SOCY/WMST 3016: MARRIAGE AND FAMILY IN THE U.S.
Summer 2006 – Term A
Required Texts:
1. Skolnick, Arlene S. and Jermone H. Skolnick (Eds), 2005. Family in Transition, Thirteenth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
2. Hatch, Alison. Course Packet Summer 2006.
3. E-Reserve articles accessible through Norlin online at http://libraries.colorado.edu. Articles can be retrieved under the “reserve lists” link.
Optional Text: (see extra credit opportunity)
4. Ehrenreich, Barbara and Deirdre English. 2005. For Her Own Good: 150 Years of the Experts’ Advice to Women. New York: Vintage.
The textbooks and the course packet are available for purchase at the Campus Bookstore.
Course Description & Organization:
This course is designed to examine marriage and the family in the U.S from a sociological perspective. We will look at how marriage and family are fluid constructs, transforming and evolving over time. As the majority of families currently do not fit the “nuclear” model, special emphasis will be placed on the various realities of people’s lives and how they differ from cultural ideals.
This class will primarily utilize a discussion format. A good deal of the learning will take place through critical analysis and discussion of the course readings. It is important that people come to class both prepared and willing to engage with the material. Some of the topics in this course can be controversial. Feel free to disagree with each other and with your instructor, just be sure your disagreements are handled in a respectful manner.
Please note that the University of Colorado officially states that, “an undergraduate student should expect to spend approximately 3 hours per week outside of class for each credit hour earned.” In a summer course, this translates to over five hours a day.
Expectations and Required Classroom Decorum:
§ As this course is on an accelerated summer schedule, you will be assigned reading almost every day. It is imperative that you do not get behind in your reading and I’ll expect that you come to each class having read the material assigned for that day.
§ If you are absent, please do not approach me for missed notes. I recommend that you ask another student to provide you with any missed relevant information. If you miss a film, I recommend you visit Norlin’s Media Library – as long as the film is not checked out, you may watch it there.
§ If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability please submit a letter from Disability Services by the end of the first week of class. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact them either by phone at 303-492-8671 or on the Web at www.colorado.edu/sacs/disabilityservices
§ Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in University sanctions. Please note that plagiarism (presenting the ideas or words of another as one’s own) is considered cheating. While you are encouraged to study with your peers, you must turn in your own work at all times.
§ Please feel comfortable approaching me if you have questions or concerns about any aspect of the course. I am happy to discuss questions you may have in class, after class, or via email.
§ It is important that everyone feels comfortable taking part in class discussions. Please remember to respect your peers and your instructor, even (especially!) if you disagree with them. No one should feel as though they are being personally attacked over something they express in class, no hurtful comments or insults, no interrupting, etc. Part of respecting your fellow peers is learning how to accept different viewpoints and life choices without making judgments about them or their behavior. Additionally, if you feel as though you will be unduly uncomfortable with specific course material (including videos or guest speakers), please let me know beforehand so we can make alternative arrangements.
Grades: Your final grade is calculated out of a total of 1000 points. How the grade breaks down is discussed below. You may choose to do one extra credit project, the details of which are below.
Participation/Attendance: 70 points
As this course primarily utilizes a discussion format, it is important that everyone participates in class discussions. Thus I will be grading everyone on their contribution to a productive learning environment. This means active involvement in the course and no disruptive behavior (e.g., side conversations). Everyone starts the class with thirty-five points; I will take points away throughout the session if you engage in disruptive behavior, if you fail to come to class on a regular basis, or if you fail to contribute to class discussions. I will add to your original thirty-five points if you attend class regularly and thoughtfully contribute to class discussions. Though I will not be taking roll, please keep in mind that I will get to know and recognize you, and that I will be able to remember your general trends in attendance and participation. I will take all of this into account when assigning this portion of your grade. If you do not feel as though you will be comfortable speaking in class, the alternative is to visit with me personally during my office hours a few times throughout the course.
