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(36), 17753-17758.
Week Thirteen
Monday April 13
READ: Sierra Greer, Annie Bot
Wednesday April 15
READ: Greer, Annie Bot
Week Fourteen
Monday April 20
READ: Greer, Annie Bot
WATCH: Her (dir. Spike Jonze, 2013)
Wednesday April 22
READ: Greer, Annie Bot
Week Fifteen
Monday April 27
READ: Greer, Annie Bot
Watch: I’m Your Man (dir. Maria Schrader, 2021)
Wednesday April 29
Catch-up, wrap-up, and review
*** FINAL EXAM Monday May 4, 2024. 5:20-7:20 pm ***
OVERALL COURSE GRADING:
Participation and attendance 10%
quizzes, short writings, etc. 55%
mid-term exam 15%
final exam 20%
PARTICIPATION and ATTENDANCE (10 %):
Attendance at all class meetings is expected. Active participation is also graded. If you do not actively and regularly attend and take part in class discussion, you will earn a low participation grade. To encourage participation and focus more likely, this will be a no-screens course (unless you have a special accommodation regarding technology). No cell phones, ear buds, laptops, ipads may be used in class unless otherwise specified by the instructor.
Upon your third unexcused absence, your overall course grade will drop by part of a letter grade (e.g., A+ to A, or B to B-). Additional unexcused absences will similarly lower your overall course grade.
Be sure to complete any assigned readings and related materials (i.e., listen to tracks, watch music videos) BEFORE you come to class and be prepared to participate. Participation is integral to this course as we will actively discuss, debate, and critique the day’s readings and music during each class. Consequently, I want you present AND articulating your ideas. This includes asking questions about things that puzzled you in the week’s reading or interested you in the musical assignments.
Your participation grade will depend on how often you engage in discussions and the quality of your commentary. Simply saying “I don’t really have a position on this point” or making statements that do not connect to our current discussion does not qualify as useful engagement.
In other words, the instructor will not lower a student’s grade when that student has an excused absence (medical, representing the university on a team, etc.). If you are sick or must isolate, do not come to class! Just let the instructor know via canvas email of the situation and obtain documentation of your medical issue.
According to guidance from the Dean of Students, if you miss more than 20% of the semester (approximately 3 weeks) for medical or personal reasons, it may be best to consider withdrawing from all courses until you are able to return and focus on your academic goals.
If you are experiencing challenges with attendance, contact the Student Care and Resource Center (Indiana Memorial Union, lobby level next to Biddle Hotel Lobby); which can provide attendance memos in the event of hospitalization, or the death of an immediate family member.
If you need accommodations due to temporary impairments, including, but not limited to, broken bones, sprains, concussions, and appendicitis, contact Accessible Educational Services.
QUIZZES and WRITING (55%):
You should expect short in-class reading quizzes every week. The quizzes will focus on some of the most important points in the assigned readings, viewings, and listenings and will not address trivial details. The quizzes will also provide starting points for informed discussion and participation in class. There may be in the form of short in-class written commentaries and reactions to the assigned readings.
MID-TERM and FINAL EXAMS (15% and 20% respectively):
There will be an in-class mid-term exam and a two-hour final exam. They may include short answer or essay questions on the readings and other materials discussed in class or assigned. To study for them, be sure to keep all quizzes and hand-outs from class, as well as your reading and discussion notes.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
If you have special needs due to documented disability, please let the instructor know within the first two weeks of class so that accommodations can be discussed. If relevant, this is VERY IMPORTANT! The instructor will be discrete and supportive. Students should NEVER wait until the end of the term to reveal a chronic health problem that impacted their performance during the term.
CHANGES:
Although it is not expected at present, the instructor reserves the right to change assignment due dates, assignment loads, and exam dates. Such changes would take place due to unexpected circumstances in the seminar's pacing or unexpected extrinsic circumstances (e.g., extreme weather, emergency in instructor’s family, etc.).
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This course fulfills two requirements: the CASE requirement for Arts and Humanities and the IUB Ge nEd A&H credit. Successful completion of the course will make possible a number of learning outcomes.
- Students who successfully complete the course will develop more advanced skills for the general understanding and interpretation of expressions and artifacts of human experience in the arts (literature, film, and music) as well as in scholarly writing.
More specifically, students who successfully complete the course will develop a more sophisticated understanding of artistic and humanistic representations of love and adjacent concerns through historical and sociological frames. Students will gain a better understanding of how artistic representations of the practices, norms, conventions, and understandings of love (romantic and otherwise) have changed over time due to tectonic social developments, technological transformations, and shifting economic arrangements.
