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McGill University Sociology 247: Family and Modern Society Fall 2008 Class Location: BURN 1B45 Class Meeting Times: 4:35 - 5:25 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Professor: Elaine Weiner Office Address: LEA 732 Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. or by appointment E-mail: [email protected] Office Phone: 514-398-6843 “A family is the nucleus of civilization.” – William James Durant “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” – Jane Howard Course Description By definition, sociology involves the systematic study of human social behavior, interaction and organization. Sociologists are particularly interested in understanding how human social life is shaped by social forces (e.g., globalization) and social structures (e.g., class). This is a survey course designed to introduce you to the study of one particular institution of human social life – the family. In this class, we will explore a variety of concepts, methodologies, theoretical perspectives, and empirical findings pertaining to the sociological study of family, with particular reference to Canadian and American families. Course Materials • Coursepack The coursepack (prepared by Eastman Systems, Inc.) is available at the McGill University bookstore. A copy of the coursepack will also be placed on reserve in the McLennan-Redpath library. I will be using WebCT Vista to make available slide presentations, handouts, exam review sheets, etc…, so please check the course site on a regular basis. Course Organization and Requirements Class format: Lectures not only cover material from the readings, but also material which is not in the readings. So, while attendance is not mandatory, it is in your interest to attend lecture. Additionally, in order to be best-prepared, you should do the readings as scheduled (see the “course schedule” below). This will enable you to better follow my lectures and to most effectively synthesize lecture and reading materials. CONFERENCES: Conferences will be held every Friday (locations and times TBA), with the exception of Friday, September 5th on which day I will lecture. No sign-up is necessary. You must attend six conferences, of your choosing, in order to receive credit (i.e., = 5% of your final grade). Should you attend any less than six you will receive no credit. Reading These are the kinds of questions you should be thinking about as you are doing your reading for this course in order to best mentally process the materials: 1. What point or argument is the author trying to make? 2. 3. How does the author go about supporting his/her argument? What kind of evidence is s/he relying on? What are the strengths and/or weaknesses of his/her argument and/or research? What are the implications of the author’s argument and/or findings? Course Requirements: Mid-term Exam = 30% (Monday, October 20th) Final Exam = 35% (to be scheduled during the final exam period) Papers = 30% (due Monday, December 1st) Conference Attendance = 5% Note: If you have a disability and require any special accommodations, please let me know. Exams I consider all materials in this course including readings, lectures, videos, and discussions to be “fair game” for the exams. Exams are comprised of a combination of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. Note: The Midterm exam CANNOT be made up, except in instances of doctor-verified illness, family emergency/death or natural disaster. Also, according to Senate regulations, instructors are not permitted to make special arrangements for final exams. Please consult the Calendar, section 4.7.2.1., General University Information and Regulations at www.mcgill.ca. Paper You are required to write a paper, ~8-10 pages in length (double-spaced) (further guidelines will be made available on WEBCT Vista). This paper is due Monday, December 1st). “The State of the Family: Recommendations to Government”: You have been called as an “expert” on the family to address the Canadian Parliament (or the U.S. Congress, your choice). You are to write a short briefing and to conclude with a few recommendations to the government as to what kinds of actions you believe it should take in order to improve the contemporary circumstances of families in Canada (or the U.S.). LATE PAPER SUBMISSION POLICY: For each day that a paper is late, the paper grade will be lowered by half a grade (e.g., if your initial grade is a B- and you submit the paper a day late, your final paper grade will be a C+). General Academic Policies McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offenses under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information. 