In this course we will investigate the idea of sexual desire and why it occurs. We will begin with the idea that desire is an evolutionary strategy that promotes successful reproduction and see how that lines up with what we learn about the patterns of modern human sexuality. We will explore ideas such as whether there are two sexes, whether patterns of attraction change through one’s life, and whether there is a predictable relationship between desire and sexual activity. Assignments will include using qualitative and quantitative methods to distil information from interviews, dating site profiles and lectures by “experts” as we discover what we know about sexual desire and how we came to know it.