Final Exam Question:

Fall 2003

Choose one of the following two questions and use at least four course readings (3 from the Section III of the class -- that is, from after 11/4-- and one from the first sections) to discuss the issues involved in thinking through an answer to the question:

1) Should children be permitted to have more than two parents?
2) Should children be rights bearing individuals within US law?

Feel free to answer the question, but I’m less concerned with your answer than with your ability to discuss why this question is one that arises at this point in history, how our traditions limit the law’s ability to deal with the question, and how different authors think we should answer the question. Your response should be 4 pages and must be either emailed or brought to my office by 4:30 today. Finally, re-read Course Requirement #5. Based on the criteria listed on the syllabus, assign yourself your portion of your participation grade (if you have satisfied the attendance requirement). Provide a two sentence rationale for your grade.

GOVT 315
The Politics of Family in American Life
Fall 2003

"Family values" is a key phrase in American political life. In this course, we will explore how our history, law, economics, and social policy worked to create the family norms to which campaigns for family values refer. We will also explore why this phrase has gained such currency at a moment when the family ideal on which it is based is no longer (if it ever was) the lived reality for many within our society. Finally, we will explore how the debate about family values both fosters and limits discussion of alternative understandings of family and youth, including the social and legal policies that would enable these understandings to be lived realities.

During the course of the semester, we will also take seriously Mona Harington's assertion that we can only move past dominant rhetoric if citizens engage in discussion of family issues. To this end, I will ask that you spend time talking with your peers about your own values, hopes, and expectations about family. From this base, you work with a group to define a family policy platform that you believe would be beneficial. You will explore how this compares with the platforms of presidential candidates and various political organizations.

Required Texts:
Katherine Newman, No Shame in My Game
David Popenoe, Life Without Father
Judith Stacey, In the Name of the Family
Mona Harrington, Care and Equality
Uma Narayan and Julia Bartkowiak, eds., Having and Raising Children

In addition, you will find a number of assigned readings on-line.

Course Requirements:
1) Integrative Paper: You will write an 7-8 page paper that brings together readings from throughout the semester and uses them to discuss/analyze an assigned political organization. This paper will be due during the last week of class. (20%)

2) Midterm essay: For this 7-8 page paper, you will analyze the perspectives of the authors whom we have read, your platforms, and the platforms of 2004 Presidential candidates. (20%)

3) Platform Presentation and Analysis of Candidates (10%)

4) Final: In this 3-4 page essay, you will make connections between the first and second parts of the course. You may take the final anywhere: I will post the question on the web 1/2 hour before the scheduled beginning of the final exam. You must email your answer to me by the end of the time scheduled for the final. (15%).

5) Class Participation: I expect that you will regularly contribute to class. You will assign yourself 50% of this portion of your grade. In order to receive a 4.0 for this segment of your grade, you should: 1) attend class regularly. If you miss more than 3 classes, you will receive a 0 on the class participation portion of your grade and lose the right to assign your portion of the grade; 2) you should be engaged in class, whether by speaking or listening and, occasionally, by writing; 3) you should participate in conversation in a way that indicates both that you have read and thought about the course material and that you have been paying attention to what others say; 4) you should be respectful of others in how you respond to them verbally and non-verbally. (15%)

6) Reading responses: You must write 4 short responses during the semester. Responses should be typed and turned in at the class for which they are assigned. 2-3 pages each. Response questions are in green type in the schedule section of the syllabus. (20%)

Class Schedule:

8/28 – Complete the attached family values/policies preferences worksheet. You will use this as you reflect on the arguments of various authors, politicans, and organizations, as well as to begin the process of working with others to define priorities and develop a family policy platform.

Section I: Introduction

9/2 -- Selection, Deborah Tannen, "Fighting for Our Lives," from The Argument Culture.

Nancy Cott, "Giving Character to Our Whole Civic Polity: Marriage and the Public Order in the Late Nineteenth Century," from US History as Women's History, edited by Kerber, Keeler-Harris and Sklar.

9/4 --Nancy Fraser and Linda Gordon, “A Geneology of Dependency,” Signs v. 19 (Winter '94) p. 309-36. Available through Ebsco.

