Sociology 155/255                                                                                      rev 11/1/2012

“The Changing American Family”

Syllabus

Fall quarter, 2012

Class Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays 11AM-11:50AM

Class room Bldg 200, room 203

Plus once a week section (sign up via Coursework)

Michael J. Rosenfeld

Associate Professor

Department of Sociology

McClatchy Hall (Building 120) room 124

mrosenfe@stanford.edu

http://www.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe

(NOTE that the website contains reading questions and much additional class information)

Office Hour by appointment

TAs:

Maja Falcon (mfalcon@stanford.edu)

Soomin Kim (smkim@stanford.edu)

Overview:

            The American family has changed a great deal in the past few decades. Extra-marital cohabitation and divorce have risen sharply in the past 30 years. Young adults are marrying later than ever before. Interracial marriage and same-sex cohabitation have increased. Same-sex marriage has emerged as one of the most divisive political issues in the U.S. Women’s roles in the labor force have changed, and women’s place in society and within the home seems to have changed as well. What do all these changes mean? Are recent changes in the American family really as dramatic as they seem?  We will examine family change from historical, social, demographic, and legal perspectives.

Students with Disabilities:

Students with disabilities that may necessitate an academic accommodation must initiate a request with the Office of Accessible Education, http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae

Computer use in class:

In order to limit distractions in class, there is *no* computer use in class, except by special permission from Professor Rosenfeld.

Note: Course enrollment is limited, Sociology majors get preference.

Required Reading, all available at the Stanford Bookstore

* Cherlin, Andrew J. 1992. Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage. Second Edition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN-10: 067455082X. $25

* Waite, Linda and Maggie Gallagher. 2001. The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier, and Better off Financially. Broadway Books.  ISBN : 0767906322. $11

* Friedan, Betty. 2001 [1963]. The Feminine Mystique. WW. Norton. ISBN : 0393322572. $11

* Wallerstein, Judith, and Sandra Blakeslee. 2004. Second Chances: Men, Women and Children a Decade After Divorce.  ISBN : 0618446893. $10

* Rosenfeld, Michael J. 2007. The Age of Independence: Interracial Unions, Same-Sex Unions, and the Changing American Family. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN-10: 0674034902. $20

* Hochschild, Arlie and Anne Machung. 2003 [1989]. The Second Shift. New Updated Edition. Penguin.  ISBN : 0142002925. $11

* Sullivan, Andrew, and Joseph Landau (Eds.). 2004. Same- Sex Marriage: Pro and Con. New York: Vintage. ISBN : 1400078660. $13

Further Required Reading, links available from my website:

* Moynihan, Daniel Patrick. 1965. “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action”

* Judith Stacey “Good Riddance to the Family”

* David Popenoe “Two-Parent Families are Better”

* Michael Rosenfeld “Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress Through School.”

Requirements:

For Undergraduates (soc 155):

* Midterm Exam	25%
* Make one 15 minute presentation to discussion section, and lead (along with the TA) the section discussion for that week.	20%
* Regular section participation	10%
* A brief paper using GSS data	10%
* Final Exam	35%

For Graduate Students (soc 255):

* Midterm Exam	20%
* Make one 15 minute presentation to discussion section, and lead (along with the TA) the section discussion for that week.	20%
* Regular section participation	10%
* One 10 minute presentation to class, presenting a different book from the one you presented to section	15%
* A brief paper using GSS data	10%
* Final Exam	25%

NOTE:

Questions are posted on my website for each reading.

See, specifically, http://www.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe/Soc_155_fam_reading_Q.htm

Week 1:
Sept 25	Introduction to the class
Sept 27	Cherlin, Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, Chapters 1-3 (Demographic Trends, Explanations, and Consequences)
Week 2:
Oct 2	Cherlin, Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, Chapters 4+5 (Race and Poverty, The State of Our Unions)
Oct 4	Waite and Gallagher, The Case for Marriage, Ch 1-7
Week 3:
Oct 9	Waite and Gallagher, The Case for Marriage, Ch 8-14
Oct 11	Moynihan “The Negro Family” (available on my website)
Week 4:
Oct 16	Reading from the Feminine Mystique, Chapters 1 and 2, and the first 6 pages of Ch 3 (p 57-127 in the paperback edition)
Oct 18	Reading from the Feminine Mystique, Chapter 4, Chapter 6, chapter 14 and chapter 15 (epilogue).
Week 5:
Oct 23	Wallerstein, Second Chances, Read Chapters 1-7, plus chapters 15-18, and the Appendix.
Oct 25	Feminine Mystique, Ch 5, plus Judith Stacey “Good Riddance to the Family” (available on my website) David Popenoe “Two-Parent Families are Better” (available on my website)
Week 6:
Oct 30	In-class Midterm
Nov 1	Rosenfeld, The Age of Independence, Ch 1-2
Week 7:
Nov 6	Rosenfeld, The Age of Independence, Ch 3,4,5
Nov 8	Rosenfeld, The Age of Independence, Ch 6,7; also Rosenfeld “Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress Through School”, available on my website
Week 8:
Nov 13	Rosenfeld, The Age of Independence, Ch 8,9
Nov 15	Sullivan, Same Sex Marriage Pro and Con, chapters 4 and 5 Short GSS proposal due (Note new due date)
Week of Nov 19-23	Thanksgiving break
Week 9:
Nov 27	Sullivan, Same Sex Marriage Pro and Con, chapters 3 and 8
Nov 29	The Second Shift, chapters 1-6, 16, and 17
Week 10:
Dec 4	GSS paper due
Dec 6	Last class, review session
Final Exam	As scheduled by the Registrar