Family Communication

Catalog description

This course explores the ways in which families are built, maintained, and destroyed by communication. Family communication is a complex phenomenon, so it is not surprising that approaches to studying the family have spanned disciplines including communication, psychology, child development, sociology, and anthropology. In this course, students will be exposed to a sampling of interdisciplinary research and theories on families, but the main emphasis of the course will be on contributions to the study of families from within the communication discipline. Topics covered include family communication theories, courtship and mate selection, parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, divorce, family violence and abuse, and extended family relationships.