Brigham Young University – Idaho
FdRel 200 – Family Foundations
Spring Semester 2011
Boyd L. Baggett, Taylor 217, 496-3929,
Office Hours: M-W-F 10:15 – 11:15 a.m.; Tues 12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
Course Description and Prerequisites
This course centers on The Family: A Proclamation to the World and develops the gospel doctrines and principles pertaining to successful and happy marriage and family life. Practical skills required to achieve and sustain provident living will also be explored and practiced.
Students are required to have completed at least 24 credit hours prior to taking this class. It is primarily designed to benefit those preparing for marriage, or those who are already married.
Learning Outcomes
Deepen our understanding of eternal law, the plan of salvation, and the doctrines and principles of effective family living as identified in The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
Increase our desire, commitment, and ability to strengthen our marriages, nurture our children, and create a healthy, supportive, and righteous home and family environment.
Provide opportunities to learn and share provident living skills that will aid in attaining an eternal marriage and family.
Learning Model Architecture
Over successive two-week cycles (called Units), students will Prepare and Teach One Another through diligent study, analysis, and application of the doctrines and principles from The Family: A Proclamation to the World as outlined below:
- The Eternal Nature of Truth: God’s Plan of Salvation and the Family
- Gender: An Essential Characteristic of personal Identity and Purpose
- Gospel Ordinances and Covenants: The Eternal Marriage Covenant
- Procreation: The Law of Chastity and Sanctity of Life
- Role of Parents
- Happiness in Family Life
Each topic will be examined and applied through the following two-week cycle:
Day 1 (preparation) Multi-section, large-group meetings in Taylor 200 where gospel truths about the topic will be studied through multimedia presentations of modern prophetic teachings on the family.
Days 2-3 (teach one another) Single-section meetings in the classroom where students participate in case studies, problem-solving, and discussion of the principles and doctrines of the gospel in order to understand and begin to apply the prophetic readings.
Day 4 (ponder and prove) Single-section workshops in the classroom where students share with each other their experiences in implementing their Provident Living skills plan over each respective two week cycle. A personal plan to practice each provident living skill will be created, implemented, reported and shared during each respective two-week cycle through private journaling, including a final report, and sharing keys to success with the class.
As you seek to complete the key reading, writing and presentation portions of each Unit, I encourage you to go to the web at http://www.byui.edu/AcademicLearning or to the McKay Library 272 for information about how the writing, reading, math and study skills centers can help you increase success in this course and in all of your classes. To schedule a tutor for a specific class, log on to Tutor Request under Student Services and follow the instructions.
Required Books and Materials
1. Students will create their own personal Family Foundations Binder. Purchase the official course binder available in the University Store (the binder prices are cheaper during the first two weeks of the semester).
2. Required Readings as well as several Additional Resources are available through links in Brain Honey. Also, a file including most of the required readings (all those which all Family Foundations Faculty use) will also be available under the Syllabus and Course Documents tab of Brain Honey; however you will need to print copies of the talks and study them prior to each class period and for the Binder Project to be turned in at the end of the semester. I strongly suggest that you go to the Copy Center to have the materials printed and hole punched at the beginning of the semester.
3. The Eternal Marriage Student Manual (REL 234-235) also contains many of the articles and materials we will study this semester. This manual can be purchased at the BYU-I Bookstore or LDS Distribution Centers. It is also available at: http://institute.lds.org/manuals/eternal-marriage-student-manual/index.asp. The Gospel and the Productive Life manual for REL 150 is a valuable resource for the practical skills portion of the course.
4. You are required to purchase and then register the I-Clicker remote and bring it to the large class meetings. You are required to purchase an I-Clicker remote for the large group in-class participation. I-Clicker is a response system that allows you to respond to questions posed during class, and you may be graded on that feedback and/or your in-class participation. In order to receive this credit, you will need to register your I-Clicker remote online within the first week of class. You must have come to class at least once and vote on at least one question in order to complete this registration properly. Once you have voted on a question in class, go to http://www.iclicker.com/registration. Complete the fields with your first name, last name, student ID, and remote ID. Your student ID should be your student log-in ID. It is NOT your I-Number. The remote ID is the series of numbers and sometimes letters found on the bottom of the back of your I-Clicker remote. You are responsible to bring your remote to each large class meeting.
Grading Policies Grading Scale
Your grade will be determined by your performance in the following learning activities-Late work is not accepted:
1. Class Attendance – There is really no substitute to your being present on time and allowing the Holy Ghost to teach and testify of the truths of the restored gospel. You will begin the semester with 100 attendance points. It is expected that you will attend each class and on time. For each class period which you arrive late or leave early or fail to bring your hard copy of the talks and readings, 4 points are deducted. If you miss more than 10 minutes of any class, the result is an absence. For each class which you are absent, 10 points will be deducted. If you miss more than 5 days, the university policy of 80% minimum attendance overrides all other considerations and a failing grade will be given. Please be here! Documented medical situations and documented school-excused absences will be the only exceptions and then only when appropriate and approved makeup is turned in on time.
