Course Description:

An overview of the effects of societal change on marital and non-marital relationships.  Topics include premarital dynamics, singles, dual career families, family violence, and divorce.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1.  Understand theoretical approaches specific to the study of marriage and family.
2.  Identify terms and concepts specific to the study of marriage and family.
3.  Apply the theoretical approaches and terms and concepts from the study of marriage and family to everyday life.
4.  Understand the stages of family development and sexuality among different groups, cultures, and societies.
5.  Analyze the problems and possible solutions related to intimacy, relationships, and family life.
6.  Critically assess the structural changes in American families over the past century.
7.  Clarify personal values concerning intimacy, relationships, and family life.

DSPS 0800, DSPW 0800, DSPR 0800, or appropriate entrance scores

Course Topics:

Family Diversity
Intimacy
The Meaning of Family
Gender Roles
Communication
Single Life
Dating
Mate Selection
Marriage
Sexuality
Family Planning
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
HIV and AIDS
Parenthood
Family Life Stages
Economic Decisions
Dual-Worker Families
Family Crises
Marriage Dissolution
Remarriage
Relationship Growth and Continuity

Specific Course Requirements:

Students must be knowledgeable in the use of the internet and related browsers, Microsoft Word for word processing, WebCT email and attachments for submitting assignments, and Real Player or Media Player for viewing any assigned videos.  It is the student's responsibility to ensure their service provider is capable of allowing adequate connections and connection time in order to complete and submit tests and assignments and to participate in discussion boards.

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://direct.mbsbooks.com/tbr.htm

Supplementary Materials:

Reference and learning materials may be assigned by the instructor or researched by the student.

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Evaluation Procedures:

Tests: Students will be required to take four tests.  Tests will include a combination of multiple-choice and essay/discussion questions.  Students will have one week to complete and submit each test.  Completed tests will be typed using Microsoft Word and submitted to the instructor via WebCT course email attachment.  Tests will be worth a possible 100 points each.
Discussions:  Students will be required to participate in five discussion board sessions.  The first four discussions will reflect required reading assignments and for the fifth discussion, students will share a brief overview of their research paper with their classmates.  In order to be eligible for full credit, students are required to participate in the discussion during the time period designated by the instructor and to read all responses.  Participation will be evaluated for knowledge of reading assignments, demonstration of critical thinking, and respectful and considerate behavior toward others and their opinions.  Participation in each discussion will be worth a possible 25 points.
Research Paper: Students will be required to complete a five page research paper pertaining to an approved marriage and family topic.  The topic must be approved by the instructor within the first three weeks of the course.  The paper will include at least three resources.  At least two of the resources must be from refereed journals (professional journals in which articles have been reviewed and critiqued by professional peers before they are submitted).  A list of references and an outline must be approved by the instructor previous to submission of the final paper. The completed paper will be typed (double-spaced, 12 pt font) using Microsoft Word and submitted to the instructor via WebCT course email attachment.  Tips for writing a research paper, a list of possible resources, and guidelines for citations and references will be provided by the instructor.  The research paper is worth a possible 100 points.

**Plagarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.  Plagarism refers to using another's ideas or work without properly citing and referencing it.  Cheating refers to giving or receiving help on any part of a test or an assignment.  Any incidence of plagarism, cheating, or academic dishonesty will result in an "F" for the course.**

Grading Procedure:

Work in the course will evaluated as follows:
Four (4) tests worth 100 possible points each or 400 possible points total
Five (5) discussions worth 20 possible points each or 100 possible points total
One (1) research paper worth 100 points

Grading Scale:

The following grading scale will be used to calculate your final grade:

Grade	Points	Percentage Scale
A	537-600	90%-100%
B	477-536	80%-89%
C	417-476	70%-79%
D	387-416	65%-69%
F	Less than 387	Below 65%

Assignments and Projects:

Part I	Weeks 1-3	Chapter 1: Human Intimacy in the Brave New World of Family Diversity Chapter 2: Human Intimacy, Marriage, Family, and Its Meaning Chapter 3: American Ways of Love Chapter 4: Gender Convergence and Role Equity Discussion #1 Research Paper: Topic Due Test #1
Part II	Weeks 4-8	Chapter 5: Communication in Intimate Relationships Chapter 6: Dating, Single Life, and Mate Selection Chapter 7: Marriage, Intimacy, Expectations, and the Fully Functioning Person Chapter 8: Human Sexuality Chapter 9: Family Planning, Pregnancy, and Birth Appendix A: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Appendix B: Contraceptive Methods Discussion #2 Research Paper: Reference List Due Test #2
Part III	Weeks 9-11	Chapter 10: The Challenge of Parenthood Chapter 11: Family Life Stages: Middle Age to Surviving Spouse Chapter 12: The Importance of Making Sound Economic Decisions Chapter 13: The Dual Worker Family: The Real American Revolution Frontline Video: The Farmer's Wife Discussion #3 Research Paper: General Outline Due Test #3
Part IV	Weeks 12-15	Chapter 14: The Family Crises Chapter 15: The Dissolution of Marriage Chapter 16: Remarriage: A Growing Way of Life Chapter 17: Actively Seeking Marital Growth and Fulfillment Discussion #4 Test #4 Research Paper Due Discussion #5: Share brief overview of research paper

Class Participation:

Instruction in this course will be conducted in an independent manner with students being responsible for any readings, videos, tests, discussions, papers, written assignments, or other materials as assigned by the instructor.  Timely submission of required work is essential for success in this course.  It is the responsibility of the student, and not the instructor, to ensure that work is submitted in a timely fashion and that regular communication with the instructor is accomplished.  Due to the independent nature of this course, students must be responsible for checking course announcements frequently and for requesting help when it is needed.  Thus, students are encouraged to contact the instructor as often as needed via e-mail, telephone, or any other manner deemed appropriate by the instructor.  Furthermore, interaction between students, not leading to academic dishonesty, is encouraged as this is considered a valuable exercise in the learning process.  A "Main" discussion area is provided for students to interact casually or to discuss course issues, i.e., readings, assignments, study tips, questions to the instructor that might benefit others in the class.

Punctuality:

Tests must be completed and submitted by the due date established by the instructor.  Late submission of completed tests will not be accepted and make-up tests will not be scheduled under any circumstances.  In the event of a missed test, 0 points will be assessed for that test grade.  Likewise, students must participate in discussions within the time period established by the instructor.  A lack of any participation during the designated time period will result in 0 points for that discussion period.  Research papers will be penalized ten (10) points for each day not submitted past the due date.

Learn to navigate WebCT
Use WebCT email for communication with instructor
Check course announcements frequently
Maintain regular communication with instructor
Complete all readings and ask questions as necessary
Complete and submit all tests by the due date
Actively participate in all discussions during the allotted time periods
Submit all assignments toward completion of research paper in a timely manner
Submit research paper by the due date
Submit tests, assignments, and research paper as Microsoft Word documents
Submit tests, assignments, and research paper via WebCT email attachments
Ensure all work completed and submitted is your own
Address any technical problems immediately and communicate problems to the instructor
Observe course netiquette all times

Email:

• Always include a subject line.
• Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
• Use standard fonts.
• Do not send large attachments without permission.
• Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, HTML, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
• Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussion Groups:

• Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
• Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
• Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
• Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
• Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
• Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
• Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Chat:

• Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
• Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
• Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
• Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
• Be constructive in your comments and suggestion

Web Resources:

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor

• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://askrodp.custhelp.com