The Family – SOCI 130 – OL
Summer 2023
June 27-July 25
(ATTR: AMSB, ARTS, CDS, LSRG, WSTU, STVS)
Instructor: Beverly Jane Thompson
Email: bthompson@Siena.edu
Office Hours in Rosetti Hall 325
Mondays 9-11 am
Tuesdays 9-12 pm
https://sociologyofthefamily.wordpress.com/http://twitter.com/#!/FamilySociology
Video Introductions
Video overview of Canvas interface
Video overview of the syllabus
Video introduction to the course description
Course Description and Learning Outcomes:
This course will introduce students to sociological concepts and issues within contemporary family sociology. The intersections between the family and other social institutions will be a central component of this course. Diversity of families will be another central foundation for this course. Issues of privilege and inequality will be explored, as well as social justice as it pertains to families. Students will learn how to analyze academic texts, documentary films, write critical short essays, apply the sociological perspective to the institution of the family, and master assigned materials as demonstrated through online exams.
Textbook (on Canvas):
(Available on Canvas under “files,” you do not need to buy)
Cohen, Philip, N (2018) The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Discussion board posts
(4 discussion boards; 10 points each; total= 40 points)
There will be discussion board postings where you will respond to a prompt about the assigned reading. See the discussion board thread for details on assignment.
Discussion Board Due Dates:
- module 4 discussion “race & ethnicity” due __ before noon;
- module 8 “gender” due __ by noon;
- module 9 “sexuality” __ by noon;
- module 10 “relationships” due __ by noon.
Quizzes
(3 quizzes; 10 points each; total of 30 points) Each quiz will have multiple choice, short answer, essay answer, or true/false questions or a combination of the above. Quizzes may cover material from previous modules in addition to current module and may be cumulative.
Quiz Due Dates:
- module 3 quiz due ___ by noon;
- module 7 “work” quiz due ___ by noon;
- module 11 “family formations” quiz due ___ by noon.
Final Paper (20 points)
Final paper of 500 words or more, citing 3 academic sources, including those assigned, with reference list and in text citation. Topic can be anything sociological about the family institution and its intersection with other institutions, include an intersectional analysis including diverse demographics represented.
Midterm Grade Scale: x Points
100-94 %= A (40-37)
90-93 % = A- (36)
88-89 % = B+ (35)
84-87 % = B (33-34)
80-83 % = B- (32)
78-79 % = C+ (31)
74-77 % = C (29-30)
70-73 % = C- (28)
66-69 % = D+ (26-7)
63-65 % = D (25)
60-62 % = D- (24)
59-0 % = F (not passing) (23-0)
Final Grade Scale: 100 Points
100-94 %= A
90-93 % = A-
88-89 % = B+
84-87 % = B
80-83 % = B-
78-79 % = C+
74-77 % = C
70-73 % = C-
66-69 % = D+
63-65 % = D
60-62 % = D-
59-0 % = F (not passing)
Grades are posted for each assignment on Canvas. It is your responsibility to know how to check your grades, routinely check them for accuracy, and report any discrepancies immediately.
Make Up Policy: Late work will not be accepted, except for school medical leave of absence. In that case, the assignment is due one week after medical leave ends.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is copying or paraphrasing someone else’s work and/or words without due credit and correct citation: it is not allowed. Consult Siena’s policy at http://www.siena.edu/level3col.aspx?menu_id=530&id=1548 . If you commit plagiarism, you will fail the assignment and be reported to the department chairperson.
Syllabus Updates: The syllabus is subject to change. Please check the latest online version of the syllabus for the most accurate information. Do not print out the syllabus because of this.
Pandemic/Emergency Preparedness: (a) You are instructed to bring all texts and a copy of the syllabus/course schedule home with you in the event of a college closure. The academic calendar will be adjusted upon reopening; so be prepared for the possibility of a short mini-semester; rescheduled class/exam period; and/or rescheduling of the semester, depending on the length of the closure.
(b) If your situation permits, you should continue with readings and assignments to the best of your ability, per the course schedule.
(c) You will be given instructions regarding how to deal with paper assignments requiring library or other required research by me, as needed.
