Amid Financial Abuse, a Blind Spot for Family – The New Old Age Blog – NYTimes.com

Amid Financial Abuse, a Blind Spot for Family – The New Old Age Blog – NYTimes.com.

Can Kids Teach Themselves?

Here is the video that we watched in class today; we will have some questions on this example of carrying out experiments and evaluating their results on the exam.

more about "Can Kids Teach Themselves?", posted with vodpod

IMPORTANT – Research Studies for Paper #6

A student asked, “Do you have a preference for where you get your research findings.”

The only source I’m asking you to look at is the textbook: research that is reported in the textbook.  No one needs to seek out any sources.

The emphasis on research findings (not studies) is to differentiate the facts and theories to explain them from the stories that Seccombe uses to illustrate them.

For example,

• the Family Focus section on p. 186-188 includes uses research-based evidence to show that access to health care is a particular issue for Mexican-American families – a research finding.
• The story of Guadalupe, the undocumented worker, in Box 6.2 on p. 187-188, on the other hand, is a case-study that helps us understand how people experience the situation portratyed in the research.

Writing about Guadalupe alone would not be writing about a research finding. Writing about the problem of access to health care for Mexican-Americans would be writing about a research finding; you might choose to mention Guadupe’s story as an example of that finding.

Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down.

Advice on studying for finals, from the Chronicle of Higher Education.  Here’s what they reported (and a link to the full article)

That old study method still works, researchers say.
So why don’t professors preach it?

<script language=”JavaScript1.1″ src=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/faculty.che/;abr=!ie;abr=!aol;sz=250×250,300×250;ord=?”> </script> <noscript> <a href=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/faculty.che/;abr=!ie;abr=!aol;sz=250×250,300×250;ord=?”><img src=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/faculty.che/;abr=!ie;abr=!aol;sz=250×250,300×250;ord=?” width=”300″ height=”250″ border=”0″></a> </noscript>

By DAVID GLENN

The scene: A rigorous intro-level survey course in biology, history, or economics. You’re the instructor, and students are crowding the lectern, pleading for study advice for the midterm.

If you’re like many professors, you’ll tell them something like this: Read carefully. Write down unfamiliar terms and look up their meanings. Make an outline. Reread each chapter.

That’s not terrible advice. But some scientists would say that you’ve left out the most important step: Put the book aside and hide your notes. Then recall everything you can. Write it down, or, if you’re uninhibited, say it out loud.

Two psychology journals have recently published papers showing that this strategy works, the latest findings from a decades-old body of research. When students study on their own, “active recall“ — recitation, for instance, or flashcards and other self-quizzing — is the most effective way to inscribe something in long-term memory.

Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down. – Chronicle.com.

Paper #6

Think of the course in three segments:

1. Chapters 1-6 (Sociological imagination, family history, race, class, gender)
2. Chapter 7-10 (Sex, dating, love, marriage, transition to parenthood)
3. Chapter 11-15 (Parenting, Work, Aging, Violence, Divorce)

• For each segment, choose ONE research finding that was interesting, surprising, contrary to your expectations or beliefs, or otherwise remarkable.  [Be careful to choose something that derives from research. Research presents a pattern in social life. The stories of particular individuals or families are in your textbook to help you understand the pattern, but they are not the research findings.]
• Describe and explain the research finding specifically and accurately, citing the source (page numbers from the text or, if from a video, the name of the video).  Write in such a way that a person who had not read the textbook or seen the video would understand the research finding. In general, this takes 1 paragraph.
• Explain what is intriguing, surprising, useful, or otherwise remarkable to you about this finding.  In general, this takes 1 paragraph.

Your final paper may be submitted in either of two ways:

• as a printed paper, properly stapled, in class on Friday, May 1  OR
• as an MS-Word document submitted as an attachment here on WebCT by noon on Monday, May 4.

Homework Comics

This comic strip seemed appropriate for the last week of classes….

