Instructor: Shyamal Kumar Das, Department of Sociology
Office: Faner 3435; Hours: Monday & Wednesday 2:00 – 4:00 PM, and by appointment.
Office phone: 453-7632; E-mail: skdas@siu.edu

GOALS: Families of the World (FOW) deals with: (1) the diversity among family patterns around the world; and (2) the impacts of social change on these families. The course’s main concern is not the highly industrialized societies like the US; rather it focuses mainly on families in other societies, which are considered traditional or semi-modern. There are two rationales for paying attention to these kinds of societies: (1) they are most diverse in nature and pattern; and (2) in recent years the impact of development on these societies has been tremendous. We will discuss some of the gender issues that are related to family in this respect, and three prevailing theories concerning the basic forms will be addressed.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE: (a) to increase awareness and appreciation of diversity in family patterns in the societies of the world; (b) to understand the diverse theories that compete in explaining family patterns.

INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF THE COURSE: A significant number of materials are incorporated from various disciplines. Anthropology, History, Social Demography, Development Studies, and Sociology give us information about various types of family life. Theories to be covered in the course are: structural-functional, theories based on socio-biological premises, and conflict theories. These theories largely deal with the age-old nature-nurture controversy, and they are grounded on the premises of the just-mentioned disciplines. For instance, conflict theories have strong roots in Development Studies, which is interdisciplinary by its very nature covering various elements from Anthropology, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Demography, and so on. In our venture during the whole semester, we will engage ourselves in identifying the points of debates among proponents of these theories.

GRADING CRITERIA: The final grade will be calculated on the basis of merit points (maximum of 500). Points are accumulated as follows:
Three exams: 100 X 3 = 300
Research Paper Outline and Working Bibliography: 25
Research Paper: 75
Statement and Questions for Interview Based Group-Paper: 20
Group Paper: 30
Four Quizzes: 10 X 4 = 40
Class Attendance = 10

Total Points: 500

The cut-off lines are as follows:

Letter Grade Low Percentage Point Range

A 90% 450-500
B 80% 400-449
C 70% 350-399
D 60% 300-349
F <60% <300

The course grade will not be curved.

Brief Descriptions of Grading Criteria:
Exams: The probable format for exams is as follows:

Two essay type questions: 15 X 2 = 30
Five short type questions (two-three line answer): 5 X 5 = 30
Multiple choice questions: 40
Total: 100

The quizzes will contain multiple choice questions.

However, it is necessary to mention here that I have the discretion to change the format of the exam if I feel to do so. I hate to provide study-guide to students. If you can not understand any concept or any point, you may come and feel free to ask me any question. Don’t ask me for study-guide.

Papers: (a) Research Paper: By the end of sixth week, a student is supposed to submit a two/three page outline with a working bibliography. Before writing up your outline, you have to talk to me, and take my approval. This is mandatory. I would not grade your outline if you do not clear your project from me. It is a student’s free choice to select topic of his/her own interest as long as applying some major concepts of FOW. The paper has to be a comparative analysis of at least two cultures. The theme may cover issues like differential parental roles, or taboos, or various impacts of social change, or anything else that is covered in FOW. One resource for doing such research is Human Relations Area Files (HRAF), which is available at Morris Library. The outline should contain a brief description your research paper, which is supposed to be a road-map of the project. The concepts/theories to be used have to be mentioned (with clarification) in this description. I will provide a handout regarding this. My main concern is to see how you apply these concepts in your paper. Five points will be off for each class meeting passing after the deadline.
Your research paper should be a 5-7 page decent discussion of the issue you want to address. You have to attach the proposed outline with your paper. Without this, I will not read your paper. A list of references has to be included following ASR (American Sociological Review) citation rules. Five points will be taken off for each class meeting past the deadline.

