The Family Syllabus
of the Grinnell College Sociology
Department
Last Updated: August 26, 1998
Go to Reading Schedule
REQUIRED READINGS:
The following books are available in the College Bookstore and
on reserve in the Burling Library.
- Coontz, Stephanie. 1997. The Way We Really Are: Coming
to Terms with America's Changing Families. New York: Basic
Books.
Ferguson, Susan J. 1998. Shifting the Center: Understanding
Contemporary Families. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing
Company.
Stack, Carol B. 1974. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival
in a Black Community. New York: Harper and Row.
Weston, Kath. 1997. Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays,
Kinship. New York: Columbia University Press.
In addition to using the readings listed above, I also will
be supplementing the course reading list with some articles that
help to address the diversity and complexity of the institution
of the family. Plan on reading approximately three to
five articles per class session. Please keep up with the
syllabus by reading the assigned articles prior to the day that
topic is discussed.
Suggested Readings:
Each week's description of readings also will contain suggested
readings for those of you who want to read more or are especially
interested in that topic. Several of the suggested readings come
from two anthologies I have used previously. Both of these books
have articles that will help you do more research on particular
topics. I would suggest looking at the reference lists and bibliographies
at the end of each article for more sources.
Hutter, Mark. Editor. 1997. The Family Experience: A Reader
in Cultural Diversity. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. (Or,
1991 version where indicated).
Skolnick, Arlene S. and Jerome H. Skolnick. Editors. 1994.
Family in Transition. Eighth Edition. New York: HarperCollins.
(Please note that there are earlier and later editions as well).
Questions to Think About While You Are Reading:
Summary Questions:
- 1. What are the author's main arguments or hypotheses?
2. What evidence does the author present in support of his
or her arguments?
3. What are some implications of the author's findings or
arguments?
Evaluation Questions:
- 4. What are the strength's and weaknesses of the author's
arguments or research?
5. Do you agree with the author's conclusions? Why or why
not?
6. Do you have any problems with this study or how it was
conducted?
COURSE OUTLINE WITH READING ASSIGNMENTS
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FAMILIES
- Aug. 31 (Mo): Introduction to Course
Sept. 2 (We): Definitions of Family
and Issues in the Study of Families
Sept. 7 (Mo): Is the Family in Crisis?
Sept. 14 (Mo): Historical Overview
of Agrarian and Industrial Families
Sept. 16 (We): Racial Ethnic Variation
in Family Forms
II. THE CONTEMPORARY FAMILY
- Sept. 21 (Mo): Dating, Sex, and
Courtship
Sept. 23 (We): Marriage
III. ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE
AND FAMILY
- Sept. 28 (Mo): Cohabitation
Sept. 30 (We): The Never Married
Oct. 5 (Mo): Gay and Lesbian Families
Oct. 7 (We): Gay and Lesbian Families
continued
IV. GENDER, POWER, AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
- Oct. 12 (Mo): Family Violence
Oct. 14 (We): Domestic Violence,
continued
Oct. 19 (Mo): FALL BREAK
Oct. 21 (We): FALL BREAK
V. PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
- Oct. 26 (Mo): Historical Construction
of Childhood
Oct. 28 (We): Becoming a Parent
Nov. 2 (Mo): Parenting: Mothers and
Motherhood
Nov. 4 (We): Parenting: Fathers and
Fatherhood
Nov. 9 (Mo): Teen Pregnancy/Adolescent
Sexuality
Nov. 11 (We): Birth Control and
Abortion
VI. DIVORCE, REMARRIAGE, AND BLENDED
FAMILIES
- Nov. 16 (Mo): Divorce
Nov. 18 (We): Remarriage
Nov. 23 (Mo): CLASS CANCELED---Work on Final Research Paper
Nov. 25 (We): THANKSGIVING NO CLASS: Read Carol Stack's
Book
VII. THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF FAMILY
LIFE
- Nov. 30 (Mo): Families and Poverty
Dec. 2 (We): Families and Poverty,
continued
Dec. 7 (Mo): Work and Family
Dec. 9 (We): Course Summation: The
Decline of the Family Reconsidered
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FAMILIES
Aug. 31 (Mo): Introduction to Course
Sept. 2 (We): Definitions of Family
and Issues in the Study of Families
Required Readings:
- Gittins, Diana. "The Family in Question: What Is the
Family?" (Ferguson, pp.1-11).
