For class on Tuesday, March 19th, we will be discussing the various birthing politics in the United States. Group 5 will give us an overview of information and statistics on the topic. We will also watch clips from two documentaries that cover the extreme ends of birthing politics: from natural childbirth to in-vitro fertilization.
In class on March 12, we will connect our viewing of After Happily Ever After, with the chapter from our textbook, “New Families: Modern Couples as New Pioneers,” by Philip Cowan & Carolyn Pape Cowan. What are the main points of both the documentary and the chapter? You can review the class Prezi over the reading here. Group 4 can post the link to their Storify page in the comments section below.
After Happily Ever After is filmmaker Kate Schermerhorns quirky, funny and moving personal quest for the secret to a happy marriage and for answers to some timely questions about an institution that, surprisingly, is rarely examined in any comprehensive way: Why do 90% of Americans marry when half of those marriages will end in divorce? What better alternatives, if any, exist? Is marriage entering a new phase, a better and more flexible one or is it becoming obsolete? The one hour film features an eclectic mix of long married couples, from a couple who dress alike every day; to a pair of nudists and a newlywed pair of mothers; to a feisty English widow reveal their secret to making their own unions succeed. . Experts interviewed include John Gottman, who can predict divorce with shocking accuracy; economist Betsey Stevenson; Beverly Hills divorce attorney Cary Goldstein; biologist David Barash; and marriage historian Stephanie Coontz all of whom piece together the history and possible future and motivations for marriage. Along the way, Schermerhorn chronicles the joys and heartbreaks of her own marriage, and finds that even the best advice can’t always guarantee a happily ever after.
Finding love has never been easy. But it’s also never been easier. Online dating sites thrive on the promise that dates and mates are just a “click” away. But are they? WHEN STRANGERS CLICK: FIVE STORIES FROM THE INTERNET, from Robert Kenner (the Oscar®-nominated “Food, Inc.”), tells the revealing stories of people whose lives were transformed in unexpected ways by online encounters. From a woman turning 30 who’s starting to fear she’ll never get married, to a failed Swedish businessman who finds love and fame in the 3D virtual world Second Life, to a young gay man for whom the Internet becomes a lifeline, the stories in WHEN STRANGERS CLICK span the range of human emotions, from loneliness to elation, from confusion to fulfillment, from humiliation to hope. The acceptance of the Internet as a way to meet, develop and maintain relationships has mushroomed, with an estimated one in five heterosexual couples in the U.S. having met online. This video Valentine’s Day card demonstrates how profoundly the search for intimacy has changed in today’s Internet-centric world, challenging the assumption that finding a partner online is shallower than in-the-flesh courting.
Interesting stats from the movie:
22% of couples met online
women are afraid of meeting a killer; men are afraid of meeting someone who’s overweight
In this section of the course, we will watch The Education of Shelby Knoxand discuss two assigned articles: “Avenue to Adulthood,” p. 338-350 and Bogle, Hooking Up and Dating: A Comparison, p. 134-154 (textbook). Be sure to take notes on the articles and be ready to have a discussion about them in class. How does this information intersect with our discussion of institutions in the last section? What are the sociological reasons for high rates of teen pregnancy? What is the situation with sex education in high schools under Obama, as compared to Bush’s abstinence only policy?
The article “Avenue to Adulthood,” is chock full of information and statistics. Please review this carefully. What does the article say is the most important social issue promoting teen pregnancy? What is the US teen pregnancy rate? How does it compare internationally? How do the intersections of race and class impact teen pregnancy?
Group 2 should post their link to Storify in the comment section below, with a description and names of group members.
We also ready the article from our textbook, “Hooking Up and Dating: A Comparison.” What did the author have to say on the topics of: sex, the rules, love, the group, alcohol, status, adulthood, and continuing gender inequality? Be ready to discuss.
