Marriages and Families: Diversity and Change, 7th edition, challenges students to examine their personal belief systems and societal views. Using an engaging narrative and sociological approach, the text integrates race, class, and gender into the discussion of family experiences. It guides students to make informed choices and decisions about their own marriage, family, and intimate relationships.
An introductory text, Marriages and Families accentuates the positive aspects of relationships and focuses on enriching students' knowledge and experience in building strong, successful couple and family relationships. The authors, seasoned family scholars and therapists, integrate research, theory, and practical applications with an interdisciplinary perspective on marriage and family.
Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is a prolific writer and researcher of family ancestry, using celebrities and public figures to bring his stories to life. Enjoy this partial episode from the PBS documentary series and a lecture on his fascinating look into his work with genealogy.
The “Juntos” program (pronounced: Who-n-tos) provides Latino parents and youth with knowledge and resources to prevent 8-12th grade students from dropping out and to encourage families to work together to gain access to college. This experiential program is taught in either English or Spanish and meets for 2½ hours once a week for six weeks in the evenings. Juntos also uses success coaches and college age-mentors to provide weekly afterschool clubs and activities with the target students before and after the 6-week program. The program brings together partners from Cooperative Extension, high schools and local community colleges, youth and their families, and college-age mentors to learn how to succeed in school.
By Maria Schmeekle, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at Illinois State Unversity
Posted by Nancy Gonzalez | April 04, 2012
Maria Schmeekle, Professor of Sociology at Illinois State, teaches family studies through a global lens. She began experimenting with a global/transnational/comparative approach in her Marriage and Family class. This kind of approach felt vital to her in a world that is increasingly interconnected, a world that we are sending students out to navigate. In this article, she offers some valuable tips.