- Class Preparation and Reading - Points will be given for the reading and preparation assignments that you have completely read and reported before each class begins. You will be able to report your class preparation and reading on Brain Honey prior to each class. Each class preparation journal entry should be no less than 300 words and you will report your reading and preparation by responding to the questions and writing your thoughts and insights from the readings. You should print a copy of what you have written and bring it to class to assist you in our classroom discussions.
Reading assignments will be those articles, speeches, conference talks or other materials listed on the class outline. Any talks assigned should be printed off, read, studied and marked, and brought to class for discussion along with the scriptures. They should then be placed in the Family Foundations Binder. You need to understand that there is a significant amount of reading and preparation required for this class. I believe that for every hour you spend in class you will spend twice that amount of time outside class in preparation. Therefore, please plan accordingly.
- Unit Assessments (objective questions, fill-in-the-blank, true false, short answer or essay questions on the readings and the Proclamation paragraphs and short case study questions) There will be six Unit Assessments. While complete memorization of the Proclamation will not be necessary for these assessments, competent fluency in the language of the Proclamation is required. Additionally, the Unit Assessment will include essay questions where you will be able to report your work and your evaluation and insights on each unit's Provident Living Skill. I suggest that you have the Provident Living Report prepared in Word prior to beginning the assessment. The Unit Tests will be available online through Brain Honey and according to the posted schedule.
- Participation (case studies, in-class quizzes, classroom discussion, and memorization)
Case Studies: You will be given the opportunity to respond to at least one case study for each unit of study of the proclamation. You need to respond in writing and submitted on Brain Honey prior to the class period for which it is due and print off a copy of your response to bring to class for our discussion.
Memorization of the Family Proclamation will be tested at the end of the semester. The final examination will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate either verbally or in writing that you have memorized the proclamation. Although there will be steps for memorizing each individual paragraph throughout the semester, the Final Test for memorization will be made at the conclusion of the class during the time of the final on April 7.
Participation.
The purpose of the Reading and the Class Preparation Journal Entry requirements above are to prepare you to come to class to participate in a meaningful gospel discussion about the principles and doctrines taught in the reading block. Students may be called on each day in class to share all or part of what they have written in their journal entries and to share their thoughts, feelings, and questions, and to work in small group settings. Your mental and verbal participation is a necessary and a crucial part of this class.
Your appropriate and active participation is expected and anticipated as it is taught in the BYU-I Learning Model. Each class will begin with an opening prayer offered by a student. The lesson will cover content from the reading assignment for that day. During the class discussion, be reminded that not all should be spokesman at once, “but let one speak at a time, and let all listen unto his sayings …” (D&C 88:122). Please be respectful of others around you. Disturbing others in the class (visiting, sleeping, doing homework from another class, cell phone interruption or use, ipod use, or laptop use) will affect your grade and your standing in the class. It is my goal to finish the lesson on time or a few minutes early – Therefore, please refrain from gathering your belongings or leaving before the final “Amen”.
Why a grade on participation?
Because … I believe that by the power of the Holy Ghost people may know the truth of all things and that the Holy Ghost is the only one in the class who teaches important eternal truths. (Moroni 10:5. BYU-I Learning Model, pg. 4) I believe that the Holy Ghost will not filter through homework, library books, sleep, note writing or any other non-class activity. I believe that in a particular class a student who generally may not be worthy of the Holy Ghost may feel the Holy Ghost during that class. I believe that the atmosphere in the class must be such that every student may have an experience with the Holy Ghost every day if he or she desires it. I believe that each student is responsible for to bring his/her own materials to class each day, learn what is presented in class, read and study consecutively, participate in the lessons, etc. I believe in the BYU-I Learning Model as an effective way of teaching and learning.
- Practical Skills / Provident Living: You will develop a plan to focus on 6 different practical skills of provident living and then report on your experience living that plan and what you learned about that skill, yourself and your Savior. The Report will consist of at least 300 words and will be a part of each Unit Assessment. Each Provident Living Report should describe: 1. Your plan, 2. Your experience, and 3. How you plan to continue living providently with respect to that skill. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to teach the class through a Showcase presentation what you learned about one of the Provident Living Skills.
- Personal Family Foundations Binder:
* The binder should be sectioned according to the core principles listed above which come from The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
* Each section should contain a personally marked copy of each required reading, as well as, notes on the cases and issues presented during class.
* Students should take notes on discussions during class, including particularly insightful thoughts by fellow students to place in the binder also.
* It will be important to record your personal plan and how you implemented it for each provident living skill—which can then be filed in its respective doctrinal section, or they could be collected as a group under a specific Provident Living section in your binder.
* The binder will be brought to class for a review check during the final exam period on July 21.
Point Breakdown: Grading:
94-100% A
1. Attendance 100 90-93% A-
2. Class Prep. & Reading 430 87-89% B+
3. Unit Assessments (290 PL) 765 83-86% B
4. Memorization & 235 80-82% B-