SYO 3120
Marriage
and the Family
Professor: Chris Girard
Office: DM 335 Cell phone: 305-244-4668 E-mail: girardc@fiu.edu
Office Hours: MWF
This course will explore
marriage and the family, examining such issues as cultural differences in
family processes, gender roles, commitment and conflict in marriage,
cohabitation, sexuality, pregnancy, parenting, divorce, and remarriage. Class notes (one page for each lecture) are
available on the internet. There is one
required text for the course:
Strong, Bryan, Christine DeVault,
and Theodore F. Cohen. 2008. The Marriage and Family Experience. 10th edition.
EXAMINATION AND GRADING SYSTEM: There will be two quizzes, one midterm, and a
final examination. Each quiz will count
for 1/6 of the final grade, and each exam will count for 1/3 of the final
grade. If the student desires, a 10-page
paper on a topic to be chosen by the student may be submitted for a fifth grade
(each quiz would then count 1/8 toward the final grade and the two exams and
paper would each count 1/4 toward the final grade). All examinations will be given in class (see
scheduled times in this syllabus). The
midterm will consist of 32 multiple-choice questions. The final exam will consist of 21
multiple-choice questions and one essay question (see below). The quizzes will consist of 16 true-false
questions. Students arriving late for
quizzes and tests will have as much time as it takes for the last person
arriving on time. Grades are posted (DM 335) or can be seen after class. Don’t call!
ESSAY
QUESTION ON FINAL EXAM : This question counts for
1/3 of the final exam grade. I will give
you the question right now (!) so you can write a practice essay in advance and
commit it to memory (no notes will be allowed at the time of the final):
Drawing from the
textbook, elaborate cultural issues that affect the family and marriage as
social institutions. Possible topics are
dating, sex, communication, power, conflict, romantic love, polygamy,
cohabitation, children, marriage and work, who can be married,
gender roles, divorce, blended families.
FIVE 1-PAGE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: At the bottom of the “Required Readings” page of
the syllabus, there are 5 questions to be answered from the lectures. The answer, in essay format, MUST be one
page, typed and double-spaced with one-inch margins and a font size of 12. Answers less than ¾ of a page will not be
accepted! Only if all five questions are completed,
the entire set of essays will be collected in class (NO E-MAIL will be
accepted!) on Monday
of the 13th week. If you
cannot come to class that day, call me to make arrangements before the
assignment is collected. Failure to
complete this assignment will result in your grade being lowered one level.
PAPER: Students pursuing
paper option must download paper guidelines from web page, must submit
a rough draft along with final draft (no exceptions!) and must have topic
and at least 3 sources approved by the professor in advance. The rough draft must be turned in two weeks
before the final exam and the final draft must be turned in one week before the
final exam (on the date that writing assignments are due—see the second page of
the syllabus). The rough and final
drafts must be typed on paper and given to the professor in person. The rough
draft must also be submitted to TURNITIN.COM.
Integrity is essential!
Plagiarism will result in an “F” on the paper.
EXTRA
CREDIT: Extra
credit, equal to a quiz grade, may be earned by a 5-minute oral presentation in
front of the class. Doing a presentation
is equal to getting 100 on a quiz! It
automatically receives 50 out of 50 possible points. This presentation must be on a topic
(approved in advance by the professor) in the book or lectures, have at least 3
transparencies, be written as notes that are not read, be educational and
entertaining, and be rehearsed during office hours or by calling the professor
before it is scheduled. The student may
do up to two oral presentations. Extra
credit points will not substitute for test scores, but will be added to both
achieved and possible points. With no
extra credit, the average of the two quizzes (1) is added to the midterm (2)
and final (3) and this total score is divided by 3 (see examination and grading
system above). With one oral
presentation, total points are divided by 3.5.
With two oral presentations, or with the paper option, total points are
divided by 4. With both the paper and 2
presentations, total points would be divided by 5, and so forth.
MAKE-UP POLICY: You must
make arrangements with me (please call
305-244-4668), before the midterm exam and quizzes, if you need to take a make-up exam. You must schedule a make-up for the final
exam at least one week in advance and the alternative testing date must be
prior to the scheduled date for the final exam.
ATTENDANCE:
By
taking this class, you make a commitment to attend all lectures, arrive
on time, and leave only when the professor is finished lecturing. Integrity is an essential aspect of
who I am and I expect this of all students.