1. Signed Student-Teacher Contract: (20 pts): This activity provides you with an opportunity during the first week of class to read over the syllabus, sign a learning agreement with me, review my teaching commitments to you, communicate your questions, comments or concerns you have about the class to me, and establish your intentional learning goals for the semester. Please read over the form, fill out the sections in red, and sign it before uploading the document to Canvas on the first Friday of the semester before midnight.
2. Student Introduction in Learning Group: (25 pts) Please introduce yourself to your Learning Group by the first Wednesday of the semester before midnight and reply to all members of your learning group before the first Friday of the semester before midnight. Please see Canvas for more details about this assignment.
3. Knowledge Checks (0 pts): Canvas provides weekly knowledge checks at the end of each module to help you learn important terms and concepts associated with each theory. These weekly questions are objective (multiple-choice and true/false) and are excellent practice for the midterm and final exams. All questions used as knowledge checks will reappear in either the midterm or final exam. As such, they provide excellent low-stakes practice opportunities to help you study for the exams. Because they are OPTIONAL, they have no time limit, do not close, have no limit on the number of attempts, and have no points attached to them. They are strongly encouraged to do as part of your review for your exams.
4. Discussion Posts (5@25 pts each / 125 pts): Learning to theorize like a family scientist requires critical questioning and discussing ideas with others. To help facilitate this, every other week (7 times over the course of the semester) you will be asked to post and share your thinking with your learning group regarding issues related to that week’s assigned theory. You will be expected to use the terms, concepts and assumptions of the theory and apply them to various media, research, and case studies capturing diverse family processes and relationships as part of analyzing, applying, and discussing the theory with your peers. Each post should be at least 250 words (include the word count in brackets at the bottom of the post). You will receive 20 points for each of your original posts (due Wednesdays before midnight) and 5 points for responding to at least 2 members of your learning group (due Fridays before midnight). You must post before reading and replying to other classmates’ posts. (Please respond to different people in your learning group over the course of the semester). All assignments are to be in APA formatting, double spaced, Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins. Please see the grading rubric provided online for more details.
5. Application Projects (5@25 points each /125 pts): Learning to theorize like a family scientist also requires a lot of practice analyzing real family processes and interactions and learning how to apply different theoretical lenses to their experience in order to best understand “what is going on”. To help facilitate this, you will complete an application project related to that week’s theory every other week that uses family case studies, films, family research, and expert panels as opportunities to apply and explore the utility of various theoretical approaches to understanding diverse family processes. These will be due on Fridays before midnight and are to be in APA formatting, double spaced, Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins unless otherwise noted. Please see the grading rubric provided online for more details.
6. Reflection Journal (10@25 pts each/ 250 pts): The purpose of the reflection journal is to consider the content of each of the family theories, critically examine it, compare and contrast it with previous theories learned, and monitor the fit between that theory and your preferred ways of seeing the world. For each theoretical perspective that we examine in class, you will be expected to keep a corresponding reflective journal entry for a total of 11 entries. These journals must address all of the 3C’s (Considerations, Critiques, and Comparisons) by answering at least one of the suggested questions listed under each heading. Each journal entry is worth 25 points and should be in APA formatting, one to two double-spaced pages long, one inch margins, Times New Roman Font size 12, and uploaded to Canvas on Fridays before midnight. These weekly theory reflections will be integral to writing your final paper. Please see the grading rubric provided online for more details.
7. Final Paper (245 pts): After reviewing your journal entries for the semester on each theory and comparing and contrasting their strengths and weaknesses, your final paper will discuss and defend why one of them is your preferred theory. You must consult with (and cite) at least one outside peer-reviewed journal article in order to deepen your understanding of this theory. Your paper must explicate your rationale for selecting the theory you have and should include the following elements:
- Compare and contrast the strengths and limitations of at least two other theories as a rationale for deciding on the theory you have selected.
- Identify how your preferred theory fits with your own world view.
- Identify which theory seems to offer the greatest potential for practical use and application in the future work you will be doing with families – again comparing and contrasting with other theories.
The paper should be APA formatted (7th ed.), 4 double spaced pages in Times New Roman, size 12 font and one inch margins. Please see grading rubric provided on line for more details and due date.
8. Exams (2@100 pts each / 200 pts): The purpose of your midterm (first 5 theories) and final (last 5 theories) exams are to assess your ability to identify and understand the key terms, concepts and core assumptions that define a variety of family theories as well as compare and contrast various theories, evaluate their strengths and limitations, and apply them to diverse family relationships and processes in order to analyze what is going on. Each exam will have 60 objective questions (multiple choice or True/False) worth one point each and one video case study worth 40 points that will ask you to analyze family relationships and processes from two different theoretical perspectives. Points for short answer responses will be specified on the exam.
9. Course Evaluation (10 pts): Please fill out the course evaluation at the end of the semester and take a screen shot indicating you have completed it so you can upload it to the correct Canvas Assignment folder.