Learning Objectives Chapter 15

Image by Edith OSB via Flickr

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

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?

Review the social science foundations of the course from Chapter 1:

1. The sociological imagination
   
   • comparative perspective
   • empirical approach (and the methods of research)
   • theory (and the major theories)
2. The four themes of the course
   
   • Families are both a public social institution and a private personal relationship
   • Social inequality has a powerful influence on family life
   • Family policies reflect historical, cultural, political, and social factors
   • Understanding families in the USA requires a comparative perspective
3. The positions of feminists, liberals and conservatives about family life
4. The “snapshot” of American families today and how they have changed
   

The essays on the final exam will deal with these “big picture” questions.

Learning Objectives Chapter 14

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

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?

Also recall information from The Vanishing Father video:

1. Point of view of the Friend of the Court
2. What McLanahan’s research shows (several episodes in film)
3. Conflicting points of view with McLanahan
4. Geoffrey Canada’s research on the importance of fathers
5. Which factors from the text you see in the live of the families portrayed

Also recall the information from the PowerPoint presentation:

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?

Learning Objectives: Chapter 11 – Work

These are the Learning Objectives defined by Karen Seccombe, your textbooks author.  Note that they are quite similar to the areas you studied in groups – the summaries of which are posted on the blog.

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:
1. How has the nature and location of “work” changed?
2. What is the history of child labor?
3. What are the trends in women’s labor force participation?
4. What are recent trends in employment, unemployment, and underemployment?
5. What is meant by the “work-family interface?”
6. How is household labor defined and measured?
7. What are the primary sources of child care in the United States today?

Learning Objectives – Chapter 10 – Raising Children

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1. What is meant by the “transnational family”?
2. What are current trends in childrearing found in both industrial and nonindustrial societies?
   What similarities and differences do you see between industrial and nonindustrial socieities?
3. What is meant by socialization and what are the primary agents of socialization?
4. What are the most prominent theories in child development and socialization?
   Be able to compare and contrast the theories with each other?
5. What are the most common parenting styles?
   Be able to identify the characteristics of children raised by particular parenting styles.
   Be able to name and explain the two dimensions that define the parenting styles.
6. What are the similarities and differences between mothering and fathering?
   What are the similarities and differences between mothering as an identity and as  an activity?  Fathering as activity and identity?

Chapter 9 – Learning Objectives

Following are the Learning Objectives for Chapter 9 in the textbook:

1.      What is meant by “pronatalism”?

2.      What are current population trends in the United States and worldwide?

3.      How have fertility rates fluctuated historically in the United States?

4.      What are the rewards and costs associated with having children?

5.      What are the most common motivations and results of choosing to remain childfree?  Of choosing to adopt a child?

6.      What is meant by the social construction of childbirth?

7.      What are the most significant benefits and challenges in the transition to parenthood?

Learning Objectives – Chapter 8

Marriage License from 1883
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The Learning Objectives for Chapter 8 of the textbook

1. Define a social institution and give several examples.
2. Explain why the family is a social institution and what purposes it serves for society.
3. Define the term “cultural universal” and explain why marriage is one.
4. Describe the current practice of marriage, and how it has changed over time.  Relate the practice of marriage in earlier times to other aspects of that time period.
5. Describe how marriage is lived and experienced in cultures other than the U.S.
6. List and explain the benefits of marriage.  For each benefit, how is it affected by gender? by race/ethnicity? by social class?
7. Explain the difference between marital stability and marital quality.
8. Describe the factors that contribute to marital stability. How are they affected by social class, by race/ethnicity, by gender.
9. Describe the factors that contribute to marital quality. How are they affected by social class, by race/ethnicity, by gender.
10. What is the “marriage movement?”

Learning Objectives – Chapter 7

These are the learning objectives for Chapter 7 – some of the narrative questions on the next exam will be based on these.