Baca Zinn, Maxine. "Feminist Rethinking from Racial-Ethnic
Families." (Ferguson, pp.12-21).
Weston, Kath. "Exiles from Kinship." (Ferguson,
pp.21-37).
Skolnick, Arlene. "The State of the American Family."
(Ferguson, pp.37-49).
Suggested Readings:
- Skolnick, Arlene. "Introduction: Family in Transition."
(Skolnick, pp.1-17).
Rosen, David M. "What Is a Family?" (Skolnick, pp.526-536).
Sept. 7 (Mo): Is the Family in Crisis?
Required Readings:
- Coontz, Stephanie. "The Way We Never Were: American
Families and the Nostalgia Trap." (Ferguson, pp.50-62).
Coontz, Stephanie. 1997. The Way We Really Are: Coming
to Terms with America's Changing Families, Read Introduction,
Chapters 1 and 2, (Coontz, pp.1-50).
Suggested Readings:
- Cohen, Susan and Mary Fainsod Katzenstein. "The War
Over the Family is Not Over the Family." (Hutter, pp.35-51).
Hunter, James Davison. "The Family and The Culture War."
(Skolnick, pp.537-547).
Sept. 9 (We): Historical Origins of the Family
Required Readings:
- Gough, Kathleen. 1994 [1971]. "The Origin of the Family."
Family in Transition. Eighth Edition. Arlene S. Skolnick
and Jerome H. Skolnick. Editors. New York: HarperCollins. pp.23-39.
(Xeroxed Reading).
Draper, Patricia. 1975. "!Kung Women: Contrasts in Sexual
Egalitarianism in Foraging and Sedentary Contexts." Toward
an Anthropology of Women. Rayna R. Reiter. Editor. New York:
Monthly Review Press. pp.77-109. (Xeroxed Reading).
Lerner, Gerda. 1986. "A Working Hypothesis." The
Creation of Patriarchy. New York: Oxford University Press.
pp.36-53. (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Epstein, Cynthia Fuchs. "Inevitabilities of Prejudice."
(Hutter, 1991, pp.14-26).
Berger and Berger. "The Family in Modern Society."
(Hutter, 1991, pp.27-42).
Wells, Robert V. "Demographic Change and Family Life
in American History: Some
Reflections." (Hutter, 1991, pp.43-62).
Sept. 14 (Mo): Historical Overview of Agrarian
and Industrial Families
Required Readings:
- Stone, Lawrence. 1979. "Family Characteristics."
The Family, Sex and Marriage: In England, 1500-1800. New
York: Harper and Row. pp.69-89. (Xeroxed Reading).
Gerstel, Naomi and Harriet Engel Gross. 1989. "Women
and the American Family: Continuity and Change." Women.
A Feminist Perspective. Jo Freeman. Editor. Mountain View,
CA: Mayfield Publishing Company. pp.89-120. (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Glick, Paul C. "American Families: As They Are and Were."
(Skolnick, pp.91-104).
Hareven, Tamara K. "Continuity and Change in American
Family Life." (Skolnick, pp.40-47).
Hutter, Mark. "Immigrant Families in the City."
(Hutter, pp.89-96).
Jackson, Kenneth T. "Home, Sweet Home: The House and
Yard." (Hutter, pp.63-68).
Mintz, Steven. "New Rules: Postwar Families (1955-Present)."
(Hutter, pp.15-34).
Young, Robert J. "What Kinds of Immigrants Have Come
to the Philadelphia Area, Where Did They Settle, and How Are
They Doing?" (Hutter, pp.97-107).
Sept. 16 (We): Racial Ethnic Variation in Family
Forms
Required Readings:
- Sudarkasa, Niara. "Interpreting the African Heritage
in Afro-American Family Organization." (Ferguson, pp.62-78).
