Family Studies, Minor

Liberal Arts (Code 487-401)

For advising, contact the Sociology Department.

The interdisciplinary Family Studies Minor is designed to:

  1. enhance students’ understanding of the issues and problems confronting contemporary families from sociological, developmental, psychological, historical, religious, economic, and anthropologic perspectives;
  2. 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;
  3. 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
  4. provide a knowledge of family studies that will foster personal and social development of the individual student.
Twenty-four semester credits, including:
Required Courses
HIST 370History of the Family in America3
PSYC 230Human Development3
SOC 316Sociology of Family3
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
Gender, Sex, and Science in European History
Psychology of Women
Sociology of Gender
Gender and Power
Sociology of Sexualities
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
Fundamentals of Human Communication
Topics in Advanced Interpersonal Communication (when offered as Family Communication)
Communication and Gender
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 approval from the Family Studies Minor Coordinator.

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. ANTH/WGSS, CJ/WGSS, ECON/WGSS, HIST/WGSS, PSYC/WGSS, RELS/WGSS, and SOC/WGSS courses will count as ANTH, 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.