Week of 9 April 2018 - Review and Exam 3  

  Exam 3 Due 11 April 2018   Lecture for 4 April 2018:  to follow-    There is a distinction between the words "sex" and "gender". Sex refers to physical aspects while gender us an attitude. This relationship is not always clear. In the U.S. traditionally one's sex will determine one's gender, but this has been questioned in the late 20th and 21st century. n fact, there are those that would argue there are more than just two sexes or male and female. Some argue that "gender" is a continuum. One may even have their sex physically changed because their gender does not align with it. Sex is important, however, because at birth one is defined building a sex/gender identity and usually in the aforementioned manner. This gender building starts at birth and it is generally divided into male and female. This is known as the Binary Attitude or Heteropatriarchy. Parents will support this in terms of how the child will act and how others will treat them by dress, sports and a myriad of activities. This is kind of a forcing of the child to do gender. If one does this traditional gender well, then is is judged as "good" Doing it not so well may be a social problem. The point is that society EXPECTS stereotypes. This may also translate into family power relationships. Generally there is an imbalance of power relating to the males and females in the family. Men are more powerful or try for power over the female. In a way, this comes from women having more life choices than men as having kids, working and what jobs to take. The question becomes should a man change jobs as opposed to the woman should stay at home or not! Most couples say they agree on what should be done of these choices and it was generally in favor of the male in terms of alternative ways of interacting socially. Often it appears the woman makes the ultimate choice, but it is a mirror of what the man wants. One of the reasons women have less power than men in any industrial society is that they have less resources assigned to them to bargain with in terms of power, but this is changing with women in the work force.  Men often take their power from the devaluation of women! Then too, women have traditionally been assigned less social power than men. There has been a biological comparison (right or wrong) of women translates to a subaltern image based on the reproductive system, i.e., women are more emotional, a caretaker, good at housework and "just want to have fun"! This portrayal along with that in the media lends itself to frivolity and they want nothing more than to be attractive. Children are more important than anything else. When portrayed as "strong" it tends to be unrealistic as a vice cop or "wonder woman". In fact, the image is that women are so weak as to make childbirth as "disease" and tended in a hospital. The wedding ring is considered` as a prise and achievement! In other words, an important goal has been reached. In many ways, women are denied power through restricting their economic capital and opportunities. They have less social resources to bargain with. If she moves to assume power, he may; divorce, abuse or do physical harm. 

  26 March 2018   Spring Break

  Week of 26 February 2018    The subject of sex within the family is always a touchy subject in American society. In other words, how does a parent teach or introduce their kids to sexuality. Certainly the hugging and kissing of grade school friends is not the same as an adolescents concept of sex nor a twenty-one year olds concept, etc.. The consensus of this subject is to be as truthful as possible within the age scenario of the child and not be a totally medical discussion. The thought here is to not avoid, but discuss sex when it comes up in a realistic manner in terms of the youth's developmental experience. For example, it is probably always misleading to say that babies are "delivered by the stork" and just as problematic to say that "babies are neonates not needing respiration assistance" from the mother as they leave the birth canal to a five year old!.  

  Week of 19 February 2018   Today's lecture centered on Family Privacy going into family rights and obligations: Where privacy lies depends on the orientation of the family. Does the family's interests favor themselves or the state. The emphasis will determine the character of the family and how it treats its members. Generally, families are devoid of outside control  and behind closed doors anything can happen and occasionally does! Privacy is a created family aspect and often it can hide violence and abuse. There some unsaid laws that guard family privacy such as "never just drop in" which is really a taboo in today's society. Homes also hide things that could not be said in public. Actually, families support this in that privacy affords one the opportunity to say whatever one wants to say within small limits. The extent of privacy is seen when a guest visits and the awkward nature of those involved. The problem to sociology is that this same privacy prevents sociologists from studying and knowing their dynamics. 

