Section A34: Family, Sex and Politics
This seminar explores intimate family and sexual issues in broader social and historical context. During the fall of 2008, the seminar will focus especially on the presidential election and examine the rhetoric and policy positions of the candidates on a number of key issues. We will consider various images and definitions of family and marriage. What are the implications of a definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman as opposed to a one that includes gay and lesbian couples? What are the current trends in adolescent sexuality and teen pregnancy and what policy positions do candidates hold? Will abstinence education be a thing of the past or an ongoing priority? Other issues to be discussed include parental leave policies and child care, HIV/AIDS, reproductive rights and abortion, gays in the military and domestic violence.
While the issues at the heart of this seminar are very topical politically, we will develop a deeper analysis of them through sociological readings and research. We will develop a sociological imagination that enables us to understand how personal troubles can be public issues; how the experiences of individuals and families are shaped by social structures and cultural norms. We will explore the intersections of gender and sexuality with race, ethnicity, class and religion as these shape families and politics. Students will be expected to choose particular issues or problems to investigate in depth and to present their research to the class.