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PSYC SOC 105 Marriage/Family/Intimacy

Section Number 30425, 30420

Catalog Description:

A study of the psychology and sociology of the family and intimate relationships. Emphasizes factors that enhance interpersonal relationships. Topics include love, marital choice, communication, conflict, and changing models of the family. Examines cross-cultural and historical factors that impact the family as a social institution and the impact of gender, race and ethnicity, social class, age, and sexual orientation on family organization. CSU; UC

Instructor:

Lesyna, K.

Class Meetings:

6:00pm-9:20pm
On the following Tuesdays: Jan. 19; Feb. 16; Mar. 16; Apr. 20; May 4 and 18
Room: P-16

Options for Viewing Video Lectures

Cable Television: Cox Cable North – CH 16, Time Warner Cable North – CH 16, and AT&T U-verse CH – 99 See airtimes and specific channel info at: PSYC-SOC 100 PDF (Right Click "Save as")
Webcast online at:
http://www.palomar.edu/pctv/pctvStream.wvx
See the webcast and channel lineup at:
http://www.palomar.edu/pctv/pctv/chanLineupSpring2010.shtml
Watch lessons online by logging into Blackboard. See log-in instructions below.
Checkout DVDs at the library on the main campus and Escondido Center, and at Mt. Carmel and Ramona education sites.
For more information go to:
http://www.palomar.edu/pctv/distLearn/broadcastgridSpring2010.shtml

Class Outline

Course materials are available the Friday prior to when classes begin. Access your course outline, assignments, handouts and announcements, as well as view video lessons in Blackboard. Log in Blackboard instructions:

USERNAME: STUDENT ID Number
PASSWORD: Palomar eServices Password

To log in go to: http://www.palomar.edu/blackboard/

Textbook and Other Required Materials:

Marriages and Families: La Manna; 10th Ed.,2009, Pub. ITP

Video Series Entitled:

Our Families, Ourselves

Video Lesson Descriptions:

Lesson 1: “Changing Families”

The American family in the 21st century is an extraordinarily diverse and eclectic social unit, reflecting many of the changes taking place in society as a whole. The notion that there is no single, “one-size-fits-all” model of what constitutes a family is a concept of enormous importance, especially in an era when diversity is much more the rule than the exception. Increases in the number of woman in the paid labor force, the rise in divorce rates, as well as developments in contraception and reproductive technology, are just some of the factors that have profoundly affected the family as a social institution. But despite the multitude of changes in family form and structure—including the rise in single-parent and stepfamilies—the family remains as important a part of our social fabric as ever.

Lesson 2: “Perspectives on the Family”

Rachel Barr is a therapist who works with emotionally disturbed children at an alternative school for youngsters with behavioral problems. For family therapists like Barr, as well as researchers who study the family, the road to understanding is often grounded in one or more theoretical models. Regardless of which of these models they use, family therapists and researchers work in a field that is not only personally gratifying, but makes a genuine difference in people’s lives.

Lesson 3: “Family History”

Like so many other young families, John and Robin VanDenburgh often find themselves juggling…careers, childcare and a variety of other responsibilities. On the surface, the American family of today would seem to be very different from those that have preceded it. In reality, there are both similarities and differences. This episode examines many of the momentous events and powerful ideas that have shaped the evolution of the American family over more than two hundred years, including the vital role immigration has played in bringing families to the United States from around the world.

Lesson 4: “Race, Ethnicity, and Family”

American families are as varied as the men, women and children who comprise them. All too often, however, those in the racial or ethnic minority find themselves the target of bigotry and discrimination, frequently based on nothing more than stereotypes and misconceptions. But legitimate, empirical data suggests that there are certain patterns of behavior that can be linked to specific racial or ethnic groups, including different degrees of emphasis on religion and multi-generational solidarity. This lesson explores some of these patterns, while noting that the underlying details often go unexplained. It concludes with the observation that, despite having to cope with challenges many non-minority Americans never experience, most of America’s minority and immigrant families—like families everywhere—look to the future with the hope that they can give their children a better life than they themselves have known.

Lesson 5: “The Role of Gender”

“Gender as a process is something that’s going on all the time,” says sociology professor Ivy Kennelly. “Your parents, your siblings, your peers—not to mention the pervasive television—do gender to you all the time, and you gender yourself as well.” “We enact it by how we sit, how all we move, how we dress, how we talk,” adds author and professor Barrie Thorne. While sociologists contend that men and women are more alike than they are different, society tends to emphasize the differences and, as a result, gender has an enormous impact in everyday life. This lesson focuses on how all of us learn about gender from an early age, and explores some of the ways in which gender-based roles, expectations and assumptions are changing.

