I think it's a little different than dating. Courting tends to imply a much slower pace of getting to know each other and often means no one-on-one dates. I understand it as a more conservative and cautious method of pursuing a relationship. Personally, I think the idea has some merit.
I've read the first 2, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. I know they both won Hugo awards, but the other ones didn't. So are they still worth reading? Will I like Xenocide and Children of the Mind just as much?