SYG2430 Summer A 2015 (02E4) Marriage and Family Özcan Ozzy Tunalılar otunalilar@ufl.edu Indeed, the only truly serious questions are ones that even a child can formulate. Only the most naive of questions are truly serious. They are the questions with no answers. A question with no answer is a barrier that cannot be breached. In other words, it is questions with no answers that set the limit of human possibilities, describe the boundaries of human existence. Milan Kundera (1984) Marriage, as creating the most important relation in life, as having more to do with the morals and civilization of a people than any other institution, has always been subject to the control of the legislature. That body prescribes the age at which parties may contract to marry, the procedure or form essential to constitute marriage, the duties and obligations it creates, its effects upon the property rights of both, present and prospective, and the acts which may constitute grounds for its dissolution. Maynard v. Hill (1888) Course Description This course introduces students to major issues, debates, and themes on historical and contemporary intimate relationships and families from a sociological perspective. We will explore demographic, social, political, and economic processes influencing marriage and families from around the world and in the context of the U.S. society. We will examine recent changes that affect formation and stability of these familial institutions and explore causal factors behind these developments. We will utilize the principle of sociological imagination proposed by C. Wright Mills to link "personal troubles to public issues" in a socio-historical context. 1 / 11
Course Learning Objectives The corpus of sociological research on the subject matter is so vast that we have to focus on certain topics more than others in order to keep the course content manageable. In compliance with Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) of the Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, students that complete this course successfully will be able to: Identify and explain basic concepts frequently used in sociological research on intimate relationships, and apply them in real life situations. Learn and critique different theoretical perspectives that focus on family formation and interpret recent changes in American family structure by utilizing these perspectives. Examine the historical development of familial institutions as an analytical leverage to situate contemporary family issues and debates into socio-historical context. Comprehend the increasing diversity in experiences and social norms related to familial institutions. Understand the dynamic social nature of marriages, families, and intimate relationships with a focus on the interaction between macro/meso/micro-level processes. This section of SYG 2430 fulfills General Education requirements (Social & Behavioral and Diversity) but is NOT a Gordon Rule section. Course Readings Benokraitis, N. V. (2014). Marriages & Families: Changes, Choices, and Constraints (8th Edition). Boston: Pearson. ISBN-10: 0205918190 ISBN-13: 9780205918195 We will use our textbook throughout the semester. It is essential you have access to the latest edition (8 th ) as it contains the most updated information on American family dynamics. You do NOT need to have access to any other products such as the Pearson s MyLab & Mastering. The first chapter of our textbook is made available (under the Fair Use Agreement) under the Resources tab in Sakai for those of you who have not yet had the chance to purchase/rent the textbook. 2 / 11
Course Website (https://lss.at.ufl.edu/): The e-learning in Sakai site will have the up-to-date syllabus, assignments, quizzes, discussions, lessons, grades, and other resources and materials for this class. Announcements and updates will be posted on the E-learning website so it is your responsibility to check it regularly. If you have a problem accessing materials or the website, please contact the Help Desk (352-392-4357) before contacting me about technical issues. Must-Know and Must-Go-To Tabs in Sakai Home: This is where I will post the most important materials for you to see. This is the welcome page of our course, so it is very hard to miss anything that is happening here. Lessons: This is the second most important page after the Home page. I suggest you click here and find each week s content when you log in. I have instructions for almost everything you have to do in addition to lectures, PowerPoint slides, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. Assessments: This is the place where you will be taking your weekly quizzes. Discussions: Discussions tab consists of forums and topics. I have assigned each of you to a group so you will only see your own group s forum and topics related to it. I also created a Help Center for any questions regarding the course and technology. Assignments: This is where assignments will be posted. This is also the place you will submit your write-up (or whatever is required in the assignment). Syllabus: You will be able to find the updated syllabus under this tab. I will send announcements about the changes. If you are not sure, visit this tab and re-download the most current version of our syllabus. 3 / 11
