UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

 Maryland in Europe
Distance Education Programs

                                                                                           SYLLABUS

                                              SOCY 443 The Family and Society (3)

                                                     Term (TBA), Academic Year (TBA)

                                                                    DATES (TBA)

 

 

Instructor: Warren R. Johnson
E-mail: wjohnson@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
Home Address:  

 

Outline.  SOCY 443 analyzes the family,  its role in society, its development and future trends. 
Though it is not a counseling course, everyday pressures faced by the family, parents, and children
will be discussed.  Child rearing, socialization, gender roles, dual-career couples, conflict, family
violence, divorce, and life after marriage are a few of the topics we will be discussing.

In addition to class participation (15%), a midterm (30%) and a final exam (30%), an
8 to 10-page term paper or report (25%) will be required. 

Grades are based on A=90-100%, B= 80-89%, C= 70-79%, D= 60-69%, etc.  

Texts.             Public and Private Families (3rd edition) by Andrew Cherlin

                       Public and Private Families (reader) by Andrew Cherlin

Credit.  Your 3-credit hours will be earned by examining American family structure, making cross-cultural 
comparisons, tracing the development of the family and exploring alternatives to it. Topics included are 
subcultures, socialization, child rearing, stress, gender roles, family violence, and divorce.

Course Objectives.  By the end of the course you should be able to

                        1. make cross-cultural comparisons of family structures,

                        2. distinguish among competing theoretical perspectives,

                        3. recognize important sub-cultural differences,

                        4. anticipate changes in the family,

                        5. comfortably express yourself in writing (essays or formal term papers).


Student Responsibilities.  You should come prepared for each class   meeting by reading the appropriate 
assignments and reviewing class notes from previous meetings. Each student will have an opportunity during the 
semester to summarize his or her notes from the preceding meeting in order to lend continuity to our discussions, 
bring out points needing clarification, and add new material noticed between classes. For your term paper please 
plan a formal, typewritten manuscript, approximately 8-10 pages long (2,000 words), with footnotes or endnotes.

Grades. Grades will depend on

                                    1. participation.............................15%  
                                    2. two multiple-choice essay exams
                                                   midterm........................30%
                                                   final..............................30%
                                    3. a written term paper or  
                                    report (a ten-page paper or
                                    report will be due no later  
                                    than the 6th week of class).......... 25%

                                                                                      100%

  Grades are based on A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69 etc.

 

Below is a schedule of chapters and tests

 

 

Date

Chapters to be read in Public and Private Families by Andrew J. Cherlin

pages

 

 

First Quarter

 

  Week 1

Chapter 1 – Public and Private Families  

Chapter 2 – The History of the Family

pp. 3-37

 pp. 39-75

  Week 2

Chapter 3 – Gender and Families

Chapter 4 – Social Class and Families

pp. 77- 108

pp. 111-139

 

 

Second Quarter

 

  Week 3

Chapter 5 – Race and Ethnicity

Chapter 6 – The Family, State, and Social Policy

pp. 141-173

 pp. 175-202

  Week 4

Chapter 7 – Sexuality

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

pp. 205-241

 

 

Third Quarter

 

  Week 5

Chapter 8 – Cohabitation and Marriage

Chapter 9 – Work and Families

pp. 243-281.  

pp. 283-312

  Week 6

Chapter 10 – Children and Parents

Chapter 11 – The Elderly and their Families

TERM PAPER DUE

pp. 315-351

pp. 353-382

 

 

Fourth Quarter

 

  Week 7

Chapter 12 – Domestic Violence

Chapter 13 – Divorce

pp. 385-413

 pp. 415-447

  Week 8

Chapter 14 – Remarriage and Stepfamilies

FINAL EXAMINATION

pp. 449-476

 

Faculty.   Collegiate Associate Professor.  Born and raised in Chicago, he returned to Illinois following three years in the U.S. Army to attend Northern Illinois University, from where he graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Sociology.    In addition to teaching evening classes, he taught for the Day Campus in Germany, AFCENT in the Netherlands, and UMUC in Manama, Bahrain. He started teaching DE six years ago  with a focus on demography, religion, sociological theory, and military sociology. He recently participated in a Washington Post.com interview promoting the PBS Special and book The First Measured Century and is a Fellow in the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society (IUS). He is a participant in the UMUC ADE Project--Accessibility in Distant Education, helps train teachers for the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL),  and works for the Faculty Consultant Service.