This course examines constructions of Black American coupling and therefore, gender, race, sexuality, and class in the 20th and 21st centuries. Blackness has been and continues to be reconstructed via marriage, dating, and other forms of coupling. Emphasis will be placed on the role of socialization, institutions, mass media, myth, and individual and group practices. Students will have the opportunity to explore their own socialization and personal construction through assigned readings, self-reflection, experiential activities, and small group presentations.