- This course will explore the impact of changing social and intellectual contexts on artistic expressions of the human experience of love. We will look examples from particular art forms and media: literature (via a science-fiction novel), creative non-fiction (via a memoir about family formation), and the mass culture forms of feature films and popular music.
Students will learn to recognize and analyze some of the relevant conventions, genres, and tropes through which love (especially romantic love) has been represented in the arts. Students will then be able to apply their critical understandings of these artistic conventions and the history of these conventions more broadly. Students should develop more sophisticated skills for constructing and assessing opinions, ideas, and arguments.
- Students who successfully complete the course will develop more sophisticated skills for understanding, articulating, and thinking critically about some of the philosophical, moral, and religious questions raised by works of art related to the course’s central topic (romantic love and adjacent forms of relationality). Students should develop more sophisticated skills for constructing and assessing opinions, ideas, and arguments.
PLAGIARISM and ACADEMIC CONDUCT:
By remaining enrolled beyond the first week, it is assumed that students have read and understood the following documents defining “academic misconduct” and “plagiarism” at IU.
On plagiarism, see https://www.indiana.edu/~tedfrick/plagiarism/index2.html
On Academic misconduct in general, see http://www.iu.edu/~code/code/responsibilities/academic/index.shtml
Academic misconduct includes, among other things, cheating (such as ChatGPT and related AI tools), plagiarism, unacceptable collaboration, falsification of data, aiding and abetting others’ dishonesty, and classroom disturbance. Read these documents closely as they discuss issues of both intentional and unintentional conduct (including “accidents,” “mistakes,” and ignorance of IU standards).
Issues of academic conduct must be reported to the office of the dean. In addition, it is the instructor’s policy that significant instances of academic misconduct may warrant failure of a given assignment or failure or the course.
You should take some time to review the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (Code) because you are expected to adhere to its standards while you are a student at IU. Holding students to the standards outlined in the Code ensures the value of the degree that you are earning from IU and is important training for maintaining ethical standards in the work that you will do in the future.
Academic misconduct is “any activity that tends to undermine the academic integrity of the institution” (Code, II, B,1). Academic integrity violations include cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, interference, violation of course rules, facilitating academic dishonesty, and research misconduct. When you submit an assignment with your name on it, you are signifying that the work contained therein is yours, unless otherwise cited or referenced. Any ideas or materials taken from another source must be fully acknowledged. Do not share your completed work with other students. If plagiarism or cheating occurs, all students involved will be considered responsible even if you were unaware that academic misconduct would occur. Ignorance of what constitutes academic misconduct is not a valid excuse. All suspected violations of the Code will be reported to the Dean of Students (Office of Student Conduct). Sanctions for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on the assignment, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities. If you are unsure about the expectations for completing an assignment or taking a test or exam in this course, speak with me before submitting your assignment.
BIAS INCIDENT REPORTING:
Bias-based incident reports can be made by students, faculty, and staff. Any act of discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability can be reported through any of the options: 1) fill out an online report at https://reportincident.iu.edu/ ; 2) call the Dean of Students Office at (812) 855-8187. Reports can be made anonymously at https://reportincident.iu.edu. Please note that incidents involving faculty and staff should be reported to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance.
Course Content and Intellectual Diversity:
The focus of this interdisciplinary course is love in American culture, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries. Within that focus, I have selected class materials that present a variety of topics, arguments, and perspectives involving different kinds of relationships and different aspirations. The authors, the subjects of the social scientists’ research, and the fictional characters all have different aspirations and interpretations of what is most ideal and not ideal in love relations and adjacent modes of intimacy. Our goal is to thoughtfully encounter a wide range of views, experiences, and scenarios. It is likely that connections between our course and current and/or historical events outside the classroom will come up in class. Although the instructor’s primary concern is the students’ comprehension of the readings, the instructor encourages the respectful articulation of a wide range of interpretations and opinions in response to the readings. The ability to draw and analyze connections among ideas and events and interpretations is a core skill in a liberal arts education and will stand you in good stead in your life beyond IU.
External Messaging Platforms:
You may receive emails from other students about joining GroupMe, Discord, or similar external group messaging platforms for individual classes via Canvas. Even though invitations to join the group may be issued through Canvas, this does not imply the endorsement of the course instructor. While these platforms can be an effective way of contacting classmates and clarifying information related to the course, they can also be sources of unauthorized information sharing or collaboration. Collaborative effort on assignments, including sharing or discussing answers when the instructor has not expressly authorized collaboration, is considered cheating. If academic dishonesty occurs via a messaging platform, everyone involved in the thread may be found responsible for academic misconduct since membership in the group suggests that each person has been able to view the information shared.
