The sociological perspective urges us to see childhood, marriages, families, and family life as socially constructed and historically grounded. This means that every phenomenon associated with marriages and families is integrated with other social institutions and takes a distinct form at different historical times and in different social locations in society. Restating this basic sociological premise, what we call "the family" does not occur in a cultural or political vacuum, nor can this social institution exist independently of other institutions such as religion, employment or policy-making.

This course uses a social, demographic and socio-historical perspective to explore the changing nature of sexuality, motherhood, fatherhood and family life in U.S. society. We will examine changes taking place inside and around American families - how courtship is regulated, how gender ideologies invade both family life and family law, and the bearing of a nation's economy on family life. The course is more theoretically than practically oriented, designed to clarify how you can interpret family issues as a sociologist. Most readings concentrate on the dramatic changes in the family during of the second half of the 20th century but attention is also given to changing meanings of marriage and parenthood over a longer historical period. You will be introduced to a "cohort" perspective - thinking about change across generations and across the life course. You are also encouraged to think about the broader social and historical changes in family life in the context of their own lives: both the families in which they were raised and the families that hope to form in the future.

This remains a fascinating time to study the family, largely because change in this social institution has been so rapid and dramatic. People are delaying entry into first marriage, fertility is lower than it was a the past few generations, more years of life are being spent in unmarried cohabitation, and remarriage is an ordinary social phenomenon. Marriages and families continue to be highly valued, yet many people worry that "the family" is no longer the cornerstone of society. Was it ever? Should it be? Are "family values" being pushed aside by other post-modernity enterprises, as many neoconservatives propose? One practical thing you will hopefully learn from the course is a healthy skepticism about what is alleged to be an expert opinion.

REQUIRED TEXTS
 

Crittendon, Ann. 2001. The price of motherhood. New York: Owl Books.

Coontz, Stephanie. 1997. The way we really are: Coming to terms with America's changing families. New York: Basic Books.

Goetting, Ann. 2000. Getting out: Life stories of women who left abusive men. New York: Columbia University Press.

Lareau, Annette. 2003. Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Townsend, Nicholas. 2002. The package deal: Marriage, work and fatherhood in men's lives. Philadelphia PA: Temple University Press.

ADDITIONAL READINGS

Regularly, there are articles assigned which are only available through Electronic Reserve.  The authors and articles are designated on the syllabus.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• In addition to developing a healthy skepticism about what is expert opinion, develop a critical awareness of contemporary social and political issues and how they relate to families;
• Understand major trends in the family as a social institution from a sociological perspective;
• Recognize the interrelations between individual family experiences and larger social institutions.
  

ACADEMIC HONESTY & CLASS POLICY

Ground rules: Violations of academic integrity undermine trust and will be severely penalized. Many people learn best when they learn together, you are encouraged to discuss the readings, concepts and assignments with other class members. Plagiarism and cheating, however, are violations of academic integrity. If you are unfamiliar with the boundary between original academic work and plagiarism, find out.

All exams are to be taken and papers submitted as scheduled. You are responsible for all class materials - lectures, readings (including those not discussed directly in class meetings), information from collaborative projects, films, and for all assignments.

 COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The requirements for this course include a midterm (worth 25% of the course grade) and final exam (worth 25%) two book reviews (worth 10% each), one group debate (worth 5%), and a semester research paper or journal (worth 25%). In sum, the requirements are:

(1) attend classes prepared, having read the assigned material beforehand
(2) submit book reviews for the two of the five monographs
(3) participate in one debate
(4) develop an individually-authored research paper, or develop a portfolio of your reflective essays
(5) take two examinations - a midterm and a final

 

The course is based on both lecture & discussion and class attendance is expected. Missing class once every other week is unacceptable and will affect your grade. I expect you to have read & thought about the materials prior to class and participate actively in discussion. The success of this course depends upon how engaged students are in working with the ideas and the extent to which all of you participate. The reading assignments often provoke and encourage reflection and reconsideration of one's opinions and beliefs. You are encouraged to ask questions, make comments, bring up a reading, compare course materials to newspaper or magazine articles, and bring these ideas to the attention of the class. Simply put, preparation and active participation are pivotal to the success the course and spirit of the class.

Read the assigned materials for themes, oddities, public policy issues, unanswered questions, new ideas, troubling conclusions, alternative interpretations, and things that arouse feelings. Class sessions never permit enough time to thoroughly discuss the readings. To get the most out of each class session, reading beforehand and think about the reading(s) are absolutely essential. Questions to think about while you are reading:

1. What are the author's main arguments or hypotheses?
2. What evidence does the author present in support of her or his arguments?
3. What are some implications of the author's arguments or findings?
4. What are the strength's and weaknesses of the author's arguments or research?
5. Do you agree with the author's conclusions? Why or why not?

Thinking about her own course Suzanne Bianchi (University of Maryland) remarked: "One of my biggest concerns about the readings I have chosen for this class is that we will [most often] concentrate on dominant, middle class, two parent families and neglect the variation in family life. One way to counteract this is to ask each of you to [think in terms of different] family types (gay/lesbian families; military families; single parent families; grandparent-grandchild families; African American families; Asian families; immigrant families, etc.) or family relationships (step-parent/step-child; siblings; unmarried partners; remarriages) of particular interest to you." I share Professor Bianchi's concern. Each person should try to become the class "eyes and ears" for information on that family, bringing into lectures and discussions items news articles, things you read for other courses, information you located on the web, conversations with other students about the course.

