Chapter 36 Exercises

Exercise 36.1 — Definitional Analysis (Individual, 30–45 minutes)

Find three published articles or news pieces about "hookup culture" from different sources (one peer-reviewed journal, one quality journalism outlet, one more popular source such as a lifestyle magazine or blog). For each source, identify:

  1. How does this source define "hookup"? What specific behaviors does it include or exclude?
  2. What sample does the research or reporting draw on? How representative is it?
  3. What claim is being made about prevalence, trends, or consequences?
  4. What methodological caveats does the source provide — or fail to provide?

In a 400–500 word reflection, analyze how the definitional variation across these sources affects the conclusions they can legitimately draw.

Exercise 36.2 — Python Extension: Your Own Analysis (Individual or Pair, 1–2 hours)

Open code/hookup_trends_analysis.py and run it in your Python environment (requires pandas, numpy, matplotlib, seaborn, scipy).

Then complete the following extensions:

Part A: Add a fourth variable to Figure 36.2 of your own design — something not already plotted that you think would be meaningful for distinguishing relationship-goal groups. Modify the analyze_swipe_right() function to include it. Justify your choice in a brief paragraph.

Part B: Add error bars (standard error of the mean) to Figure 36.1's left panel (casual encounter percentage over time). How does adding uncertainty visualization change your reading of the cohort differences?

Part C: The build_longitudinal_dataset() function uses specific values for base_casual and trend_casual for each cohort. Change one of these parameters — for example, increase the Millennials' trend_casual slope — and examine how it changes the resulting figure. What would you need to see in the actual GSS data to know which slope is closer to correct?

Submit your modified script and a 300-word reflection on what the exercise revealed about synthetic data as a pedagogical tool.

Exercise 36.3 — The Orgasm Gap: Mechanisms (Small Group Discussion, 40 minutes)

In groups of 3–4, discuss the four mechanisms proposed in Section 36.6 to explain the hookup orgasm gap (sexual script asymmetry, communication and feedback, duration/type of stimulation, motivational asymmetry).

  1. Which mechanism do you find most empirically convincing? What evidence would you need to confirm or disconfirm it?
  2. Can you think of a fifth mechanism not mentioned in the chapter?
  3. The chapter frames the orgasm gap as an "equity issue." Do you agree with that framing? What are the strongest counterarguments?

Report back to the class with your group's most important point.

Exercise 36.4 — Moral Panic Framework Application (Individual Writing, 500–700 words)

Apply Cohen's moral panic framework to ONE of the following media events:

  • The Atlantic's "The Sex Recession" (2018) by Kate Julian
  • The Vanity Fair piece "Tinder and the Dawn of the Dating Apocalypse" (2015)
  • Any campus administrator's email or policy statement about sexual behavior at a residential university that you can find publicly

Using the framework, identify: (a) who or what is the "folk devil"? (b) what are the implicit norms being threatened? (c) what evidence is cited versus implied? (d) what is left out of the account?

Then write a brief counterpoint: what legitimate concern, if any, might be underneath the panic framing?

This exercise involves personal reflection and is entirely private — you will not submit it.

Think about one experience (your own or one you have observed) in which consent communication in a romantic or sexual context was ambiguous. Using the concepts from Section 36.10, identify:

  • What signals were used (verbal, nonverbal, behavioral)?
  • What assumptions were made about what those signals meant?
  • Was there a moment where clearer communication could have been introduced? What made that feel easy or difficult?
  • What social or cultural factors (scripts, norms, alcohol, novelty) shaped the communication in that situation?

This is for your own understanding, not for submission.

Exercise 36.6 — Race and Hookup Culture (Short Research Paper, 800–1,000 words)

Drawing on the chapter's Section 36.8 and at least two additional academic sources, write a short paper analyzing how racial stereotypes about sexual behavior affect one specific racial/ethnic group's navigation of casual sexual contexts in the United States.

Your paper should: (a) identify the specific stereotype(s) operating; (b) describe the mechanisms through which they operate (interpersonal? institutional? internalized?); (c) discuss at least one piece of empirical evidence; and (d) identify a limitation in the current research literature on this group.

Suggested additional sources: Collins (2004) Black Sexual Politics; Chou (2012) Asian American Sexual Politics; Espiritu (2001) on "race, gender, and sexuality"; any recent empirical paper in a sociology or psychology journal on racial dating preferences.