Learning Objectives – Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

Cover of The Sociological Imagination

Learning Objectives, Chapter 14 – Divorce & Remarriage

1.      How are divorce rates measured?

2.      How do divorce rates vary across cultures?

3.      How have divorce rates varied historically in the United States?

4.      What factors are associated with divorce?

5.      What are the dimensions of the divorce experience?

6.      What are the consequences of divorce for children?

Learning Objectives, Chapter 15 – Families and the Sociological Imagination

1.       How does the sociological imagination help us to understand families?

2.      How are family members, especially women and children, affected by economic disparities in the United States?

3.      How are societies and nations around the world interconnected?

4.      How are families both private relationships and public institutions?

5.      How do family policies reflect historical, cultural, political, and social factors?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fight Or Flight: How Emotional Distance Ruins Marriage (huffingtonpost.com)
• America’s Marriage Carousel (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)

Office Hours this week

Cover of Office Hours

In the week of April 27 to May 1, my Office Hours will be:

• Monday 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. (Different from usual)
• Tuesday 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
• Wednesday 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
• Friday 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Chapter 13 – Group #6

Question:  A common qustion is “why do women stay in abusive situations?”  How would you answer this question?  Be sure to discuss the battered women’s shelter movement in your answer.

The truth is, most do not stay in abusive relationships:  About 3 in 4 leave.

Leaving is a process because it is hard to find resources and courage

Reasons for staying (see p. 421)

1. blaming the victim
2. shame
3. financial dependency
4. isolation
5. (see whole list)

Battered women’s movement

• started as women helping women (safe houses)
• funding comes through government, fundraising, churches, grants, women’s organizations
• place for women to go for as long as needed
• movement has grown rapidly, with 1400 hotlines, shelters, and networks nationwide.
• offer crisis intervention for women & children

Ch 13 – Group #1

Question:  Write an essay about dating violence, sexual aggresion, and rape.  Be sure to include their frequency and the reasons that so few young women come forward to report it.

Dating violence:

• Women age 16-24 experience most violence
• 13% of women have been physically hurt
• Women often do not report it because of fear of reactions from friends and family

Sexual aggression

• 50% (? – can’t read clearly – check your book!) women have experienced sexual aggression
• 96% knew their attacker
• 46% said they were in love with attacker
• Sexual aggression also occurs in same-sex relationships

Related articles by Zemanta

• Talk to Teens about Healthy Relationships (cdc.gov)
• A New Age In Advertising: Teaching Teenagers About Online Harassment (huffingtonpost.com)
• Protecting Teens From Dating Violence (abcnews.go.com)

Ch 13 – Group #5

Question:  Write an essay about spouse and partner abuse.  Be sure to include the results of the NVAW(National Violence Against Women)  survey, and describe the frequency of various types and how these compare to the rates of violence among males.  Also discuss any racial and ethnic differences.

The NVAW survey confirms that there is an alarming rate of spouse and partner abuse in the U.S.  The survey found that, among all women who were victims of rape or physical assault, 75% of the cases had a perpetrator who as an intimate partner.  This is not the case for men; among male victims, 60% of the perpetrators were a stranger and 18% were an intimate partner.

• 8% of women have been raped  (of men, 0.3%)
• 22% have been physically assaulted  (of men, 7.4%)
• 25% have experienced one or the other (of men, 7.6%)

For women, violence by an intimate partner is relatively common.

Note from Sister Edith:  A second part of the answer turned in concerned racial and ethnic differences, but it was not possible for me to read the writing on that answer.  DO study this material on your own!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Rape and Violence Against Women in the U.S. (crime.suite101.com)
• UK Study Shows Some Think it’s Okay to Hit Women (takepart.com)

Ch 13 – Groups #3

Question:  Define and critique the Conflict Tactics Scale.  What gender twist does it often show, and what may explain this twist?

Conflict Tactics Scale:  People are asked how they deal with disagreements in relationships, specifically, the frequency of behaviors in three categories:

• non-aggressive
• psychological
• physically aggressive

Gender twist: women are more likely than men to report being physically aggressive.

Critique:

• Men may be under-reporting their aggressive acts
• Men are less likely to remember acts of violence
• Men may perceive acts as not being physical violence
• Consequences of violence are worse for women in physical aggression
• Does not include acts of sexual violence or aggression, which are much more likely to be perpetrated by men.

