9/3/2015 Family Sociology Montclair State University Lecture 1

Hi ! I am Professor Connie Gager (pronounced Gay-jer)

Professor Connie Gager Office hours: Online office hours Monday 11:00 – 12:00 Thursday 1:15 – 2:15 2:00-3:00 or by appt. Best way to contact me is I will try to be on-line during these hours and you can also me any time, but see syllabus for reply policies!

Professor Connie Gager   Academic Interests:   What I do when I am not teaching – –Predictors of marital quality and divorce   Do children model their parent’s relationship patterns? – –The division of housework in families   Who does more -- husbands or wives   Daughters or sons? – –Measuring martial quality   Marital happiness   Perceptions of fairness   Sexual frequency

How to get a good grade in this class:  KEEP UP – This is a fast-paced On-line Class  Complete reading,review of lecture slides on your own and assignments by the due date  Check the wiki at least weekly!!  Don’t fall behind!!

Course wiki   We will use a course “wiki” in addition to Blackboard   Why: I HATE BLACKBOARD!   How about you?   Wikis are much more tech. forward   And we can all post to the wiki – i.e. more democratic   A wiki is an editable web page 

Course wiki Use the wiki for:   Course Syllabus   Lecture slides in Powerpoint   Blog assignments   Course café   Ask questions   Post interesting links   Get announcements

Use the wiki to ask questions! Wiki: Post general questions under Course Café link. Please sign questions first name, last initial as in: Madonna C. I will check and answer questions weekly! Everyone can benefit from your general questions Students! You can answer questions too!

YOU MUST JOIN THE WIKI!   Go to home page of the wiki     Your first assignment is to create a blog   Click on blogger link on home page   Follow instructions   YOU CANNOT sign up using your Montclair   Montclair has reserved your MSU address for when we get G-mail   If you already have a g-mail account you can use that to sign up

Graded Class Requirements   On-line GRADED writing assignments   You will write these in a blog you set up   Instructions in Assignment 1   Remember blogs are in the public domain, don’t use your last name   As a general rule, I say don’t write anything you wouldn’t want your parents to read!

Graded Class Requirements   On-line blogging assignments   These are worth 30% of your grade   If you miss one blog assignment your grade goes down a whole letter grade!!!   You choose and complete 6 of the 7 assignments for full credit   If you fail this blog section, you fail the class!

Graded Class Requirements   Group Research Project   Critique a current relationship self help book and find “real” data on an official internet site related to topic of book (25% of grade)   Create and present a slide PowerPoint presentation to be presented in class during last 2 weeks of classes   Submit through Assignment feature on Blackboard

Graded Class Requirements  I will discuss the Group Project in detail in class in February  Project Due through ASSIGNMENT feature on blackboard   Make sure to attend this class during which I will describe the group project   You are in groups based on your last name, in alphabetical order.   See wiki – Groups are listed in the left panel

Graded Class Requirements   Midterm Exam   (25% of grade).   Final Test – (Last week of class)   (20% of grade)   Exams will be given on-line on Blackboard   Exams are under the Course Documents/TESTS folder on our Blackboard site   NO class on exam days

Using Blackboard  How do I access this class on Blackboard ? – –you must be registered for the class – –Login with User ID and password – –A listing of your classes will appear – –Click on Family Sociology – –MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED RIGHT NOW!!!

Syllabus  Click on “A Syllabus” link on green left panel of wiki Bookmark the wiki site CHECK the wiki for announcements, and answers to general questions at least once a week!!!

Major Topics   Introduction to sociology and the study of families   Defining families   Review of contemporary families – what are the latest demographic trends?   Theory and methods used in the Sociology of Families and Family Studies

Major Topics   Gender and families – –How do husbands’ roles differ from wives’ roles? – –How have roles changed or not changed after feminism? – –The good news  il.aspx?id= il.aspx?id= il.aspx?id=56851

Major Topics Report compares couples ages in 1970 and 2007 Findings: A larger share of women are married to men with less income and less education In 1970 only about 4% of husbands had wives who brought home a higher salary In 2007, 22% of husbands are married to wives with higher earnings Women are the majority of College Graduates

Major Topics   Gender and families – –How do husbands’ family and work roles differ from wives’ roles? – –How have roles changed or not changed after feminism? – –Back in the day:     us/landing/10659_eh/10659_eh.html?TrackingID=525774&BannerID= &gclid=CKPY-9bK9aMCFZJ95QodrCBt3w us/landing/10659_eh/10659_eh.html?TrackingID=525774&BannerID= &gclid=CKPY-9bK9aMCFZJ95QodrCBt3w   Believe it or not, I used to play Mystery Date!   Today: More than 50% of women are not married – but they still make Mystery Date!

Major Topics  Diversity in families –Race/ethnicity –Gay and lesbian families –What did you hear in the news about gay families this past year, summer?

Major Topics  Love and sexuality –How often do couples have sex?  Cohabitation –50% of couples now live together prior to marriage  Marriage – How has the meaning changed – no longer viewed as forever??  Divorce –Effects of divorce on children –On ex spouses

Major Topics  Family Policy  The State and family policies  Families and children in poverty  Welfare reform

How do we study families and personal relationships?  Who are the experts?  What constitutes reliable data and sources on families?   Many books are published on relationships and families but…   Are these books/articles based on a “representative” sample of people or did the “expert” just interview their friends and family?

What makes a family? Do members have to be related by blood? Do members have to be married? Do they have to share the same household?

Which picture is a family?

New Families ALL of them!!!! ALL of them!!!!

Defining Families A proposed inclusive working definition: A family is a relationship by blood, marriage, or affection in which 1) the members may cooperate economically 2) may care for children 3) and may consider their individual identities to be intimately connected to the larger group” Seccombe and Warner, p. 6

9/3/2015 The Sociological Approach – Social Institutions Family sociologists examine how social institutions interact and how they influence behaviors, attitudes, and opportunities in familiesFamily sociologists examine how social institutions interact and how they influence behaviors, attitudes, and opportunities in families Economy Families Government Education ReligionHealthcare

How does the government or the economy influence families? How has the Obama administration affected families? Can the values of a president be translated to families or individuals? How does the economy affect families New research shows the bad economy has influenced the birth rate! How has it affected your family?

The downturn in the economy… …has actually led to a lower fertility rate …has actually led to a lower fertility rate The fertility rate is the average number of children per woman The fertility rate is the average number of children per woman The fertility rate has gone down since the recession The fertility rate has gone down since the recession This is an example of how a change at the societal (MACRO) level affects decisions at the a family MICRO) level This is an example of how a change at the societal (MACRO) level affects decisions at the a family MICRO) level

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Summary Get on the wiki and set up your blogs and complete Assignment 1 Families are influenced by larger society – the economy the government religion the education system The media Families, relationships and the meaning of these relationships are constantly changing