SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY

Fall 2003

SOC-253-01

Westminster College

Mark Rubinfeld

Nightingale 8

Office phone: 832-2430; Home phone: 364-1228

E-mail: mrubinfeld@westminstercollege.edu

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00-12:45, 4:00-5:00

Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00-5:15

And by appointment

Required Books (Available at College Bookstore):

Cherlin, Andrew J. Public and Private Families: An Introduction. Third Edition. 2002. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Required Articles (On Reserve):

Benkov, Laura. “Reinventing the Family.”

Cherlin, Andrew A. “Going to Extremes: Family Structure, Children’s Well-Being, and Social Science.”

Coltrane, Scott and Michele Adams. “Men’s Family Work: Child-Centered Fathering and the Sharing of Domestic Labor.”

Coontz, Stephanie. “What We Really Miss about the 1950s.”

Cowan, Carolyn P. and Phillip A. Cowan. “Becoming A Parent.”

Edin, Kathryn. “Few Good Men: Why Poor Mothers Stay Single.”

Ericksen, Julia, with Sally A Steffen. “Premarital Sex before the ‘Sexual Revolution.’”

Giddens, Anthony. “The Global Revolution in Family Life.”

Hays, Sharon. “The Mommy Wars: Ambivalence, Ideological Work, and the Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood.”

Laner, Mary Riege and Nicole A. Ventrone. “Dating Scripts Revisited.”

Mason, Mary Ann, et al. “Family Law in the New Millennium: For Whose Families?”

Skolnick, Arlene. “The Life Course Revolution.”

Course Objectives:

• To understand the family from a historical, social, and interpersonal perspective.
• To examine the major issues, problems, and controversies surrounding the family
• To evaluate cultural attitudes and social policies affecting the family.
• To explore traditional and changing gender roles within the family.
• To consider class, ethnic, racial, and lifestyle variations between families.
• To analyze the effects of single parenting, cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage on family members.
• To learn about domestic violence and family dysfunction.
• To improve critical thinking, writing, speaking, and problem-solving skills.

Procedures and Course Outline:

This course, focusing on the family from both a public and private perspective, utilizes a variety of learning tools including readings, lectures, videotapes, class discussions, field trips, group exercises, and oral presentations. Weekly readings and assignments appear on the attached course outline.

Assignments and Grading:

Final grades will be based on a mid-term (35% of the final grade), a final examination (35% of the final grade), and two papers (each worth 15% of the final grade). In calculating final grades, class participation will also be taken into account. You must complete all of the course requirements in order to pass this course. Final grades will be based on the percentage of total points earned: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), and F (below 60).

Exams: The exams include multiple choice, true-false, and short essay questions that cover information from the readings, lectures, class discussions, and group presentations.

Two papers: You will have at least two weeks to complete the two papers, each four-to-six pages long (double spaced), related to class readings, lectures, and discussions. Late papers will be accepted up to one week late with a ten-point penalty; after one week, no late papers will be accepted. (Note: an absence on the day a paper is due is not a valid reason for missing a deadline. It is your responsibility to find someone to deliver the paper for you, or to fax or e-mail a copy of the paper to me on the due date).

Class Participation and Attendance:

Classroom discussions are important; they help to clarify various issues that arise from the readings and add diversity to the learning experience. I expect that all students will participate in classroom discussions. Although this class has no formal attendance policy, a significant number of questions on the midterm and final will focus on class lectures and discussions. Furthermore, since I will be weighing class participation in borderline grading situations, students who regularly attend class and frequently participate in classroom activities will have an “edge” in achieving a higher, final grade. Finally, I reserve the option of giving quizzes, assigning additional homework, or emending this syllabus as the need arises.

Student-Student and Student-Faculty Relationship:

All students must be respectful of other students. This means no talking while other students are talking or trying to listen. It also means showing up to class on time so as not to disrupt the class with late arrivals. Once class begins, no chatting, no reading outside materials, and no sleeping in class. If you must eat, make sure it is a “quiet” food. Also, turn off your cell phones. In other words, act appropriately for a college class; if your actions create a distraction, you will be asked to leave. My office hours are listed at the beginning of this syllabus. At any time, feel free to meet with me to discuss readings, lectures, assignments, or other matters relevant to this course. If you cannot meet with me during my scheduled office hours, I am also available by appointment. It is especially important for you to see me early in the semester if you are having difficulties with the course. Do not wait till the end of the semester when there is little, if anything, I can do to help you out. Finally, feel free to meet with me if you would like to learn more about sociology, including pursuing it as a major or minor, or incorporating its application into papers and assignments from your other classes.