Ch 13 – Group #2

Image via Wikipedia

Question:  Define and provide examples of gender-based violence.  Be sure to include a discussion of trafficking.

Gender-based violence is any act or threat against a woman including:

• violence against intimates,
• sexual abuse,
• forced prostitution,
• female genital mutilation,
• rape,
• honor killings, and
• selective malnourishing of female children

Gender-based violence is more common in some countries, depending on legal systems, but overall takes place in both developed and nondeveloped countries.

Trafficking is the illegal and highly profitable business of recruitment, transport, or sale of human beings into all forms of forced labor and servitude.  It is estimated that each year about 600,000 – 800,000 people (mostly women) are trafficked internationally.  Also, thre are about 1 million children forced into prostitution each year.  Both globalization and patriarchal norms are contributing factors to trafficking.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sex Trafficking in the United States (americanaffairs.suite101.com)
• UN Chief Urges End to Violence Against Women (abcnews.go.com)

Ch 13 – Group #7

Describe four types of Child abuse and explain how large of a problem this really is.  Describe five factors discussed in your text that contribute to child abuse.

1. Physical – inflicting physical injury or harm – 1 in 5 of all child abuse cases are physical. Can result in death.
2. Neglect – most common – failure to provide for basic needs.  2/3
3. Emotional – 7% – maltreatment of self-esteem
4. Sexual – 10% – inappropriate sexual behavior with a child for sexual gratification

Factors:

1. Stress – from illness, unemployment, marital or financial problems
2. Social isolation – little contact w/family, few friends
3. Learned behavior – they were abused as a child
4. Unrealistic parental expectations – don’t have knowledge of parenting
5. Family structure – age, marital status, socioeconomic status

Extra Credit – remaining opportunities

Image by Close to Spectacular via Flickr

As always, if you become aware of a talk or event that would be educational on topics related to sociology or families, feel free to ASK if you can use that event for Extra Credit.  Be sure to ASK before attending: there are events that do not count for Extra Credit.

Here are events of which I am aware:

• Friday, May 1:  Dr. Igor Krasnov, a visiting Russian Fulbright Scholar, will give a talk entitled “Multiculturalism in the USA and Russia: The Battle of Diversity and Unity” at 3:40 p.m.  in room 4119 of Tower Hall.
• The play “Proof” (opening April 17) can be used for extra credit IF the write-up also includes information from the Study Guide, and cites it properly.
• Tuesday, April 28:  Sister Edith Bogue (yes, me) will give a talk entitled “The ‘Feminine Genius’ and the Paradox of Feminism” in the Catholic Studies speaker series, Here Comes Everybody.  It’s at 7 p.m. in the Burns Wellness Center Auditorium
• Wednesday, April 29: Sustainability and U: Viewpoints from UMD – a forum that comes at the end of a year  in which UMD has tried to “Go Green” and explore ways to use sustainable energy and practices. The Chancellor will discuss what they’ve found and policies and practices that might be implemented. A different view of sustainability issues in the contenxt of college. 10:30 am in Weber Music Hall on the UMD campus.
  

Apple pulls ‘offensive’ Baby Shaker iPhone game

Strong public outrage forces software firm to take quick action

Apr 24, 2009 04:30 AM

Comments on this story (3)

Debra Black
Staff Reporter

Apple Inc. didn’t win any votes with parents, advocacy groups or health experts across North America this week by offering a game called Baby Shaker to iPhone customers.

Reaction to the game was so vociferous that Apple pulled it from its iTunes store Wednesday – two days after it became available.

The 99-cent game, designed by Sikalosoft, was one of thousands of iPhone applications submitted by independent developers. It invited users to quiet a crying baby by vigorously shaking their iPhone.

According to an Associated Press story, once the phone was shaken often enough, the onscreen baby went quiet and developed large red Xs over its eyes.

Parents, experts and advocacy groups like the Utah-based National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome were quick to condemn the game, citing the real dangers of brain injury or even death that can result when an infant is mistreated in that way.

