Family
soc 3705
Course Description:
This course provides an overview of the family and familial relationships from a sociological perspective. The family is considered one of the most private and pervasive institutions in society. All of us have had contact with at least one family and many of us will be involved in several different families over the course of our lives. We will look at families in a variety of ways: as powerful myths and ideals that we often do not live up to; as bounded kinship structures that shape our opportunities, values, and senses of self; as a social institution interrelated with other social institutions (economy, schools, popular culture, etc.); as a key site for gender relations, intense emotional relationships, and socializing children. In addition, we will study how families and family policy are shaped by a variety of social factors or developments such as race and class relations, immigration, economic restructuring, consumer culture, etc.
Past Syllabus:
Fall 2023
This course involves the creation of a video in which students explore their families using a Sociological lens.
““Great course. There were so many new things we learned about the institution of the family that we probably wouldn’t have thought or ever learned about.””