Family Studies, Minor

Liberal Arts (Code 487-401)

For advising, contact Kristine 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.
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
PSYC 331
Child Psychology
PSYC 332
Psychology of Adolescence
PSYC 333
Psychology of Adulthood and Aging
PSYC 334
Psychology of the Exceptional Child
SOC 264
Social Gerontology
SW 315
Aging and the Aged
B. Gender and Sexuality
CJ 312
Communication and Gender
HIST/WGSS 313
Gender, Sex, and Science in European History
PSYC/WGSS 336
Psychology of Women
SOC/WGSS 202
Sociology of Gender
SOC/WGSS 419
Gender and Power
SOC 426
Sociology of Sexualities
WGSS 206
Perspectives in LGBTQ Studies
WGSS 310
Gender and Violence
C. Micro-level: Family Relations
CJ/WGSS 111
Gender, Race, Class, and Communication: The Social Construction of Identity
CJ 201
Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
or CJ 203
 Fundamentals of Human Communication
CJ 306
Topics in Advanced Interpersonal Communication (when offered as Family Communication)
PSYC 325
Theories of Counseling
SOC 164
Family and Intimate Relationships
SW 385
Child Welfare
D. Macro-level: Families and Society
CRMJ 302
Youth Crime and Juvenile Justice
ECON/WGSS 337
Women and the Labor Market
ECON/WGSS 357
Women and Economic Development
HIST/WGSS 205
American Women's History
RELS/WGSS 203
Women and World Religions
RELS 210
Religion and Morality
SOC 314
Social Class and Inequality
SOC 405
Sociology of Work and Occupations
SOC 410
Sociology of Education
WGSS 344
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.