Griswold del Castillo, Richard. "La Familia: Family Cohesion
Among Mexican American Families in the Urban Southwest, 1848-1900.
(Ferguson, pp.78-93).
Ngan-Ling Chow, Esther. "Family, Economy, and the State:
A Legacy of Struggle for Chinese American Women." (Ferguson,
pp.93-114).
Suggested Readings:
- Burnham, Margaret. "An Impossible Marriage: Slave Law
and Family Law." Family Matters:
Readings on Family Lives and the Law, edited by Martha
Minow. NY: New Press. pp.142-156.
Gutman, Herbert G. 1976. The Black Family in Slavery and
Freedom, 1750-1925. NY: Vintage.
Jones, Jacqueline. 1986. Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow:
Black Women, Work, and the Family From Slavery to the Present.
New York: Vintage Books. (On reserve).
II. THE CONTEMPORARY FAMILY
Sept. 21 (Mo): Dating, Sex, and Courtship
Required Readings:
- Bailey, Beth L. "The Economy of Dating." (Hutter,
pp.169-173). (Xeroxed Reading).
Peplau, Letitia Anne and Susan Miller Campbell. "The
Balance of Power in Dating." (Ferguson, pp.173-183).
Whyte, Martin King. 1992. "Choosing Mates---The American
Way." Society. Vol. 29. pp.71-77. (Xeroxed Reading).
Xiaohe, Xu and Martin King Whyte. "Love Matches and Arranged
Marriages: A Chinese Replication." (Ferguson, pp.115-133).
Suggested Readings:
- Bahn, Adele and Angela Jaquez. "One Style of Dominican
Bridal Shower." (Hutter, pp.194-204).
Bartelt, Pearl W., et al. "Politics and Politesse: Gender
Deference and Formal Etiquette." (Hutter, pp.205-227).
Horowitz, Ruth. "The Expanded Family and Family Honor."
(Hutter, pp.108-122).
Reiss, Ira L. "A Sociological Journey into Sexuality."
(Hutter, 1991, pp.336-350).
Sept. 23 (We): Marriage
Required Readings:
- Glenn, Norval D. "Values, Attitudes, and the State of
American Marriage." (Ferguson, pp.133-146).
Bruess, Carol J. S. and Judy C. Pearson. "Gendered Patterns
in Family Communication." (Ferguson, pp.183-198).
Schwartz, Pepper. "Peer Marriage." (Ferguson, pp.212-223).
Coontz, Stephanie. "The Future of Marriage." (Coontz,
pp.77-95).
Suggested Readings:
- Belenky, Mary Field et al. "Family Life and the Politics
of Talk." (Hutter, 1991, pp.422-453).
Cancian, Francesca M. "The Feminization of Love."
(Hutter, pp.228-237).
Cuber and Harroff. "Five Types of Marriage." (Skolnick,
pp.183-194).
Klagsburn, Frances. "Long-Term Marriages." (Skolnick,
pp.194-201).
Lebsock, Suzanne. 1984. "The Political Economy of Marriage."
The Free Women of Petersburg: Status and Culture in a Southern
Town, 1784-1860. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. pp.15-53.
Mayer, Egon. "Two Can Make a Revolution." (Hutter,
pp.174-193).
Rubin, Lillian B. "The Sexual Dilemma." (Hutter,
1991, pp.453-466).
Scanzoni, John. 1993. "Implications of the Emerging Family."
Gender Basics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. pp.262-269.
III. ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Sept. 28 (Mo): Cohabitation
Required Readings:
- Bumpass, Larry L. and James A. Sweet. 1989. "National
Estimates of Cohabitation."
Demography. Vol. 26. No. 4. pp.615-625. (Xeroxed Reading).
Bumpass, Larry L., James A. Sweet, and Andrew J. Cherlin.
"The Role of Cohabitation in Declining Rates of Marriage."
(Ferguson, pp.146-160).
Dalton, Clare. 1985. "Deconstructing Contract Doctrine."
Family Matters. NY: The New Press. pp.170-178. (Xeroxed
Reading).
Wisensale, Steven K. and Kathlyn E. Heckart. "Domestic
Partnerships: A Concept Paper and Policy Discussion." (Ferguson,
pp.654-667).
