CFD 1010: Individual and Family Relationships (3 credit hours)

Fall 2008

T & R 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Instructor: Ryan Peterson, Ph.D.

Office: Lovinger 4248

Phone: 543-8744

Email:

Office Hours: Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.; 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.; 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Course Description

This course is designed to be an introduction to the topic of individual and family development. I will focus on family as a basic social institution, discuss various theoretical perspectives on the family, and present an overview of the contemporary social scientific research on the family. The history, structure, and functions of the family will be addressed as will topics such as dating, cohabitation, marriage, parenting, family violence, and divorce. The objective of this course is to provide you with a basic understanding of the concepts, methods, and principles used in studying families from a sociological perspective.

This course will follow a lecture format. These lectures are meant to complement the information contained in the chapters. There will be topics covered in your reading that are not addressed in lecture. Similarly, I will cover material in lecture that is not addressed in the text. You are expected to know all of the material. I will encourage class discussion and occasionally I will show a video. There will be no review sessions or study guides provided. Occasionally, class announcements will be posted on Blackboard. You are responsible for checking those postings and for the information contained within any postings.

Required Text

Strong, B., DeVault, C., & Cohen, T. (2007). The marriage and family experience, Intimate relationships in a changing society,10th Edition. Wadsworth.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able:

1.  to recognize appropriate and inappropriate behaviors in themselves and others and develop skills for enhancing desirable changes in their cognitive, emotional, and/or physiological well being.

2.  to understand causes of personal and/or social conflicts and to identify and analyze appropriate strategies to resolve conflicts.

3.  to explain social institutions, such as the family, and develop hypothetical explanations for individual behavior and evaluate contemporary problems and to display an awareness of the reciprocal influence between family and the larger society.

4.  to understand and apply the criteria of effective communication in interpersonal and familial relationships.

5.  to communicate effectively in groups by listening, reflecting, and responding appropriately and in context so as to apply these skills in their own personal relationships.

6.  to apply the information and skills necessary for decision making regarding love relationships, communication, human sexuality, reproduction, parenting, and crisis management.

7.  to assess the reliability, validity, and adequacy of evidence in evaluating analyses and interpretations of studies.

8.  to identify and articulate personal values which affect family life.

9.  to understand how values, attitudes and experiences influence individual development.

10.  to identify the influencing experiences and attitudes which have contributed to one's own personal development and value system.

11.  to display an awareness and appreciation of human diversity and diverse family forms.

Attendance

Regular attendance is expected and students are encouraged to attend each class session. Lecture will begin at 12:30 p.m. You should arrive on time and plan to stay for the entire class. If you come in late or must leave early, please sit in the back of the room by the door. Turn off your cell phones and pagers during class. I do not provide lecture notes to students so you are responsible for getting class notes whenever you cannot attend. You are also responsible for the content of any videos or guest speakers. If you must miss class, it is your responsibility to find out from a classmate what you missed.

Extra Credit

There will be the opportunity to receive 20 extra credit points throughout the semester. In order to receive the points, you will need to complete an activity created by the instructor. These opportunities will be related to issues regarding individual and family development. In addition, you will need to write a two-page response paper. The paper will include a one page summary of the activity and a one page personal response (double spaced, 12 point font). The extra credit paper must be given to the instructor no later than one week after the date of the activity. The paper will be worth a maximum of 10 points and will be graded on clarity and thoughtfulness. There will be three extra credit opportunities throughout the semester. No additional extra credit will be available

Class Participation

Throughout the semester there will be class participation activities that will be conducted during lecture. These activities will go along with the lecture topic for that day. Each participation activity will be worth 10 points (100 points total). Therefore, there will be ten lecture days that will include class participation points. These points will not be able to be made up unless there is a university excused absence or official documentation stating that you were sick or had a serious injury.

Cell Phones

Out of respect for your classmates, instructors, and guests, please turn your cell phones off before you come to class. In addition, do not text during class time. If an individual uses a cell phone during a test, the test will be collected by the instructor and a score of zero will be earned.

Genogram Paper

This paper provides an opportunity for you to look closely at your development, identifying and analyzing a few key experiences, attitudes or relationships that have contributed to your being who you are and how you feel about it. Be as open and honest as possible, although you are not asked to violate your privacy in this paper. This paper will be strictly confidential; read only by the instructor and returned to the student. For some students, the process of this assignment proves to be a highly valuable, rewarding experience. To analyze events and relationships as to their impact on one's development is not an easy task. The better an individual investigates and gains understanding of the complex process of her or his attitude and behavior evolution, the more likely that person is to gain satisfaction from present and future relationships and life situations. The primary measure for the instructor's evaluation of this assignment is the degree to which a meaningful exploration of an individual's development is evident. Papers must be typed. Papers must be typed in 12 pt font and a minimum of 6 pages. Points may be deducted if there are spelling and/or grammatical errors, less than minimum length, or turned in late (20% per day).

