COURSE SYLLABUS
SO 1203.05 Sociology of Families.
Fall 2016
Dr. Mehrzad M. Netadj
Office: 330 Bowen
Hall
Office Hours: MW 4:00-5:00 PM
Phone: 325-0910
Email:
Table of Contents
Academic Expectations 4
Exams 4
Chapter assignments 4
Extra Credit 5
Grading Criteria/Studying & Learning 5
University Policies 6
Plagiarism 6
Honor Code/Sexual Harassment 7
Special Services 8
Course Calendar 9
How & Why to Major in Sociology 10
Enter Your Blackboard Course 12
Extra Credit Guidelines 11
Footnotes & Endnotes 14
Extra Credit Rubric 16
MSU’s Spring 2016 Exam Schedule 17
MSU’s Academic Calendar 18
1|Page
, Using a cellar phone or any other electronic gadgets during the class period are absolutely
prohibited. Violation of this policy will result in serious disciplinary action.
See university policy AOP 10.08
Required Text:
There is one required text: The Family, Diversity, inequality, and Social change. By Philip N.
Cohen Special Edition for Mississippi State University. Copies of the book are available at the
University’s Bookstore.
The Focus of the Course:
This course is designed to help students develop conceptual knowledge and effective
professional skill conducting marital, couple and family therapy. The course involves an
examination of foundation theories, models and methods of assessment and counseling
intervention with an emphasis on systems theory. Upon successful completion of the course
students will be able to recognize the differences between individual and interpersonal therapy;
understand the application of six fundamental systemic therapy approaches to identify and
resolve individual, couple, and family emotional and behavior difficulties and; identify the
dynamics of the emotionally healthy couple and family, as well as, identify effective
Intervention for the dysfunctional, mental health, and relationship problems which occur in the
interpersonal system.
The major goal of this course is to help you become acquainted with the sociological perspective
on human behavior. Sociologists study human behavior in order to understand and to predict it.
This means we want to know why people behave the way they do. So in this respect we are like
everyone else except that we study behavior more systematically as a scientist.
One objective of the course will be for you to learn how sociologists explain human behavior in
contrast to psychologists, economists, historians, and theologians, among others. This process
will be one of discovery and you will likely develop ways of thinking which are quite new to
you. You will be challenged to 'stand outside' yourself and see how your personal life intersects
with larger social forces. This will help nurture your 'sociological imagination'. The goal is to
help you use sociology as a set of tools for clarifying reality. And, in the process your capacity
to critically evaluate yourself and your traditions will be increased.
As Barash (2003) has pointed out, science has discovered a lot and it is mind-boggling. But there
is much more that we do not know. We will study that which we know but will also point out
what we don’t know. And you should be thinking of questions about things we don’t know.
This course will surprise you. It is going to take some time and work. We will have a good time
learning about sociology because I really enjoy it, but it will not be easy. I want you to remember
what you learn and appreciate the knowledge I have to share with you, so if it was always easy,
that would not be the greatest benefit to you. This is one of those courses that prepare you in
2|Page
, many ways for the next stages of your lives, but during the journey you are going to have to
study and work hard.
In this class we will be examining a lot of real data to illustrate how various sociological
phenomena are related and how these data illustrate important sociological principles. We will
be working like practicing sociologists and will turn the classroom into our laboratory. This will
not be difficult but it will be new to you and is intended to open your eyes to the world around
you.
“Not only do we influence our reality, but, in some degree, we actually create it.”
--Gary Zukov
Course Goals
After taking this course, students should:
• Understand the relationship between sociology and everyday life with an emphasis on
culture, race, ethnicity, and gender.
• Be able to identify major developments in society, which have or are presently
creating forces that result in major social change.
• Challenge many of their common assumptions about social life and learn how
the sociological perspective would inform such assumptions and beliefs.
• Understand the methodology and rationale of doing sociological research.
• Be able to identify implications of various social issues, both in the U.S. and globally.
• Know how to think critically about the information on the social world they receive from
the media and new technologies such as the Internet.
• Understand the diversity of research questions and how the questions asked influence the
methods used to investigate the questions.
• Understand sociological issues with historical accuracy.
• Be able to use real data to explore real sociological issues and reach real conclusions.
• Be able to apply the sociological perspective in different contexts.