Grade Assessment Throughout the semester, different techniques will be employed to assess your success in terms of fulfilling course learning objectives. Your final grade will be determined by your overall performance in quizzes, assignments, and discussions. Your final grade will be determined by: Intro-to-Class Activities (Extra 1 percent): During the first week, you are asked to post an introduction message to the forum belonging to your assigned group (details below) and take the Syllabus quiz. These activities have multiple purposes. First, completing these activities allows you to practice using the appropriate Sakai tabs (Discussions and Assessments, respectively). Second, the introduction message allows the instructor and your peers to start getting to know you as a person (and not just a name tag attached to a post). Finally, the quiz allows the instructor to assess whether you have read the syllabus carefully (which is full of important information for you to successfully complete the course). Therefore, before moving to other activities due for the first week (Lecture, Initial Comment, Replies, and Quiz), please complete these two activities. Each of these activities counts 5 extra points (0.5 percent) towards your final grade. Weekly Quizzes (45 percent): These quizzes will be used to evaluate the progress in your ability to understand and critique relevant literature in addition to assessing your preparedness for assignments and class discussion. There will be 15 graded quizzes you are going to take throughout the semester. Weekly quizzes will cover the reading materials for the week and involve answering 15 multiple-choice questions each. You have 15 minutes to finish the quiz after beginning. You cannot pause and continue taking a quiz so make sure you have reliable Internet access and enough time before starting. Each question in these quizzes will worth 2 point, counting 450 points in total towards your final grade. You must finish taking each week s quizzes until Sunday before midnight (11:59pm). Assignments (25 percent): These will be used to evaluate your ability to apply the knowledge acquired from the course in context. You will be asked to complete 5 assignments throughout the semester. The requirements of these assignments may include preparing budget tables, writing reports, playing games, and visiting a website, among other activities. Each of these assignments is worth 50 points, counting 250 points in total towards your final grade. You must submit each week s assignment until Sunday before midnight (11:59pm). 4 / 11
Group Discussions (30 percent): The success of this course in terms of achieving the course objectives depends on your sharing of ideas with each other. Each of you will be assigned to one of the three groups which consist of 7-10 students. Each group has a special forum under the Discussions tab in Sakai. Every week, after doing the assigned reading and going through other materials assigned for the week, you will be asked to go to your Group forum and post an initial comment/response to my prompt using Start a New Conversation button. Every initial comment you post will be evaluated using a 5-points scheme (0-1: Fail, 2-3: Poor, 4-5: Pass, 6-7: OK, 8-9: Good, 10: Very Good). Each reply will be evaluated using a 5-points scheme (0-1: Fail, 2-3: Poor, 4-5: Pass, 6-7: OK, 8-9: Good, 10: Very Good). For example, a student who posts a Very Good initial comment and a Very Good reply on their group friends initial responses for the same topic earns 20 points. You may earn up to 15 weeks of group discussion points, counting 300 points in total towards your final grade. See the details on how you can earn full credit in Group Discussions in the box below. The breakdown for final grades is listed below: Total Points Percent Final Grade 915-1000 92-100% A 895-914 90-91% A- 875-894 88-89% B+ 815-874 82-87% B 795-814 80-81% B- 775-794 78-79% C+ 715-774 72-77% C 695-714 70-71% C- 675-694 68-69% D+ 615-674 62-67% D 595-614 60-61% D- Below 594 Below 60% E 5 / 11
The discussion prompts offer writing space for you to reflect on readings. Their purpose is to give you an opportunity to experiment with using newly acquired knowledge. They also serve as initiators for formal discussion within your group, thereby providing you and your group members to come up with a diverse set of ideas about a specific topic. Your initial comment must be at least 250 words and not more than 500 words. You must submit your initial comment each week by Thursday 11:59pm. You may consider writing your comments in Word (or Notepad) and then copy-pasting them to Sakai as the website is prone to giving errors at times. Meeting the minimum word count is a requirement, but a successful response will: Respond fully to the prompt or question Demonstrate your comprehension of the material Demonstrate your ability to connect specific readings/topics to broader themes of the course Showcase your creativity, intellect, humor and thoughtfulness Evidence command of the rules of punctuation, grammar, and spelling You are also required to reply to one (1) of your classmates initial comments. These replies have the same minimum word count and they are expected to follow the guidelines listed above. These replies must be sent each week by Sunday 11:59pm. Grades for quizzes, assignments, and group discussions will be posted on the Sakai. Final grades will NOT be subject to curve or bumped up at the end of the semester, no matter how close you are to the next grade. To find information on current UF grading policies, use the following link to the Undergraduate catalog web page: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx. Special Considerations Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation (via email at otunalilar@ufl.edu or the Mail tab under Sakai). 6 / 11
Academic Honesty By enrolling in this course, you indicate your consent to the University of Florida Honor Code: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." Violation of the Honor Code will not be tolerated and can result in immediate failure of the course and additional disciplinary action. Students are prohibited from engaging in the following conduct: any conduct constituting academic dishonest, false or misleading statement for the purpose of procuring an academic advantage, false or misleading statement relating to an honor code violation, prohibited collaboration or consultation, prohibited use of materials or resources, plagiarism, use of fabricated or falsified information, interference with or sabotage of academic activity, unauthorized taking or receipt of materials or resources to gain an academic advantage, unauthorized recordings, bribery, and submission of paper or academic work purchased or obtained from an outside source. You may visit