Welcome to the new Spring 2013 semester of 130 The Family, at Siena College. During the first week of class, we will review the syllabus and talk about sociology, social institutions, with an emphasis on the intersections of the family and media. In the above video, family scholar Stephanie Coontz talks about the myths created around the American family through 1950s style television shows. Please watch this video and take down some notes that you can share with the class. How have these shows formed our (inaccurate) understanding of the family? Dr. Coontz shows us that social problems within the family have always been with us, but have simply changed over time. There was never a time period in which the American family did not have problems. This course will be focusing on social issues and problems that intersect with the family as a social institution.
What are social institutions? What are examples of how various social institutions intersect with the family? Please explore this topic, as you will be asked to talk about it during the classroom discussion.
During week 1 & 2, we will talk about the media’s influence on the family. Please explore this topic and come to class ready to discuss the various ways these social institutions interact with each other. During the first two weeks, we will read two chapters from Susan Linn’s book Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood, and watch the documentary Consuming Kids.
In Susan Linn’s book, Chapter 2: “A Consumer in the Family: The Nag Factor and Other Nightmares,” Linn talks about the battle between advertising companies and parents. Her main thesis statement is on page 32-33: “Here I want to explore the attitudes and philosophies behind the creation of such products and the campaigns to sell them, as well as the impact of those attitudes and philosophies on families.” She points out that one of the aims of the marketing companies is to come between parents and children and cause havoc in family life, via The Nag Factor. She talks about the details of companies assessing the impact of The Nag Factor. Be sure to be familiar with these definitions.
In Susan Linn’s book, chapter 5 (p.75-93): “Students for Sale: Who Profits from Marketing in Schools?” she talks about the rise of school marketing that has grown exponentially since the 1990s. Her main thesis of this chapter is stated on page 77: “I’ll limit my discussion to more direct forms of advertising in schools–why it’s happening, what forms it takes, and why it is a problem.” In class, students should be expected to outline her argument, and point to the examples she highlights in her chapter. Feel free to find related web links to the topics she discusses in order to contribute to our class discussion.
The corporatization of the educational institution on all levels, and the faltering economy contribute the larger macro-economic structure to this growing social issue. Schools are receiving less money from the government, and corporations are taking advantage of this situation by targeting schools for their advertising and product placement. Regulations of such procedures were weakened under President Reagan, and continue to weaken. Some of the offenders that she highlights in this chapter include:
What have your experiences been with marketing and products in your schools? Examples? Which of these can we see taking place at Siena?
The documentary, Consuming Kids, is distributed by the Media Education Foundation, a company that explores how social issues are presented in popular media (television, film). Please look over this website and try and watch one of the films (online for free). Come to class ready to tell us the synopsis of the film and what you learned, on Tuesday, January 29th. Post your response to the film you watched in the comment section of this particular blog posting. Be sure to include a link to the film on the MEF page, or a clip of the film on YouTube. Please try and watch a video that has not been mentioned by your classmates in the comment section below. Several have commented now on Mickey Mouse Monopoly, so it would be nice to hear about others. Thanks!
In this next section of our course, we will have three different guest speakers joining us.
On Tuesday, November 27, we will have Jenny Nigro, from Unity House join us to talk about domestic violence in relationships. Since its inception in 1971, Unity House has grown to meet the increasing needs of those living in Rensselaer County and surrounding communities. Providing crisis intervention, advocacy, skills teaching, information, resources, encouragement and support, Unity House continues to help disadvantaged people lead productive and healthy lives. [Powerpoint Presentation: dv101]
On Thursday, November 29th, we will have Hawk Stone join us to talk about transgender issues within the family. Hawk is an internationally recognized expert in transgender care with 25 years experience working with transsexual, transgender and gender variant people of all ages, especially young gender variant children, and their families. When someone is contemplating a gender transition it is his approach to work with the whole family as everyone transitions in a gender transition. He also has a solid record of success in workplace transitions for clients and have a consulting practice just for workplace transitions. He works with lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, assisting in the coming out process. [Handouts: Common terms 8.12 & Disclosure workshop,11_12]
On Tuesday, December 4th, we will be joined by Brian Frank, from Lambda Family Circle. Lambda Family Circle is a social and support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) families in the greater Capital Region area of New York State. They provide social gatherings, a sense of community, and information for connecting to other resources for GLBT families.