Lesson 6: “Love and Loving”

Love is arguably the most emotionally charged four letter word in the English language. Yet, it is a term that is notoriously difficult to define—let alone truly understand. For Bruce and Renee Hoenig, love is a lifelong process of devotion and commitment.. For many couples, though, short-term infatuation is as far as their relationship will go. This lesson examines theories about what love is and how it differs from simple attraction. It looks at the primary obstacles that stand in the way of love, as well as some of the strategies and techniques couples can utilize to avoid these pitfalls and make love endure.

Lesson 7: “Sex and Sexuality”

In Los Angeles, California, a select group of high school students is trained to help educate their peers about sexuality choices and realities. In other schools, in other cities, sexuality education for teens is highly controversial or non-existent. This lesson focuses on attitudes about sex and sexuality in America, as well as on the impact of these attitudes, as reflected in such diverse outcomes as infidelity, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and sexually transmitted diseases. It also explores the frequently uneasy tension between schools, the community and the family in the sexuality education of this nation’s youth.

Lesson 8: “Making Connections, Choosing Partners”

Lisa and Steven Haun met through an online dating service, a pursuit that each year engages millions of single adults. “It wasn’t until I went on my first date and it was a good experience “ Lisa remembers, “that I realized this is not just for the crazies…this can work.” Good experience or bad, the desire to make connections—to date and form relationships— is vital to human existence. Against the backdrop of the story of Lisa and Steve’s emergence as a couple, this lesson looks at traditional as well as contemporary dating and mating rituals. What factors tend to draw people together, or wedge them apart? Just what role does culture play? And what are the qualities that tend to distinguish relationships that stand the test of time?

Lesson 9: “Singlehood…”

The image of a single adult as an unhappy, frustrated spinster or a self-absorbed, irresponsible bachelor is far from the norm in today’s society even though there are more adults in the U. S. who are single than married. Some people choose the single life because they are immersed in their careers and enjoying life too much to “settle down.” Others prefer cohabitation, or have not met anyone they would want as a life partner. Still others are divorced, widowed or involved in a gay relationship that precludes marriage. This lesson dispels many of the myths about the single life and explores the relationship between cohabitation and marriage as well as the impact of the marriage movement. The personal experiences of Maya and Chino Scott-Chung, a lesbian couple with an infant daughter, and Katie and Keith Foster, organizers of a co-housing community, reinforce the idea that many different living arrangements and support systems exist to fit the diversity of human needs.

Lesson 10: “Marriage and Commitment”

Marriages come in many shapes and colors, influenced not only by the dynamics of the couple relationship but also the expectations people have when they form their marital union. “Most people are surprised as to what married life is actually like,” says Dr. Diane Gehart, of Cal State University Northridge. “It’s a lot harder than people think.” But as studies have shown, a marriage based on qualities like compatibility, flexibility, and emotional support has a greater chance for success. Three couples from the series—the Hoenigs, the McLeans, and the VanDenburghs—share their thoughts about their marriage relationships, the challenges they’ve faced at various stages, and the adjustments they’ve made. “Marriage is not a fifty-fifty proposition,” Bruce Hoenig comments. “It’s a hundred, a hundred…and it’s work.” Forty years together is a testimony to their success.

Lesson 11: “To Parent or Not To Parent”

For Sarit and Arnold Swanborn, the desire to be parents knows no bounds, despite a host of obstacles that have made the journey extraordinarily challenging. For Sherry and Roger McLean, the desire to lead full and active adult lives, unconstrained by the realities of parenthood, has led to a choice not to have children. This lesson focuses on the various ways couples can become parents, as well as the factors that go into the life-altering decision of whether or not to parent. We learn as the episode unfolds that that this is a question every couple must answer for itself, and that there are no right or wrong answers. The only absolute in this often murky arena is the recognition that, whichever road a couple chooses, the stakes are nothing short of enormous.