(d) Online office hours will be used by me in order to maintain contact with my students. You will be able to check-in with questions that you have. If you do not have internet access available, I will also provide my home phone number and home address, as needed. Remember, internet, mail delivery, and telephone services may also be impacted by a pandemic or other emergency events.
(e) Finally, stay connected with information regarding the status of the college’s status and reopening schedule by monitoring the Siena website, www.siena.edu.
Course Schedule:
————–Module 1: Introduction to Sociology ————–
Read the course blog post: What is Sociology?
Read: “Sociological Imagination” article (on Canvas under File)
Read the syllabus
————–Module 2: How do Sociologists Look at the Family? ——–
Read course blog post on module 2
Read: Chapter 1: A Sociology of the Family, p. 2-33
————–Module 3: History of the Family ————–
Read course blog on module 3
Chapter 2: The Family in History, p. 34-75
Watch video: Stephanie Coontz, The Way We Never Were (2010)
Coontz is a faculty member at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families. She has published extensively on the topic of marriage and family life and is the author of several highly praised books, such as The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap and Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage.
Assignment: Quiz due
————–Module 4: Race & Ethnicity ————–
Chapter 3: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, p. 72-10
Assignment: Discussion board due October 2 Sunday at noon
————–Module 5: Immigration (October 3-9)————–
Chapter 3: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, p. 72-109 (cont.)
Video: Documented (2014)
Jose Antonio Vargas began his immigrant journey at age 12, when he was sent to the United States from the Philippines by his mother to live with his grandparents in Mountain View, California. After attending San Francisco State University, Vargas pursued a print journalism career — landing jobs at newspapers in San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C. for the Washington Post — all the while, managing to keep his true citizenship status a secret.
—————–Module 6: Families and Social Class —————
Chapter 4: Families and Social Class, p. 112-145
Read blog post for module 6
Born Rich (2003): (pay site) The heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical empire, Jamie Johnson, points his documentary lens in the direction of some privileged children who stand to inherit millions in the not-so-distant future. Johnson manages to pry revelations from heirs with some famous last names – Trump, Bloomberg and Vanderbilt, to name a few. They speak frankly about money, family pressure and their often extravagant lifestyle.
Inequality for All (2013) A documentary that follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country’s widening economic gap.
Quiz Due October 16 by noon
—————–Module 7: Work —————–
Read: Chapter 11: Work and Families, p. 399–435
read blog post on chapter 11
Assignment: quiz due October 23, Sunday at noon
—————–Module 8: Gender —————–
Read: course blog for gender module 8
Read: Chapter 5: Gender, p. 148-185
Assignment: Discussion board due October 30 at noon
—————–Module 9: Sexuality —————–
Read class blog post on sexuality
Chapter 6: Sexuality, p. 186-223
Video: How to Lose Your Virginity
Description: How To Lose Your Virginity is an eye-opening and irreverent documentary journey through religion, history, pop culture and $30 internet hymens. By turns hilarious and horrifying, the film reveals the myths and misogyny behind virginity in America, and what we can do to change the conversation. A film by Therese Shechter, director of I Was A Teenage Feminist.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/howtoloseyourvirginity ($3.99)
Assignment: Module 9 discussion due
—————–Module 10: Relationships ——
Chapter 7: Love and Romantic Relationships, p. 224-256
Ready course blog
Video: The Mobile Love Industry
The smartphone has become the crucial link in modern relationships, it facilitates far more connections than real-world interaction ever allowed — from dating app geniuses who use data and game theory to hack the system, to the darker side of digital love, where app addiction runs rampant and users find themselves endlessly swiping in an empty search for more. Karley Sciortino will take on the task of determining where the human search for love is headed in the 21st century. She’ll meet with the brains behind these dating apps and try each of the most promising apps out using her own love life as a testing ground.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/mobile-love-industry/
Assignment: discussion due
—————–Module 11: Families Formations —————–
Chapter 9: Families and Children, p. 302-339
Read course blog post for module 11
Video: The Business of Being Born
Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to explore the maternity care system in America.
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/ (official site where you can rent or buy a download)
Assignment: quiz due
———-Module 12 ———-
Final Paper due
Sociology of the Family 
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