Suggested Readings:
- Ihara, Toni and Ralph Warner. 1979. The Living Together
Kit. NY: Fawcett Crest.
Wu, Zheng. 1995. "Premarital Cohabitation and Postmarital
Cohabiting Union Formation." Journal of Family Issues.
Vol. 16. No. 2. pp.212-232.
Sept. 30 (We): The Never Married
Required Readings:
- De Beauvoir, Simon. 1993. "The Married Woman."
Gender Basics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. pp.277-285.
(Xeroxed Reading).
Faludi, Susan. 1991. "Man Shortages and Barren Wombs:
The Myths of the Backlash." Back-lash: The Undeclared
War Against American Women. New York: Crown Publishers. pp.3-19.
Allen, Katherine R. and Robert S. Pickett. 1987. "Forgotten
Streams in the Family Life Course: Utilization of Qualitative
Retrospective Interviews in the Analysis of Lifelong Single Women's
Family Careers." Journal of Marriage and the Family.
Vol. 49. No. 3. pp.517-526. (Xeroxed Reading).
Simon, Barbara Levy. 1987. "Being Marginal: The Single
Woman as Caricature." Never Married Women. Philadelphia:
Temple University Press. pp.1-28. (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Allen, Katherine R. 1989. Single Women/Family Ties: Life
Histories of Older Women. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.
(On reserve).
Cherlin, Andrew. "The Strange Career of the `Harvard
Yale Study'." (Skolnick, pp.553-559).
Firestone, Shulamith. 1993. "The Case for Feminist Revolution."
Gender Basics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. pp.285-290.
Simon, Barbara Levy. 1987. Never Married Women. Philadelphia:
Temple University Press. (On reserve).
Oct. 5 (Mo): Gay and Lesbian Families
Required Readings:
- Weston, Kath. Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship.
pp.1-75.
Stacey, Judith. "Gay and Lesbian Families Are Here."
(Ferguson, pp.161-173).
Dean, Craig R. 1993. "Fighting for Same Sex Marriage."
Gender Basics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. pp.275-277.
(Xeroxed Reading).
Duclos, Nitya. "Some Complicating Thoughts on Same-Sex
Marriage." Family Matters: Readings on Family
Lives and the Law. Edited by Martha Minow. NY: The New Press.
pp.157-169. (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- D'Emilio and Freedman. "The Sexualized Society."
(Hutter, 1991, pp.351-367).
Sherman, Suzanne. Editor. 1992. Lesbian and Gay Marriage:
Private Commitments, Public Ceremonies. Philadelphia: Temple
University Press.
Weston, Kath. "Is 'Straight' to 'Gay' as 'Family' is
to 'No Family'?" (Hutter, pp.238-243.
Oct. 7 (We): Gay and Lesbian Families continued
Required Readings:
- Weston, Kath. Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship.
pp.77-213.
Pollack, Sandra. 1993. "Lesbian Parents: Claiming Our
Visibility." Feminist Frontiers III. Laurel
Richardson and Verta Taylor. Editors. New York: McGraw-Hill.
pp.263-270.
Suggested Readings:
- Bozett, Frederick W. 1988. "Gay Fatherhood." Fatherhood
Today: Men's Changing Role in the Family. Phyllis
Bronstein and Carolyn Pape Cowan. Editors. New York: John Wiley
& Sons. pp.214-235. (On reserve).
Burke, Phyllis. 1993. Family Values: Two Moms & Their
Son. New York: Random House.
Goleman, Daniel. "Gay Home." (Skolnick, pp.487-490).
Lewin, Ellen. 1993. Lesbian Mothers: Accounts of Gender
in American Culture. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University
Press. (On reserve).
Martin, April. 1993. The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook:
Creating and Raising Our Families. New York: Harper.
IV. GENDER, POWER, AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
Oct. 12 (Mo): Family Violence
Required Readings:
- Gelles, Richard J. "Through A Sociological Lens: Social
Structure and Family Violence." (Ferguson, pp.468-481).
