COURSE DESCRIPTION: The study
of interactive parent-child relations from infancy through adulthood
and the internal and environmental forces which have an impact upon
family dynamics.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course the student will be
able to:
1. Understand the major concepts,
issues and theories in parent-child relations from birth to adulthood.
2. Understand the factors which facilitate or hinder positive
parent-child interaction.
3. Understand and analyze the family’s role in socialization.
4. Understand and evaluate current research on issues pertaining
to parent child relations.
5. Understand the dynamics of family relationships and analyze
the impact of those family relationships on individuals as they grow to
adulthood.
6. Apply the information gained from this class to the student’s
own life and work.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:
Each student enrolled in the course needs to have access to a personal
computer with internet access. In addition, each student needs to
have
access to a
reliable printer. The speed at which the computer operates is of
little consequence as long as it is adequate to read/download readings
and assignments. A malfunctioning computer system is no
excuse for failing to turn in assignments on time or communicating via
email with the professor. Students should be aware of, and
anticipate, the possibility of server outages and downtime by staying
current with readings and assignments - and by looking ahead at the
course outline to be prepared for upcoming assignments before the
actual due date.
NECESSARY COMPUTER/INTERNET SKILLS :
Since all information for this course resides on the internet when you
log onto the Learning Management System - Springboard, all students enrolled
in the class should be fairly competent at using the
internet, downloading and printing documents and web pages and
communicating with the professor via email. Email will be used to
send assignments and grades back and forth and will be the primary
avenue for discussion and communication about the class. All students
must have a working email address and account. The University of Akron
will provide such access and capability upon request. Email the
professor for specific instructions regarding internet access on
campus. All students must possess standard internet skills, which
include downloading and file transfer from the host server to your
personal computer station, the ability to navigate throughout the
website devoted to this course, and other skills necessary to ensure
completion of the course. All students must possess email skills,
including sending, receiving, and responding to email messages.
This includes the ability to send completed word processed documents
via email attachments.
TEXTBOOK: Hamner,
T. And Turner, P. (2001). Parenting in Contemporary Society, 4th
edition.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Week 1
First day of classes - Send the professor an email attachment
Read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 – pp. 33-51 in textbook
Read lecture notes for the following:
Erikson
Piaget
History of Parenting
Parenting Infants
Parenting Toddlers
Write reaction paper #1 – due Friday by 5:00 p.m. See instructions here
Week 2
Read Chapter 2 – pp. 51-65 and Chapters 3 and 4 in textbook
Read lecture notes for the following:
Parenting Preschool Children
Parenting School age Children
Parenting Adolescents
Grandparenting
Write reaction paper #2 – due Friday by 5:00 p.m.
Week 3
Read Chapters 5, 6 and 7 in textbook
Read lecture notes for the following:
Effective Parenting
Parenting in Diverse Cultures
Divorce
Stepparenting
Issue Comparison Paper – due Tuesday by 5:00 p.m. See instructions here.
Write reaction paper #3 – due Friday by 5:00 p.m.
Week 4
Read Chapters 8, 9 and 10 in textbook
Read lecture notes for the following:
Teen Parents
Parenting Children with Special Needs
Family Assessment Paper – due Tuesday by 5:00 p.m. See instructions here
Write reaction paper #4 – due Friday by 5:00 p.m.
Week 5
Read Chapters 11 and 12 in textbook
Read lecture notes for the following:
Child Care
Final exam – due Friday by 5:00 p.m. See instructions here
ASSIGNMENT POINT VALUE AND DUE DATES
Reaction papers (4 @ 25 points each) - 100 points - due Friday of weeks 1 through 4
Issue comparison paper - 75 points - due Tuesday of week 3
Family assessment paper - 75 points - due Tuesday of week 4
Final exam - 100 points - due Friday of week 5
Total possible points for course - 350 points
GRADING SCALE:
329 – 350
A 270 –
279 C+
210 – 223 D-
315 – 328 A-
259 – 269
C Below
210 F
305 – 314 B+ 245 – 258 C-
296 – 304 B 235 – 244 D+
280 – 295 B- 224 – 234 D
REACTION PAPERS
The purpose of this assignment is to give students the opportunity to
reflect on each week’s assigned readings. Reaction papers should
address the following:
- What did I learn from this week’s reading assignments?
- How can I apply this information to the work I do and my life in general?
- How do I feel about what I have read?
- How does this information compare with what I already knew about the topics?
- What questions do I have about the topics?
