Minor:
Family Studies
Departments/Programs:
| Required Courses | |
|---|---|
| SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology | 4 hours |
| SOC 1350/SOC 2350 Sociology of the Family | 4 hours |
| Elective Courses: (Select three courses from the following) | |
|---|---|
| ENG 2010 Masterpieces of Literature | 3 hours |
| SOC 2360/SOC 3360 Gender and Society | 4 hours |
| SOC 2530 Population and Environment | 4 hours |
| PSYCH 2300 Child and Adolescent Psychology | 4 hours |
| COMM 2500 Family Communication | 2 hours |
| SOCWK 2350 Family Violence Across the Lifespan | 3 hours |
| Student must take courses from at least three different disciplines. Note that PSYCH 2300 Child and Adolescent Psychology has prerequisite of PSYCH 1010 Introduction to Psychological Science. Note that for ENG 2010 Masterpieces of Literature, only the sections on "Families and Relationships," and "Sexualities" count toward this minor. |
|
This course is an introduction to using the sociological perspective as a method of social inquiry. Students explore such basic concepts as culture, socialization, social structure, social interaction, and social change. They study and apply the theories and research methodologies used to investigate human social interaction. These concepts are applied to social topics such as race, class, gender, family, crime, population, environment, and others.
(Normally offered each semester.)
This course offers an analysis of various interrelationships of men and women with emphasis in love, courtship, marriage, and family. Institutional, social, and legal perspectives are presented in a cross-cultural and historical frame of reference to elucidate the dynamic relationship between the family, its members. and broader U.S. society. The requirements of the 2350 course will be the same as the 1350 course EXCEPT that students in the higher course number will write a comprehensive literature review as training for future social science research projects.
(Normally offered each semester.)
This course offers an analysis of various interrelationships of men and women with emphasis in love, courtship, marriage, and family. Institutional, social, and legal perspectives are presented in a cross-cultural and historical frame of reference to elucidate the dynamic relationship between the family, its members. and broader U.S. society. The requirements of the 2350 course will be the same as the 1350 course EXCEPT that students in the higher course number will write a comprehensive literature review as training for future social science research projects.
(Normally offered each semester.)
An introductory course designed to help students appreciate the literary record of human relationships with nature, the supernatural, and each other. Each course examines a particular question or condition as it is represented in a restricted number of literary works, with core readings from the Bible, Greek or Roman classical literature, Shakespeare, literature by women, and literature by writers of color. Current offerings include the following.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing.
Encountering Others- This course looks at texts that represent moments of contact, conflict, or exchange between different cultures, or between a society and those individuals the society has designated as 'different' in some crucial way.
Coming of Age- Becoming Women, Becoming Men This course looks at texts that represent the forces and processes that are part of maturation, especially those related to gender identity. This course focuses on gender issues and includes feminist perspectives. Note: This course also counts for Gender Studies credit.
Families and Relationships- This course will examine how writers from different historical eras and cultural contexts write about family, in every sense of that word.
Writing the Self 'Who am I?'- This is the quintessential question that all human beings ask. This course examines how writers from different historical eras and cultural contexts use various narrative strategies to construct a sense of self. We will also examine numerous theories that seek to explain what constitutes the 'I' that locates the self as a palpable center of self-awareness, as well as how genre influences the accounting of personal history.
Sexualities- This course is designed to help students appreciate the literary record of romantic relationships. Specifically, the course will explore how writers from different historical periods and cultural milieus address the issue of human sexuality. Note: same-sex relationships will be routinely read about and discussed in the class. Note: This course also counts for Gender Studies credit.
Law and Justice- The courtroom is a place where one's telling and interpretation of stories can mean the difference between life and death, so the analysis of literature and the practice of the law are already intertwined. This course explores the connection further by focusing on literary works that deal with the principle of justice and the application of law.
Revolution- This course looks at texts that represent moments of sudden change, upheaval, and transformation, both within societies and within individuals.
Religion and Spirituality- Religion is a virtually universal constant in recorded human history, but with answers of different religions to humankind's big questions have varied enormously. What is the origin and purpose of evil? What is death? What things should be held sacred? What is the nature of the divine? How should we treat other people - and should we distinguish between those who share our beliefs and those who do not? This course will study some of the ways these questions have been answered, from most ancient times to the present.
The Environment- How are nature and the natural world imagined through literary texts? In the western tradition, "nature" is usually considered separate from humanity - a passive landscape designed to be dominated and used by humans for human purposes. What is the origin of this cultural attitude? What alternative views do we find in the history of western literature? What does the literary record of nature look like in some non-western cultural traditions? Is nature best understood as a universal category apart from human culture or is the idea of nature created by human culture? This course will explore such questions by reading texts from different eras and cultural traditions.
War- Virtually every culture has experienced war, and cultures often define and understand themselves through the memories of their wars. Literature about war, from western civilization's founding epic, Homer's Iliad, to blogs maintained by contemporary soldiers, provides us with not only some of our most memorable images of courage, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, but also compelling evidence of war's cruelty, horror, and senselessness; its themes encompass both enormous historical and cultural change and the most intimate, personal suffering.
This course uses the sociological perspective to explore sex and gender relations as major features of social life. It considers the social construction of gender (including the creation of masculinities and femininities) and examines the impact of gender ideologies on the social positions of women and men. In particular, it emphasizes the way these social positions (such as gender, race, social class, sexualities, etc.) create and perpetuate the inequalities embedded in its social institutions (like the family, economy/work, religion, media, etc.). The requirements of the 3360 course will be the same as the 2360 course EXCEPT that students in the higher course number will write a comprehensive literature review as training for future social science research projects.
(Normally offered alternate years.)
Cross-listed with GEND 2360 Sociology of Gender
This course uses the sociological perspective to explore sex and gender relations as major features of social life. It considers the social construction of gender (including the creation of masculinities and femininities) and examines the impact of gender ideologies on the social positions of women and men. In particular, it emphasizes the way these social positions (such as gender, race, social class, sexualities, etc.) create and perpetuate the inequalities embedded in its social institutions (like the family, economy/work, religion, media, etc.) The requirements of the 3360 course will be the same as the 2360 course EXCEPT that students in the higher course number will write a comprehensive literature review as training for future social science research projects.
(Normally offered alternate years.)
Cross-listed with GEND 3360 Gender and Society
This course examines the demographic and social dynamics of population size, composition, and distribution. It addresses the relationships between population, human health, development and the environment. Strong cross-cultural emphasis.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
An introduction to development from infancy through adolescence. Topics include cognitive, physical, social and personality development, and child-rearing practices.
Prerequisite(s): PSYCH 1010 Introduction to Psychological Science.
Family Communication is designed as an introduction to communication phenomena in the context of the family. The overall goal of the course is to help students understand how, through communication, we develop, maintain, enhance, or disturb family relationships. Students will learn theories focusing on the communication patterns and practices that shape family life.
This course will expose students to the various types of violence experienced by individuals and families across their lifespan. An introduction to various theories used in working with survivors of abuse will be presented and students will learn about bruises and fractures associated with child abuse. The influence of societal "isms", culture, gender, and sexual orientation related to violence will be incorporated into the material being discussed.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
The Introduction to Psychological Science course will engage students in a learner-centered approach to the science of behavior and mental processes by synthesizing these areas of psychology: Scientific Inquiry, Biopsychology, Development and Learning, Sociocultural Context, Individual Variations, and Applications of Psychological Science.
This is not a First Year Writing Course.