Producers: Governors State University

Presents an overview of the specific communication dimensions of single parent families, gay male and lesbian families, and adoptive families. Discussion provides a brief run-down of the ways in which single parent families are formed, and reviews the communication rules unique to single parent families. Issues related to male-headed, single-parent families are also discussed. Also explored are the unique communication structures in gay male and lesbian relationships and adoptive family structures. Featured interview: Professor Marcia Dixson (Indiana-Purdue University).

Examines the various ways stepfamilies are formed and their key characteristics. The class introduces the four stages of stepfamily development, and describes the communication challenges stepfamilies face with regard to history, labeling, and the ways in which stepfamilies and their members are viewed by society. Discussion offers insights into blended families that include research on the subject and a personal testimonial on becoming a step-mother. Featured interview: Professor Pamela Cooper (Northwestern University).

Discusses the difficult but necessary function of talking about sexuality in the family. Students see how discussions about sex help children internalize facts, attitudes, and expectations that will have long-lasting impact on their lives. The class highlights communication between sex partners and discusses the affect of sexual communication on parent-child interactions. Definitions of what constitutes healthy or unhealthy sexuality in families are offered. Featured interview: Maureen Sheehy, M.S.W., Family Life Educator (Evanston, Illinois).

Focuses on how communication shapes family roles. A discussion about role expectations and role enactment sets the stage for this discussion on family roles. Special attention is given to the role of kinship maintenance and that of gender socialization. Students trace gender socialization from infancy and see how it affects adult behavior. Also included is a discussion on how changes in family structure affect family roles. Featured interview: Dr. Charles Wilkinson, Marriage and Family Therapist and Professor Julia Wood (University of North Carolina).

Focuses on the challenges and dilemmas that families face when they attempt to balance work and family. The class explores the problem of “overload”, the clash between personal and social norms, the problems posed by identity issues, and the challenge to developing a social network. Discussion also touches on the dynamics frequently experienced by couples as they try to share life roles and areas of responsibility. Hochschild’s three ideological marital models – traditional, transitional, and egalitarian – are explained. Real-life advice is given by a couple that is successfully managing work and family obligations. Featured interview: Professor Julia Wood (University of North Carolina) and Brian Cooper and Sharon Holyfield Cooper, a dual-career couple.

Describes the characteristics of various family and marital typologies. Lehr’s family types – open, closed and random – are explained. Discussion explores three types of couple/partner relationships: traditional, independent, and separate. Topics also include the question of whether couple types shift over time and whether the same models can be applied to homosexual couples. Featured interview: Professor Mary Anne Fitzpatrick (University of Wisconsin – Madison).

Explores the dynamics of power and decision-making in families. The class includes discourse on the difficult decisions families face today, ranging from child rearing and caring for older family members, to relocation and monetary considerations. Various decision making models are introduced and described, including consensus, accommodation, and de facto decision-making. The concept of power is defined and factors that affect family power structure are discussed. Featured interview: Professor Bernard Brommel (Northeastern Illinois University).

Reinforces the idea that marital and family conflict is a normal side of life that needs to be managed for healthy family communication. Conflict is defined, and several misconceptions about it are discussed. The class also explores the various ways in which patterns of conflict emerge in the family structure, and discussion addresses the predictable, habitual nature of conflict. The six stages of family conflict are described: prior conditions, frustration awareness, active conflict, solution/non-solution, follow-up, and resolution. Featured interviews: Professor Douglas Kelley (Arizona State University – West) and Professor Michael Roloff (Northwestern University).