Special Topics: Family Life

This is a study of family as a social institution. Attention will be given to the structure and function of the family in various cultures, the relationship of the family to other social institutions and the social context, the significance of the family in the process of socialization, contemporary families and traditional families, and the adaptation of the family to the changing social environments. Special attention will be given to biblical integration into the principles of family life and the dynamics of the Christian family in culture, traditions, rituals, child-rearing, and nurture. At the end of the course the students should be able to understand marriage as a family covenant, working couples, homeless and impoverished families, domestic violence and abuse, the wedding and marriage industry, marriage and family formation, and tools for singleness and relationships.