SOC132 Sociology of the family

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2010
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Ivo Možný, CSc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Michal Nekorjak, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D.
Division of Sociology – Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 U34
Prerequisites (in Czech)
SOC109 Demography &&SOUHLAS
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 11 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
At the end of the course students should be able to understand and explain the basic institution of all human societies: the human family. He/she gains an overview of the socially stabilizing, change-resisting character of the family, and of the uninterrupted development of this institution and the dramatic acceleration of this development during recent generations; will work with information on the history of attempts to explain the institution of the family, from the classical theories of the 19th century, the socio-biological theory of the family, social constructivist theory, and structural functional concept of the family, and other currently influential theories; will be able to explain the relationship between the macro-social changes and the micro-world of the family; of the socially-determinist character of marital love, and get an introduction into the sociology of intimacy; of parenthood, childhood as a social phenomenon, generational conflict, phases of family togetherness, and traditional and modern concepts of kinship. He/she will undestand the diversity of forms of the family and alternative behavior, and the challenges the family faces in the post-modern world. Discussions in the class will elaborate a critical stance toward the myths of social rhetoric and the mass media, and is issue-oriented towards the open questions of the transformation of male and female roles, and the relations between genders and generations.
Syllabus
  • Introductory seminar. Plan for course work. * Family as the object of social and sociological reflection. Is the family a morphostatic institution? The family in traditional and modern society. Crisis of the family at the dawn of the modern age. * Classical 19th-century theories of the family: Morgan and the historical-legal school, LePlay, Durkheim. Historicizing and anthropologicizing conceptions: Spencer, Engels, Bachofen, Westermarck. Conservative and reformist currents in sociology of the family. * The great theories of the 1950s (Parsons a Goode) and criticism of them * Theory of the family after the fall of the classical theories. Contribution of modern sociological schools and directions on the theory of the family: theory of social changes, theory of systems and symbolic interaction, conflict theory, critical sociology, Marxism and radical economy, sociobiology. * The family as the cornerstone of social inequality: social stratification, class-based differences in family behavior, non-economic stratification, and cognitive classes. * Founding the family: theory of the marriage market, social and cultural determinants of partnership selection. Sex: empirical research on socially-determined variability, changing cultural models, and the sexual revolution. Love. * Parents, children, and socialization within the family: Parental autonomy, its limits and deviation. Theory of socialization (Mead, Freud, and Piaget). Peer groups. Kinship socialization. * Family, the household, and economics: Employment of women and the family. Situation of today’s mothers: conflicts between theory and practice. Two-career families: pioneers of an egalitarian model. Differentiations of family models and modification of the life cycle. * Divorce and multiple marriages in historical perspective and as an expression of changes in the character of marital love. Causes and correlations of divorce rate. Repeated marriage. * The family in a society of risk and individualization. *
Literature
  • MOŽNÝ, Ivo. Rodina a společnost (The Family and Society). Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2006, 312 pp. Studijní texty, sv. 38. ISBN 80-86429-58-X. info
  • SINGLY, Francois de. Sociologie současné rodiny. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 1999, 127 s. ISBN 80-7178-249-1. info
Teaching methods
lectures, class discussion, group projects, presentations by professionals in the sectors, homeworks, reading, drills, ...
Assessment methods
Ongoing interactive study. No final exam; instead there is a point system for assignments, and two written tests in the middle and at the end of the study period (the result is therefore definitive; in case of failure the entire course must be repeated). Emphasis is placed on creativity and one’s own work; mastery of the information base is a departure point rather than the final goal of studies, which of course does not mean that it can be neglected.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: absolvován první ročník sociologie
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
https://is.muni.cz/auth/elearning/warp.pl?fakulta=1423;obdobi=4543;kod=SOC132;qurl=%2Fel%2F1423%2Fpodzim2008%2FSOC132%2Findex.qwarp;zpet=%2Fauth%2Fdok%2Frfmgr.pl%3Ffakulta%3D1423%3Bobdobi%3D4543%3Bkod%3DSOC132%3Bfurl%3D%252Fauth%252Fel%252F1423%252Fpodzi
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2000, Autumn 2000, Autumn 2001, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2015, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2010, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2010/SOC132