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Family Sociology Hybrid

SPRING 2012 FCST 342: Tuesday 2:30 - 5:00 University Hall, Room 2013 Department of Family & Child Studies Montclair State University

Professor Connie Gager (pronounced Gay-jer)

Office: 4030 University Hall Office hours: Tuesday: 1:15 – 2:15 & E-mail office hours Wed. 2:15 – 3:15 E-mail: gagerc@mail.montclair.edu

E-MAIL IS THE BEST WAY TO REACH ME IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, ETC. HOWEVER, PLEASE CHECK THE COURSE CAFE PAGE OF THE WIKI BEFORE E-MAILING QUESTIONS & PLEASE GIVE ME 1 - 2 DAYS TO RESPOND. E-MAILS SENT OVER THE WEEK END WILL BE ANSWERED THE FOLLOWING WEEK.

HYBRID Course Description The course is designed to be a hybrid course: that means we will combine face-to-face meeting in the classroom at Montclair with on-line classes and assignments.

Given our one-day per week time slot, we will meet face-to-face on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 3:45. On-line classes will be from 3:45 to 5:00, but you can complete these classes on your own time. For these “on-line classes” you will do the reading, review the PowerPoint lecture slides on your own, and complete an assignment if due on your own time - BUT FOLLOW DUE DATES ON SYLLABUS.

For each on-line class (labeled On-line class on syllabus) you will need to download and read the lecture slides from the wiki, complete the reading for the week, (either in the textbook or linked to that days class on the wiki). For some on-line classes you will complete an interactive individual assignment by posting to your blog, which will be linked to the student blog page on the wiki.

PAY careful attention to the wiki and the syllabus – on a few dates we will meet for the entire class period from 2:30 – 5:00!

Please check the wiki 1 – 2 times per week!!!!!!!!

ALWAYS check your Montclair e-mail BEFORE coming to campus/class in case the class is changed from face-to-face to on-line due to weather.

REMEMBER with this hybrid class, I will NEVER cancel class – instead it will be held on-line. So if for some reason I am unable to get to campus, (for example due to poor weather conditions), class will be held on-line.

THIS HYBRID CLASS is not synchronous. That means we will NOT all log on at the same time. Forty percent of classes will be on-line meaning “do it yourself.” This is a very individualized instruction method. Make sure you complete the work for on-line classes each week. DO NOT FALL BEHIND!

The textbook for this course is: Families As They Really Are by Barbara Risman ISBN-978-0-393-93278-2 TEXT homepage

Course Overview

This course is designed to build on introductory Introduction to Family Studies course (FCST 200). If you have not completed FCST 200 you cannot take this class. Using a sociological perspective, the course places special emphasis on understanding family-related social and demographic data available on the internet and developing writing skills to describe these data and trends. The class is designed to be highly interactive, so come to class ready to engage!!

The course begins with a brief overview of theoretical and methodological perspectives used by sociologist to study families. Much of the course focuses on changing family and relationships patterns in the contemporary U.S. We will explore variation in families by gender, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation. We will also examine changes in the rates of cohabitation, marriage, and divorce and how these changes impact individual and societal relationship expectations. We will also study change and stasis of family roles and why they remain highly gendered. Students will be urged to think sociologically and to critically examine the status quo of family roles. This type of critical examination is described well by Lynn Hirschman: "Here's the feminist moral analysis that choice avoided: The family -- with its repetitious, socially invisible, physical tasks -- is a necessary part of life, but it allows fewer opportunities for full human flourishing public sphere like the market or the government. This less-flourishing sphere is not the natural or moral responsibility only of women. Therefore, assigning it to women is unjust. Women assigning it to themselves is equally unjust. To paraphrase, as Mark Twain said, “A man who chooses not to read is just as ignorant as a man who cannot read.”

Throughout the course, we will critically examine data and research on families and the interpretation and presentation of research on families in the media. In the last section of the course, we will consider issues involving the public policies and programs designed to assist families. For example, we will study how welfare reform has affected families living in poverty.

COURSE WIKI:

A wiki is an editable on-line document/webpage. This wiki will mostly replace Blackboard. The links on the left panel are in alphabetical order, so you may have to scroll down.

1) Click on the A SYLLABUS link on the left panel for the course syllabus.

2) Click on Lecture slides on left panel to download lecture slides. Lecture slides for face-to-face classes will be posted A F T E R class. My teaching orientation is to have you fully engaged in class, so I don’t want you looking down at lecture printouts.

3) Use the A BLOG LINK PAGE for linking your blogs (where you will complete Assignments 1 - 8). You only complete 7 of 8 for FULL credit.

4) Click on FCST Course Café page to post questions that I or any other student may answer. Go to the wiki and click on all links on the left hand panel to familiarize yourself with the wiki.

BLACKBOARD: You will use Blackboard to take an on-line multiple choice midterm exam and an on-line multiple choice final test on Blackboard. You will also submit your group project through the assignment feature on Blackboard. I will also send class e-mails through blackboard. PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR E-MAIL BEFORE CLASS.

GROUP WORK: Students will work on a group project involving choosing a popular relationship book and critically evaluating the book, comparing the data utilized by the book author with more academic data sources on contemporary relationships found in scholarly journals and on government and educational data websites on the internet.

