SOCI 211 Sociology of the Family
This course explores the social and cultural dynamics of families in industrialized countries. It examines family as an institution with a social and cultural history. The course engages the theoretical and historical definition of family, patterns and shifts in marriage and partner selection trends, and changes in family structures in modern societies. It begins with an exploration of the meaning of the family in sociological, historical, and cultural terms followed by discussion of marriage and partner selection in historical context. The course explores changes in family forms, peoples' perceptions of marriage and family, people's intentions to marry, form families and have children. Students will be actively engaged in discussions of changes in family structure, factors that caused or affected these changes, and the processes that resulted in those changes. The course takes an in-depth look at the meaning of marriage and the family in theoretical terms by discussing the question of what makes a family, the values inherent to family life, and the possibilities for redefining the meaning of family. Prerequisite: SOCI 105