2 Course Schedule SECTION I : SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY: THE FOUNDATIONS September 3 and 5 Topic(s): COURSE INTRODUCTION; DEFINING “FAMILY” • Czyscon, Janice. 1995. “On Being a Family.” Pp. 122-33 in Lesbian Parenting: Living With Pride and Prejudice, edited by Katherine Arnup. Canada: Gynergy Books. • Gittens, Diana. 1993. “What is the Family? Is it Universal?” Pp. 60-72 in The Family in Question (2nd edition) by Diana Gittens. New Jersey: Humanities Press International, Inc. September 8, 10 and 15 Topic(s): CRISIS OR CHANGE?: THE CURRENT STATE OF THE FAMILY; FAMILY THEORIES AND METHODS • Fox, Bonnie. 2001. “As Times Change: A Review of Trends in Personal and Family Life.” Pp. 153-75 in Family Relations, Gender Patterns (2nd edition), edited by Bonnie Fox. Canada: Oxford University Press. • Giele, Janet Z. 1996. “Decline of the Family: Conservative, Liberal and Feminist Views.” Pp. 89-115 in Promises to Keep: Decline and Renewal of Marriage in America, edited by David Popenoe, Jean Bethke Elshtain and David Blanenhorn. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. SECTION II: CANADIAN AND AMERICAN FAMILIES IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE September 17 and 22 Topic(s): CANADIAN AND AMERICAN FAMILIES IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE • Gerstel, Naomi and Harriet Engel Gross. 1995. “Gender and Families in the United States: The Reality of Economic Dependence.” Pp. 92-127 in Women: A Feminist Perspective (5th edition), edited by Jo Freeman. California: Mayfield Publishing. • Landry, Yves. 2000. “Gender Imbalance, Les Filles du Roi and Choice of Spouse in New France.” Pp. 1432 in Canadian Family History: Selected Readings, edited by Bettina Bradbury. Toronto: Irwin. • Mintz, Steven. 1998. “From Patriarchy to Androgyny and Other Myths: Placing Men’s Family Roles in Historical Perspective.” Pp. 3-30 in Men in Families: When Do They Get Involved? What Difference Does It Make? edited by Alan Booth and Ann Crouter. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. September 24 THE FAMILY OF THE ’50s Topic(s): • Coontz, Stephanie. 1992. “‘Leave It to Beaver’ and ‘Ozzie and Harriet’: American Families in the 1950s.” Pp. 23-41 in The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap by Stephanie Coontz. New York: Basic Books. SECTION III: PREMARITAL RELATIONSHIPS September 29, October 1, 6, and 8 (Monday, October 8th NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Holiday) Topic(s): COURTSHIP/DATING AND SEX • Ericksen, Julia and Sally Steffen. 1999. “Sex Before Marriage.” Pp. 67-85 in Kiss and Tell: Surveying Sex in the Twentieth Century by Julia Ericksen and Salley Steffen. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. • Laner, Mary Riege and Nichole Ventrone. 2000. “Dating Scripts Revisited.” Journal of Family Issues 21(4): 488-500. • Manning, Wendy. 2006. “Hooking Up: The Relationship Contexts of ‘Nonrelationship’ Sex.” Journal of Adolescent Research 21(5): 459-53. 3 • Savin-Williams, Ritch and Kenneth Cohen. 1996. “Dating and Romantic Relationships Among Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youths.” Pp. 166-80 in The Lives of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals: Children to Adults by Ritch Savin-Williams and Kenneth Cohen. New York: Harcourt Brace. **In-class video showing: Love in the Twenty-First Century (Nightline)** October 15 Topic(s): COHABITATION • Brown, Susan. 2005. “How Cohabitation is Reshaping American Families.” Contexts 4(3): 33-37. • LaPlante, Benoît. 2006. “The Rise of Cohabitation in Quebec: Power of Religion and Power over Religion.” Canadian Journal of Sociology 31(1): 1-24. • Le Bourdais, Celine and Évelyne Lapierre-Adamcyk. 