Kibria, Nazli. "Power, Patriarchy, and Gender Conflict
in the Vietnamese Immigrant Community." (Ferguson, pp.198-212).
Jang, Deeana, Debbie Lee, and Rachel Morello-Frosh. "Domestic
Violence in the Immigrant and Refugee Community: Responding to
the Needs of Immigrant Women." (Ferguson, pp.481-492).
Suggested Readings:
- Bart, Pauline B. and Eileen Geil Moran. Editors. 1993. Violence
Against Women: The Bloody Footprints. Newbury Park, California:
Sage Publications.
Gordon, Linda. 1988. Heroes of Their Own Lives: The Politics
and History of Family Violence. New York: Penguin Books.
Johnson and Ferraro. "The Victimized Self: The Case of
Battered Women." (Hutter, pp.393-403).
Straus, Murray A., Richard Gelles, and Suzanne Steinmetz.
"The Marriage License as a Hitting License." (Skolnick,
pp.202-215).
Oct. 14 (We): Domestic Violence, continued
Required Readings:
- Crompton, Vicki. 1991. "A Parent's Story." Dating
Violence: Young Women in Danger. Edited by Barry Levy. Seattle:
Seal Press. pp.21-27. (Xeroxed Reading).
Renzetti, Claire M. "Toward a Better Understanding of
Lesbian Battering." (Ferguson, pp.492-504).
Hollies, Linda H. 1994. "A Daughter Survives Incest:
A Retrospective Analysis." The Black Women's Health Book.
Edited by Evelyn C. White. Seattle: Seal Press. pp.82-91. (Xeroxed
Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Gelles, Richard and Murray Straus. "The Impact of Intimate
Violence." (Skolnick, pp.325-333).
Gelles, Richard and Murray Straus. "Profiling Violent
Families." (Hutter, 1991, pp.644-661).
Johnson, John M. "The Changing Concept of Child Abuse
and Its Impact on the Integrity of Family Life." (Hutter,
pp.404-415).
Lie, Gwat-Yong and Sabrina Gentlewarrier. 1991. "Intimate
Violence in Lesbian Relationships: Discussion of Survey Findings
and Practical Implications." Journal of Social Service
Research. Vol. 15. pp.41-59.
Oct. 19 (Mo): FALL BREAK
Oct. 21 (We): FALL BREAK
V. PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
Oct. 26 (Mo): Historical Construction of Childhood
Required Readings:
- Boswell, John. 1988. "Introduction." The Kindness
of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe
from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance. NY: Vintage Books.
pp.3-49.
LeVine, Robert A. and Merry White. "The Social Transformation
of Childhood." (Skolnick, pp.273-293). (Xeroxed Reading).
Zelizer, Viviana A. "From Baby Farms to Baby M."
(Hutter, pp.333-341). (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Skolnick, Arlene. "The Life Course Revolution."
(Skolnick, pp.62-71).
Vinovskis, Maris A. "Historical Perceptions on the Development
of the Family and Parent-Child Interactions." (Hutter, 1991,
pp.521-537).
Zelizer, Viviana A. "Pricing the Priceless Child: From
Baby Farms to Black-Market Babies." (Look up Zelizer's research).
Oct. 28 (We): Becoming a Paren
Required Readings:
- Greil, Arthur L. "A Secret Stigma: Interaction with
the Fertile World." (Ferguson, pp.243-255).
Demo, David H. "Parent-Child Relations: Assessing Recent
Changes." (Ferguson, pp.223-243).
Straus, Murray A. "The Conspiracy of Silence." (Ferguson,
pp.505-517).
Garbarino, James, Mario T. Gaboury, and Margaret C. Plantz.
"Social Policy, Children, and Their Families." (Ferguson,
pp.639-654).
Suggested Readings:
- Cowan, Carolyn Pape and Philip A. Cowan. 1992. When Partners
Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples. New York:
Basic Books. (On reserve).
Cowan, Carolyn P. and Philip A. Cowan. "Becoming a Parent."
(Skolnick, pp.334-347).
Rossi, Alice S. "Transition to Parenthood." (Skolnick,
Seventh Edition, pp.332-342).