FIND YOUR GROUP ASSIGNMENT ON WIKI. I will assign you to groups of 3 – 4, alphabetically, based on your last name. So if your name starts with an A or B you are likely in one of the first 2 groups. Name ends in Z, you are in last group – 10. Find your group, AND PLEASE POST your Montclair/other e-mail address and any other contact info you would like to share. Introduce yourself to your group members. You will use your group page to share ideas about your group project.

Text and reading The book for this course is: Families As They Really Are by Barbara Risman ISBN-978-0-393-93278-2 TEXT homepage

Other required course readings are linked each week on the Course Syllabus. Click the link for that week's reading on the syllabus. Please regularly check the syllabus/course cafe on the wiki - think of the wiki as Facebook - information will be added regularly. Course Requirements/Student Responsibilities:

Class attendance Students must attend face-to-face classes regularly as we will only meet for one/half the allotted time period (2:30 to 3:45). Again check the syllabus every week as a few classes will meet for the entire class time. All reading assignments should be completed prior to class and on-line individual and group assignments so that you can make an informed contribution to class and on-line discussions and writing assignments. Class discussion is highly encouraged!

1. Class format FOR FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES: With a hybrid class, it is especially important that you attend face-to-face classes. PLEASE complete all the reading and/or assignments BEFORE class so you can make INFORMED contributions to class. Be ready for class discussions!!!

FOR ON-LINE CLASSES Complete assigned reading, read the lecture slides on your own, and post assignments to your blog page by the due dates on the syllabus. You can choose when you complete the work for these classes – but stay current!!!

2. Blog assignments: A blog is an on-line journal. It comes from the term web log. You will create a blog and you will complete your individual assignments on your blog. You will be responsible for setting up your own blog and linking it to the wiki. This is part of assignment 1. All instructions can be found under Assignment 1.

If you have a failing grade on the on-line writing assignments, you will fail the class. It is imperative that you attend class regularly and complete the reading and blog assignments prior to class.

3. Exams and tests: There will be a midterm exam and a final test.

The midterm and the final tests will be given on Blackboard and will consist of multiple choice questions. A full class review will be given before the midterm and before the final tests. The midterm will be given over a two-day period (worth 25% of your grade)

A final test will be given during the last class of the semester (worth 20% of your grade). You will take these on-line on Blackboard and class will NOT meet at Montclair on those dates.

4. Group Project:PowerPoint presentation For this project, students will work in groups to choose and evaluate a popular book on family or personal relationships. Groups will also compare data used in the book with related research from a scholarly journal and from data from an approved internet site (such as the National Center for Health Statistics or the U.S Census Bureau). Each group will present their findings to the class in a 15 minute PowerPoint slide show format (12-15 slides).Group presentations will be scheduled for TUESDAY APRIL 17 and class will meet for the entire period 2:30 - 5:00. The Group PowerPoint Presentation is due in Friday, and must be submitted on the due date through the ASSIGNMENT feature on Blackboard by 4:00 P.M. Final exam questions will include questions based on these presentations, so class attendance is required. I will make the group assignments and discuss how to do the group project in detail in class as well as explain how to conduct research using on-line reference resources through the library in class. See syllabus for dates.

Detailed instructions on the group project assignment will be on under the “GROUP PROJECT DIRECTIONS & INFO” link on the left panel of the wiki and discussed in class. DO NOT MISS THIS CLASS!! (Group project worth 25% of course grade).

6. Grading: Your course grade is based on your: 1) Wiki blog assignments (30% of your final grade) 2) Midterm exam (25%), 3) PowerPoint group project (25%) 4) Final test (20% of your grade) You cannot pass this class if you fail to take any of the exams, or fail to participate in your PowerPoint group presentation, or have an incomplete record on wiki assignments! 7. Course Wiki & Blackboard WIKI Students are expected to regularly log on to the course wiki to: 1) Check the week's reading and assignments on the "Course Syllabus"

2) Download PowerPoint lecture slides

3) Note questions asked by students and answered by me or other students on the “FCST Course Café” link. Both students and the professor can post relevant announcements or interesting websites on the Course Cafe.

4) Access project directions

5) Link blogs to wiki on “Student Blog Page” PLEASE check the wiki at least 1 - 2 times per week!!!! The course wiki is your main on-line resource for this course.

BLACKBOARD We will use Blackboard for: 1) Submitting Group Project through Assignment feature

2) Taking the on-line midterm exam and final test These exams will be under the under Course Documents folder on Blackboard. To access Blackboard go to Montclair State University homepage. Once you log in, click on the link for Family Sociology, which takes you to our class website. Make sure you are officially registered on Blackboard Related websites: U.S. Bureau of the Census

Alan Guttmacher Institute

2009 Statistical Abstract

National Center for Health Statistics

Child Trends

Annie E. Casey Foundation

Childstats

Welfare, Children & Families: A Three City Study Course Schedule: Week 1: January 17 FACE-TO-FACE CLASS: Introduction: What is a family? READING: Risman text, Reading # 5 by Coontz

WIKI ASSIGNMENT: Complete Assignment 1 on wiki. This will provide an introduction to course and introduction to blogging. You will set up your blog and link it to the student blog page of the wiki. DUE FRIDAY JANUARY 20 by 5:00 PM

Week 2: January 24 FACE-TO-FACE CLASS: 2:30 – 3:45 Families and relationships in the 21st century Reading: Hymowitz, The New Girl Order & Complete Assignment 2 DUE BEFORE CLASS

ON-LINE CLASS Theoretical perspectives on family sociology READING:Cherlin Chapter linked below, pp: 16-32