This course explores family processes and theories as they relate to researching, understanding, assessing, and helping families.

COURSE OVERVIEW AND EXPECTATIONS

This course is designed to help you learn to theorize like a family scientist. This requires more than just reading about various family theories. It also requires critical questioning, discussing, analyzing, and applying theoretical ideas. To help you in this learning process, I will assign readings, prepare presentation material, and take the lead asking questions to probe your understanding of the reading to stimulate application possibilities and group discussion. Familiarity with the assigned reading is essential for your understanding of the course material and constructive participation in our group discussions. You will learn the material best if you: a) ask and answer questions about the readings, b) explore personal examples of theoretical concepts that can be applied to families, and c) challenge and critically examine theoretical ideas.

• Allen, K. R.. & Henderson, A. C. (2023). Family theories today (2nd edition). Cognella.
• If you are in Cedar City, you can access a copy through the Tbird Textbook Collection in the library, for free use.

This course introduces students to theoretical frameworks that are central to understanding family process, scholarship, and intervention. At the conclusion of this course students will be able to:

• 1. Identify and understand the key terms, concepts and core assumptions that define a variety of family theories.
• 2. Compare and contrast the assumptions and implications of various theories and evaluate the strengths and limitations of using them when applying them to a variety of family issues and contexts.
• 3. Apply major theoretical orientations, terms, and concepts within the field of family studies to family-focused research and the diversity of family life
• 4. Analyze interpersonal relationships and family functioning using various theoretical perspectives, including from a systemic perspective. (NCFR 2.b & 5.c)
• 5. Use your knowledge of theory to think more critically about the ideas and research results presented to you by other social scientists (ELO#4)

Grading Scale

• A 94% - 100%
• A- 90% - 92%
• B+ 87% - 89%
• B 83% - 86%
• B- 80% - 82%
• C+ 77% - 79%
• C 73% - 76%
• C- 70% - 72%
• D+ 67% - 69%
• D 63% - 66%
• D- 60% - 62%
• F 59% and below

Course Requirements and Assignments

1. DISCLAIMER: Please know I want to be a support to you and because I am operating within a system, I am limited in what I can and can’t do to support you. If you are in need of accommodations, please reach out to the Disability Resource Center on campus who can help you access short-term and long-term accommodations. If you have a complaint about any professor or course on campus, please take the following steps:

   1. 1. Talk to the professor
   2. 2. If you feel like you can’t talk to the professor, please go to the chair of the department, contact information for this person can be found on the department’s website.
   3. 3. Other resources include:
      1. a. Dean of the college where the course is housed
      2. b. Provost’s office
      3. c. Dean of Students
   4. 4. Regardless of the steps you take, leaving feedback in your end of semester course evaluations is important. These are anonymous; instructors do not have access to them until after grades are posted.

2. Emotional Safety - Emotional Safety - Emotional Safety - Emotional Safety - Due to the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable content that will be discussed throughout this course, it is essential that all participants contribute to an environment of emotional safety. In the event of a student participating in emotionally unsafe comments/behavior, the instructor will provide feedback which will serve as a warning. At that time, the student will be invited to converse with the instructor about what made their comments/behavior emotionally unsafe. If the behavior is repeated, students will be referred to campus services. If you find you are emotionally overwhelmed by content in this or any other course, the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) is a resource available to you. The phone number for CAPS is: 435.865.8621.

3. As a student in this course, you are responsible for the content presented in this course and for your own learning. If you need help, please ask. If you have questions about the material that you are interested in or curious about that is not addressed in the course, please ask. If you have questions about expectations for an assignment, please ask. If you do not understand a concept being taught/discussed, please ask. The instructor is a resource to you; however, if you do not communicate that you need help, the instructor cannot help you.

4. Please pay attention to Canvas Announcements as this instructor uses Canvas Announcements to communicate with students about important information. You will be accountable for information provided through announcements.

5. All assignments are due at midnight on the due date unless otherwise noted and should be turned in via Canvas. The instructor will not accept assignments turned in any other way.

