Edgar Degas,
Portrait de M. Durante

Summary - Response & Discussion Topics

Unit 11: Family and Religion

Summary - Response Papers:

You will complete four (4) brief summary-response papers during the semester – due dates are listed on the course calendar.Your paper should be roughly 750-1,000 words – three typed double-spaced pages (12 point font). You may only choose 1 assignment from each "batch/block of units" of the class: one SR paper from units 1 through 3; one SR paper from units 4 through 6; one SR paper from units 7 through 10; one SR paper from units 11 through 14.

These writing assignments are to be submitted through Canvas. Click on "Assignments" located in the left hand panel on the course page. Next, click on the appropriate Unit - i.e., if you are choosing to submit a paper from this unit - click on unit 11 under Assignments. After clicking on Unit 11 you will see a Turnitin Assignment Inbox where you will submit/upload your paper.

Discussion Topics

Taking part in class discussions, though not mandatory, will let you earn "bonus points" that can add up to a full letter grade to your final grade for the course.

To contribute, click on "Discussions" located in the left hand panel on Canvas. Next, choose a discussion topic for this unit, click on it, read the prompt, and click on "Reply." Be sure that you add your name. For more sinformation on how to submit your comments and/or engage in the online class discussion, go to the "Frequently Asked Questions" page.

 

Unit 11: Family and Religion

You may choose one of these options as one of your four required summary-response papers:

A. Changing Family Structure

Analysts have been arguing for years that the structure of the American family has – and presently is – undergoing dramatic changes. Assess this argument, drawing upon each of the following sources: (1) Philip N. Cohen, “Marriage is Over: Live With It,” (2) Rich Morin, “The Public Renders a Split Verdict On Changes in Family Structure,” (3) Gretchen Livingston, “The Rise of Single Fathers,” (4) Wendy Wang, “The Rise of Intermarriage,” and (5) Stephanie Coontz’s “The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap” (video of her lecture).

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B. Portrayal of Families on Television, 1950 - present

The American family has been portrayed in situation comedies on television since the early 1950s. Watch one episode of three different programs that feature families from three different time periods: the 1950s (“Father Knows Best,” “Ozzie and Harriett,” “Leave it to Beaver,” I Love Lucy,” “Happy Days,” “The Wonder Years,”), the 1970s and 1980s (“The Brady Bunch,” “One Day at a Time,” “Family Ties,” “Good Times,” “The Cosby Show,”), the 1990s (“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Roseanne,” “Married with Children,” “The King of Queens,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Simpsons”), and the 2000s (“Arrested Development,” “Family Guy,” “Modern Family,” or something current. Episodes of all of the earlier shows can be found on You Tube.

Describe how the three families you have chosen are portrayed. What are the roles of the men, women, and children? How do these reflect the socio-historical and cultural times in which they are set? To what extent have/do these programs shape the behavior and attitudes of viewers? What factors - i.e., age, sex, social class, cultural background - might mediate (amplify and/or dampen) the perception and impact of these messages?

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C. Religion in the United States and the Muslim Societies

Compare and contrast the role of religion in the United States and in Muslim societies. Use each of the following sources: (1) Joseph Gerteis, “The Social Functions of Religion in America,” (2) David Campbell and John Green’s discussion, “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us,” and (3) the Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project, “The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society.”

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D. Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.

The definition of what constitutes a “family” has become a controversial issue in he United States. In a recent poll, more than 50% of the public supports same-sex marriage. Many that argue against it rely upon religious arguments. Read these two articles reporting recent Gallup Polls: “In U.S., 52% Back Law to Legalize Gay Marriage in 50” and “Religion Big Factor for Americans Against Same-Sex Marriage.”  What are the main arguments pro and con this issue? How does this controversy illustrate the interdependence/interpenetration of the institutions of the family and religion? What social factors aside from religion (i.e., political ideology, age, and geographical region) affect one’s position on this issue?

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Discussion Topics
These are posted in the "Discussions" Section in Canvas

1. Which Parent Does More in Your Home? In the "Modern Parenthood" report, the Pew Research Center asked married and cohabiting parents with children under 18 to compare their workload at home with that of their spouses or partners. Answer the two questions (click here) to find out how you compare with the parents who took our nationwide survey.

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2. Complete the Pew Research Center brief questionnaire “Online Dating: What’s Your View?” and read Smith and Duggan’s “Online Dating & Relationships” which prides a brief summary of the results. Discuss what you think are the interesting sociological aspects of this new phenomenon.

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3. How much do you know about religion? How do you compare with the average American? Take this short, 15-question quiz, and see how you do in comparison with 3,412 randomly sampled adults who were asked these and other questions in the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey. When you finish the quiz, you will be able to compare your knowledge of religion with participants in the national telephone poll. You can see how you compare with the overall population as well as with people of various religious traditions, people who attend worship services frequently or less often, men and women, and college graduates as well as those who did not attend college. How did you do? Do you see any patterns in the scores of various categories of people who took the exam? What are the implications of these scores?

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4. Read Masci’s “In Brief: Supreme Court Revisits Legislative Prayer in Town of Greece v. Galloway.” Outline the two arguments and provide a sociologically informed account of the controversy.

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5. According to data collected by the Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project the number of people who consider themselves to be nonreligious is increasing “Growth of the Nonreligious”). About half of Americans say the growing number of people who are not religious is bad for American society. But a similar number say either that this trend is good or that it does not make much difference. What do you think – and why?

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6. Two Pew studies, “Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 113th Congress” and “Lobbying for the Faithful,” provide information about the role and impact of religion on the legislative process in the United States. Discuss this data with reference to the issue of the separation of church and state.