Cleveland, Peggy H., et al. "If Your Child Had AIDS...:Responses
of Parents with Homosexual Children." (Hutter, 1991, pp.707-714).
Nov. 2 (Mo): Parenting: Mothers and Motherhood
Required Readings:
- Rich, Adrienne. "Anger and Tenderness." (Ferguson,
pp.310-322).
Hoffnung, Michele. "Motherhood: Contemporary Conflict
for Women." (Ferguson, pp.277-291).
Collins, Patricia Hill. "Shifting the Center: Race, Class,
and Feminist Theorizing about Motherhood." (Ferguson, pp.291-310).
Lewin, Ellen. "Negotiating Lesbian Motherhood: The Dialectics
of Resistance and Accomodation." (Ferguson, pp.322-337).
Suggested Readings:
- Mednick, Martha T. "Single Mothers: A Review and Critique
of Current Research." (Skolnick, pp.368-383).
Pardo, Mary. "Mexican American Women Grassroots Community
Activists: 'Mothers of East Los Angeles'." (Hutter, pp.78-88).
Rothman, Barbara Katz. 1989. Recreating Motherhood: Ideology
and Technology in a Patriarchal Society. New York:
Norton. (On reserve).
Trebilcot, Joyce. Editor. 1984. Mothering: Essays in Feminist
Theory. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Allanheld. (On reserve).
Nov. 4 (We): Parenting: Fathers and Fatherhood
Required Readings:
- Blankenhorn, David. "The Diminishment of American Fatherhood."
(Ferguson, pp.338-355).
Gerson, Kathleen. "Dilemmas of Involved Fatherhood."
(Ferguson, pp.355-371).
McAdoo, John Lewis and Julia B. McAdoo. "The African
American Father's Roles within the Family." (Ferguson, pp.371-384).
Daly, Kerry. "Reshaping Fatherhood: Finding the Models."
(Ferguson, pp.384-399).
Suggested Readings:
- Blankenhorn, David. 1995. Fatherless America: Confronting
Our Most Urgent Social Problem. NY: Basic Books.
Bronstein, Phyllis and Carolyn Pape Cowan. Editors. 1988.
Fatherhood Today: Men's Changing Role in the Family.
New York: John Wiley & Sons. (On reserve).
Furstenburg, Frank F., Jr. "Good Dads---Bad Dads: Two
Faces of Fatherhood." (Skolnick, pp.348-368).
Mirande, Alfredo. 1988. "Chicano Fathers: Traditional
Perceptions and Current Realities." Fatherhood Today:
Men's Changing Role in the Family. Phyllis Bronstein and
Carolyn Pape Cowan. Editors. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
pp.93-106.
Nov. 9 (Mo): Teen Pregnancy/Adolescent Sexuality
Required Readings:
- Luker, Kristin. "Dubious Conceptions: The Controversy
Over Teen Pregnancy." (Ferguson, pp.256-269).
Jones, Elise et al. "Teenage Pregnancy in Developed Countries:
Determinants and Policy Implications." (Hutter, 1991, pp.565-588).
(Xeroxed Reading).
Pirog-Good, Maureen A. 1995. "The Family Background and
Attitudes of Teen Fathers." Youth and Society. Vol.
26. No. 3. pp.351-376. (Xeroxed Reading).
Thompson, Sharon. 1995. "Victims Of Love." Going
All the Way: Teenage Girls' Tales of Sex, Romance, and Pregnancy.
New York: Hill and Wang. Pp.17-46. (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Mayfield, Lorraine P. "Early Parenthood among Low-Income
Adolescent Girls." (Staples, pp.230-242).
Murray, Velma McBride. "Socio-Historical Study of African-American
Adolescent Females Sexuality." (Staples, pp.52-65).
Rubin, Lillian B. "The Culture of Adolescent Sexuality."
(Skolnick, pp.157-164).
Thompson, Sharon. 1995. Going All the Way: Teenage Girls'
Tales of Sex, Romance, and Pregnancy. New York: Hill and
Wang.
Williams and Kornblum. "Sneaker Mothers." (Hutter,
1991, pp.589-600).