(b) Interview Based Group-Paper: You have to compose a group of three/four for your group project. If you need my help in forming the group, I will be glad to do so, but it is primarily your responsibility to find out people with whom you would be comfortable to do group work. By the third week, I need you submit an outline mentioning your topic for presentation. In your outline, you are required to mention the questions for interviews. Each of the group-members needs to take at least one interview of any international student from the developing nations. In your fifteen-minute group-presentation, you are supposed to compare the findings. I will discuss the whole thing with you before you jump into the field- work. Before start writing your outline, you have to talk to me, and take my approval. This is mandatory. I would not grade your outline if you do not clear your group-project from me. It is groups’ free choice to select topic of their own interest as long as applying some major concepts of FOW. The paper has to be a comparative analysis of at least three cultures. The theme may cover issues like differential parental roles, or taboos, or various impacts of social change, or anything else that is covered in FOW. The outline should contain a brief description of the paper, which is supposed to be a road-map of the project. The concepts/theories to be used have to be mentioned in this description. My main concern is to see how you apply these concepts in your paper. Five points will be off for each class meeting passing after the deadline.
Your final interview based group-paper should be a 3-7 page decent discussion of the issue you want to address. You need to attach your outline with your final paper. Without your outline, I will not read your final paper. A list of references has to be included following ASR citation rules. Five points will be taken off for each class meeting past the deadline.

All papers will be graded on the basis of your argument, critical thinking, application of concepts, accuracy of description, organization, spelling, and grammar.

References: If you use more than three words from any material, you need to put quote marks and cite the page number and source. In case of using close paraphrase, you should also provide this information as well. If you use information from web pages, you require write the complete citation so that I can double check this. Do not use personal web-sites. I would appreciate the references from scholarly journals and books than from newspapers and magazines. After reviewing your bibliography, I will let you know which references are acceptable and which are not. If your work purposely miscites anything or anybody, I will consider this as grounds for your having a failing grade on that. Any kind of plagiarism and fraud will be taken into account as the ground of giving you a failing grade, and taking the matter to the university disciplinary committee.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is mandatory. I will add points up to 10 in your grade for class attendance.
Note: You will not be allowed to enter the class five minutes after the scheduled time.

Required Readings:
(1) Pasternak, Ember, and Ember. 1997. Sex, Gender, and Kinship: A Cross-cUltural Perspective. Prentice Hall, NJ.
(2) Coltrane and Collins. 2001. Sociology of Marriage and the Family. Wardsworth, Thompson Learning, CA.

In addition to these two books, we will use some relevant articles. Some of them are reserved in the library. Others can be checked out from the periodical section of the library.

SCHEDULE OF WEEKLY TOPICS AND READINGS

Note: Some of the readings mentioned below have taken specific theoretical stands. The letters before these readings indicate these stands. The letters are as follows: [c] = Conflict Theory, [sb] = Sociobiology, and [f] = Functionalism. The letter “R” at end of any material denotes that it is reserved in the library.

The course is divided into two parts. Part I deals with Reflections on some of the variations in World Family Patterns, and Part II discusses Social Change and Family.

January 13: Introduction

Part I: Reflections on Some of the Variations in World Family System

January 15-17: Human Sexuality and Family Norms: Beliefs and Practices

Pasternak, Ember, and Ember, Chapter 1, pp. 1-12, and Chapter 2, pp. 13-44

January 20: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Holiday

January 22-24: Gender Roles: Division of Labor and Social Behavior

Ember and Ember, Chapter 3, pp. 45-78
[c] Coltrane, Scott, 1992, “The Micropolitics of Gender in Non-Industrial Societies”, Gender and Society, 6, pp.86-107.

January 27: Video: Nomads of the Rain Forest

January 29-31: Theories, Part I: Functionalism
[f] Murdock, George P. 1949. Social Structure, Chapter 1, “ The Nuclear Family”, pp. 1-22 (R).

January 31: Quiz 1 covering previous lectures.

