Understanding Romantic Relationships
Get an introduction to romantic relationships, considering the types of relationship and the early stages of relationships.
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
3 hours
Understanding Romantic Relationships
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Build a foundational knowledge of romantic relationships and how they start
Why and how do we choose a romantic partner, or partners? What challenges are faced in the early stages of a romantic relationship? What types of romantic relationship are there? Get answers with the first course in a series exploring romantic relationships.
You’ll learn about the types of romantic relationships people have around the world (including monogamy and polyamory), and understand how people make choices when they enter a relationship. You will explore research on attraction and mate selection, and consider processes and challenges in the early stages of relationships.
What topics will you cover?
- Types of relationships from around the world, including monogamy, consensual non-monogamy (e.g., polygamy, polyamory), same-sex and different sex relationships, friends with benefits, “love” versus arranged marriages, and married versus unmarried committed relationships.
- Deciding on the kind of relationship you want: pros and cons of singlehood, how relationship beliefs shape our goals, perceptions, and thoughts about relationships, balancing personal goals with cultural/social/family expectations.
- The types of factors that influence attraction and where to meet partners: physical characteristics, personality, relationship goals and values.
- Early relationship milestones and challenges: moving from initial attraction to dating to commitment, assessing compatibility with personal goals.
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Identify different types of relationships that individuals have around the world.
- Explore factors associated with the decision to enter a relationship, such as personal goals and social expectations.
- Describe attractive. Students will learn what is considered “attractive” and how these perceptions vary (or not) across cultures.
- Investigate in detail the theories and research about dating and early relationship milestones (e.g., sexual initiation).
Who is the course for?
This course is for anyone interested in relationships, you don’t need any previous experience of the subject.
Who will you learn with?
I am an associate professor of social psychology at Colorado State University. My areas of research are related to power and aggression in relationships, and on promoting healthier families.
Who developed the course?
Colorado State University
Colorado State University, a land-grant institution and a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University-Extensive, is one of the United States’ leading research universities.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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