Academic Expectations
3|Page
SO 1203.05 Sociology of Families.
Fall 2016
Dr. Mehrzad M. Netadj
Office: 330 Bowen
Hall
Office Hours: MW 4:00-5:00 PM
Phone: 325-0910
Email:
Table of Contents
Academic Expectations 4
Exams 4
Chapter assignments 4
Extra Credit 5
Grading Criteria/Studying & Learning 5
University Policies 6
Plagiarism 6
Honor Code/Sexual Harassment 7
Special Services 8
Course Calendar 9
How & Why to Major in Sociology 10
Enter Your Blackboard Course 12
Extra Credit Guidelines 11
Footnotes & Endnotes 14
Extra Credit Rubric 16
MSU’s Spring 2016 Exam Schedule 17
MSU’s Academic Calendar 18
1|Page
, Using a cellar phone or any other electronic gadgets during the class period are absolutely
prohibited. Violation of this policy will result in serious disciplinary action.
See university policy AOP 10.08
Required Text:
There is one required text: The Family, Diversity, inequality, and Social change. By Philip N.
Cohen Special Edition for Mississippi State University. Copies of the book are available at the
University’s Bookstore.
The Focus of the Course:
This course is designed to help students develop conceptual knowledge and effective
professional skill conducting marital, couple and family therapy. The course involves an
examination of foundation theories, models and methods of assessment and counseling
intervention with an emphasis on systems theory. Upon successful completion of the course
students will be able to recognize the differences between individual and interpersonal therapy;
understand the application of six fundamental systemic therapy approaches to identify and
resolve individual, couple, and family emotional and behavior difficulties and; identify the
dynamics of the emotionally healthy couple and family, as well as, identify effective
Intervention for the dysfunctional, mental health, and relationship problems which occur in the
interpersonal system.
The major goal of this course is to help you become acquainted with the sociological perspective
on human behavior. Sociologists study human behavior in order to understand and to predict it.
This means we want to know why people behave the way they do. So in this respect we are like
everyone else except that we study behavior more systematically as a scientist.
One objective of the course will be for you to learn how sociologists explain human behavior in
contrast to psychologists, economists, historians, and theologians, among others. This process
will be one of discovery and you will likely develop ways of thinking which are quite new to
you. You will be challenged to 'stand outside' yourself and see how your personal life intersects
with larger social forces. This will help nurture your 'sociological imagination'. The goal is to
help you use sociology as a set of tools for clarifying reality. And, in the process your capacity
to critically evaluate yourself and your traditions will be increased.
As Barash (2003) has pointed out, science has discovered a lot and it is mind-boggling. But there
is much more that we do not know. We will study that which we know but will also point out
what we don’t know. And you should be thinking of questions about things we don’t know.
This course will surprise you. It is going to take some time and work. We will have a good time
learning about sociology because I really enjoy it, but it will not be easy. I want you to remember
what you learn and appreciate the knowledge I have to share with you, so if it was always easy,
that would not be the greatest benefit to you. This is one of those courses that prepare you in
2|Page
, many ways for the next stages of your lives, but during the journey you are going to have to
study and work hard.
In this class we will be examining a lot of real data to illustrate how various sociological
phenomena are related and how these data illustrate important sociological principles. We will
be working like practicing sociologists and will turn the classroom into our laboratory. This will
not be difficult but it will be new to you and is intended to open your eyes to the world around
you.
“Not only do we influence our reality, but, in some degree, we actually create it.”
--Gary Zukov
Course Goals
After taking this course, students should:
• Understand the relationship between sociology and everyday life with an emphasis on
culture, race, ethnicity, and gender.
• Be able to identify major developments in society, which have or are presently
creating forces that result in major social change.
• Challenge many of their common assumptions about social life and learn how
the sociological perspective would inform such assumptions and beliefs.
• Understand the methodology and rationale of doing sociological research.
• Be able to identify implications of various social issues, both in the U.S. and globally.
• Know how to think critically about the information on the social world they receive from
the media and new technologies such as the Internet.
• Understand the diversity of research questions and how the questions asked influence the
methods used to investigate the questions.
• Understand sociological issues with historical accuracy.
• Be able to use real data to explore real sociological issues and reach real conclusions.
• Be able to apply the sociological perspective in different contexts.
Academic Expectations
3|Page
