Child and Family Development
CFD 135: Principles of Family Development
Fall 2015
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor: Meghan Brady
Office: EBA 404
Office hours: Mondays from 12:30-1:30pm
Email: mmbrady@mail.sdsu.edu (In your subject line put CFD 135)
Email is the preferred means of contact.
Section and Enrollment Information
Class meeting: Online
Class location: Online
Schedule number: 20603
Course Description
This course engages a critical, in-depth analysis of the ways in which families are seen by
society and the ways in which they see themselves. Topics to be covered include
division of labor, childcare, economics, health, leisure, and the politics of the family.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. To become familiar with the conceptual frameworks and theories applied to
marriage and the family.
2. To compare and contrast an understanding of the concepts of love, sex, romance and
the family in modern American culture.
3. To view media representations of family life and analyze them developmentally and
sociologically.
4. To conduct a self-assessment of aspects of one’s own families of origin and current
families.
5. To compare one’s own family of origin and family of orientation to current and past
trends.
6. To read and summarize scholarly articles on marriage and family.
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Course Materials
Required Readings and Materials
Welch, K. J. (2010). Family life now, second edition-2010 Census Edition. New York:
Allyn and Bacon
ISBN-10: 0205006833 | ISBN-13: 979-0205006839
Approximate Cost: Bookstore $80-170, Online (Amazon/Ebay/Chegg) $65-120
Recommended Readings and Materials
APA Manual (Publication manual of the American Psychological Association) (6th ed.)
(2010). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5
Approximate Cost: $30 Bookstore or Online (Amazon/Ebay/Chegg)
Course Website
All course content will be accessible through blackboard.
Assessment and Grading
Assignment/Exam
Points Possible
12 Quizzes
180 (15 points each)
10 Blackboard Posting Assignments
50 (5 points each)
Genogram Assignment
50
Blackboard Article Assignment
20
TOTAL
300
Final Grades
280-300=A
260-269=B+
230-239=C+
200-209=D+
270-279=A-
250-259=B
220-229=C
190-199=D
240-249=B-
210-219=C-
180-189=D179 and BELOW=F
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Grading Policies
Late Assignments and Make-up Exams will NOT be accepted, except in the event of
extraordinary circumstances (written documentation must be provided). Extra credit
assignments may be added periodically throughout the semester and are up to the
discretion of the instructor.
Missing quizzes and postings will be counted as zero.
Course Activities and Schedule
Week Dates
#
Topic/Assignments
Chapters
1-2
Introduction: Family Life Now
CH. 1
8/24 to
9/6
(Closes on Sunday 9/6 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
3
9/7 to
9/13
Research and Theories
9/14 to
9/20
9/21 to
9/27
QUIZ #2
Blackboard Posting #1
Communication
CH. 3
(Closes on Sunday 9/20 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
5
CH. 2
(Closes on Sunday 9/13 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
4
QUIZ #1
Introduction Posting
QUIZ #3
Blackboard Posting #2
Gender Issues
CH. 4
(Closes on Sunday 9/27 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
QUIZ #4
Blackboard Posting #3
3
6
9/28 to
10/4
Blackboard Assignment DUE by Sunday 10/4 by
11:59 PM
7
10/5 to
10/11
Intimacy
(Closes on Sunday 10/11 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
8
10/12 to
10/18
10/19 to
10/25
10/26 to
11/1
QUIZ #6
Blackboard Posting #5
Coupling
QUIZ #7
Blackboard Posting #6
Sexuality & Child Bearing
CH. 9 & 10
(Closes on Sunday 11/1 at 11:59 PM)
QUIZ #8
Blackboard Posting #7
11
11/2 to
11/8
Genogram Assignment DUE Sunday 11/8 by 11:59
PM
12
11/9 to
11/15
Parenthood
CH. 11
(Closes on Sunday 11/15 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
11/16 to
11/22
CH. 8
(Closes on Sunday 10/25 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
13
CH. 6 & 7
(Closes on Sunday 10/18 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
10
QUIZ #5
Blackboard Posting #4
Love and Commitment
•
•
9
CH 5
QUIZ #9
Blackboard Posting #8
Family Life and Work
CH 12
(Closes on Sunday 11/22 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
QUIZ #10
Blackboard Posting #9
4
14
11/23 to
11/29
15
11/30 to
12/6
Thanksgiving Break
Divorce
(Closes on Sunday 12/6 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
16
CH 13 & 14
QUIZ #11
Blackboard Posting #10
12/7 to
Stress, Crisis and Transition & Aging
12/17
(Closes on Sunday 12/17 at 11:59 PM)
•
•
CH. 15 & 16
FINAL EXAM =
QUIZ #12
Course Assignments, Examinations and Grades
Quizzes
There will be 12 quizzes worth 15 points each, the 12th one serves as the Final Exam. It
will be on the chapters described on the calendar and it will not be cumulative. The
quizzes consist of 15 multiple choice and true and false questions. See the calendar for
the dates and times that each of the quizzes close on the Blackboard site. The way to
prepare for the quiz is to read the text, and the powerpoint lecture. Do not try to avoid
doing those things and attempt to take the quiz unprepared as there will be no time to
“look things up.” There will be one minute per multiple choice question with no
opportunity to go backwards. The multiple choice questions will be pulled randomly
from a pool of questions for that chapter or chapters for that week so everyone’s quiz will
be slightly different from the other students although covering the same material.
