American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus

In this presentation about her new book, Lisa Wade will focus on the effects of 'hookup culture' on college students, especially those who are racial and sexual minorities, to examine issues of sociocultural power and privilege.

Offering invaluable insights for parents, educators, and students, Wade situates hookup culture within the history of sexuality, the evolution of higher education, and the unfinished feminist revolution. Using new research, she maps out a punishing emotional landscape marked by unequal pleasures, competition for status, and sexual violence. She discovers that the most privileged students tend to like hookup culture the most, and she considers its effects on racial and sexual minorities, students who “opt out,” and those who participate ambivalently.