6. Assignments may be turned in early. You may turn in up to 3 assignments up to 3 days late without questions or penalty. Any late work beyond this will only be accepted if you have formal accommodations in place through the Disability Resource Center or support through the Office of Student Outreach and Support. This applies to all assignments that will receive a grade. Please do not rely on Canvas to remind you of when assignments are due; please be proactive and know when assignments are due. All assignments for the semester are already entered into Canvas.

7. All documentation must be done in APA 7th Edition format. For this course, abstracts, cover pages and headings are not necessary. You will not be docked for using these. When required to use outside sources, students are expected to use credible sources; wikipedia is not allowed for use as a reference in this course. OWL at Purdue is a great resource! Please do not rely on any automatic reference/citation formatting tools/engines as these often produce incorrect citations/references. If you are going to pursue your education in the social sciences field, you may find it useful to purchase an APA manual. If it is discovered that you used a false source, generated by AI or any other source, this will be considered academic dishonesty and SUU Policy 6.33 will be followed.

8. It is expected that all work you turn in is created and developed by you. If you use AI, it is the expectation for this course is that you use it as a resource and not a robot. You must properly cite it if you use it. If it is discovered that you are using AI without properly citing it or you use AI to generate work that you turn in as your own, SUU Policy 6.33 for Academic Integrity will be followed. AI is a fantastic tool for brainstorming!

9. All papers must be typed in either Arial or Times New Roman with a 12 point font, 1 inch margins and double spaced. The instructor will mark any assignment not double spaced as a 0 with an invitation to revise and resubmit. The only exception to this is when there is a table provided to you to complete.

10. Grammar and following instructions matters! Your grade will be affected by these things. Please pay attention to page requirements - both minimums and limitations. Once the page limit is reached, I will stop reading and any information included after that point will not be considered in your grade. While your grade will be impacted according to assignment rubrics for incorrect grammar and poor writing mechanics, because of the amount of time it takes to do so, I will not be editing your papers as I grade them.

11. Grading: Because I want your focus to be on learning and not on how skilled you are or aren’t at earning high grades, the grading in this class is intended to be reflective of that. Your participation, effort, and learning are more important than your skill at earning a specific grade.

    All assignments, except the Movie Analysis, turned in on time, or within 3 days of the due date (maximum of 3 late assignments), and completed according to the assignment instructions as outlined in both the assignment instructions in Canvas and the grading rubric will receive full credit. All assignments turned in on time, or within 3 days of the due date (maximum of 3 late assignments), for which all or part of the assignment is insufficient for meeting assignment expectations as outlined in both Canvas and the grading rubric will receive ½ credit.

    If you earn ½ credit on an assignment, you may revise and resubmit for full credit as long as you do so within 7 days of when the assignment is graded and your revisions are highlighted. You may revise and resubmit as many times as you want/need to in order to earn the grade you want on each assignment. The instructor will not regrade any assignments that do not have revisions clearly highlighted. Any assignments due the last week of the semester will not have this flexibility; while you will be given the opportunity to revise and resubmit these assignments, it must be done within the time frame outlined in comments left by the instructor/grader at the time it is graded.

12. Syllabus Quiz (20 points) - This will count as your commenced attendance assignment. If you want full points for this assignment, it needs to be done by the date in Canvas. You will have the option to complete it until the commenced attendance date. If you do not complete this by then, you will be at risk of being dropped from the course. Please review the syllabus prior to taking the quiz. It is open note. Please see Canvas for the due date.

13. Introduction Video (15 points): In order to make this online class as personal as possible, please record an introduction of yourself that you will upload to a discussion board. Then, respond to at least 5 of your peers’ videos and submit your responses to your peers on the form provided. Instructions on how to do this are included in the assignment shell. Please see Canvas for the due date.

14. Participation Points/Padlet Discussion Boards (125 points total) - There are several Padlet discussion boards throughout this course that are intended to be a place to engage in the content with your peers and for the exchange of ideas which is a critical component of the learning process. Specific instructions for each discussion are included in Canvas. Each discussion is worth 15 points each. If you participate in the discussion as instructed, you will earn full credit. If you do not, you will earn ½ - 0 credit. In order to receive full credit, it must be clear to the grader that you have put some thought and effort into what you write. Missing one or two posts won’t affect your grade much; missing several will. Participating in all Padlet discussions is a good way to buffer your grade. Please refer to Canvas as well as the Syllabus Course Schedule for due dates

15. Application Projects (l). 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 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. re to be in APA formatting, double spaced, Times New Roman font size 12, with one-inch margins unless otherwise noted. See Canvas for additional information and due dates.

