PSY 420 - Family Relationships

3 Credits

This course is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of how science approaches the study of families, how they communicate, and the changing role and function of families across time. The course will focus upon the family as a dynamic, interactive, changing force in contemporary life. How families respond to and influence change will be examined.

Social changes that have occurred and continue to occur in Western culture will be studied and their influences upon familial relationships will be explored. Such influences will be considered within the context of fundamental theories applied to the study of families and family life. This course will also study the nature of family relationships across the life-span, paying particular attention to the fluctuating nature and meaning of those relationships as they occur at various stages of familial and individual development.

The course will begin with an introduction to the major theoretical perspectives governing the study of family relationships. This information will provide the student with a fundamental understanding and appreciation of the various ways in which science approaches the study of families and family relationships.

Prerequisite(s):