FAMILY COMPREHENSIVE EXAM READING LIST
SOCIOLOGY (PHD)
Kent State University – University of Akron
MINOR
THEORY AND METHODS
Overview
Adams, Bert. 1999. ‘Cross-Cultural and U. S. Kinship.’ Pp. 77-92 in Handbook of Marriage and
the Family, 2nd edition, edited by Marvin Sussman, Suzanne K. Steinmetz, and Gary W.
Peterson. New York: Plenum Press.
Lee, Gary R. 1999. ‘Comparative Perspectives.’ Pp. 93-110 in Handbook of Marriage and the
Family, 2nd edition, edited by Marvin Sussman, Suzanne K. Steinmetz, and Gary W. Peterson.
New York: Plenum.
Moen, Phyllis and Kay B. Forest. 1999. ‘Strengthening Families: Policy Issues for the 21st
Century. Pp. 633-664 in Handbook of Marriage and the Family, 2nd edition, edited by Marvin
Sussman, Suzanne K. Steinmetz, and Gary W. Peterson. New York: Plenum.
Spray, Jetse. 1999. ‘Family Dynamics: An Essay on Conflict and Power.’ Pp. 667-686 in
Handbook of Marriage and the Family, 2nd edition, edited by Marvin Sussman, Suzanne K.
Steinmetz, and Gary W. Peterson. New York: Plenum.
Theory
Adams, Bert N. and Suzanne K. Steinmetz. 1993. “Family Theory and Methods in the Classics.”
Pp. 71-98 (includes Wesley Burr's application) in Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methods.
New York: Springer.
Bengston, Vern L. et al. 2005. ‘Theory and Theorizing in Family Research.’ Chapter 1 in
Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research, edited by Vern L. Bengtson, Alan C. Acock,
Katherine R. Allen, Peggye Dilworth-Andreson, and David M. Klein. Thousands Oaks, CA:
Sage.
Baca Zinn, Maxine. 2000. “Feminism and Family Studies for a New Century.” Annals of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science, 571: 42-56.
De Reus, Lee Ann., April L. Few, and Libby Balter Blume. 2005. ‘Multicultural and Critical
Race Feminisms: Theorizing Families in the Third Wave.’ Chapter 18 in Sourcebook of Family
Theory and Research, edited by Vern L. Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye
Dilworth-Andreson, and David M. Klein. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
Doherty, William. 1999. ‘Postmodernism and Family Theory.’ Pp. in Sussman, Marvin, Suzanne
K. Steinmetz, and Gary W. Peterson (Eds.). Handbook of Marriage and the Family, 2nd edition,
edited by Marvin Sussman,. New York: Plenum.
Fass, Paula S. 1993. “Perspectives on Family Theory: Families in History and Beyond.” Pp. 143151 in Family, Self and Society, edited by Philip Cowan et al. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Geronimus, Arline T. 1997. ‘Teenage Childbearing and Personal Responsibility: An Alternative
View.’ Political Science Quarterly. 112: 405-430.
Oswald, Ranoma Faith, Libby Balter Blume and Stephen R. Marks. 2005. ‘Decentering
Heteronormativity: A Model for Family Studies.’ Chapter 6 in Sourcebook of Family Theory and
Research, edited by Vern L. Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye DilworthAndreson, and David M. Klein. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
Methods
Acock, Alan C. 2005. “Working with Missing Values.” Journal of Marriage and Family
67:1012-28.
Larossa, Ralph. 2005. “Grounded Theory Methods and Qualitative Family Research.” Journal of
Marriage and Family 67:837-857.
Laub, John H., Daniel S. Nagin, Robert J. Sampson. 1998. ‘Trajectories of Change in Criminal
Offending: Good Marriages and the Desistance Process.’ American Sociological Review 63: 225238.
Lavee, Yoav. and David C. Dollahite. 1991. “The Linkage between Theory and Research in
Family Science.” Journal of Marriage and Family 53:361-73.
HISTORICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS
Bianchi, Suzanne M. and Lynne M. Caspter. 2005. ‘Explanations of Family Change: A Family
Demographic Perspective. Chapter 4 in Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research, edited by
Vern L. Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye Dilworth-Andreson, and David
M. Klein. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
Coontz, Stephanie. 1992. The Way We Never Were. NY: Basic Books.
Demo, David H., William S. Aquilino and Mark A. Fine. 2005. ‘Family Composition and Family
Transitions.’ Chapter 5 in Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research, edited by Vern L.
Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye Dilworth-Andreson, and David M. Klein.
Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage
Sweeney, Megan. 2002. “Two Decades of Family Change: The Shifting Economic Foundations
of Marriage.” American Sociological Review 67:132-147.
Teachman, J., Lucky Tedrow, and Kyle Crowder. 2000. “The Changing Demography of
American Families.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 62:1234-1246.
RACE, ETHNICITY, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, AND FAMILY
Allen, W R. 1978. “The Search for Applicable Theories of Black Family Life.” Journal of
Marriage and the Family. 40: 117-129.
Edin, Kathryn and Lein, Laura. 1997. Making Ends Meet: How Single Mothers Survive Welfare
and Low-Wage Work. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette. 1994.
Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of
Immigration. University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles.
Lareau, Annette. 2003. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life Berkeley: University
of California.
Landale, Nancy. 2007. “Hispanic Families: Stability and Change.” Annual Review of Sociology,
Volume 33.