16. Reflection Journal (250 points total). 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 20 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.

17. Final Paper (100 points). 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 academic resource 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:

    1. 1. Compare and contrast the strengths and limitations of at least two other theories as a rationale for deciding on the theory you have selected.
    2. 2. Identify how your preferred theory fits with your own world view.
    3. 3. 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 4 double spaced pages in Times New Roman, size 12 font and one inch margins. Please see Canvas grading rubric provided on line for more details and due date.

18. Midterm and Final Exams (100 points each). The purpose of your midterm and final 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 70 objective questions (multiple choice or True/False) worth one point each and one video case study worth 30 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.

Course Schedule Disclaimer: While content scheduled to be covered that is outlined in this course schedule will not likely change, the timing of which week it is presented may change based on factors unavailable to address at the time this syllabus was written.

• All assignments are due at midnight on the due date unless otherwise noted and should be turned in via Canvas. The instructor will not accept assignments turned in any other way.
• Assignments may be turned in early. You may turn in up to 3 assignments up to 3 days late without questions or penalty. Any late work beyond this will only be accepted if you have formal accommodations in place through the Disability Resource Center or support through the Office of Student Outreach and Support. This applies to all assignments that will receive a grade. Please do not rely on Canvas to remind you of when assignments are due; please be proactive and know when assignments are due. All assignments for the semester are already entered into Canvas.
• All assignments, except the Movie Analysis, turned in on time, or within 3 days of the due date (maximum of 3 late assignments), and completed according to the assignment instructions as outlined in both the assignment instructions in Canvas and the grading rubric will receive full credit. All assignments turned in on time, or within 3 days of the due date (maximum of 3 late assignments), for which all or part of the assignment is insufficient for meeting assignment expectations as outlined in both Canvas and the grading rubric will receive ½ credit.
• If you earn ½ credit on an assignment, you may revise and resubmit for full credit as long as you do so within 7 days of when the assignment is graded and your revisions are highlighted. You may revise and resubmit as many times as you want/need to in order to earn the grade you want on each assignment. The instructor will not regrade any assignments that do not have revisions clearly highlighted. Any assignments due the last week of the semester will not have this flexibility; while you will be given the opportunity to revise and resubmit these assignments, it must be done within the time frame outlined in comments left by the instructor/grader at the time it is graded.
• Please pay attention to Canvas Announcements as this instructor uses Canvas Announcements to communicate with students about important information. You will be accountable for information provided through announcements.

DISCLAIMER

Please know I want to be a support to you and because I am operating within a system, I am limited in what I can and can’t do to support you. If you are in need of accommodations, please reach out to the Disability Resource Center on campus who can help you access short-term and long-term accommodations. If you have a complaint about any professor or course on campus, please take the following steps:

1. 1. Talk to the professor
2. 2. If you feel like you can’t talk to the professor, please go to the chair of the department, contact information for this person can be found on the department’s website.
3. 3. Other resources include:
   1. a. Dean of the college where the course is housed
   2. b. Provost’s office
   3. c. Dean of Students
4. 4. Regardless of the steps you take, leaving feedback in your end of semester course evaluations is important. These are anonymous; instructors do not have access to them until after grades are posted.

Emotional Safety

Emotional Safety - Emotional Safety - Emotional Safety - Emotional Safety - Due to the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable content that will be discussed throughout this course, it is essential that all participants contribute to an environment of emotional safety. In the event of a student participating in emotionally unsafe comments/behavior, the instructor will provide feedback which will serve as a warning. At that time, the student will be invited to converse with the instructor about what made their comments/behavior emotionally unsafe. If the behavior is repeated, students will be referred to campus services. If you find you are emotionally overwhelmed by content in this or any other course, the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) is a resource available to you. The phone number for CAPS is: 435.865.8621.