the following website for more information: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcode.php Late Submission Policy All assessments assigned in the course (quizzes, assignments, initial comments, and replies to peers initial comments) are due on their specified date and time. The due dates and times can be found on the Tentative Course Schedule (pg. 10). Any late submission will receive a 25% penalty per day. Here is an example involving the weekly quizzes. The student did not complete taking and submit one of the quizzes due for the week by Sunday 11:55pm, decided to take it anyway, and received 12 points out of 15 points. The following shows how the quiz will be graded: Until Sunday 11:59pm 1.00 * 12 = 12 points Between Sunday 11:59pm and Monday 11:59pm 0.75 * 12 = 9 points Between Monday 11:59pm and Tuesday 11:59pm 0.50 * 24 = 6 points Between Tuesday 11:59pm and Wednesday 11:59pm 0.25 * 24 = 3 points After Wednesday 11:59pm 0 points 7 / 11
Make-up Policy Per the UF Attendance Policy, it is each student s own responsibility to maintain satisfactory academic performance and attendance, including but not limited to completing the coursework in a timely manner. Considering the fast schedule of summer classes, students are expected to complete the assigned work by the deadline of each assessment. There will be no make-up opportunities except under the rarest of circumstances (involving the death of a family member, hospitalization of the student, and other situations that necessitate the attention of the Office of Dean of Students). Should you find yourself under one of these rarest circumstances, you must contact the instructor within 24 hours and send the official documentation which explicitly states the facts related your case within 72 hours after the event. It is at the discretion of the instructor to evaluate and decide whether to allow make-up at each case. Extra Credit Policy No extra credit is offered to individual students in this class under any circumstances unless it is offered to all students. Completing Intro-to-Class Activities result in a 1- percent extra credit for all students. Throughout the semester, there may also be opportunities for earning extra credit by participating in research studies approved by the University of Florida IRB. However, the instructor does not guarantee that there will be such opportunities. Consequently, students must not count on the availability of such research studies for their final grade. Technicalities Related to an Online Course This is a fully online course for which class content and coursework are provided online. Students are expected to be able to have access and navigate the course website. It is students responsibility to successfully submit their coursework by specified deadlines. Especially technical problems that magically arise after 10:00pm on Sunday nights will NOT be considered as legitimate excuses for a make-up or late submission. Course Evaluation Policy Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results/. Advice from Students Who Took the Class pre-plan your week so that this class is included, because the readings and videos do take time, and are required for the quizzes especially to do well in them. 8 / 11
See the assignments not as a grade, but as an opportunity to take a stance or form an opinion on a topic by using the concrete evidence given in this course. I would encourage future students to stand firm in what they believe, and to not be afraid to share those beliefs in the outlets this class provides. start your assignments early in the week and not to get behind. The more time you leave yourself the less stressed you will be and the less room for computer/technology errors. enjoy the material. I know I did, and I had more fun with the class when I took the time to learn about the material, develop an opinion, and defend it. watch all of the videos, read the chapter and take notes. The chapters are long and tests can be challenging if the reading isn t done. The information is really interesting, and assignments and discussion posts can be helpful as well. This class is also very organized so no one should really miss due dates. As long as you keep up with the class and make it a priority it is very rewarding. read the chapter thoroughly before the quizzes and be able to apply the concepts to examples. Always do the discussions and the replies. I forgot to do a reply and it really affected my grade because now I will be one or two points shy of an A! There are some really cool videos and interesting information that can be found in the lessons. You can get by without checking it out, but I would really recommend it because it doesn't take much time and you learn really interesting things. Take advantage of all that has been provided to you. take this class seriously and read the chapters because you will learn things you never really knew went on in society. 9 / 11
Tentative Course Schedule W01 May 11 May 17 W02 May 18 May 24 W03 May 25 May 31 W04 June 1 June 7 W05 June 8 June 14 W06 June 15 June 19 Assigned Readings (Read before taking the quiz) Weekly To Do List Quizzes Due by Sunday 11:55pm Assignments Due by Sunday 11:55pm Initial Comment Due by Thursday 11:55pm Replies Due by Sunday 11:55pm Chapter 1: The Changing Family Chapter 2: Studying the Family Finding & Analyzing Data Chapter 3: Historical Perspective Family Rituals Chapter 4: Racial and Ethnic Families Chapter 5: Socialization and Gender Roles Chapter 6: Love and Loving Relationships Chapter 7: Sexuality Is Sex Everywhere? Chapter 8: Dating and Mate Selection Chapter 9: Singlehood Chapter 10: Marriage Making a Budget Chapter 11: To Be or Not to Be a Parent Chapter 12: Raising Children Chapter 13: The Economy and Family Life Work-Family Schedule Chapter 14: Domestic Violence Chapter 15: Separation 10 / 11
Final Note: This syllabus is a provisional agreement between students and the instructor. I, the instructor, reserve my right to change the syllabus or course content at any point during the semester. 11 / 11