1.      How do patterns of mate selection and courtship vary around the world?

2.      What are some sex/gender differences in loving?

3.      What is meant by sexual orientation and what are Americans’ attitudes toward gays and lesbians?

4.      How is sexual behavior influenced by scripts?

5.      How are sexually transmitted diseases affecting the American population as well as other populations today?

6.      What are the current trends in cohabitation?

Learning Objectives – Chapter 6

Following are Learning Objectives for Chapter 6 on Race and Ethnicity

1. In what ways is the United States becoming increasingly diverse?
2. What are current trends in immigration to the United States?
3. What is the difference in the terms race, ethnicity, and minority group?
4. Be able to discuss the social construction of race and ethnicity
5. Be able to explain the difference between racial prejudice, racial discrimination, and racism?
6. About what proportion of the U.S. population is Hispanic? African-American? Asian? Native American?  Is the proportion of each group growing or shrinking?
7. What are some of the salient characteristics of each of these groups, according to recent data and research?
8. How does race and ethnicity influence family relationships?
9. Be able to explain the “doll research” seen in the video “A Girl Like Me”

Learning Objectives – Chapter 5

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The following are the learning objectives – questions you should be able to answer (and may be asked on Exam #2) for Chapter 5 on Social Class

1. What is meant by social class and social stratification?
2. How many social classes are there, and what proportion of the population belongs to them?
3. What are the differences between a class system and a caste system?  Can you give an example to illustrate the differences?
4. What are the ways that social class affect family relationships in each of the social classes?
5. What is the difference between an ascribed status and an achieved status?
6. What are the risk factors for poverty in the United States?
7. In what specific ways does poverty affect families to cause negative outcomes?
8. What is meant by “resiliency” in families? Give examples
9. What factors may assist individuals or families in overcoming poverty? Give examples.
10. What are the types of protective factors that help families? Give examples.

Learning Objectives – Chapter 4

1.      What is the difference between sex and gender?

2.      What is meant by “social construction” in general? With regard to gender?

3.      Where and how do we learn gender? What are the agents of socialization?

4.      What are the pitfalls of traditional masculinity?

5.      What is meant by institutional sex discrimination?

6.      What is meant by the double standard?

Studying for the Exam

MemoryImage via Wikipedia

Here are some tips as you study for Exam 1:

• Use your old quizzes to improve your comprehension. Check the textbook or slides for each question you got wrong – then figure out whether you had a problem understanding the material to begin with, or whether you had a problem remembering.
• Study with another person. Ask each other the Study Guide questions to see if you can produce an answer without looking at the book. Then look up the answer to add in anything you missed.
• Vocabulary is more than memory
  • memory: knowing the definition
  • comprehension: being able to give an example or know related terms
  • application: being able to recognize which term applies to a situation, or to explain a particular situation using the ideas in the concept
  • analysis: being able to describe the specific differences and similarities highlighted by the terms
  • analysis: finding the pattern in a situation by examining its parts and their relationships.
• Remember the big pictures: Sociological imagination, four themes, major theories
• Get a good night’s sleep before the exam

[The image is Memory, from the bronze door at the main entrance to the Library of Congress - Thomas Jefferson Building. It was done in 1896 by Olin Warner.]

Exam 1 Study Guide

Following is a Study Guide for Exam 1.

Click StudyGuideExam1 to print a copy for yourself (1 page)

About Exam 1

There will be about 30 quick questions

• Multiple choice, Fill-in-the-blanks, True-False, Matching

There will be 3 narrative or essay questions.

• For each narrative, you will have at least 3 choices of questions
• At least one of the choices will be very similar to one of the study questions
• Your narrative answers need to be written in complete sentences and paragraphs
• If your answer is just a few words or a sentence, you probably have not grasped the question
  or answered it well.
  

