New Spring 2025 Course! SOCY 497: Family Research Seminar (Tuesdays, 4:30-7pm)
Gain experience in research for your grad school applications and resume (no previous experience required) while learning about modern families and the latest research methods to study them! If you have already taken SOCY 353 (Marriage and the Family/Sociology of Families) or SOCY 300/PBHL300 and want to learn more about families, this is the course for you!
Class topics will include social change in the family, romantic and family relationships, (dating, marriage, cohabitation, divorce), stepfamilies and single parents, race and immigration differences in families, aging, childhood, childbearing and parenthood, abortion, queer and trans families, family caretaking, and family support. We will also question the family, examining people who avoid or cannot form families, exploring critiques of heterosexuality and monogamy, and discussing difficult family ties.
Students will also learn about a variety of different research methods used to study families, and will gain experience in conducting research on families.
Prereq: Intro to Sociology and at least 3 courses in SOCY/ANTH with a C or higher
Permission will also be granted to enroll for students who have completed SOCY 353, SOCY 332, SOCY 300, or PBHL 300 with a grade of B or higher but who have not completed Intro + 3 courses yet - If this applies to you, email Dr. Kuperberg at akuperbe@umbc.edu with your name and student ID to get permission to register for the course. Other students will be admitted on a case-by-case basis.