FAMILY BELIEF SYSTEMS, Section 1 — 3.0 credit hoursTuesdays, 4:35 - 7:05 p.m., in AEB 320Requires CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT in FCS 3905, Section 4 — 1.0 credit hour, “Modes of Learning:Writing and Communication in FCS, for Upper-division Communication/Writing CreditOffice: AEB 236; Phone: 581-3497; E-Mail: <[email protected]>Office Hours: Mondays thru Thursdays 1:30 - 3:00 p.m., and/or by appointmentON-LINE COPY OF CURRENT SYLLABUS IS AT: <http://www.fcs.utah.edu/faculty/herrin/>NOTE: This syllabus is not a binding, legal contract. It may be modified by the instructor aslong as students are given reasonable notice of any changes. Such modifications will bediscussed during a class meeting and/or by notification via email.COURSE FOCUS AND CONTENT OBJECTIVESThis course develops your capacity to think and learn critically, actively, and deeply about different world views orviewpoints and their corresponding belief systems or ideologies about the purposes and realities of (a) families; (b) familyphenomena such marriage, parenthood, divorce, remarriage, etc.; (c) family ethics and values; (d) family policy; (e) thesocial, political, and cultural contexts in which these things are embedded; and (f) your analysis, evaluation, and synthesisof these concerns as you discover their relevance and application to your own family belief system. A belief system orideology or world view is a composite perspective of organized beliefs, values, morals, ideals, assumptions, attitudes, ideas,etc., for thinking about and understanding people, groups, institutions, as well as issues, problems, phenomena, researchfindings, policies, the relationships between any and all of these, and many other things. Belief systems help explain theworld, the universe, life itself, and virtually all things that “should” or “should not” be a particular way according to thecorresponding belief system. Moral or ethical systems of beliefs help us understand ideas about what is considered to bemoral or immoral, good or bad, right or wrong. We will study how some of these ethical systems influence the we think aboutthe different aspects of families and family life that we have just identified above for this course. Political parties, religions,social movements, artists, scientists, professors, students, parents, and children all utilize them quite independent of howexplicit or conscious they may be to us. Most of us don’t usually know a lot about the specific components of our personalbelief system. Each system you study helps you think differently about things you already know as it uncovers new contentand considerations. This will also help you learn more about your own belief system and how it works. The followingCOURSE CONTENT OBJECTIVES can be articulated:1. Develop a deeper understanding of and consciousness of different beliefs about families and how they make a differencein the ways we perceive and think about families, their purposes and problems, related family phenomena, and your ownfamily experience within the context of our contemporary society.2. Develop a deeper understanding of the rich, intricate complexity of issues pertaining to the well-being of families andfamily members, their development, and the always problematic role of family policy and the family beliefs and valuesthat policies are based on in securing and providing for family well-being.3. Develop a deeper understanding of some of our society’s more problematic family concerns as they are diversely studiedby researchers, therapists, educators, policy makers, and concerned citizens so you are able to see the relevantapplications of these things to your personal world of experience, your family, and to different parts of our society.4. Develop a deeper understanding of the central ideas, values, assumptions, and practices of those who espouse differentimportant contemporary social, political, ethical, and philosophical viewpoints.25. Develop a deeper understanding of personal and collective beliefs, values, and assumptions; how they are acquired anddeveloped; how resistant they are to change; and how they can be changed.6. Develop a deeper understanding of the processes that influence the congruity or disparity between beliefs people professto hold, the related practices or behaviors they enact, and how people can acquire the consistency between beliefs andpractices that is necessary for ethical and morally responsible decisions, choices, and actions.To do these accurately and effectively, you must learn to perceive things and think about them in a fundamentally differentmanner than you are accustomed to. You must learn and then be willing to ask yourself questions that help you discoverinsight, understanding, and enlightenment about the things we study. Seeing things in a different perspective will help youthink differently about things you already know as it uncovers new content and considerations. This enables you to identifydifferent ideas and issues, ask different questions, and develop different frames of reference. Learning new ways of thinkinghelps you understand more critically the ways you think so you can more clearly articulate your beliefs and values with theirrelevant justifications and implications. These are essential elements of an education that respects and reflects diversity andcomplexity. Meeting these objectives — and the personal challenges they present — requires us to study and learn thecomplexity of the course content and our own belief system — and our experience — on much deeper levels. I refer to thiskind of education and educating as “deep learning.”This course has been developed, in part, to meet the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) program standards forcompetency in “ethical thinking and practice for family and parent educators” as they have been designed and articulatedby the National Council on Family Relations. The course is also designed to meet the University’s requirements for upper-division communication/writing credit courses. This has been done for a variety of reasons: (a) to provide you with moreintegrated, holistic, and meaningful learning experiences; (b) to further your understanding of some of the processes ofcommunicating in the social and behavioral sciences; and (c) to help you discover greater depths of understanding aboutyourself, your personal system of thinking, and the course content. Finally,