Nov. 11 (We): Birth Control and Abortion
Required Readings:
- Davis, Angela Y. 1981. "Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive
Rights." Feminist Frontiers III. Laurel Richardson
and Verta Taylor. Editors. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. (1993).
pp.346-358. (Xeroxed Reading).
Ginsburg, Faye D. 1989. "Conclusion." Contested
Lives: The Abortion Debate in an American Community.
Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.212-221. (Xeroxed
Reading).
Kantrowitz, Barbara and Pat Wingert. "The Norplant Debate."
(Skolnick, pp.521-526). (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Ginsburg, Faye D. 1989. Contested Lives: The Abortion
Debate in an American Community. Berkeley: University of
California Press.
Luker, Kristin. "Motherhood and Morality in America."
(Skolnick, pp.503-521).
Petchesky, Rosalind. 1990. Abortion and Woman's Choice:
The State, Sexuality and Reproductive Freedom. Boston:
Northeastern University Press. (On reserve).
VI. DIVORCE, REMARRIAGE, AND BLENDED FAMILIES
Nov. 16 (Mo): Divorce
Required Readings:
- Ahrons, Constance. "What Divorce Is and Is Not: Transcending
the Myths." (Ferguson, pp.400-412).
Amato, Paul R. "The Impact of Divorce on Men and Women
in India and the United States." (Ferguson, pp.412-426).
Arendell, Terry. "The Social Self as Gendered: A Masculinist
Discourse of Divorce." (Ferguson, pp.427-447).
Riessman, Catherine Kohler. "Starting a New Life: The
Positive Consequences of Divorce." (Xeroxed Reading).
Suggested Readings:
- Arendell, Terry. "Mothers and Divorce: Downward Mobility."
(Skolnick, pp.229-241).
Furstenberg, Frank F. and Andrew J. Cherlin. "Children's
Adjustment to Divorce." (Skolnick, pp.314-324).
Wallerstein, Judith S. "Children of Divorce: Report of
a Ten-Year Follow-Up of Early Latency- Age Children." (Hutter,
1991, pp.747-762).
Weitzman, Lenore. "Divorce and the Illusion of Equality."
(Hutter, 1991, pp.243-280).
Weitzman, Lenore J. and Ruth B. Dixon. "The Transformation
of Legal Marriage Through No- Fault Divorce. (Skolnick, pp.216-229).
Nov. 18 (We): Remarriage
Required Readings:
- Coontz, Stephanie. "Putting Divorce into Perspective."
Chapter 5 in Coontz, pp.97-108.
Cherlin, Andrew J. and Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. "Stepfamilies
in the United States: A Reconsideration." (Ferguson, pp.448-467).
Suggested Readings:
- Ahrons, Constance R. and Roy H. Rodgers. "The Remarriage
Transition." (Skolnick, pp.257-268).
Cherlin, Andrew. "Remarriage as an Incomplete Institution."
(Hutter, pp.452-462).
Dudley, James R. "Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact
with Their Children." (Skolnick, pp.242-257).
Stacey, Judith. 1991. Brave New Families: Stories of Domestic
Upheaval in Late Twentieth Century America. NY: Basic Books.
Nov. 23 (Mo): CLASS CANCELLED---Work on Final Research
Paper
Nov. 25 (We): THANKSGIVING
NO CLASS: Read Carol Stack's Book
VII. THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF FAMILY LIFE
Nov. 30 (Mo): Families and Poverty
Required Readings:
- Stack, Carol B. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in
a Black Community. (pp.ix-129).
Jarrett, Robin L. "Living Poor: Family Life among Single
Parent, African American Women." (Ferguson, pp.592-615).
Suggested Readings:
- Newman, Katherine S. "The Downwardly Mobile Family."
(Skolnick, pp.391-397).
Baca Zinn, Maxine. "Family, Race, and Poverty in the
Eighties." (Skolnick, pp.398-411).
Devault, Marjorie L. "Affluence and Poverty." (Hutter,
pp.272-295).
Vanderstaay, Steven. "Karla and the Armstrongs: Two Oral
Histories of Homeless American Families." (Hutter, pp.416-420).