Listserv 10 points:
You are required to subscribe to and be responsible for all information disseminated by means of the course email list. This list is used by the instructor to provide information that is applicable to the course (e.g., daily journal topics), and can be used by the class as a forum for group discussion. In order to receive credit, please subscribe to the list by June 7th. Subscription directions are as follows:
Address an e-mail to listproc@lists.Colorado.EDU with the subject line blank. In the message body write the following: (do not include the <>’s)
subscribe family2006@lists.Colorado.EDU <first last name>
So, for example, I would write the following in the message body in order to subscribe to the list: subscribe family2006@lists.Colorado.EDU Alison Hatch
Be sure to check to make sure you have received confirmation that you enrolled successfully.
Journal/ “Mini Papers”: 420 points
Fourteen journal topics will be given over the course of the class. I will drop your two lowest (or missing) grades so that a total of twelve entries are counted, each worth 35 points.
As opposed to a more formal paper, the writing for this class will be in the form of journal entries. Some journal entries require you complete an exercise or mini-research project. Almost every day (except for Fridays) I will assign an exercise, topic, or question for you to address in your journal that evening. The topic I assign is meant to coincide with the information that we are discussing at that time, thus you should do the assigned reading for that day before composing your journal entry. Your daily writing needs to be kept together in a thin folder (not a three ring binder). You will turn in all entries (even those that have been previously graded) on their due dates and I will return them to you on the following Monday. Your journal due dates are as follows:
Friday, June 9th
Thursday, June 15th
Friday, June 23rd
Friday, June 30th
Thursday, July 6th
I do not accept late journals. Thus, if you fail to turn in your journal on the above days, all journal entries for that week will receive a zero. If you cannot come to class to turn in your journals, find someone who can bring it in for you. Journals absolutely cannot be emailed to me.
Your journal entries do not need to be in the style of an academic paper. In other words, you do not need an introduction, thesis, conclusion, etc. However, I do expect college level writing. This means the use of proper grammar, complete sentences, good spelling, etc. In grading the entries, I will be looking for thoughtful reflection, application of course materials, completion of exercise (if applicable) and coherence. The journals themselves are private communications between yourself and the instructor. As such, I hope that you will challenge yourself to submit personally introspective and honest entries.
Your entries must be type-written, handwritten entries will not be accepted. Each entry needs to be at least one FULL type-written page (double spaced, 12 point font). I expect that many of your entries will be longer than one page, however, I ask that you limit each entry to no longer than four pages.
No one may skip the first or the last journal entry.
Exams: 500 points
There are two multiple choice exams in this course, a midterm and a final. The midterm will cover material from the first half of the course; the final will cover material from the second half of the course. For the most part, the final will not be cumulative, however it is expected that you will be able to synthesize course themes. Please note that we will likely not have time to discuss all assigned readings in class, however they are all “fair game” for the exams. Material from videos and guest speakers are also “fair game” for the exams. Each exam is MANDATORY - you cannot skip an exam for any reason. Each exam is worth 250 points. Further exam details will be discussed in class.
Midterm: Tuesday, June 20th
Final: Friday, July 7th
Extra Credit (optional): 40 points
You may complete one extra credit paper on the book For Her Own Good. I recommend that you read the entire book; at the very least, you will need to read chapters 4-8 for this assignment. In your paper, discuss the historical importance of the “experts” advice to women as it pertains to the social roles of wife and mother. Be sure your paper clearly links the book to course material. This should be written in the style of a formal paper, and should be at least four pages in length (12 pt. font, double spaced). The paper is due in class on Monday July 3rd.
Reading Assignments:
ü Please have readings completed by the date listed (even if instructor is behind schedule in lectures!).
ü Skolnick and Skolnick = S&S (the numbers listed refer to the reading numbers)
ü Reserve articles can be retrieved through Norlin online, these articles are NOT included in the Course Packet.
ü Instructor reserves the right to change this schedule as needed.
Definitions and Sociohistoric Look at Families
M 6/5: No reading is due.
