SS223A - MARRIAGE AND FAMILY – 3 credits
Iowa Lakes Community College

PREREQUISITES: None

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This three credit course fulfills a social science      or elective requirement for students working on either their A.A. or A.S. degree. Focusing on the marriage and family experience,   the student gains more solid academic understanding of marriage and families and also enriches their own personal understanding of these central institutions in our society.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: After successfully completing this course the student will be able to:

1. define marriage and describe its various forms throughout the world.

2. define family, cohabitation, separation, remarriage, and extended family.

3. list and describe the functions of marriages and families.

4. distinguish between traditional roles for men and women and why those roles may be individually limiting, and contemporary gender roles and why these are changing.

5. understand and describe the development of love.

6. describe human psychosexual development throughout the lifespan.

7. identify the traditional stages of the family life cycle and the effects of social change in creating family life cycle variations.

8. explain the relationship of economics to the quality of family life.

9. explain the importance and impact of communication patterns in marriage and family relationships.

10. recognize and describe the characteristics of strong families.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Part One: Meanings of Marriage and Family
1 – The Meaning of Marriage and Family
2 – Studying Marriage and Family
3 – Contemporary Gender Roles

Part Two: Intimate Relationships
4 – Friendship, Love, and Commitment
5 – Communication and Conflict Resolution
6 – Pairing and Singlehood
7 – Understanding Sexuality

Part Three: Family Life
8 – Pregnancy and Childbirth
9 – Marriage as Process: Family Life Cycles
10 – Parents and Children
11 – Marriage, Work, and Economics

Part Four: Family Challenges and Strengths
12 – Families and Wellness
13 – Family Violence and Sexual Abuse
14 – Coming Apart: Separation and Divorce
15 – New Beginnings: Single-Parent Families and Stepfamilies
16 – Marriage and Family Strengths