Papers should be thoughtfully written and show that you have a clear
understanding of the material. Do not simply repeat back the
material from the text and lecture notes; but show that you are able to
take the information, analyze it and apply it to real life
situations. Whenever possible, use examples to illustrate what
you are writing about, and be sure to address all topics covered in
that week’s assignments. Each reaction paper should be at least 3
pages long, double spaced, one-inch margins, no larger than a 12-point
New Times Roman style font. Each of the four reaction paper is
worth 25 points for a total of 100 points. Late papers will have
five points deducted for each day they are late (including weekends). Back to Week 1
ISSUE COMPARISON PAPER
This assignment is due on Tuesday of Week 3 and is worth 75
points. All late papers will receive a five-point deduction for
each day they are late (this includes weekends). The paper should
be at least 8 pages in length, double spaced, one-inch margins, no
larger than a 12-point New Times Roman style font. Late papers will receive a five-point deduction for each day they are late (including weekends).
The paper is designed to:
- familiarize students with a current issue in parent child relations;
- familiarize students with the manner in which a parenting issue is treated by professional sources; and
- enable students to compare and analyze a parenting issue as presented in professional sources.
For this assignment the professor will randomly assign an issue/topic
to each student in the class. Students are to seek out and read
three professional articles dealing with that issue from academic
journals (some examples are listed below).
After reading your three articles, you will write a paper comparing how
the issue is treated by each of the sources. Some things to
consider are the purpose of the article; who the target audience is;
qualifications of the author(s); evidence presented for any claims made
in the articles; how language is used; theoretical viewpoint of the
author; what kind of outside sources are cited; whether or not the
information and findings in the articles is logical; what is your
opinion of the findings in the article; and any other information that
is relevant. Offer an analysis and evaluation of each article you
read, explain similarities and differences in how the articles are
written, and make a determination as to how valid the information is in
each article. Be sure to include a summary of your findings at
the end of the paper.
Listed below are some examples of professional journals. Keep in
mind that this is a very short list; there are many others
available. Bierce Library offers access to many other journals as
well.
A Short List of Academic Journals:
- Adolescence
- Child Development
- Child Study Journal,
- Child Today
- Childhood Education
- Journal of Divorce Early Child Development & Care
- Developmental Psychology
- Journal of Marriage and Family
- Social Forces
- Journal of Family Issues
- Young Children
- Child Welfare Family Relations
- Journal of Social Issues
- Gender & Society
- Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences
- Curriculum and Teaching Education and Society
- Educational Practice and Theory
(These journals can be found in the Bierce Library and, in some cases, through the library online catalogs). Back to Week 3
FAMILY ASSESSMENT PAPER
This assignment is due on Tuesday of Week 4. All late papers will
receive a five point deduction for each day they are late (this
includes weekends).
The paper should be at least 8 pages in length (excluding title page
and reference page), double spaced, using no larger than a 12-point,
New Times Roman-style font and no larger than one inch margins. A
title page with your name should be included, as well as a page at the
end of the paper listing all references. Reference page must
include author, year, title of the article, name of journal, volume
number and page numbers. The title page and reference page are in
addition to the 8 pages required for the paper.
This assignment is designed 1) to help students understand the factors
that make each family unique through the study of their own families of
origin, and 2) to gain some understanding of personal experiences and
attitudes which will influence students as they work with parents and
families. For this assignment, you should choose two or three of
the following areas and discuss how they play(ed) out in your family of
origin. Include specific examples, when possible, of family
situations which would illustrate your points.
- Family and displays of emotion
- Family and use of power
- Family and role assignment and satisfaction
- Family and rule creation and enforcement
- Gender and gender roles within the family
- Closest and most distant relationships
- Family patterns with regard to work, schooling, political
and personal issues (these might include discipline, parenting
philosophy, parenting styles, family values and beliefs, cultural
influences on parenting)
Provide an overall evaluation of your family. How would you
evaluate your family in terms of communication, individual functioning,
feelings of satisfaction in roles, self esteem, problem solving,
enjoyment of each other, feelings of intimacy and mutual support?
Include within your paper information from three research articles that deal with the areas you write about. Explain how the findings from the research articles relate to what you are writing about. Back to Week 4
FINAL EXAM
The final exam (click here to download) is
designed to give students the opportunity to show what they have
learned about parent child relations throughout the semester. The
exam consists of 10 essay questions, each worth 10 points for a total
of 100 points. Questions will deal with the topics covered during
the semester. Answers to each question should be at least one
page long, double spaced, using a 12-point New Times Roman style font,
and no larger than one inch margins. The final exam is due on
Friday of Week 5. Late exams will not be accepted..
Back to Week 5