4:00PM-5:15PM	MW	BH 330

Above class open to undergraduates only

Above class may not be taken for Culture Credit

In this course, we will be studying families from the sociological
perspective, concentrating primarily on families in the United
States.  We will explore how families are created and expanded via
marriage, childbirth, commitment ceremonies and weddings, or the
selection of "fictive kin." We will also be examining the conflicts
and struggles that many families face, such as the conflict between
work and family or the struggle by alternative families such as gay
and lesbian families to gain recognition and benefits.  We will also
examine topics such as the interaction between families and other
social institutions such as politics and law, and also the
problematic aspects of families – such as violence, death, or the
dissolution of families via divorce.  In the end, you will
understand how sociologists view families – not simply as the
nuclear families of TV sitcoms from the 1950s that exist solely
within their homes and neighborhoods, but as constantly changing
social groups that are nestled within other institutions in our
society.