Marriage & Family

SOC/SWO 3354-02 Marriage & the Family

Baylor University, Spring 2011

MWF 1:25-2:15 p.m., Draper 116

Family Portrait:

Instructor: Ashley Palmer, M.A.

Office: Draper 342

Phone: 710-7074

Email:  A_Palmer

Office Hours: MWF 12:00-1:00, or by appointment

Course Description

Welcome to Marriage and the Family!  In this course, we will cover a variety of topics related to the social institutions of marriage and family in the US, both contemporary and historical.  Because our understanding of the past shapes our view of the present, we will learn about the significance and forms of family life in bygone eras, and we will also investigate marriages and the notion of romantic partnership in historical perspective, as well as the rise of singlehood as a socially significant stage of development.  This course will approach these topics and others using a sociological framework, which will enable us to place family and marriage in the context of social life and cultural norms.  From gender roles and childrearing to love and divorce, we will survey a range of topics which touch each of our lives, whether obliquely or head-on.  Accordingly, the material we discuss here will contribute to the development of your understanding of marriage and the family not only as social institutions, but as matters of personal significance throughout your own life-cycle.

House Rules

“Happy families are all alike.  Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” – Leo Tolstoy

Applicability of our Russian oracle?  The reality of family life doesn’t always match the cultural ideal of the safe haven (in fact, that’s a historically recent notion!).  In light of this, let’s make it safe to discuss the relational realities of marriage and family–both happy and un-.

Calendar

You can find a general schedule of the topics we will cover and assignment due dates here.  Dates are subject to change according to the pace at which we are able to cover the material.  When schedule changes occur, they will be announced in class.

Grade Elements

• 60% Blogging + Commenting
• 25% Explore Assignments
  • 1% Love Attitudes Surveys
  • 5% Defining Marriage
  • 5% Marriage and Religion
  • 5% The Feminine Mystique
  • 5% Abortion
  • 4% Wildcard (TBD)
• 15%
  • 5% Emerging Adulthood
  • 10% Final Project