SOC 5870: VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY

SOC 5870:VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY • Fall, 2013 • Tues., 5:30-8:15 pm • 1137 Old Main • Instructor: Dr. M. C. Sengstock • Teaching Assistant: Dr. Jennifer Lawson

CONTACT INFORMATION • Dr. Mary C. Sengstock, Professor of Sociology • Email: m.sengstock@wayne.edu; marycay910@wowway.com • Phone: 313-215-6417 (9 am–6 pm only please!) • Web: http://users.wowway.com/~marycay910 • Dr. Jennifer Lawson, Teaching Assistant • Email: dz6370@wayne.edu • Phone: 313-657-7521

TEXTBOOK • Violence Across the Lifespan: An Introduction • Ola W. Barnett, Cindy L. Miller-Perrin, & Robin D. Perrin • 3rd Ed. • Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2011.

Objectives • Understand Nature of Violence in Family & Family-Like Relationships • Examine Some of the Factors Related to Violence in the Family • Consider and Evaluate Some Approaches to Dealing with Family Violence

Course Requirements • Exams – Both Multiple Choice: • Mid-Term & Final Exam • Extra Credit for Submitting Questions • Term Paper • 8-10 Pages – Approximately 8-10 References • MUST Be Academic (Not “Popular”) Citations • Take GREAT Care with Web Citations! • Usually Review of Literature on Relevant Topic • Optional “Experience” Paper • http://users.wowway.com/~marycay910

Graduate Student Requirements • Longer Paper (12-15 pages) with 12-15 References • Book Review on a Relevant Book • Class Presentation (15 Minutes) on Some Dimension of Family Violence • May Be on Book Review or Paper • May Be on a Chapter in the Book • Experience Report for Students in Work Settings

Alternate Paper Assignment • Possible “Experience” Paper • For Those Actually Working with Family Violence Victims or Agencies • Reporting on Their Experiences • May Be a Volunteer Activity • Must Have Supervisor’s Permission to Write About It • Must Relate Observations to Class Discussions

YOUR EXPERIENCES • Introduce Yourselves: • Name, Approx Age, Background (Where Born? Live?) • Do/Have You Worked? Kind of Job? • Occupational Goals? • Describe Your Own Views of Family Violence • IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE DOING THIS! • Ever Know A Violent Family? Lived in One? • What Do You Think of Violent Families?

Questions? Issues?

FAMILY VIOLENCE: INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC • 2 Issues to Be Considered: • Myths About the Family That Impact on Family Violence • Introduction to Types and Analysis of Data on Family Violence & the Family in General

MYTHS ABOUT THE FAMILY • Originally Developed by Steinmetz & Straus in their 1970s Book on Family Violence • 5 Myths in the Original List of Myths • Additional Myths I Have Added Over the Years

ORIGINAL 5 MYTHS • LOVING, HARMONIOUS FAMILY MYTH Families Always Loving & Harmonious. • PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL MYTH Anyone Who is Violent to Family Members is Crazy • CLASS MYTH Only Poor or Lower Class People Are Violent to Their Families

ORIGINAL 5 MYTHS (CTD) • SEX VIOLENCE MYTH Belief that Strong Sexual Attractions Always Beget Violence • CATHARSIS MYTH Belief that the Only Way to Relieve Oneself of Angry Feelings is Through Violent Actions

MYTHS ADDED FROM EXPERIENCE • VICTIM PRECIPITATION MYTH Belief that the Victim is Always/Usually Responsible for the Violence S/He Suffered (Especially Used by Husbands Against Wives) • COMMUNICATION MYTH Belief that All We Have to Do to Resolve Differences Is to Discuss the Problem (What if We Only Learn How Much We Differ?)

MYTHS FROM EXPERIENCE (CTD) • GOOD WILL MYTH All We Have to Do to Resolve Differences Is Try Hard & Mean Well (What if Others Don’t Cooperate?) • INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY MYTH Belief that One Individual Can Be Responsible for the Actions of Another (No One Can Control Another!) -Especially Used Against Women: If the Husband Is Unhappy or the Kids Are Bad, It’s Her Fault. -Also Used Against Parents whose Children Misbehave

MYTHS FROM EXPERIENCE (CTD) 10. FAMILY INDEPENDENCE MYTH Belief that the Family Can Do Everything Alone Often Used by Ministers & Politicians: “It Doesn’t take a Community to Raise a Child – It Takes a Family!” Assumes the Family Can Support Itself & Raise Children Successfully – Even if the Environment Is Not Supportive.

MYTHS FROM EXPERIENCE (CTD) • 11. “Good Old Days” Myth • Life Would Be So Much Better if We Could Go Back to the “GOOD OLD DAYS” (Tom Sawyer Movie) • Families Were Closer • Parents Took Better Care of Their Children • Children Behaved Better • People Were Kinder

MYTHS FROM EXPERIENCE (CTD) • I’m Always Looking for New Myths • Any You Can Think Of? • From Your Own Experience? • From Jobs You’ve Held? • From Things You Have Heard People Say?

NEXT SEVERAL CLASSES • We Will Begin to Look at Some Data on Family Violence • To Show What Research Has Been Able to Learn About the Problem • To Learn About the Ways In Which Research on This Subject Has Been Conducted.

SOC 5870: VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY