Diverse Families in Context

Catalog description

This course will provide students an opportunity to examine how changing social and economic policies and laws have had an impact on diverse families, primarily in the U.S. Students will assess how macro-level forces, including family privilege in policymaking, have played out in these families’ everyday lives and have advantaged some family forms over others. As explicit and implicit family policy topics (e.g., marriage, immigration, health care) are explored, the role that personal and cultural values play in the policymaking process will be addressed. Further, learning how to influence family policymaking and to effect systems-level change will be a primary focus of the course. The instructor’s area of expertise will determine which types of families (e.g., LGBTQ families, Black families, families experiencing illness) will be centered during any given semester.