Advanced Studies in Family Diversity

Catalog description

Emphasizes issues of diversity to better understand the context of the individual within the family and within society, with a focus on family systems theory and larger systemic issues affecting diversity, utilizing intersectionality and critical race theory. Today, families--and by extension, neighborhoods, cities, governing states and nations--are more diverse in terms of structure, culture, ethnicity, sexuality and religious/philosophical ideology, than at any other point in history. At the same time, common intrapersonal (within individuals) and interpersonal (between individuals) experiences are shared transpersonally (across groups, across cultures and across borders). Explores risk and protective factors associated with ethnoracial, physical, religious and sexual diversity, as well as resilience, prevention strategies and future directions. Atypical course in its approach to diversity issues in that it does not examine families by categorizing them into groups that are viewed as monolithic and unchanging. In this way, students should not expect to learn about 'Asian Americans' or 'Latinos' or 'African families'; rather, students should gain an enhanced appreciation of the reciprocal influence of historical, cultural, ethnic, economic and political diversity on social interaction and constructions.