Blackboard Posting Assignments
o For the Blackboard Posting Assignments, there will be “prompts” which explain
what you are to include in your “postings” to other students. Each week one is
assigned, you will initiate one entry and then respond to at least one other
student’s posting with a substantial comment using class material to back up your
thoughts. All postings for the week are due the time that the quiz for that week
closes. No late postings for that week can occur.
o For the full points for this assignment, you must address the question in the
prompt with specific references to the text or other class material for that week.
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o The Blackboard Posting Assignments are extremely important as this is where
you “meet” other students in the class and hold discussion about class topics. As
long as you do two postings (one you originate and a minimum of one where you
respond to another student), you will be eligible to receive the full points for that
week. You will be graded from 1-5 depending upon your thoroughness.
Blackboard Assignment
This assignment will be due on Blackboard during the semester. This assignment will
require you to research scholarly articles regarding marriage and family, and then give a
synthesis of the information you have read. These scholarly articles can be accessed
through a variety of databases, including those found on the SDSU library website. This
assignment will be worth 20 points and will be graded based on how well you connect
the information you have read to the content of the course, and how well you explain
the information provided by the scholarly article. This assignment should be 2-3 pages
each, and be formatted in APA style.
If you are unsure of what a scholarly article is or for more information on APA style
please see the folder marked APA Materials under the Course Documents tab on
Blackboard, or refer to the APA Manual in Recommended Reading Materials.
Genogram Assignment
The goal of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to learn more about your
family, genetic predispositions, environmental influences and apply knowledge you are
gaining in this course to the analysis of your family of origin and the influences of
various situations and experiences on you and your family. (FOR ALL NAMES IN THIS
ASSIGNMENT, USE ONLY FIRST NAMES—EXCEPT FOR INCLUDING YOUR FIRST AND LAST
NAME ON THE COVER SHEET.)
Part 1 – Genogram (10 points based on thoroughness and following directions)
In Part 1, you will construct a Genogram of your family tracing your family of origin on
both the maternal and the paternal sides 4 generations. (e.g. you, your parents, your
grandparents, and your great grandparents; or you, your children, your parents, and
your grandparents) Use the symbols provided and display a symbol for each family
member and number it. These numbers will be used for the factual data sheet.
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Part 2 –Factual Data Sheet
10 points based on thoroughness and following directions
The second part of your project is a factual data sheet that is to be typed in chart form.
The information provided in each column will correspond to the family member
represented by number on the Genogram. The length will depend upon the number of
family members included and the amount of information about each one. Feel free to
extend some columns to allow for enough space to accommodate your answers. There
will be a fact sheet template for you to use.
The 10 columns are:
1. Number (correlates to Genogram)
2. First name
3. Relationship to you
4. Date of birth/death
5. Approximate date of marriage/divorce/remarriage
6. Occupation/profession
7. Major life events
8. Physical/health problems
9. Personality traits
10.
Rituals/traditions
Include 10 family members including yourself. You may not include more than 10 family
members. Do not leave a column blank. Dates can be estimated.
