Family Studies, Minor
Liberal Arts (Code 487-401)
For advising, contact K. Knutson (Communication and Journalism).
The interdisciplinary Family Studies Minor is designed to:
- Enhance students’ understanding of the issues and problems confronting contemporary families from sociological, developmental, psychological, historical, religious, economic, and anthropologic perspectives;
- Examine the well-being of diverse individuals and families over the lifespan including the dynamic relations within families and the interaction between families and society;
- Provide an interdisciplinary liberal arts base for students who wish to pursue graduate study and careers working to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities; and
- Provide a knowledge of family studies that will foster personal and social development of the individual student.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Twenty-four semester credits, including: | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| HIST 370 | History of the Family in America | 3 |
| PSYC 230 | Human Development | 3 |
| SOC 316 | Sociology of Family | 3 |
| Category A, B, C, D Courses—one course from each category required: | ||
A. Life Course | ||
| Child Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Adolescence | ||
| Psychology of Adulthood and Aging | ||
| Psychology of the Exceptional Child | ||
| Social Gerontology | ||
| Aging and the Aged | ||
B. Gender and Sexuality | ||
| Communication and Gender | ||
| Gender, Sex, and Science in European History | ||
| Psychology of Women | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Gender and Power | ||
| Perspectives in LGBTQ Studies | ||
| Gender and Violence | ||
C. Micro-level: Family Relations | ||
| Gender, Race, Class, and Communication: The Social Construction of Identity | ||
| Introduction to Interpersonal Communication | ||
or CJ 203 | Fundamentals of Human Communication | |
| Topics in Advanced Interpersonal Communication (when offered as Family Communication) | ||
| Theories of Counseling | ||
| Family and Intimate Relationships | ||
| Child Welfare | ||
D. Macro-level: Families and Society | ||
| Youth Crime and Juvenile Justice | ||
| Women and the Labor Market | ||
| Women and Economic Development | ||
| American Women's History | ||
| Women and World Religions | ||
| Religion and Morality | ||
| Social Class and Inequality | ||
| Sociology of Work and Occupations | ||
| Sociology of Education | ||
| Women, Work and Family | ||
| Remaining credits to be selected from courses included in Categories A, B, C, and D and/or up to 3 credits from Directed Studies, Independent Study, Internship, or Special Topics courses that focus on family issues may be applied to the minor with advisor approval. | ||
NOTE 1: Student may not take both CJ 201 and CJ 203 for credit in the minor.
NOTE 2: No more than 12 credits from any course prefix may be counted toward the minor. CJ/WGSS, ECON/WGSS, HIST/WGSS, PSYC/WGSS, RELS/WGSS, and SOC/WGSS courses will count as CJ, ECON, HIST, PSYC, RELS, or SOC credits, respectively, for the purpose of this limitation.
NOTE 3: Many courses in the minor have prerequisites. Check the catalog for details.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students completing this program will be expected to meet the following learning outcomes:
- Describe issues and problems confronting contemporary families from a variety of perspectives.
- Identify the developmental changes of individuals and families over the lifespan.
- Compare family life in historical and contemporary contexts.
- Identify and explain public policy influences that affect the well-being of families.