T 6/6: S&S “Introduction: Family in Transition”
S&S #4 “What We Really Miss about the 1950s”
W 6/7: S&S #32 “Diversity within African American Families”
S&S #33 “Diversity within Latino Families”
Optional: S&S #35 “‘The Normal American Family’…”
Last day to receive credit for signing up on listserv
TH 6/8: Course Packet “American Family Decline: 1960-1990,” Popenoe
Course Packet “Good Riddance to ‘The Family’: A Response to David Popenoe,” Stacey
Course Packet “The Sky Is Falling, But Popenoe’s Analysis Won’t Help Us Do Anything About It,” Cowan
Optional: S&S #6 “Decline of the Family: Conservative, Liberal and Feminist Views”
F 6/9: Course Packet “Doing Gender,” West & Zimmerman
S&S #12 “Sexual Revolution(s)”
S&S #14 “Dating Scripts Revisited”
Optional: S&S #13 “The Case of Lawrence vs. Texas”
Journals Due
Partnering:
A. Cohabitation
M 6/12: S&S #16 “Cohabitation”
Course Packet “First Comes Love, Then Comes Living Together” Solot & Miller
B. Marriage
i. Traditional Judeo-Christian
T 6/13: Reserve “The Wedding-Industrial Complex” Ingraham
S&S #15 “Grounds for Marriage: How Relationships Succeed or Fail”
W 6/14: S&S #17 “The Future of Marriage”
S&S #7 “Should the Government Promote Marriage?
ii. Variations
TH 6/15: Course Packet “Asian Indian Marriages – Arranged, Semi-Arranged, or Based in Love” Lessinger
Reserve “The Commitment” Jones
Journals Due
iii. Doing Gender in Marriage
F 6/16: S&S #10 “Men’s Family Work”
S&S #30 “The Second Shift”
M 6/19: S&S #5 “The Mommy Wars”
Course Packet “Doing It Fairly: A Study of Postgender Marriages” Risman & Johnson-Sumerford
Study for midterm!
T 6/20: Midterm
W 6/21: S&S #34 “‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’: Lesbian and Gay Weddings and the Authenticity of the Same-Sex Couple”
Course Packet “Should Same-Sex Couples Be Allowed to Marry Legally?” Lambda vs. George
TH 6/22: Course Packet “Lasting But Still Not Legal,” Meadow
Course Packet “Why Aren’t You Married?” Solot & Miller
F 6/23: Course Packet “Challenging Monogamy,” Brown
Course Packet “Just Monogamy?” Emens
Guest Speaker: Robyn from Loving More
Journals Due
A. Reproduction & Raising Children in Today’s World
M 6/26: S&S #21 “New Families: Modern Couples as New Pioneers”
S&S #22 “Caring for Our Young: Child Care in Europe and the U.S.”
Course Packet “Feminist Child-Rearing” Lipsitz Bem
Optional: S&S #24 “The Four Facets of Fatherhood”
B. Parenting “Controversies” (single, teen, gay/lesbian, trans-racial adoption)
T 6/27: S&S #23 “Transracial and Open Adoption”
S&S #37 “Few Good Men: Why Poor Mothers Stay Single”
Course Packet “Dubious Conceptions: The Controversy Over Teen Pregnancy,” Luker
Course Packet “Should Lesbian and Gay Couples be Allowed to Adopt?” ACLU vs. Dailey
C. Multigenerational and Child-free Families
Course Packet “Ambiguous Constructions: Development of a Childless or Child-Free Life Course” Bulcroft & Teachman
Course Packet “This Dog’s Life” Patchett
TH 6/29: S&S #26 “What Children Think about Their Working Parents”
S&S #28 “Families on the Fault Line”
S&S #29 “Family Values against the Odds”
F 6/30: S&S #18 “Divorce Culture: A Quest for Relational Equality in Marriage”
S&S #19 “Children’s Adjustment Following Divorce”
S&S #20 “The Modern American Stepfamily”
Journals Due
M 7/3: Course Packet “Violence Against Women,” Dobash & Dobash
Course Packet “The Impact of Intimate Violence,” Gelles and Straus
Course Packet “The Myth and Reality of Marital Rape,” Finkelhor & Yllo
T 7/4: No Class – Happy Independence Day!
W 7/5: To Be Announced
Guest Speaker: Joanne Otto w/National Adult Protective Services Association and Janet Ibanez w/ Boulder County Aging Services
TH 7/6: To Be Announced
Study for the final!
Journals Due
Tentative Guest Speaker: Pam Pullem w/Voices For Children CASA
F 7/7: Final Exam