11:15A-12:30P      TR      MO 007

In every era, the family has served as the most basic human
institution, but it has always been subject to other forces in
society, such as religion, politics, the economy, and the tragic
consequences of high death rates.  This course traces the history of
the European family from 1500 to the early twentieth century.  We will
examine changes in the relationships within the family
(parents/children, husbands/wives) and the changing role of the family
in society.  Among the topics to be discussed are courtship, marriage,
child-rearing, child labor, the origins of family limitation and birth
control, the definitions of male and female roles, and the effects of
other institutions (community, church, schools, state) on the family.
Readings will include contemporary novels, and students will
participate in group projects using original sources from the
nineteenth century and earlier.