Lesson 12: “Parents and Children”

Parents exert an influence on their children that goes beyond any other single factor. They communicate values, model behavior, and shape the kinds of experiences their child will have. Early childhood is a time when parents play an especially central role in a child’s life, but the role of parents during adolescence can be just as significant and often even more challenging. This lesson explores some of the factors that influence parenting choices, including social class. It also looks at the growing impact of outside-the-home childcare.

Lesson 13: “Working”

When Benjamin and Colleen Hodder needed to find childcare for their toddler, they turned to the “Our Kids” childcare center in Temecula, California. For the Hodders, as for many working couples, the need to balance the responsibilities of childcare and employment is an ongoing challenge. It has become all the more complicated as women have joined the labor force in increasingly greater numbers. This lesson explores globalization and other economic realities behind the massive influx of women into the work force, along with the domestic implications that have resulted.

Lesson 14: “Family Violence”

Donna Jones is one of a growing number of Americans who have experienced physical abuse at the hands of an intimate partner. Shari Philpot was only twelve when she found herself in charge of a household of children. Her mother, an ex-policewoman with a drug habit, rarely made an appearance, and when she did the children became her punching bag. Although poverty often serves as a breeding ground for family violence, such incidents have been documented across all racial groups and social classes. Violent behavior tends to occur in cyclical patterns, and is difficult to break because its victims are often afraid and do not realize they have other options. This lesson examines violent behavior within a family context, and the prevention and intervention programs that are making inroads in combating its toxic effects.

Lesson 15: “Divorcing”

When psychotherapist and eHarmony.com founder Dr. Neil Clark Warren studied more than 500 marriages that had ended in divorce, he concluded that, ‘…in about 75 percent of the cases….the marriages that eventually died were in deep trouble the day they started.” Divorce is one of the most devastating experiences anyone can go through, yet about half of those who marry in the United States do eventually divorce. A hundred years ago only about one in ten marriages ended in divorce. This lesson explores the reasons for the drastic increase in divorce rates over the past century, and looks at the implications of divorce for both adults and children. It also examines strategies couples can employ to lessen the impact of divorce on family members, including counseling and creative custody arrangements.

Lesson 16: “Remarriage and Stepfamilies”

While the blended family experience can be positive and rewarding, it’s not without challenges. This lesson explores both the obstacles and the opportunities stepfamily members are likely to encounter. Recovering from a past divorce can be a struggle for both children and adults. Becoming comfortable with new family members and new family roles is another issue that needs to be addressed. Children, in particular, often find it difficult to know how to relate to their biological parent’s new spouse, not to mention new stepsiblings who may stir up feelings of jealousy and resentment. An adult who has never been a parent before and is suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar role may also face confusion. During the course of the lesson, therapists point out that while there is no template for stepfamily success, families that value kindness, compassion and maturity generally fare best.

Lesson 17: “Growing Older”

Grief Lifters is a support group that helps senior citizens cope with the loss of loved ones. Years ago such a group might have been unnecessary because seniors made up a much smaller percentage of the U.S. population than they do today. In 1900, for example, the average life expectancy was 47 years. Currently, life expectancy is about 78 years for males and 82 years for females. The “longevity revolution,” as it’s come to be known, has brought with it a host of new ideas about what it means to grow older in America. There’s been a gradual recognition that aging doesn’t have to mean boredom or poor health, especially for the “young-old” (age 65-80). Opportunities for the aging person abound, both socially and professionally. Yet some of society’s antiquated ideas about aging continue nonetheless. This lesson looks at stereotypes and misconceptions about the aging process, as well as the realistic challenges that older people face, including medical, economic and emotional issues. Group-living options, such as assisted living and nursing homes, are explored, as is the valuable role family can play in terms of support. Family is also a part of the discussion about the inevitable end of life, as options concerning preparation for death are considered.

Lesson 18: “Families Today and Tomorrow”

Professor and author Judith Stacey has written about what she calls the post-modern family condition, in which “…there isn’t a single family type that you can predict people will live in. The condition is one of diversity.” This episode explores the many and varied forms that modern families commonly take, from single-parent and stepfamilies to multi-generational families living together, and looks at the growing racial and ethnic diversity brought about by the upsurge in immigration. It also covers the broad range of challenges facing the U.S. family in the 21st century, including such issues as childcare, the healthcare system, employment opportunities in an increasingly global economy, and a sharp increase in the number of seniors. The lesson concludes by recognizing that while the American family has changed and continues to change—at what sometimes feels like a dizzying pace—it remains as vital and important now as it’s ever been.