Exams

There will be four non-comprehensive exams each worth 100 points (50 multiple choice questions worth two points each and based on material from lecture, text, and videos). The fourth exam will take place on the day of the scheduled final. You should bring two sharpened pencils to all exams. The student will provide the bubble sheet needed for each exam.

Make-up exams: If you miss an exam, contact the instructor immediately. In the case of serious injury or illness (must have official documentation) you may formally request permission to make up an exam at an alternate time. You must schedule and complete the make-up less than one week after the original exam date. Otherwise, students who miss an exam will be able to take it on the day of the final exam, immediately following completion of the final exam. The final and all make-ups must be completed in the period of time scheduled for by the university for this final exam period (3 hours).

Final exam: The final exam is a non-comprehensive exam and will follow the format of the first 3 exams. It will consist of 50 multiple choice questions which will cover material from chapters 13-16 as well as material from lecture, videos, or guest speakers.

Study guides: I do not provide study guides to the class. However, a web-based study guide is available through Wadsworth publishing (www.wadsworth.com). On the left part of the page, under “Humanities and Social Science,” click on ‘Sociology.” Then, click on “Marriage and Family” and find our book and select “companion site” under students.

Academic Honesty

Academic Honesty means performing all academic work without cheating lying, tampering, stealing, receiving assistance from any other person or using any source of information which is not common knowledge (unless that assistance or use is authorized by the person responsible for supervising that academic work or fairly attributed to that source of assistance or any information). Academic Dishonesty means knowingly performing, attempting to perform, or assisting any other person in performing any academic work, which does not meet this standard of academic honesty.

All students in this class should follow the guidelines listed in the Academic Honesty Policy listed on pages 142 through 145 in the University of Central Missouri 2008-2009 Planner/Handbook.

Student Evaluation

Class Requirement

/

Possible Points

/ Points Earned
Exam 1 (Ch 1-4) / 100
Exam 2 (Ch 5-8) / 100
Exam 3 (Ch 9-12) / 100
Exam 4 (Ch 13-16) / 100
Paper / 100
Class Participation / 100

Total Points

/ 600
Add any Extra Credit

Calculation of Final Grades

A = 537 - 600 points (90% and above)

B = 477 – 536 (89%-80%)

C = 417 – 476 (79%-70%)

D = 357 – 416 (69%-60%)

F = 356 and below (59% and below)

To be fair to all students, grade cutoffs are final. You will have the opportunity to earn extra credit points throughout the semester and they will count toward your final point total. This is the only way that you can raise your grade beyond your exam scores. I know it is painful to miss getting a higher grade by only 1-2 points, but these cutoffs will be held to strictly. Sorry, no exceptions.

Tentative Schedule of Class Sessions and Reading Assignments

The following represents a general outline for our progress through the material. Actual dates and topics may change as we move through the semester. Any changes in the schedule will be announced during class and/or on Blackboard.

DATE TOPIC READINGS

Aug 19 Introduction to the Course Chapter 1

Aug 21 Exploring the Family Chapter 1

Aug 26 Studying the Family Chapter 2

Aug 28 Diversity of Families Chapter 3

Sept 2 Our Gendered Identities Chapter 4

Sept 4 Our Gendered Identities Chapter 4

Sept 9 Exam 1

Sept 11 Friendship, Love, and Commitment Chapter 5

Sept 16 Friendship, Love, and Commitment Chapter 5

Sept 18 Communication Chapter 6

Sept 23 Communication (Introduce Paper) Chapter 6

Sept 25 Living Single and Cohabitation Chapter 7

Sept 30 Living Single and Cohabitation Chapter 7

Oct 2 Understanding Sexuality Chapter 8

Oct 7 Understanding Sexuality Chapter 8

Oct 9 Exam 2

Oct 14 Family Life Cycles Chapter 9

Oct 16 To Parent or Not to Parent Chapter 10

Oct 21 To Parent or Not to Parent Chapter 10

Oct 23 Parenting Chapter 11

Oct 28 Parenting Chapter 11

Oct 30 Work and Economics (Paper Due) Chapter 12

Nov 4 Exam 3

Nov 6 No Class (Attending NCFR Conference)

Nov 11 Family Violence Chapter 13

Nov 13 Family Violence Chapter 13

Nov 18 Divorce: Before and After Chapter 14

Nov 20 Divorce: Before and After Chapter 14

Nov 25 Fall Break

Nov 27 Fall Break (Thanksgiving)

Dec 2 Remarriages and Stepfamilies Chapter 15

Dec 4 Family Strengths and Needs Chapter 15

Dec 11 FINAL EXAM 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in our regular classroom

This exam is non-comprehensive (info. after exam 3 & original theories).

Student Needs

1.  The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) provides academic accommodations to UCM students with disabilities as defined by the ADA. Students must provide appropriate verification of their disabilities. The coordinator will determine reasonable appropriate accommodations on a case by case basis. Call or visit OAS, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Union 220, voice/TDD 660-543-4421,

FAX 660-543-4724.

2.  Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance in this course should make an appointment to speak with the instructor as soon as possible so that those needs can be met.