PSY 3460 - Family Development and Dynamics

Goals: To think theoretically and comprehensively about family relationships, what influences them, and how they develop and change across the lifespan; to understand, recognize, and distinguish key theories in the field of family studies and analyze the usefulness and limitations of each theory in understanding relationships among family members; to integrate research and theory on key family relationships (parent-child, interparental, sibling) to form a more complete picture of individual and family development; to refine critical thinking skills through exploring, discussing, and analyzing diverse theoretical viewpoints in family studies; and to apply theoretical and conceptual frameworks to their own interests in family studies.

Content: This course involves weekly writing assignments where students apply the tenets of a new and distinct theoretical framework to current empirical research on family studies, noting the benefits and limitations of each framework in guiding our understanding of new trends in family development and dynamics. The course also includes a final project, where students interpret a memoir about families through a selection of multiple frameworks, thereby demonstrating their ability to take on multiple perspectives of interpretation and analysis on families.

Prerequisite: PSY 1330 with a grade of C- or better

Note: This course is open to Online Degree Completion students only.

Credits: 4