Exam 1 Study Questions

1. Describe three specific ways that have families have changed over time, including the time frame in which the change occurred and the general location (e.g., Medieval Europe, Japan in the 20th century)
2. Compare and contrast the ways that families from different parts of the world have carried out three of the universal functions of the family.
3. Compare and contrast the private life in families today with that of a specific time in the past.
4. Describe the ways in which families fulfilled the role of public social institution in the past.
5. Describe three specific political, social, economic, or cultural forces which have contributed to changes in family life.
6. Describe three ways that inequality affected family life in the past, making sure to state which culture you are describing (e.g., colonial America)
7. Describe two common myths about families in the “good old days?”What are the realities about those myths?
8. Describe two methods and two sources of data that sociologists use to research families from a historical perspective.
9. Describe in depth the changes in family life at two of the historical transition points of Society Type (use Table 3.1 and the table handed out in class)
10. Describe four of the universal functions of the family?
11. What are the various marriage structures around the world?
12. What are the different patterns of power and authority found in marriage?
13. What are the different patterns of kinship and residence found around the world?
14. Explain Modernization Theory, and how the process of modernization affected family life.
15. What is the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of “family?” How does this definition differ from the author’s definition?  Why does it  matter?
16. Explain what is meant by the “sociological imagination” and how it differs from our common sense approach to looking at the world.
17. What is meant by the empirical approach?
18. What is a theory and how do social theories help us understand families?
19. Name two  major theoretical perspectives, and be able to define them.
20. What are the three competing ideological perspectives identified by the author?
21. What are the four themes of this textbook?  Be able to explain each one, and give an example.
22. Describe the three social shifts that have affected the way people go about choosing a life partner, and the impact that John Van Epp says those changes have had on the process.
23. Name the five bonding dynamics presented by John Van Epp, put them in the same order that he does, and explain the principle that defines the “Safe Zone” for building loving relationships.
24. Name and describe the three unhealthy patterns that get people into unhappy relationships and bad break-ups over and over again, according to John Van Epp.
25. Name and describe the traits or characteristics that describe a bad choice for a life-long partner, what John Van Epp calls a “jerk” or “jerkette.”

Chapter 3 – Learning Objectives

Image by Nationaal Archief via Flickr

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

1. How have families changed over time?
   What are the various ways that families have carried out their functions in the past?
2. What was the private life of the family like in the past?
3. What were the functions of the family as a public social institution in the past?
4. What are the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that have contributed to changes in family life?
5. How did inequality affect family life in the past?
6. What are the most common myths about families in the “good old days?”
   What are the realities about those myths?
7. How can families be researched from a historical perspective?
   How can we uncover the impact of historical, political, cultural, and social forces from times past?
8. How has the progression of society and of economic systems affected family life?

Chapter 2 – Learning Objectives

Image by Anubhav Gaurav via Flickr

After reading Chapter 2 in the Seccombe text, you should be able to provide specific and accurate answers to the following questions:

1.      What are the most common functions of the family?

2.      What are the various marriage structures around the world?

3.      What are the different patterns of power and authority found in marriage?

4.      What are the different patterns of kinship and residence found around the world?

5.      What are the primary assumptions of Modernization Theory and World Systems Theory?

Chapter 1 – Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives for Chapter 1

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

1.      What is the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of “family?” How does this definition differ from the author’s definition?

2.      Why is defining “family” a political issue?

3.      What is meant by the “sociological imagination” and how does this concept help us to  understand families?

4.      What is meant by the empirical approach?

5.      What is a theory and how do social theories help us understand families?

6.      Name the major theoretical perspectives, and be able to define them.

7.      What are the three competing perspectives identified by the author?

8.      What are the four themes of this textbook?  Be able to explain each one

Learning Objectives – Chapter 6

After studying Chapter 6, you should understand the following:

1. In what ways is the United States becoming increasingly diverse?
2. What are current trends in immigration to the United States?
3. What is the difference in the terms race, ethnicity, and minority group?
4. What is racial prejudice, racial discrimination, and racism?
5. About what proportion of the U.S. population is Hispanic? African-American? Asian? Native American?  Is the proportion of each group growing or shrinking?
6. What are some of the salient characteristics of each of these groups, according to recent data and research?
7. How does race and ethnicity influence family relationships?
8. (From class discussion) What is meant by privilege, and what are some examples?