BOOK REVIEWS

In this course, we will read five books about childhood, motherhood, fatherhood, and family violence. Everyone is expected to submit two 3-4 page book reviews on the first day we discuss the book. Hard copy is mandatory, and you should also send a copy electronically. Your assignment is to integrate your own understanding of the issues addressed by the author with the theoretical and factual information provided in other course readings. The reviews are each 10% of your course grade.

DEBATE ASSIGNMENT

Each person will be assigned to a debate team immediately after add/drop. Your team will be responsible for arguing either in favor of or against one policy question. The team participates as if it is comprised of a set of expert witnesses who have come together to argue for a commonly shared point of view, even though you might not otherwise endorse the argument. Each team member assumes the perspective of the team, speaks to the issue from that value position, and presents a unique type of "expert opinion." In effect, each member presents her or his argument from the vantage of being "in role" and not (necessarily) your own personal point of view. You become the "expert" (e.g., counselor, family court judge, minister, physician) and assume that voice.
Students are expected to get together with the other members of their debate group prior to the debate to decide on a format and the roles to be taken by each group member. The format is open. The only requirement is that you present the arguments for each side and that all students within the debate team actively participate in some "expert" capacity. The two teams should plan to spend between 40 and 50 minutes presenting their material and use the remaining 25-35 minutes in debate. During the debate/ discussion, participants should remain "in role" and be prepared to take questions from the other students and instructor. Your contribution and oral presentation are worth 5% of the course grade.

SEMESTER RESEARCH PAPER OR PORTFOLIO

Early in the course you must decide on one of two writing options: either developing a portfolio of essays you write throughout the semester or developing a semester research paper that also requires a full semester's work. My objective is to coach you as you develop your analytical skills.

Research Paper. This assignment involves, at minimum, a significant literature review yielding a 15-page manuscript that combines the literature review with your original research. The research paper option is designed to provide you the freedom to select one topic/issue which is of interest to you and to study it in some depth. For students interested in family studies, hands-on research makes studying family relations much more intriguing. You will come away from the research with a deeper understanding.

This assignment is a semester-long project. Hardly ever can someone submit a quality paper earning at least a B- grade by trying to complete the work in the last month of a semester. Early in the semester (by the end of the second week) you are expected to identify yourself as one of the students doing a research paper. Repeating this: The fork-in-the-road decision point for you to choose a research paper or a portfolio is the beginning of the second week (no later than September 12).

A research project requires a good number of invisible hours, initially in the library. To assure the project begins with enough time to complete it, you must consult with me outside of class before September 28. Following this, A one-page prospectus with at least the abstracts of five journal article you will likely use as references is due no later than October 5. The final paper is due November 30. Guidelines and information will be further discussed during the initial office visit, and you are encouraged to consult me more than the one time. Late papers will be penalized; this is a semester long assignment and working on it continuously is expected. The paper constitutes 25% of the course grade.

Portfolio. This too is a semester long project. The portfolio must be started by the end of the first week of class. Your objective is to routinely analyze and/or critically reflect on the social world you and others inhabit. Over the semester, your portfolio will reveal what you have thought about when you are (re)examining families and family life. You will not have a shortage of things to write about. The portfolio's essays are not diary-type entries summarizing personal feelings and thoughts. Rather, each entry is a critically reflective short paper (3 pages in length) that reveals what you are learning from the course as you analyze issues and events outside the classroom from a perspective that studies families and family life.

At the end of the semester, you submit your entire portfolio for evaluation. It is worth 25% of the course grade. Do not delay starting. You are expected to write, on average, one entry a week beginning the first full week of classes and ending November 30. Several of the individual entries will have already been graded when the complete portfolio is submitted, because I will collect a journal entry from three to five students each week. Yours could be randomly selected several weeks in a row. Everyone developing a portfolio must bring her/his entire portfolio to class each Thursday. No exception. Each the time you submit the portfolio for evaluation, you identify the recent entry you wish to be graded from among the ones you have written. At the close of the semester, you again submit the entire portfolio. It is graded on the quality of each of the best five entries you have identified, plus the overall quality of a journal. I read the entire journal. Your weekly entries ought to reveal detailed analysis; the portfolio should reveal that you have in fact spent the semester thinking about different aspects of the course. The final portfolio is due November 30, no exceptions. Late submissions will be penalized; this is a semester long project.

EXAMINATIONS

One midterm examination and one final are scheduled. The midterm will cover all assigned materials to that point of the course and comprises 25% of the course grade. The midterm consists of two essays, designed to evaluate your ability to use course materials as you systematically analyze issues we have been addressing; and, short answer questions, written to determine how well you understand concepts and issues found in the readings and lectures. The final exam will be a take-home exam covering the latter part of the course, and it comprises 25% of the course grade.

WEB PAGE

This syllabus and most other course materials can be found on the course's web page: http://holycross.edu/departments/socant/ethompso/family/TheFamily-1.html

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