“I can’t imagine why someone would think it would be funny to shake your hand (holding an iPhone) to silence a crying infant,” said Richard Volpe, a psychologist and professor at University of Toronto’s Institute of Child Study.

“It’s inappropriate and very unfortunate to cast this serious problem in a lighthearted way,” said Volpe, who co-authored an Ontario study on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

No one from Apple Inc. returned the Star’s calls yesterday.

However a spokesperson at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif. headquarters called the game “deeply offensive” and said it shouldn’t have been approved for sale.

“We sincerely apologize for this mistake,” Natalie Kerris said.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, violent shaking of infants is “a serious and clearly defined form of child abuse.”

A study in Canada estimates 40 to 50 cases of shaken baby syndrome occur after every 100,000 births, Volpe said.

Some 1,400 to 1,600 American infants are believed to need hospital care every year after being shaken, said Marilyn Barr, executive director of the Utah-based National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Barr, who is also head of British Columbia’s prevention program, said she was appalled to hear iPhone users were being offered such a game.

But she was pleased public opinion forced Apple to remove it so promptly

“Shaking an infant is probably the most dangerous thing a parent or caretaker can do,” Barr said.

The iTunes store’s description of the game began:

“On a plane, on the bus, in a theater Babies are everywhere you don’t want them to be! They’re always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying.

“Before Baby Shaker, there was nothing you could do about it …”

The text did warn that one should “never, never shake” a real baby.

Exam 4 – Grade Distribution

The graph below shows the distribution of percentage grades (your score as a percentage of a high score in the class).  The percentages are calculated from the 2nd highest score, so one student has a grade of 102%  (a real A+).

Office Hrs Change – Tuesday April 21

Image via Wikipedia

I have to change my usual Office Hours on Tuesday April 21 due to a meeting of a Task Force.

I will have Office Hours 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Tuesday April 21. If you get there at 9:30 and I’m not there, just wait a few minutes: the meeting is scheduled to end at 9:30.

Learning Objectives – Chapter 13

Image by ☞ John McNab via Flickr

Chapter 13 discusses violence within couples as well as child abuse and elder abuse.

1.      Why gender-based violence is an international human rights issue.

2.      How Americans define and measure family violence.

3.      The patterns underlying dating and spousal violence.

4.      The nature of child abuse, including the causes and consequences of child abuse.

5.      Who are the perpetrators and victims of elder abuse?

6.      What are the primary explanations for intimate-partner violence?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Elder Abuse (ocscrubs.blogspot.com)
• The New Old Age: Elder Abuse: All in the Family? (newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com)
• People with dementia abused by caregivers: study (cbc.ca)
• Study Looks At Mental, Physical Effects Of Family Violence Among Older Black Women (medicalnewstoday.com)

Exam 4 Prep

Image via Wikipedia

Exam 4 is coming up on Friday, April 17. The exam deals with the material presented since Exam #3, listed below.

I encourage you to use the COMMENTS section of this post to share ideas about what questions will be asked, and what good answers to them should look like.

1. Chapter 10 – Parenting
2. Chapter 11 – Families and Work
3. Chapter 12 – Aging Families
4. Demographic Winter
   • your notes from the movie
   • the material in the handout
   • link the movie to the population information in Seccombe
5. PowerPoint presentation on Parenting Styles including diagram
   • Definitions of socialization and what they emphasize
   • Cultural differences in socialization video clip (regarding Australian aboriginal children)
   • Video clip on importance of family dining
   • Video clip on importance of family involvement
6. PowerPoint presentation on demographic trends including
   • key variables in population growth or decline
   • definitions of manifest and latent functions and ability to identify them
   • explanation of demographic transition using the graphic from the PPT
   • reasons for changes in birth rate, death rates
   • different birth rates around the world & impact on population
   • eight theories regarding the aging family

Learning Objectives – Chapter 12, Aging Families

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

1. How is the demographic of the United States and of the world changing?
2. What are the reasons for the growth in the proportion of older persons?
3. What is meant by the demographic transition?
4. What is the baby boom generation and how will it affect the population and economy of the United States?
5. What are the prevailing theories of aging?
6. What are the economic considerations associated with an aging population?
7. How does aging affect marriage, sexuality, and other aspects of family life?
8. What factors influence satisfaction with and timing of retirement?

