ClassInfo

What is family? The term and concept have become increasingly contested in recent decades, as we witness an empirical shift away from the "traditional" nuclear family toward a broader range of family forms. Policy debates concerning how families form, what families should do for their members, and even what should count as a family. In this course we will examine the empirical reality of family diversity and change and the corresponding theoretical and policy debates. The course will also place considerable emphasis on the relationship between family life and various forms of social inequality, including inequalities of gender, race/ethnicity, social class, sexuality, and nationality. We will conclude by considering possible future directions for "the family."

The course is a seminar. Students are expected to complete all of the required readings (about 100 pages per week) for each class meeting and participate actively in class discussion. Class sessions will usually begin with some introductory comments by the professor, followed by a student presentation on the assigned readings. We will then engage in a group discussion that will be guided (but not constrained) by the reading questions supplied by the student presenter. There will be one 15-minute break halfway through the class period.