9/9 -- Newman, pp. 3-85. Discussion of family policy. See http://www.nnfr.org/fampolicy/cklist.html.

9/11 -- Newman, pp. 86- 185.

9/16 -- Newman, pp. 185-304. Response #1 due.

Question: In an introductory paragraph, identify briefly at least two similarities and two differences between the families that Newman discusses and the family in which you grew up. In the remainder of the paper, choose one of these points and develop an argument about how whatever you have chosen helps you to think about family values and family policy. Does it challenge, modify, or reinforce any of the values/policies that you discussed on your worksheet?

Section II: Family Values in Contemporary Political Rhetoric and Policy

9/18 -- Popenoe, pp. 1-80. Group Discusion #1.

9/23 -- Popenoe, pp. 81-163

9/25 -- Popenoe, pp. 164-228. Response #2 due.

Question: What argument from Popenoe do you find most compelling and why? What argument do you find least compelling and why? If you were to do more research on the argument that you find least compelling, what would you research? What would you expect to find?

9/30 -- Stacey, pp. 1-82. Group Discussion #2.

10/2 -- Stacey, pp. 83-144. Discuss Exit Poll Data

10/7 -- Harrington, pp. 3-79.

10/9 -- Harrington, pp. 80-137. Please note: I will be away at a conference. Discussion Questions

10/14 -- Harrington, pp. 138-189.

10/21 -- Alan Wolfe, "The Culture War Within,"from One Nation After All, pp.88-132.

10/23– Presidential Candidates and Family Politics. Group Discussion #4.

10/28– Class Discussion of Endorsements/Platforms -- See Presidential Candidates Assignment. You should begin to work on the midterm.

Response #3 due.

Question: How are the arguments of Stacey and Harrington similar? How do they differ? Do you find one more persuasive than the other? Why? Given Wolfe's discussion, how do you think your perspective on Harrington and Stacey compares to most Americans?

10/30 —Finish class discussion of Endorsements/Platforms. Begin work on Political Organizations and the Politics of Family

Section III: Children: Rhetoric, Law, and Policy

11/4 – Custody and Parenting: Woodhouse, Barbara Bennett . 1993. "Hatching the Egg: A Child-Centered Perspective on Parents' Rights." Cardozo Law Review 14:1747-865. Available on-line through Lexis-Nexis Academic. Please note: when you go to Lexis-Nexis Academic, click on the Legal Research search form in the column on the left of the page. Next, click on Law Reviews. I suggest going to the Guided Search so that you can type in both the author's name and the title. In class, we will watch Failure to Protect, Parts 2 and 3.

11/6 – Visit the Frontline Site and come to class having read at least one of the essays from the Resources, Readings, and Links section of the site. Midterm due in class

11/11 -- From Having and Raising Children: Narayan, pp. 65-86; Almond, pp. 103-117; and Allen, pp. 119-136.

11/13– Reproduction and Parenting: From Having and Raising Children: Shanley, pp. 39-64 and Gavigan, pp. 87-103.

11/18 – From Having and Raising Children: LaFollette, pp. 137-152 and Purdy and Feder.

11/20 – Children’s Rights
From Having and Raising Children: Pasquarella, pp. 177-192; and Bartkowiak, pp. 193-208. For this class, Celia and Adam a -- become experts on Purdy; Stephen and Angela -- become experts on LaFollette; Chris and Stephanie -- become experts on Woodhouse; Audrey and Jaime -- become experts on Feder. Everyone else should be able to talk about the arguments made in the readings assigned for today clearly and thoroughly.

12/2 -- See Political Organizations Assignment.

12/4– Geimer, William. 1988. "Juvenileness: A Single-Edged Sword." Georgia Law Review 22:949-73 (available at Lexis-Nexis)

12/9 -- Lehr, “Parental Rights as If Gay Youth Mattered,” Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Political Science Association, 2002.

12/11-- Discussion of organizations. Each group should provide a brief description of their organization, including membership, and discuss how this group fits into conversations about family values. Your integrative paper is due.