The following University of California, Davis, faculty are available to comment on themes related to Valentine’s Day.

Romance, sex and pleasure in film

Pamela Demory, a lecturer in the UC Davis University Writing Program, studies themes of romance, sex and pleasure in such films as Jane Austen adaptations, the “Twilight” series, and those with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender themes. Demory teaches popular film in her "Writing in Film Studies" courses, and film adaptations in her "Film as Narrative" course. She is co-editor of “Queer Love in Film and Television,” a collection of essays to be published by Palgrave Macmillan later in 2013. She can comment on current releases such as "Warm Bodies," a film that is “apparently a mash-up of one of the most important ‘serious’ literary romances of all time (Romeo and Juliet) with the latest lowbrow cult craze: the zombie flick.” Contact: Pamela Demory, University Writing Program, (530) 752-9535, phdemory@ucdavis.edu.

Marriage and romance

Emilio Ferrer, a professor of psychology, has done extensive research on people’s romantic relationships, including analyzing how couples communicate over time (and whether they stay together), how well they are in sync emotionally and even how their heart rates and breathing rates compare. His research with human subjects has been publicized nationally in popular media as well as a number of scholarly journals. His latest studies are covered in this news release: http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10494. Contact: Emilio Ferrer, Psychology, (530) 752-0184, eferrer@ucdavis.edu.