Dec. 2 (We): Families and Poverty, continued
Required Readings:
- Aponte, Robert. "Hispanic Families in Poverty: Diversity,
Context, and Interpretation." (Ferguson, pp.578-592).
Brewer, Rose. "Race, Class, Gender and U.S. State Welfare
Policy: The Nexus of Inequality for African American Families."
(Ferguson, pp.668-680).
Jencks, Christopher and Kathyrn Edin. "Do Poor Women
Have a Right to Bear Children?" (Ferguson, pp.615-628).
Kozol, Jonathan. "Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families
in America." (Ferguson, pp.628-638).
Suggested Readings:
- Rodgers, Harrell R., Jr. "Some Social Welfare Lessons
From Europe." (Hutter, 1991, pp.232-243).
Wilson, William Julius. "Poverty and Family Structure:
The Widening Gap Between Evidence and Public Policy Issues."
(Hutter, pp.123-141).
Dec. 7 (Mo): Work and Family
Required Readings:
- Coontz, Stephanie. "Why Working Mothers Are Here to
Stay." Chapter 3, (Coontz, pp.51-76).
Hochschild, Arlie Russell. "The Emotional Geography of
Work and Family Life." (Ferguson, pp.518-532).
Rubin, Lillian B. "'When You Get Laid Off, It's Like
You Lose a Part of Yourself'." (Ferguson, pp.533-546).
Coltrane, Scott. "Changing Patterns of Family Work: Chicano
Men and Housework." (Ferguson, pp.547-562).
Uttal, Lynet. "Custodial Care, Surrogate Care, and Coordinated
Care: Employed Mothers and the Meaning of Child Care." (Ferguson,
pp.562-577).
Suggested Readings:
- Bernard, Jessie. "The Good-Provider Role: Its Rise and
Fall." (Hutter, pp.257-271).
Boyd, Sandra L. and Judith Treas. "Family Care of the
Frail Elderly: A New Look at 'Women in the Middle'." (Ferguson,
pp.269-276).
di Leonardo, Micaela. "The Female World of Cards and
Holidays: Women, Families, and the Work of Kinship." (Hutter,
pp.69-77).
Gerson, Kathleen. "Choosing Between Privilege and Sharing:
Men's Responses to Gender and Family Change." (Skolnick,
pp.149-156).
Gerstel, Naomi and Harriet Engel Gross. Editors. 1987. Families
and Work. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Goode, William J. "Why Men Resist." (Skolnick, pp.137-149).
Scarr, Phillips and McCartney. "Working Mothers and Their
Families." (Skolnick, pp.411-427).
Schor, Juliet. "Overworked in the Household." (Skolnick,
pp.83-91).
Wright, Mareena McKinley. "'I Never Did Any Fieldwork,
but I Milked an Awful Lot of Cows!': Using Rural Women's Experience
to Reconceptualize Models of Work." (Hutter, pp.269-310).
Zavella, Patricia.1987. Women's Work and Chicano Families:
Cannery Workers of the Santa Clara Valley. Ithaca, New York:
Cornell University Press.
Dec. 9 (We): Course Summation: The Decline of the
Family Reconsidered
Required Readings:
- Acker, Joan. "Women, Families, and Public Policy in
Sweden." (Ferguson, pp.681-695).
Popenoe, David. "Family Decline in America." (Hutter,
pp.142-149).
Coontz, Stephanie. 1997. The Way We Really Are: Coming
to Terms with America's Changing Families. Read Chapters
6 - 9, (Coontz, pp.109-178).
Dec. 14-18: FINAL PAPER DUE DURING FINAL EXAM WEEK
WINTER INTERSESSION
Hurray! Have a wonderful break!
Department of Sociology, Grinnell
College, 1210 Park Street, PO Box 805, Grinnell, IA 50112-0806
Phone: 515-269-3173, Fax: 515-269-4985
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Send questions and comments to the Department
Chair,
Professor Chris Hunter, at hunter@grinnell.edu. |
Web pages maintained by warpehos@grinnell.edu
Last modified: December 13, 1999 |