This is intended to be an opportunity to connect with family members, gather unknown
information and share family stories.
If any part of this project creates a problem for you such as in cases of adoption, foster
care, divorces, estranged family members, etc., please see me about finding enough
family members to use in the project and/or conduct an alternate project based on
those issues.
Feel free to have the columns extend to accommodate your information.
Part 3 – Family Profile
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30 points based on thoroughness of content, relating content back to text, and APA
formatting
This portion should be 3-5 pages, double spaced, 12 point, following APA formatting
guidelines. This part of your paper describes the characteristics and composition of your
family of origin. It should be written in paragraph form and follow APA (American
Psychological Association) guidelines. In the narrative parts of your Family Profile,
please cite the text a minimum of 10 times.
Your family profile should include the following sections:
1. Composition of your family of origin, including ages of all members, gender
and sibling order. Describe the personality of each and analyze the
influence each has had upon your development.
2. Describe and analyze the influence the occupational status of each
individual has had upon your development.
3. Size and type of community/communities in which your family lived during
your birth-18 years of age. Describe and analyze the influence each has
had upon your development.
4. Location and connections with extended family members. Describe and
analyze the influence each has had upon your development.
5. Health status of you and your immediate family. Describe and analyze the
influence each has had upon your development.
6. Choose one more element from the factual data set (such as
rituals/traditions, marital status & divorces, births & deaths, or
personality) and describe and analyze the influence each has had upon
your development.
General Criteria:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Include 4 generations representing both maternal and paternal sides of the
family.
For couples, draw men on the left and women on the right (except in complex
situations, then just explain)
Draw siblings in chronological order with the first born on the left.
Use appropriate symbols for males and females.
Use appropriate symbols for marriage, divorce, unmarried couples, adoptions,
etc.
Start with yourself and highlight your symbol—you are to be labeled #1.
Numbers should coincide with the Factual Data Sheet, which is Part 3.
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Course Policies
• Attendance and class participation are required for successful completion of the
course.
• Plagiarism will result in an F in the course and/or further disciplinary action. Please
familiarize yourself with the university’s policy on academic dishonesty. This can be
found on the SDSU webpage for Student Rights and Responsibilities
(www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/index.html )
• All cell phones, I-Pods, etc. must be turned off during class time. Laptops are to be
used for note taking only—no web searches or e-mail conversations or game playing
please.
• You are expected to attend for the entire class time.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it
is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any
delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot
provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter
from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS
Students who need to be absent from class due to the observance of a religious holiday or
participate in required religious functions must notify the faculty member in writing as far in
advance of the holiday/obligation as possible. Students will need to identify the specific holiday
or obligatory function to the faculty member. Students will not be penalized for missing class
due to religious obligations/holiday observance. The student should contact the class instructor
to make arrangements for making up tests/assignments within a reasonable time.
MILITARY PERSONNEL STATEMENT
A student who is a member of the National Guard, Reserve, or other U.S. Armed Forces branch
and is unable to complete classes because of military activation may request complete or
partial administrative unrestricted withdrawals or incompletes depending on the timing of the
activation.
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HARASSMENT PROHIBITED
SDSU policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, age, religion,
national origin, disability, sexual orientation, Vietnam era veteran status and other protected
veteran status. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including termination
of employees or expulsion of students. Contact the Office of Employee Relations and
Compliance (http://oerc.sdsu.edu/discrimharasstoc.htm) if you feel another student or an SDSU
employee is harassing you based on any of the factors above.
STUDENT COMPUTER HELP
Now, students at San Diego State University have access to computer help through the SDSU
web site. You can select the computer help page appropriate for you at:
http://www.rohan.sdsu.edu/~students/stylesheet.cgi?main.htm)
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR LEARNING
• The CFD Program has a Mentoring Center where students can receive tutoring services.
The Mentoring Center is located in EBA 409. Please consult the CFD administration in
CFD 403 for an application to become a tutee/ tutor.
• The SDSU Writing Center is also available to assist students with writing and I may
suggest or require that you visit the Writing Center for assistance with your writing. You
can make an appointment at the Writing Center at http://writingcenter.sdsu.edu/.
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