Child and Family Studies
Division III Chair: J. Blythe
Program Chair: K. Rivers Thompson
Faculty: J. Blythe, E. Burke, M. Dotson, N. Mecham, K. Rivers Thompson, and A. Woodward
Website: http://www.berea.edu/cfs/
Courses: CFS Courses
Major/Minor Requirements: Child and Family Studies Child Development B.A.; Child and Family Studies Family Studies B.A.; Child and Family Studies Nutrition and Food Studies B.A.; Child and Family Studies Minor
Child and Family Studies is an interdisciplinary program that promotes the development and maintenance of strong and healthy families through educational experiences that lead to the enrichment of individual and family life. This interdisciplinary program offers a comprehensive understanding of the family, prepares students for professional employment in areas of service to families and children and for graduate school, and promotes critical thinking and professional communication skills. The primary approach to learning seeks to integrate conceptual knowledge of the family as a societal unit with related educational concepts from the social sciences, natural sciences, and other disciplines. The curriculum explores the interrelatedness of the family with other societal systems, such as the economy, the legal system, religion, media, and popular culture. Lifespan human development and the needs of individual members and the family as a system are explored in-depth. Students study the interaction of families with their near environment, including sustainable housing, consumer decision making, nutrition, and effective resource management. A special emphasis is placed on the development of effective communication skills and research skills needed by professionals who will be working with individuals, families, and in various other professional roles. Course work in all of the concentrations allows graduates to meet both professional and personal goals. The Child and Family Studies program is committed to the preparation of creative, independent thinkers who demonstrate respect for diversity and are willing to serve as agents of positive social change.
The Child and Family Studies program builds upon the College's liberal arts academic foundation preparing students to become well-rounded individuals, contributing family members, and agents of social change in their communities, society, and the world. As a program, the College's mission of service is fully embraced and practiced. To support this commitment to service, the program’s approaches to learning are based on a philosophy of applied knowledge as exemplified by the many, first-hand learning opportunities available within this discipline. Child and Family Studies majors have undertaken internships in spouse-abuse shelters, homeless shelters, Head Start programs, family resource centers, child care centers, social service agencies, food banks and kitchens, child advocacy centers, senior citizen centers, and many other locations where the students provide service while studying social issues to understand the broader scope of social change. Additional learning opportunities are encouraged though Independent, Team-Initiated, or Directed Study, or through the Labor Program. Most of the program's graduates go into lives of service.
The program offers a B.A. degree in Child and Family Studies with three areas of concentration: Child Development; Family Studies; or Nutrition and Food Studies. Students interested in pursuing a Masters in Social Work or a teaching career in Family and Consumer Sciences or Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education can be advised on appropriate course selections for preparation for graduate study in these areas. In addition, the Program offers supportive instruction for other majors and minors such as Appalachian Studies, Asian Studies, Education Studies, Nursing, Theatre, and Women and Gender Studies.
The program of Child and Family Studies operates in a variety of facilities. The Emery Building houses faculty offices, classrooms, food science laboratories, housing and interior design facilities, and a specialized foods library. The Harrison-McLain Home Management House offers a dual learning environment for CFS majors. It is the laboratory for the family resource management capstone practicum and serves as an upper-level female residence hall for selected program majors. The state-of-the-art Child Development Laboratory, located on Jefferson Street, offers settings for observations and interaction with children from infancy through pre-school age and in after-school care and summer enrichment camps. The lab is licensed for up to 130 children for full-time day care and serves as the primary laboratory and research facility for majors in early childhood education and child development. Other majors, such as Nursing, Education Studies, Psychology, and Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS), also use the facility as an educational laboratory. The CDL also serves the College by providing high-quality care for the young children of students, staff, and faculty.
In order that each CFS major gains an insightful and holistic perspective of the family as a societal unit, a core curriculum of six courses is required to provide a common body of knowledge central to understanding the needs, strengths and contributions of the family to individual family members and society as a whole., Beginning in Fall 2011, each student intending to major in CFS will be expected to maintain a Collected Works Notebook to be reviewed regularly by his/her advisor. Expectations and contents will be provided in annual CFS meetings.
The program has special policies regarding CFS 186/286/386/486 (Special Topics) and CFS 395/495 (Internship), as indicated in the applicable concentration and course descriptions to follow.
In order to satisfy a programmatic requirement for having direct interaction with children, all CFS majors are required to undergo criminal background and child-abuse checks, as well as a TB skin test. A nominal fee for these checks will be charged to the student’s College account. Students can have the TB test conducted at Student Health Services. Students must turn in copies of the results of the background checks and TB test to be kept on file in the CFS Office. The checks and TB test are done as a part of CFS 130. Students transferring a course equivalent to CFS 130 will be required to give written evidence of completing the checks and TB test individually. Any students who have recently completed the checks and/or TB test may bring proof of their completion and will not be required to repeat the process in CFS 130. Students should keep their original documents as proof of compliance in their personal Collected Works Notebooks, because these documents are frequently required by schools, social agencies, volunteer organizations, and other employers.
The Child and Family Studies Program introduces students to the umbrella profession of family and consumer sciences, with a particular emphasis on the specialized areas of child development, family studies, and nutrition and food studies. The program supports learning outcomes that (a) promote a comprehensive body of knowledge, skills, and attitudes/thinking about human development, with a particular emphasis on children and families; (b) foster more informed decision-making about health and well-being and the development of positive relationships; and (c) help CFS majors develop skills in the effective uses of resources to assist children, adults, and families in improving their quality of life.
In addition to supporting students' achievement of the Aims of General Education, the Child & Family Studies Program seeks to assist students in meeting the following learning goals and associated learning outcomes:
Child & Family Studies Student Learning Outcomes
The following Child & Family Studies’ Student Learning Outcomes are aligned with the principles of the professional organizations related to the field of Child & Family Studies:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)
American Association of Family Consumer Science (AAFCS)
Child Life Council (CLC)
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
Upon successful completion of the major in Child & Family Studies, student will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the historical and current context of the field and the specialized areas within the profession including but not limited to: nutrition and food studies; child development; early childhood education; adolescent development, adult development; family development; family relations; family and consumer science; personal and family finance; housing and design; community needs; advocacy for children and families; and other dimensions of personal and group well-being.
- Learn and practice the ethical principles of the field as established by the learned professional organizations in the field: AND, AAFCS, CLC, NAEYC, and NCFR
- Recognize, respect, and value individual, family, and societal diversity.
- Demonstrate methods that can be used to support, enhance, and improve the lives of children, adolescents, adults, families, and communities in this 21st century global society.
- Analyze, critique, develop, implement and/or assess practices, policies, and services that support the well-being of children, adolescents, adults, families, consumers, and communities.
- Develop skills for becoming advocates for the improvement of the lives of children, adolescents, adults, and families in a variety of situations.
- Develop critical thinking/scientific reasoning skills and use them to evaluate diverse approaches for determining alternative solutions to professional issues.
- Interpret and evaluate research terminology, statistical information, and research studies as well as develop an original research study that involves designing an appropriate study, developing the research questions, analyzing, evaluating, interpreting results, and applying findings to relevant professional issues.
- Elaborate on importance of the principles of collaboration and partnerships needed in working with children, adolescents, adults, families, communities, and in the work place and where possible, implement and practice these principles.
- Demonstrate applied professional and career skills appropriate to the field in the different areas of communications: active listening, speaking, writing, researching, and appropriate use of technology.
Child and Family Studies Course Sequencing Table:
Please be aware that the table below represents current planning and is subject to change based on faculty availability and student interest. It is not meant to represent any guarantee to the student that the courses will be offered in the term in which they are currently planned.