Golden Economic Context
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Course Objectives: We all expe rience, at som e point in our liv es, being part of both a family and an economy. The purpose of this course is for students to gain a deeper understanding of the connections between the family life and economic forces. The focus will be on the way conditions in the economy, labor market, households, and culture of the workplace and marketplace can influence the well-being and fun ctioning of familie s. In ad dition, the cour se investig ates the reverse interactio n—how relationships, patterns and decisions within the family may affect the behavior and performance of markets, enterprises, economic development and the overall economy. It will consider the role of gender, ra ce, age, and socio economic class, and influence of discrimi nation, histori cal a nd market forces. Finally, it surveys the va rious current strategies that employers and public policy makers have underta ken see king to improve the well being of family members, parent s and children, by enha ncing the ability to earn in comes and b etter balan ce work and family responsibilities. The sco pe of issue s cove red range fro m the impa ct of recent in creases i n fe male lab or fo rce participation and wo rk ho urs, overwo rk, work-family imbalan ce, inco me in equality, con sumer debt, unemployment and contin gent work. It will also analyze th e impact of rece ntly decreasing child poverty, fertility rates, occupational segregation, etc. Finally, it will add ress the public policy debates regarding governmental support of family income, child-care, etc. The topics addressed are intended to flow in a logical sequence, beginning from the individual decision to participate or not in the p aid labo r force, to the de cision regarding the all ocation of one’ s time in a fa mily, household and life-cycle context, to the effects of family roles on well being, to policy regarding family, children, work-family balance and social welfare programs. Because students must have had HD FS 312 (Emp irical Inquiry in Human Development) and HD FS 315 (Fam ily Development) as pre requisites, we will be able to explore so me of the technical research in the subje ct, from the pe rspectives of a variety of disciplines, as well as literature of a less technical nature. Each topic will usually begin with the p erspectives offered by economics (within which there are competing “schools of thought,” then will con struct a fuller pi cture by addin g in some historical, sociological, psychological and cultural persp ectives. We will try to blend the disp assionate research find ings with pe rsonal expe riences, to hel p put the lat ter in bette r perspe ctive. The course has the following three general objectives: 1) To a cquaint students with the vari ous ways of thinking anal ytically about family life fr om an economic perspective and contrast it with that of other disciplines. 2) To increase the breadth, depth and accuracy of students' empirical knowledge about the state of contemporary family life to apply in their future professional lives. 3) To provide students with the information and tools upon which they can develop a clearer basis for making their own decisions concerning work and family life. Course Requirements: Grade (%) Due Date Exam #1: 25% Februa ry 20 Term Paper Outline: -- March 13 Deliberation: #1: 10% March 20 or, #2: April 10 Term Paper/Book Review: 20% April 17 Paper Presentations: 5% April 24 Two Synopses 10% Twice Participation, Attendance 5% Every Class! Final, Exam #2 25% Wed., May 1, 4:30pm 100% The Midterm Exam will cover the mat erial since the start of the course, the Final Exam only material p ast the Midterm test. All of the mate rial covered in t he cla ss (le ctures, readings, discussions, videos) is fair game for test questions, but the material that the instructor focuses on during class will indicate what will be emphasi zed on an exam. The format of the tests will be essays. The Mid-term will be during class time, the Final will be a take-home Attendance: Students are expected to attend all the regularly scheduled classes and roll will be taken. Students will be allowed no more than one absence without penalty. Textbooks: Blau, Ferber and Winkler (BFW), The Economics of Men, Women and Work, 4th Edition, 2002. Schiller, (Sch) Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, 8th edition, 2001. Folbre, (Fol) The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values, 2001. Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Appelbaum (editor), Balancing Acts, 2000. Weekly Readings and Student Synopses: We will conduct part of the class seminar-style, typically with the professor taking the first half or so of the cla ss to addre ss the t opic of the wee k analytically. Students will volu nteer to rea d and present a synopsis of o ne of the articles on the extensive readi ng list, for a n upcomin g wee k. Students should have their main points and que stion typed up and turned in at the end of class, but it need not be any mo re than a paragra ph or two. Three students per week will present. The professor will prepare synopses of tho se articles not selected. The co urse enrollment numbers mean th at e ach student will do TWO su ch articles an d synopses du ring the cou rse of the semester. A good synopsis will: • Identify the authors’ theme, main points, hypotheses and findings. • Relate the research to the textbook readings for this week (and previous weeks) • Observe what appears to be innovative, unique, impressive or disappointing about their approach, compared to the other articles in this week’s reading list. • Point out what seems to be unique about their research findings, compared to other articles. • Critique the article: what was not satisfactorily covered or answered? What do you wish they would have included but omitted? • List two new things you learned from this article. • List two ways that the findings may be of practical use to families. • List two ways that the findings may be of use to professionals in your field, in counseling families or family members. • List two ways that the findings could guide public policy makers or organizational leaders. • Rai se two questions for the class to trigger discussion that the article provoked in your mind. We will see two videos: Juggling Work and Family, a brea kthrough two-ho ur docume ntary by Pulitzer Prize -winning journalist Hedrick Smith, who takes a close-up look at the agonizing choices that Americans face - between making a living and having a life. Affluenza is a one-hour television special that explores the high social and environmental costs of materialism and overconsumption. Escape from Affluenza is the solution-oriented sequel, profiling people and organizations that are reducing consumption and waste, choosing work that reflects their values and working to live in better balance. Term paper / book review project: 7-8 pages The obje ct of this assig nment is to explore in more depth an are a of your own interest in the course. You are to pi ck a recently publish ed bo ok and write a review. You will have to first develop and turn in an outline, having chosen the book. The book may have one author, or up to several contributing authors. A book review means a summary of its contents and theme, critique of its main arguments a nd a ssessment of t he i mportance, relevan ce a nd usefulne ss of its findings. A thoroughly written book review should answer the following questions: What are the major points the author is trying to make ? Is the theme well d eveloped or vague? Are the co nclusions rea ched reasona ble, lo gical, an d pe rsuasive? Is the eviden ce marshaled in suppo rt of the con clusions suffi cient? What discip linary perspe ctives is the author(s) drawing on, and do they apply it proficiently? What issues or questions are omitted? How has your own opinion evolved after "wrestling" with the issues raised? Try to challe nge you rself and stretch t o a hig h lev el boo k, an d do n ot ch oose o ne you have already read. You may su bstitute in a spe cial issue of a particul ar journal, with a set of articles devoted to a relevant topic (not e that these often lead to books, so ch eck). You may find your own favo rite, but exampl es of recent books (meaning mid o r late 9 0s a nd after, unless permission granted) include: • Ackerman, Frank, Goodwin, Neva; Kiron, David (eds.); 1996, Consumer Society, Island Press. • Albelda, Randy, & Chris Tilly 1997. Glass Ceilings and Bottomless Pits: Women's Work, Women's Poverty. Boston MA: South End Press. • Barker, Kathleen, & Kathleen Christensen, 1998. Contingent Work: American Employment Relations in Transition. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. • Barnett, Rosalind, & Caryl Rivers, 1998. She Works/He Works: How Two-Income Families are Healthy and Thriving. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. • Bookm an, Milicia, The Third Career, Praeger, 2000. • Cancian, Francesca and Stacey Oliker, 2000, The Gender Lens: Caring And Gender. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press. • Cheal, David, 1999, New Poverty: Families In Postmodern Society. Westport, Ct: Greenwood Press. • Crittenden, Ann, 2001, The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued, New York: Henry Holt and Company,.