WELCOME TO SOC 273 ONLINE

to
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY (SOC 273) Online

earth.gif (115399 bytes) What is this course about?
The family is the most important social institution that profoundly affects all of us. This course is designed to study the diversity of families and explore the changes taking place in contemporary marriage patterns from the sociological perspective. The goal of the course is to expose students to the diversity of families and contemporary marriage patterns and help students to develop a sound base for successful marriage.

This course is divided into four units. We begin by examining the meanings of marriage and the family, studying the theories of and methods used to research marriage and the family, and looking into dynamics and diversity of families in historical and racial/ethnic perspectives. We then delve into contemporary gender roles, love and commitment, communication and conflict resolution, and alternative living arrangements (singlehood, cohabitation, etc) of ?modern family.? The third unit unveils the realities of family life. We aim to understand psychosexual development in the life course and examine sexual relationships, sexual problems and sexual responsibilities. We also discuss pressures facing families from pregnancy, childbirth, parenthood, care-giving and death, unpaid and paid work. The final unit reviews family problems (family violence and sexual abuse, divorce) and pluralistic family system (single-parent, stepfamilies, etc). We wrap up the course by looking at the different ways to deal with and minimize family pressures and problems as we begin the twenty-first century.

Course Syllabus
    *Course description
    *Course requirements
    *Grading Policy

Why take online course?
Sociology 273 is taught totally online. This course will use the power of the Internet to deliver online learning that is independent of time and location. Rather than meeting in a classroom, you and your instructor interact online in a forum using WebCT. Sociology 273 is designed to benefit you in a number of ways. This course will allow you to extend the boundaries of traditional classroom. You can access the class either from your home or elsewhere. In this way, this course will accommodate your schedule. In an online environment, you will interact with the instructor and the classmates via email; you can ask questions and receive feedback on bulletin board and chat room; and you can submit your assignments and take the tests online. Independent studies and class discussions will help you foster critical thinking and problems solving. Finally, class materials from instructor's lecture notes and the Web will be used to create a powerful learning environment that delivers quality distance learning and supplements tutorial services. This online course is Web-based, students-oriented, and technology-focused. It will provide you with the same quality of instruction and service as the traditional mode of delivery.

How do I log on?
You simply follow 3 steps for access to your online course.
1) Type your course Website: http://webct.ucc.edu
2) Type your Username and Password (see below)

Username:Your WebCT ID is your CWID.

Password:Your password is your birth date, in the month, day, year format: mmddyy

Example: A student with CWID 12345678 and a birthday of June 21, 1988.
Username: 12345678
Password:062188

To find out your CWID number, please visit http://portal.ucc.edu/ucc/cwid/searchcwid.asp
3) Click the course title

WebCT Help
If you have technical problems, please contact Mrs. Kweli Snowden at snowden@ucc.edu.

How to contact Dr. Hu?
Dr. Xuemei Hu
email: hu@ucc.edu
Private mail in WebCT