SOC20280 Sociology of Family

Academic Year 2020/2021

This module will explore key issues within sociology of family. In particular, it will focus on how perceptions and experiences of family shift over space and time. Students will develop an understanding of key sociological perspectives on the role of the family in society. The module will explore the social construction of family from gender, class, sexuality and race and ethnicity and policies perspectives across the world. This understanding of diverse family and household structures include topics such as same-sex parents, lone-parents, divorced/step families, migrant families, and families from mixed ethnic backgrounds. We will consider how these changes impact individual and family relationships.

Within this, the module will develop understandings into concepts of kinship, parenting, ethnicity, diversity, social class, work/family balance among others. This module examines if/how new forms of partnership challenge traditional gendered inequalities that were structural to marriage and parenthood. Throughout the module we will develop an appreciation of how family relationships are constructed in the context of wider changes in social and economic conditions that constrain and shape the apparently individual and private decisions that people make.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the module the student should be able to:
understand key theories and concepts in sociology of family;
understand how and why the organisation of family life has been altering throughout history;
understand the relationship between the organisation of family relationships and wider social change;

Indicative Module Content:

The module content includes (but not limited to) the following topics (in no particular order):

What is a family? Key sociological theories of family
Historical and cultural perspectives on family
Theoretical perspectives on ethnicity and family
Work/life balance in 21st century
Families, education and social class
Families and food
Adoption, divorce and family
Women's reproductive rights and state policies in different contexts
Family and violence

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Autonomous Student Learning

101
Total

123
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Online lectures (live and recorded)
In class discussions
Critical thinking and writing
Reflective learning
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Multiple Choice Questionnaire: Quiz (covering topics over weeks 1-5) Week 7 n/a Graded No

40
Assignment: Written assignment Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

60

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback for the mid-trimester questionnaire will be provided individually to students, as well as in group (during a lecture). Class feedback will be provided for the final assignments. Students can also make an appointment with the module leader to discuss their progress further.