Ch 11-9 Policy Proposal for Parents

Image by Roby© via Flickr

Question:  Summarize the policy proposal in Box 11.1 and provide short answers to the Critical Thinking Questions that go with it on p. 350.

Parents want to stay home for their child’s first years of life so a proposal is being made for them to draw social security for up to 3 years.

• The proposal will allow parents to draw social security at two points in their lives which would offer relief for them when they’re trying to balance their job and family.
• Those who elect to ‘borrow’ their social security would repay the system.
• Once they return to work, they could increase the amount of payroll taxes they pay,
• they could defer their age of retirement with full social security benefits or accept a reduced monthly benefit, just like those who opt for early retirement now.

1. It may be popular for lower income families but higher income families may look down on it, just like they do with welfare.
2. They would have to figure out how long someone would have to work to be able to draw upon the benefits, how long and how many time they can use the program.
3. They could be overcome by deciding these factors and knowing a written policy that people need to have.
4. Most parents probably don’t have a super detailed budget like the one here but know for the most part how much they can spend.  Possibly once they have a kid, they may create a more detailed one to be sure how much they have left over.

Ch 11-8 Mini-Moms

Question:  Summarize the “mini-moms” situation and provide short answers to the Critical Thinking Questions in Box 11.2 on p. 356.

Basically a “mini-mom” refers to a situation where the older daughter takes on the responsibilities of the mother when she can’t, (doing housework and care of siblings) in a low income family.

I think that if a son was put in that position he would be able to perform in the same way that the daughter did.  The book says that husbands do less work around the house which would maybe make you think that the brother would do less work than a sister in the same position, but the book also says that husbands do less work because it is not part of their identity but in a family like this I feel like the son will not have any manly identities like that because he has no father figure and is born doing what he has to do.

[Sister Edith's note:  The latter half of this answer is not supported by evidence.  First, the "mini-mom" may be in a two-parent family where both parents work: so there would be a father figure. Second, we saw that there are many agents of gender socialization: school, media, peers - not only parents.  There are many sons who do take on childcare responsibilities when it has to be done. Unlike the "mini-mom" though, their task is usually ONLY the care of the younger child, with less emphasis on cooking, cleaning - taking on the full "mom" role.]

Ch 11-7 Childcare Outside the U.S.

Image by B.K. Dewey via Flickr

Question:  Describe the childcare policies in other nations, and contrast them with those in the U.S.

Seccombe compares the ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) of the US and other developed countries

• noting that ECEC programs in countries like Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Great Britain are statutory rights. Statutory entitlement means that ECEC programs are available to families nationwide and are primarily government supported.
• Compared to the US where ECEC begins at age 5-7 depending on the state, other countries begin as early as age one.  Only New York and Georgia have universal pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year olds.
• For those countries that offer ECEC, the governments cover 25-30% of the costs and provide sliding scale payment allowances for low-income families.  In the US, parents pay an average of 60-80% of ECEC costs.
• Some ECEC costs in the US can be claimed on taxes, but the required paperwork is often too confusing for many families to complete.
• Overall the US spends only one-half of one percent of GDP on ECEC services, compared to the 29% of the national GDP spent by Denmark.
• Ironically, the US, a leader in early child research, falls far behind other industrialized countries with regards to actual services offered.

Ch 11-6 Impact of Mother’s Employment on Children

Image via Wikipedia

Question:  What are the impacts of mothers’ employment on children’s well-being?  Why are we not asking about the impact of fathers’ employment?

• Families have better financial this way and may be more likely to afford trips and extra curricular activities
• Contradictory (because of results being around normal levels)
• Can affect household work since women do most of it even while they work (kids do more chores
• If low income, oldest child (daughter) might look after other children. This can give her a greater sense of responsibility but reduce her own time to grow (might marry early)
• Not asking about the father because man was more the provider beforehand.  The man was generally the caregiver, but now that she works it can be allocated to other people.  Just not research.