Romantic relationships are a fundamental part of the human experience. This course will take a scientific approach to understanding relationships. We will examine how relationships form, what binds them together, and what might lead to their dissolution. We will discuss how much of “me” we bring into our relationships compared to how much relationships change our sense of self. Finally, we will discuss what makes relationships such an important area of study: how they impact and influence our lives.

The aim of this module is to provide an in-depth overview of relationship science. The emphasis is to explain and interpret systematic research which means discussing findings that may not necessarily reflect views that people have about relationships based on past experience. Thus, the goal of this module is to enhance critical thinking about this important part of human psychology, and to give students the opportunity to express their own insights into this topic.