Having Fun:

Education does not always have to be a chore. In addition to learning new material, this is an opportunity to develop public speaking skills, gain self-confidence, expand self-awareness, make new friends, and have some fun. This is your time to teach and to reach. Go for it!

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topic	Assignments
1	Introduction to Sociology of The Family	No Assignments
2	Public and Private Families: Definitions and Perspectives	Due: Tuesday September 2 Public and Private Families, Chapter 1, pp. 3-37. Due: Thursday September 4 “The Global Revolution in Family and Personal Life,” Anthony Giddens ---and--- “The Life Course Revolution,” Arlene Skolnick
3	The History of the Family	Due: Tuesday September 9 Public and Private Families, Chapter 2, pp. 39-75. Due: Thursday September 12 “What We Really Miss about the 1950s,” Stephanie Coontz
4	Gender and Families	Due: Tuesday September 16 Public and Private Families, Chapter 3, pp. 77-108 Due: Thursday September 18 “The Mommy Wars: Ambivalence, Ideological Work, and the Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood,” Sharon Hayes
5	Social Class and Families	Due: Tuesday September 23 Public and Private Families, Chapter 4, pp. 111-139 Due: Thursday September 25 “Few Good Men: Why Poor Mothers Stay Single,” Kathryn Edin
6	Race, Ethnicity, and Families	Due: Tuesday September 30 Public and Private Families, Chapter 5, pp. 141-173
7	The Family, The State, and Social Policy (and) Sexuality	Due: Tuesday October 7 Public and Private Families, Chapter 6, pp. 175-202 ---and--- “Family Law in the New Millennium: For Whose Families?” Mary Ann Mason, et al. Due: Thursday October 9 ***FIRST PAPER*** ---and--- Public and Private Families, Chapter 7, pp. 205-241
8	Sexuality (and) Midterm Review (and) Midterm Exam	Due: Tuesday October 14 “Premarital Sex Before the ‘Sexual Revolution,’” Julia Ericksen, with Sally A. Steffen Thursday October 16 ***MIDTERM EXAM*** (Covering Chapters 1-7 in Cherlin, and all readings in the Reader through Ericksen)
9	Cohabitation and Marriage	Due: Tuesday October 21 Public and Private Families, Chapter 8, pp. 243-281 Due: Thursday October 23 “Dating Scripts Revisited,” Mary Riege Laner and Nicole A. Ventrone ---and “Reinventing the Family,” Laura Benkov
10	Work and Families	Due: Tuesday October 28 Public and Private Families, Chapter 9, pp. 283-312 Due: Thursday October 31 “Men’s Family Work: Child-Centered Fathering and the Sharing of Domestic Labor,” Scott Coltrane and Michele Adams
11	Children and Parents	Due: Tuesday November 4 Public and Private Families, Chapter 10, pp. 315-351 Due: Thursday November 6 “Becoming a Parent,” Carolyn P. Cowan and Phillip A. Cowan
12	The Elderly and Their Families (and) Domestic Violence	Due: Tuesday November 11 Public and Private Families, Chapter 11, pp. 353-382 Due: Thursday November 13 ***SECOND PAPER*** ---and--- Public and Private Families, Chapter 12, pp. 385-413
13	Domestic Violence (and) Divorce	Due: Thursday November 20 Public and Private Families, Chapter 13, pp. 415-447
14	Divorce	Due: Tuesday November 25 “Going to Extremes: Family Structure, Children’s Well-Being, and Social Science,” Andrew J. Cherlin Thursday November 27 Thanksgiving Break
15	Remarriage and Stepfamilies (and) Social Change and Families (and) Last Class, Final Review, and Student Course Evaluations	Due: Tuesday December 2 Public and Private Families, Chapter 14, pp. 450-476 Due: Thursday December 4 Public and Private Families, Chapter 15, pp. 479-504 ---and--- Final Exam Review and Class Wrap Up
16	FINAL EXAM	Thursday December 11 (6:00-7:50 p.m.) ***FINAL EXAM*** (Covering Chapters 8-15 in Cherlin, and the five readings in the Reader from the second half of the course)