FERPA:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of your education records. You may authorize a third party to access your education record by adding a release at https://ferpareleases.indiana.edu. Adding a release for a specific individual will generate a PIN that is sent to your IU email and will direct you to share the PIN with the authorized third party.
Note on Generative AI:
According to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct cheating is “using, providing, or attempting to use or provide unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or study aids in any form.” (Code, II: Responsibilities B,4,a). Cheating includes the use of artificial intelligence. You must not use generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Dall-E, Grammarly, QuillBot, and SpinBot for any work for this class without permission of the instructor. Unauthorized use of generative AI in this course will constitute academic misconduct and call for an academic sanction and official report to the You should be aware that all large language models (which are the basis of Generative AI) have a tendency to make up facts, create fake citations, produce inaccurate information, or generate biased or offensive content.
Also, please be aware that instructors have different policies on the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence. The above policy applies only to this class. It is your responsibility to check with each of your other instructors if ever you are unsure about what constitutes academic honesty in their courses.
Please be aware that instructors have different policies on the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence. The above policy applies only to this class. It is your responsibility to check with each of your other instructors if ever you are unsure about what constitutes academic honesty in their courses.
Health and wellbeing:
The Student Care and Resource Center supports students experiencing challenges that impact their ability to be safe, healthy, and successful. You can walk in, call, email, submit a Care Referral or make an appointment through the Student Appointment Scheduler to connect with the Care Team.
Student Care and Resource Center
Indiana Memorial Union, L010
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: 812-856-CARE (2273) // Email: iucare@iu.edu
Mental Health Support: If you or someone you know needs assistance, you are encouraged to contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 812-855-5711 or by visiting their webpage. They will help you navigate any difficult circumstances you may be facing by connecting you with the appropriate resources or services.
Counseling and Psychological Services
IU Student Health Center, Fourth Floor
Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 812-855-5711 (choose option 1 after-hours)
TimelyCare: Free 24/7 virtual mental health support is available to students who are enrolled in at least one course through the TimelyCARE platform or through your Canvas portal. You do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services.
Note selling:
Various commercial services request that students upload course materials (e.g., instructor’s notes, study guides, assignment descriptions) for access. You are not permitted to sell the instructor’s materials or upload course materials to a third-party site – even after the course has ended. Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students (Office of Student Conduct) as academic misconduct; there will be an academic sanction, and the incident will be reported. Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s course materials using IU email or other IU systems may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.
Online Course Materials:
The instructor teaching this course holds the exclusive right to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams. Some of the course content may be downloadable, but you should not distribute, post, or alter the instructor’s intellectual property. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, distribute, or reproduce content from this course without the express written permission of the instructor.
Pregnancy:
IU is dedicated to supporting students who are pregnant or have experienced other conditions related to pregnancy (termination of pregnancy, miscarriage, lactation, or related medical conditions). To register for accommodations due to pregnancy or a related medical condition, please contact Accessible Educational Services.
Religious Observances
Instructors must reasonably accommodate students who want to observe their religious holidays at times when academic requirements conflict with those observances. If you will miss class for a religious observance, you must fill out the Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances form at least two weeks before your anticipated absence.
Sexual Misconduct and Title IX
IU policy prohibits sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, sexual exploitation, and dating and domestic violence. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with the IU Sexual Assault Crisis Services at (812) 855-8900 or contact a Confidential Victim Advocate at (812) 856-2469 or cva@iu.edu.
It is also important that you know that University policy requires that I share certain information brought to my attention about potential sexual misconduct with the campus Deputy Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator or the University Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Coordinator. In that event, those individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken, and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of the utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist. I encourage you to visit http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/index.html to learn more.
Student Resources:
Student Advocates: Retired IU faculty and staff members assist students with resolving academic, financial, and conduct-related issues.
Technology-related resources provided by the university include:
- Free on-campus wireless internet (wifi) access through the “eduroam” network
- Free software for download and for cloud-based use (access the Software Downloads app in IU)
- Free 24/7 IU tech support (e.g., email, Canvas, wifi, printing, device setup, etc.)
- Chat: https://ithelplive.iu.edu/
- Phone: 812-855-6789
- Email: ithelp@iu.edu
- Web form: Submit an IT support request
- Online: Knowledge Base
- Free in-person tech support in the Wells Library
Tutoring Resources: There are many free and paid tutoring resources on campus that are available to students.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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