Rights and responsibilities in the family is a complicated subject. The crux of it is between the individual and the group.. Families have a heavy emphasis on individual rights, but then too this leads often to less responsibility toward the family unit. Again, it is between or a matter between the personal versus the social. Families, within the auspices of a culture, have their reality often defined for them. For example; some cultures choose individual rights as important which leads to individualism where as others may emphasize responsibilities which is more akin to a collectivist attitude in the family. Thee again a distinction in sex can effect the family too. Traditionally the male has had a leading family role and the woman more concerned with a caretaker obligation, yet this is changing in contemporary times with women working more and more and assimilating the traditional men's role. In the 21st century with women working more and more, they are having less of a family role, but this has also led to strengthening the home too in certain circumstances. Nevertheless, critics say individualism creates a self-involved atmosphere being bad for the family. Moving further, the more the individualism of the social order, there tends to be less interest in the family. The U.S. tends to lean toward individualism and an outcome may be the increase in divorces!

  Week of 12 February 2018    Continuing history of the family n the US: Certainly the 50's were the golden years of the family in this country, at least that is what the culture wanted everyone to think. The idea was that everything was to be found in marriage - it was what the "normal" person did. Children were looked at for emotional support now and not family earners as in the past. They were an emotional not an economic family support. All was not perfect, however. There was divorce, discrimination and infidelity not being openly discussed and tremendous angst. Men worked too long and the woman was too confined which led to much unrest. The fifties went out of style in the 60s because it did not fit the war on general social unrest underneath the "Leave it to Beaver" world.  Drugs took over from alcohol, divorces climbed and people just came to live together in place of marriage. At times, parents felt that it was best to treat their children as equals and let them guide themselves for personal awareness. The family in this time was going through tremendous turmoil and there were really no "good old days" to guide behaviour. The 50s were seen as a fantasy and so was the traditional family of "mom, dad and the kids will solve everything!" The new thing of living together was not all bad, but as a prelude to marriage it had no positive predictability. Being married was not presumptive evidence of a good relationship and divorce may be the most positive solution in a bad relationship. Even still and to this day marriage is seen as the best of all choices which may be another social fantasy. Children are always effected by divorce and rarely in a positive way. It has been shown that the construction of a family is not as important as "parenting" when children are concerned, yet kids in "working mother" homes tend to be less autonomous and more decision making abilities. Go TO FAMILY PRIVACY (P.39)

  Week of 29 January 2018   First Exam on characteristics of Families and Dysfunctions - 7 February 2018,   The nature of the family has changed since the late 18th Century and early twentieth. The traditional family definition is no longer accepted as THE way to form a family. With this variance many problem areas have arisen including a plethora of dysfunctional situations. The other aspect of the traditional family, i.e., one should be married to raise one has changed radically also. With divorce and its expense, people are wondering if marriage is a viable concept at all in the contemporary scenario of intimate interaction. Along with this, many are also opting NOT to have a family which was opted responsibility of the traditional family..

  Week of 22 January 2018    Finish reading Chapter One. It becomes obvious with our discussions that there is a contemporary problem with the study of families in America. Compared to the twentieth Century, this new century has changed and redefined the family. In the past and to some extent today ( at least theoretically) the family has been defined as a male and a female who get together and raise children. This is no longer necessarily true from the place that beside this traditional concept, a family may be two people of the same sex, a family may be a union of economic convenience and a family may even be one person allied with an animal. (Some pets are considered members of the family - especially dogs.) Not to say the study of the family was easier in the past, but in contemporary times there are a multitude of factors influencing human interaction that add twists and turns never seen in the past. In truth a "family" may have the contemporary possible definition of "Persons living in an intimate situation who are committed to each other's exclusive benefit and are seriously involved with one another's person in a deeply committed manner." This would cover the diversity of "families", but in no way simplifies its study.

  17 January 2018    Read Chapter One.  The opening discussion for the course was to make the student aware of the changing nature of the family in the sense that it has mutated from the traditional to several variations. These variations will each have their pros and cons as we move through the course, but for now, the emphasis will be on the changing and variable structure of the institution. The family is one of the most revered institutions in ALL cultures because it is there that the future of the culture is formed and propagated. 

  Week Final   Final Exam Question: In a thoughtfully written paper following guides in The Survival Manual discuss "Divorce, Uncoupling and Violence. Explain why this will never happen to you!"  PAPER IS DUE MONDAY, 8 MAY, 10am, MY OFFICE.