McAdoo, Harriette Pipes., Estella A. Martinez, and Hester Hughes. 2005. ‘Ecological Changes
in Ethnic Families of Color.’ Chapter 8 in Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research, edited by
Vern L. Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye Dilworth-Andreson, and David
M. Klein. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
McLoyd, V.C., A. M. Cause, D. Takeuchi, and L. Wilson. 2000. “ Marital Processes and
Parental Socialization in Families of Color: A Decade Review of Research.” Journal of
Marriage and the Family. 62: 1070-1093.
Patterson, O. 1998. ‘Broken Bloodlines.’ Pp. 1 – 167 in Rituals of Blood. Washington, DC:
Counterpoint.
Stack, Carol. 1974. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community. New York:
Harper and Row.
COHABITATION, MARITAL UNIONS, AND DISSOLUTIONS
Amato, Paul R. et al. 2007. Alone Together: How Marriage in America is Changing Harvard
University Press.
Cherlin, Andrew. 2009. The Marriage-Go-Round: The State of Marriage and the Family in
America Today
Coleman, M., Lawrence Ganong and Mark Fine. 2000. “Reinvestigating Remarriage: Another
Decade of Progress.” Journal of Marriage and Family 62:1288-1307.
Oppenheimer, Valerie Kincade. 1997. “Women’s Employment and the Gain to Marriage: The
Specialization and Trading Model.” Annual Review of Sociology 23:431-453.
Smock, Pamela J. 2000. “Cohabitation in the United States: An Appraisal of Research Themes,
Findings, and Implications.” Annual Review of Sociology 26:1-20.
White, Lynn. 1990. “Determinants of Divorce: A Review of Research in the Eighties.” Journal
of Marriage and Family 52:904-912.
Kitson, Gay and L. Morgan. 1990. “Divorce and Its Consequences: A Decade Review.” Journal
of Marriage and the Family 52: 913-924.
PARENTHOOD OVER THE LIFE COURSE
Arendell, Terry. 2000. “Conceiving and Investigating Motherhood: The Decade's Scholarship”
Journal of Marriage and the Family 62:1192-1207.
Amato, Paul R. and Joan G. Gilbreth. 1999. “Nonresident Fathers and Children's Well-Being: A
Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 61:557-73.
Bengston, V. L. 2001. “Beyond the Nuclear Family: The Increasing Importance of
Multigenerational Bonds.” Journal of Marriage and Family 63:1-16.
Day, Randal D. et al. ‘Fatherhood and Father Involvement: Emerging Constructs and Theoretical
Orientations.’ Chapter 14 in Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research, edited by Vern L.
Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye Dilworth-Andreson, and David M. Klein.
Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
Edin, Kathryn. 2000. “What do Low-Income Single Mothers Say about Marriage?” Social
Problems 47:112-134.
Stacey, Judith and Timothy Biblarz. 2001. “(How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents
Matter?” American Sociological Review 66:159-183.
FAMILY AND WORK
Bittman, Michael, Paula England, Nancy Folbre, Liana Sayer, and George Matheson. 2003.
“When Does Gender Trump Money? Bargaining and Time in Household Work.” American
Journal of Sociology 109:186-214.
Budig, Michelle J. and Paula England. 2001. “The Wage Penalty For Motherhood.” American
Sociological Review 66:204-225.
Epstein Fuchs,Cynthia and Arne L. Kalleberg (Eds). 2004. Fighting for Time: Shifting
Boundaries of Work and Social Life, Chapters 1-4, 9-11. New York: Russell Sage.
Greenstein, Theodore N. 1996 . “Husbands’ Participation in Domestic Labor: Interactive Effects
of Wives’ and Husbands’ Gender Ideologies.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 58:585-95.
Hochschild, Arlie with Anne Machung. 1989. The Second Shift. New York: Viking Press.
Jacobs, Jerry A. and Kathleen Gerson. 2001. “Overworked Individuals Or Overworked
Families?” Work and Occupations 28:40-63.
MacDermid, Shelley M., Kevin Roy and Arrisa M. Zvonkovic. 2005. ‘Don’t Stop at the Borders:
Theorizing Beyond Dichotomies of Work and Family.’ Chapter 20 in Sourcebook of Family
Theory and Research, edited by Vern L. Bengtson, Alan C. Acock, Katherine R. Allen, Peggye
Dilworth-Andreson, and David M. Klein. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
South, Scott J. and Glenna Spitze. 1994. “Housework in Marital and Nonmarital Households.”
American Sociological Review 59:327-47.
FAMILY VIOLENCE
Atkinson, Maxine P., Theodore N. Greenstein, and Molly Monahan Lang. 2005. “For Women,
Breadwinning Can Be Dangerous: Gendered Resource Theory and Wife Abuse.” Journal of
Marriage and Family 67:1137-1148.
DeMaris, Alfred, Michael L. Benson, Greer L. Fox, Terrence Hill, and Judy Van Wyk. 2003.
“Distal and Proximal Factors in Domestic Violence: A Test of an Integrated Model.” Journal of
Marriage and Family 65:652-667.
Johnson, Michael P. 2006. ‘Conflict and control: Gender, symmetry, and asymmetry in domestic
violence.’ Violence Against Women 12:1003-1018.
Kenney and, Catherine T. and McLanahan, Sara S. 2006. “Why Are Cohabiting Relationships
More Violent Than Marriages?” Demography 43:127-140.
Sorenson, Susan B. and Kristie A. Thomas. 2009. Views of Intimate Partner Violence in Sameand Opposite-Sex Relationships. Journal of Marriage & Family 70:337-352.