This course will introduce students to a sociological perspective on intimate and family relationships. We will begin by looking at the changes in family structure and culture over time, and introduce sociological perspectives and methods of research on the family. After locating the family in the social structure, and considering the macro-level forces on families, we will examine micro-level processes and dynamics within families, such as parenting, marriage and divorce, family violence.

Students will be required to post to the discussion board M-TH, with midterm and final exams being taken on Fridays. This is a writing intensive course.

Course Requirements This course is writing intensive, as all discussion is via the Blackboard discussion board. Students are expected to do all reading the day it is assigned, and participate in the discussion of the day. Each day, there will be two writing prompts. Posting requirements are: one post in response to a prompt, and 2 responses to other students? posts each day. Grading criteria are given below. In addition, there will be two exams, each of which will consist of 4 essay questions. Grading: Daily posts should be at least 250 words long, and respond to the question in a way that shows that you have done the reading. Your daily post should end with a question that you have about the reading or the topic. Posts will be graded on a 10 point scale, based on the following criteria: ? Does it address the question? ? Is it well-written and well organized? ? Is it thorough and detailed? (Vagueness is not an asset) ? Does it include information from the day?s reading? ? Is the question you raise relevant and substantive? ? Bonus points: does it include information from other scholarly sources (citations please!)