2004. “Changes in Conjugal Life in Canada: Is Cohabitation Progressively Replacing Marriage?” Journal of Marriage and the Family 66: 929-42. (Monday, October 20th MIDTERM EXAM) SECTION IV: MARRIAGE October 22, 27 and 29 Topic(s): MARRIAGE: HETEROSEXUAL AND HOMOSEXUAL • Fong, Colleen and Judy Yung. 1995/1996. “In Search of the Right Spouse: Interracial Marriage among Chinese and Japanese Americans.” Amerasia Journal 21(3): 77-98. • Kamen, Paula. 2000. “Modern Marriage: From Meal Ticket to Best Friend.” Pp. 113-30 in Her Way: Young Women Remake the Sexual Revolution by Paula Kamen. New York: New York University Press. • Larocque, Sylvain. 2006. “Conclusion.” Pp. 279-286 in Gay Marriage: The Story of a Canadian Social Revolution by Sylvain Laroque. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company Ltd. • Skolnick, Arlene. 2006. “Beyond the ‘M’ Word: The Tangled Web of Politics and Marriage.” Dissent Fall: 81-87. • Trimberger, E. Kay. 2007. “Further Beyond the ‘M’ Word: A Response to Arlene Skolnick.” Dissent Spring: 82-86 (with reply from Arlene Skolnick). **In-class video showing: God Only Knows: Same Sex Marriage** *In-conference video showing: Why Get Married?(also on 4-hour reserve at the McLennan-Redpath Library)* SECTION V: HOUSEWORK AND PARENTING November 3 and 5 Topic(s): REPRODUCTIVE LABOR • Coltrane, Scott and Michele Adams. 2001. “Men, Women and Housework.” Pp. 145-54 in Gender Mosaics: Social Perspectives (Original Readings), edited by Dana Vannoy. California: Roxbury Publishing. • Smith, Calvin D. 1998. “Men Don’t Do This Sort of Thing: A Case Study of the Social Isolation of House Husbands.” Men and Masculinities 1(2): 138-72. • Sullivan, Maureen. 1996. “Rozzie and Harriet? Gender and Family Patterns of Lesbian Coparents.” 10(6) 747-67. November 10 and 12 Topic(s): MOTHERHOOD AND FATHERHOOD • Berkowitz, Dana and William Marsiglio. 2007. “Gay Men, Negotiating Procreative, Father and Family Identities.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 69: 366-81. 4 • • Hays, Sharon. 1995. “The Mommy Wars: Ambivalence, Ideological Work, and the Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood.” Pp. 131-51 in The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood by Sharon Hays. Connecticut: Yale University Press. Wall, Glenda. 2007. “How Involved is Involved Fathering? An Exploration of the Contemporary Culture of Fatherhood.” Gender & Society 21(4): 508-27. **In-class video showing: Daddy and Papa** November 17 and 19 Topic(s): REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES • Becker, Gay. 2000. “Writing the Family.” Pp. 218-35 in The Elusive Embryo: How Women and Men Approach New Reproductive Technologies by Gay Becker. Berkeley: University of California Press. • Orenstein, Peggy. 2004. “The Other Mother.” New York Times Magazine July 25. • Spar, Debora. 2006. “The Quest to Conceive: Attacking an Ancient Affliction.” Pp. 1-30 in The Baby Business: How Money, Science, and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception. Boston: Harvard Business School. **In-class video showing: Genetically Correct: Ensuring Perfect Babies** SECTION VI: FAMILY DISSOLUTION AND REFORMATION November 24 and 26 Topic(s): DIVORCE AND SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES; REMARRIAGE AND BLENDED FAMILIES • Amato, Paul. 2000. “The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 62(4): 1269-87. • Cherlin, Andrew. 1978. “Remarriage as an Incomplete Institution.” American Journal of Sociology 84(3): 634-50. • Kurz, Demie. 1995. “How Marriages End.” Pp. 43-76 in For Richer, For Poorer: Mothers Confront Divorce by Demie Kurz. New York: Routledge. SECTION VII: VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY; COURSE SUMMATION December 1 Topic(s): DOMESTIC VIOLENCE • Cruz, Michael. 2003. “Why Doesn’t He Just Leave? Gay Male Domestic Violence and the Reasons Victims Stay.” Journal of Men’s Studies 11(3): 309-3. • Jacobson, Neil and John Gottman. 1998. “Basic Facts about Battering: Myths vs. Realities.” Pp. 34-57 in When Men Batter Women: New Insights into Ending Abusive Relationships by Neil Jacobson and John Gottman. New York: Simon & Schuster. December 2 Topic(s): COURSE SUMMATION 5