SOC 224(F) The Family in American Social Life (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 226)

This course introduces students to a sociological analysis of the family by focusing on different social dynamics that constitute family life and considering their relationship to broader societal structures and forces. From different angles, we will explore a question of central concern: Given the institutional nature of the family as well as the family ideals and mythologies which circulate in the larger culture, how do people make sense of their own and others' experience of family life and envision its future? We will examine historical shifts in household and kinship organization in the U.S. (especially with regard to capitalism); recent changes in family structure and the public anxieties they generate; as well as the roles which gender, class, sexual orientation, age, race/ethnicity and religion play in contemporary debates about the family. In doing so, we will consider specific topics such as: family policy and law, marriage and cohabitation, parenting and carework; the division of household labor, domestic violence, and the impact of reproductive technologies.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: participation in class discussion; several short response papers; one major research paper, and a final examination.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected 22). Open to first-year students.

Hour: BESSETT