Contents

SOCI 103 The Sociology of the Family

Sociology of the Family will introduce the student to the sociological study of the family. Part one of the course will examine the American family in historical and cross-cultural perspective, and in the process students will achieve a clearer understanding of what the family does and how it has changed. Part two will examine the various paths to family formation and the responsibilities and expectations we have as family members. Part three will shift focus to the larger social forces that shape families and the implications this has for a social policy of the family. The final part will turn to the stresses the contemporary family endures and the possibilities this holds for the future of the family.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Distinguish between private and public functions of family life.
  2. 2. Identify the major theoretical perspectives and research methods used by sociologists to study family life.
  3. 3. Identify the different perspectives that explain sexual identity and gender differences, and analyze the ways in which gender roles of men and women affect marriage, the family, and participation in the work force.
  4. 4. Identify how the family histories of major racial-ethnic groups have differed, and analyze the social and cultural conditions that help explain these differences.
  5. 5. Examine how social class influences parenting strategies and family structure.
  6. 6. Identify the important changes that have occurred in marriage and childbearing in the last half of the 20th century, and explain how changes in the American economy since the 1970s have impacted these changes.
  7. 7. Distinguish between institutional marriage, companionship marriage, and individualized marriage, and use these concepts to analyze how the relationship between love, sex, and marriage has changed over the past century.
  8. 8. Identify and/or describe the major components of both the mate selection process and the preparation for marriage process including the pros and cons of cohabitation.
  9. 9. Identify the social and historical forces giving rise to the displacement of the breadwinner-homemaker household by the dual earner household, and analyze the impact of the rise of the dual earner household on the family.
  10. 10. Identify the public functions of family life vis-à-vis childrearing, and analyze the social forces influencing how well families fulfill their obligations to children.
  11. 11. Examine the changing nature of intergenerational links between grandparents, parents, and children.
  12. 12. Analyze selected problems facing contemporary families including family violence, divorce, and remarriage, and examine ways in which these problems can be reduced.
  13. 13. Examine the public debates about how the state should intervene in family life.
  14. 14. Formulate specific, unified, and concise theses through writing that demonstrate an understanding of sociological thinking.

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Distinguish between private and public functions of family life.
  2. 2. Identify the major theoretical perspectives and research methods used by sociologists to study family life.
  3. 3. Identify the different perspectives that explain sexual identity and gender differences, and analyze the ways in which gender roles of men and women affect marriage, the family, and participation in the work force.
  4. 4. Identify how the family histories of major racial-ethnic groups have differed, and analyze the social and cultural conditions that help explain these differences.
  5. 5. Examine how social class influences parenting strategies and family structure.
  6. 6. Identify the important changes that have occurred in marriage and childbearing in the last half of the 20th century, and explain how changes in the American economy since the 1970s have impacted these changes.
  7. 7. Distinguish between institutional marriage, companionship marriage, and individualized marriage, and use these concepts to analyze how the relationship between love, sex, and marriage has changed over the past century.
  8. 8. Identify and/or describe the major components of both the mate selection process and the preparation for marriage process including the pros and cons of cohabitation.
  9. 9. Identify the social and historical forces giving rise to the displacement of the breadwinner-homemaker household by the dual earner household, and analyze the impact of the rise of the dual earner household on the family.
  10. 10. Identify the public functions of family life vis-à-vis childrearing, and analyze the social forces influencing how well families fulfill their obligations to children.
  11. 11. Examine the changing nature of intergenerational links between grandparents, parents, and children.
  12. 12. Analyze selected problems facing contemporary families including family violence, divorce, and remarriage, and examine ways in which these problems can be reduced.
  13. 13. Examine the public debates about how the state should intervene in family life.
  14. 14. Formulate specific, unified, and concise theses through writing that demonstrate an understanding of sociological thinking.