During the guest speaker presentations, be sure to take excellent notes, as their talk will be on our final exam. Please also be prepared to ask a question of the speaker. You can look over their website before class and come to class ready to talk about the issues at hand.
During this next section in class, we will be exploring the issues connecting socio-economic class status and the educational system in the United States. We will be having an active discussion, writing personal reflections, viewing documentary clips, and reading the assigned articles. In order to facilitate the discussion, I have invited Dr. Mark Jury to join us for the week in order to share his expertise on the educational institution.
Our main challenge this week is to identify social institutions and power dynamics that intersect with the educational system. In order to do this, we must first understand the impact of this intersection personally.
For your class participation, please write a 100-250 word essay about your personal experiences of education in regards to socio-economic class and power. Also include in your story, how your educational process has been influenced by at least two other institutions. Post your story in the comments section of this blog before Monday at 5pm. After that time, please look over your classmates’ stories and find sociological themes to comment upon during our discussion circle in class. Be ready to share your story again in class. We will go over these narratives on Tuesday.
Institution Examples:
Family
Financial System
Government/Electoral System
Healthcare System
Immigration System
Law
Media
Military
Nation
Prisons
Religion
Science
Technology
Workplace
We will also be connecting the two assigned articles to our personal narratives and the documentaries on Tuesday. Please read both articles (see Prezi):
– Nelson: Parenting Out of Control: chapter 4: How They Parent: Styles, Satisfactions, and Tensions, 87-104
– Textbook: Reading 30: Why Middle Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke, 401-420
On Thursday, I will be out of town, so Dr. Jury will continue the conversation with the class. He will show parts of the documentary The Lottery.
You will connect the documentary, your personal narratives, and the assigned readings for Thursday:
– Textbook: Reading 27: Families on the Fault Line, 371-388
– Textbook: Reading 29: The Missing Class, 395-400
Finally, on Tuesday November 6, we will have a focus group on student loans. We will watch the short documentary Default: The Student Loan Documentary. For those of you who are willing to speak publicly about student loans, you can participate in the videotaped focus group. This exercise will help me develop questions for students about student loans.
During this section of class, we will be talking about birthing options, including the option of remaining child free. We will watch the documentaries The Business of Being Born as well as Maybe Baby. Here is a link to a prezi on reproductive technologies.
For class on October 23, we will cover three articles. Each group should be ready to summarize the main points of the article assigned. Group 2 can talk about their upcoming presentation.
Group 1: Goodwin: Robertson, Commerce and Regulation in the Assisted Reproduction Industry, 191-207 (Prezi for review) Group 2: Group presentation Group 3: Defago: Chapter 2: The Childfree Stigma, p. 21-35 (Prezi for review) Group 4: Cobb: Single, “Introduction,” p. 1-40 (Prezi for review)
On October 9th, we will be talking about the shifting gender role norms of men and women in American families. We have four articles assigned, and I would each group to cover one of the articles. Please be able to identify the main thesis statement of the article, overview the argument, and describe the sociological issues apparent in the article (identify institutions, power dynamics, social norms/pressures, etc). Also come up with at least two sociological discussion questions that discuss institutions and power. Please bring laptops to class to assist in your group work. We will review our course Prezi, which outlines the main points of the articles as well.
Group 1: Textbook: Gerson, Falling Back on Plan B, 102-116 Group 2: Risman: “A ‘Stalled’ Revolution or a Still Unfolding One? 408-412 Group 3: Textbook: Kefalas, Furstenberg, & Napolitano, Marriage Is More Than Being Together, p. 172-189 Group 4: Risman: Women’s Money Matters, 426-430
Risman: Men’s Changing Contribution to Family Work, 393-401
Please also watch this video by Stephanie Coontz and take notes. What stood out to you about this video? Post your response below, and be ready to talk about it in class.
In class today, Group 1 will be presenting an overview of the topics we have covered thus far, and going off from these topics to explore new ideas. These topics include marketing towards children and teen sexuality/pregnancy. Group members should post links to their Prezi’s and Xtranormal videos below.
Sociology of the Family 