February 3-10: Theories, Part II: Sociobiology
[sb] van den Berghe, Pierre L., and David P. Barash. 1977. “Inclusive Fitness and Human Family Structure”. American Anthropologist. 79, pp. 809-823. (R)

February 12-14: Theories, Part III, Conflict Theory
[c] Collins, Randall, 1975, Conflict Sociology, Chapter 5, Part I, “A Theory of Age and Sex Stratification”, pp. 228-258 (R)

February 17: Exam 1 covering previous lectures

February 19-21: Forms of Marriage and Marital Residence

Ember and Ember, Chapter 4, Marriage and Other Relationships
[f] Murdock, George P. 1949. Social Structure, Chapter 2, pp.23-32 ®
Ember and Ember, Chapter 10, Marital Residence, pp. 211-231
Ember and Ember, Chapter 12, Descent Groups, pp. 255-271.

February 21: Outline and Working Bibliography for Research Paper and interview -based group-papers are due.

February 26-28: Love, Sexual Property and, Sexual Jealousy

[sb] Daly, Martin, Margo Wilson, and Suzanne J. Weghorst. 1982. “ Male Sexual Jealousy”, Ethology and Sociobiology, 3, pp. 1-27. ®
[f] Davis, Kingsley. 1948. Human Society. Chapter 7. Sexual Jealousy. Pp. 175-194. ®
[c] Review Collins for his views on the structural causes of norms and feelings about adultery and on the development of love based on marriage.

March 3-5: Incest and Prohibition
[f] Davis, Kingsley. 1948. Human Society. Chapter 15. pp. 394-404 ®
[sb] van den Bergh, Pierre L. 1979. Human Family Systems: An Evolutionary View. Chapter 3, pp. 76-82 ®.
[c] Ward, Elizabeth. 1985. Father-Daughter Rape. Chapter 9. “The Family-A Man’s Home In His Castle”, pp. 193-201. ®

March 7: Exam 2 covering lectures after exam 1.

March 8-16: Spring Vacation

March 17: Mate Selection

Ember and Ember, Chapter 6, Extension of Incest Taboo, & Chapter 7, Getting Married, pp. 147-165.

Mach 19-21: Marital Residence and Descent Rules
Ember and Ember, Chapter 10 and 12, pp. 211-231 & 255-279

March 24-26: Marriage Relationships and Divorce

Hendrix, L. 1997. “Quality and Equality in Marriage: A Cross-Cultural View”. Cross-Cultural Research. 31: 201-225. ®

March 26: Quiz 2 covering lectures after exam 2.

March 28-31: Parents and Children
[f, c] Hendrix, L. 1996. Illegitimacy and Social structure. Chapter 4. pp. 57-75.

April 2-4: Religion and Family

Wadley, Susan S. 2001. “Hindu Women’s Family and Household Rites in a North Indian Village”. Unspoken Worlds: Women’s Religious Lives. Edited by Nancy Auer Falk and Rita M. Gross. Wadsworth. USA.

Part II: Social Change and Family

April 7-11: Some Theoretical Reflections on Gender Inequality

Coltrane, Scott, & Randall Collins. 2001. Sociology of Marriage and the Family. Chapter 3. pp. 69-94.

April 7: Quiz 3 covering lectures after Quiz 2.

April 11: Research paper due.

April 14-18: Race and Ethnicity
Coltrane, Scott, & Randall Collins. 2001. Sociology of Marriage and the Family. Chapter 7. pp. 202-235.

April 21-25: Development and Women’s Work

Dunaway, Wilma. 2001. “ The Double Register of History: Situating the Forgotten Women and Her Household in Capitalist Commodity Chains”. Journal of World System Research. VII: 2-29. ®

April 21: Quiz 4 covering after Quiz 3.

April 28- May 2: Group Presentation.

Note: Group papers are due on the day of the presentation.

May 5: 12:50- 2:50 p.m. Final Exam covering lectures after Exam 2.