CE Individual & Family Relations Disclosure

Family Relations 2400 SS/DV

Child and Family Studies

3 Credit Hours

Weber State University

2022-2023

 

High School: Layton High School
WSU Concurrent Adjunct Instructor: Kristen Kohler

High School Course Name: Individual and Family Relations

2022-2023

 

Text:   Your textbook will be included with your registration for this course. We will be using an electronic textbook for $60.00.   Family Life Now, 3rd Edition, Kelly J Welch

Course Description:  Examines dynamics of the healthy family using family theory, individual life span development, research, and active learning experiences. The learning objectives and activities in this course provide students with meaningful engagement in multiple contexts of diversity including social class, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, various family systems and structures, and broader cultural influences. This course is an exploration of multiple influences on individuals and family systems using an ecological lens. Students in this course explore the dynamics of individual and family wellbeing by learning how to apply family developmental theory, systems theory, family ecological model, and sociocultural theories. This course meets the diversity learning outcomes of describing multiple perspectives, identifying values and biases, and articulating the rights, perspectives, and experiences of others. This class meets the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Standards #2 and #5.

General Education Course:   This course is part of the WSU General Education program. GE courses introduce students to academic disciplines through important “big questions” (BQ). At their core, “big questions” provide students the opportunity to integrate and apply their knowledge of the discipline to address a significant, personal, social, or professional issue. GE courses also introduce students to underlying foundational knowledge and intellectual tools that run through all academic areas and are part of the ongoing preparation to address real world problems.

 

All WSU General Education courses have “signature assignments” (SA) that require you to integrate and apply course content to address a big question with, for instance, critical or creative thinking, problem solving, or analysis. Signature assignments 1) will address a specific audience, 2) will tackle personal, social, or a professional question or issue, and 3) will integrate and apply course content through the use of 4) intellectual tools.

You are enrolled in the WSU General Education course CHF 2400 which is designed to tackle the following big question (BQ) How can family theories and a genogram help me understand and explain the functioning of my family-of-origin, how to improve family function, and how family cultures that are different from my own function? Through the signature assignment (SA) Personal Family Awareness Paper and Cultural Genogram.  The signature assignment for this course is described in detail within the syllabus and well as in the Canvas course.

Course Objectives:    The objectives of this course are to ensure that the student, upon successful completion of the course, will have acquired skills, knowledge and values related to the course description. These include the ability to:

 

Objectives

Measures

1) Observe, describe and assess interactional dynamics within diverse family systems by using systems theory concepts and related theories within practical and professional settings.

Personal Family Awareness Paper, Quizzes 1-6, in-class activities, and genogram

2) Develop intervention strategies to help all types of families be more effective and functional.

Personal Family Awareness Paper, Quizzes 8 & 10

3) Self differentiate, observe self, and apply skills and behavior changes to personal lives and relationships, including communication skills, relationship patterns, and diverse family paradigms.

Genogram, in-class activities on communication, Personal Family Awareness Paper, Quizzes 5 & 6

4) Describe how historical and social contexts (such as policies, laws, cultural forces) influence families in their ways of dealing with transitions and other family processes.

Personal Family Awareness Paper,  Genogram, Quizzes 11-13, 16

5) Explain how various family roles, rules, and processes (e.g., gender roles) are unique depending on an individual family system’s family of origin, cultural backgrounds, family life cycle stages, family stressors, and macro-level influences.

Genogram, Personal Family Awareness Paper, Quizzes 1, 7, 9, 14 & 15

Academic Honesty:   Cheating is defined as taking credit or presenting work as your own that is not your own original work. You are encouraged to meet together and discuss course material, but all examinations must be completed individually and without any notes. The group project must be an original project prepared by the group. Plagiarism is not acceptable and proper citation of sources is required on all assignments using APA style (6th Ed.). Additional information regarding student’s rights and responsibilities can be found in the Student’s Code: http://documents.weber.edu/ppm/6-22.htm Links to an external site.

ADA:  PPM 3-34 notes: “When students seek accommodation in a regularly scheduled course, they have the responsibility to make such requests at the Center for Students with Disabilities before the beginning of the quarter [semester] in which the accommodation is being requested. When a student fails to make such arrangements, interim accommodations can be made by the instructor, pending the determination of the request for a permanent accommodation.” Weber State University Concurrent Enrollment students who have a pre-established 504 Plan or IEP may continue using the accommodations established therein during CE courses, provided that the accommodations have proven effective and are reasonable for a university level course. Faculty, staff, parents, and students may contact WSU Disability Services at any point to discuss or verify accommodations for CE classes. CE students should discuss their accommodation needs with faculty as soon as possible. Most questions or situational issues can be discussed and subsequently resolved to meet the students’ needs. Students should provide faculty with written (print or email) requests of accommodations for their approved 504 or IEP plan.

For additional information, go to the following URL: http://departments.weber.edu/ssd/ Links to an external site.

Civil Rights Disclosure: Davis School District is committed to providing educational and employment opportunities to students without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin or disability in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title XI of the Educational Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and with the Americans with Disabilities ActB

Late Work Policy:     In-class and take-home learning activities will not be allowed to be made up if you are not in class (unless you miss class for a school sanctioned reason and arrange with the instructor in advance to make up missed work). Since all written work is due through the assignment drop box on CANVAS on the date and time specified, late work will be accepted with a deduction of 20% until one week past the due date in which the assignment will close.  Assignments received after the close date will not be graded.  Please talk to the instructor BEFORE to avoid any late penalties.

Extra Credit Policy:  There will be minimal opportunities to have extra credit; however, extra credit may be given to all class members, but extra credit may only add up to 1% for the Weber portion and 1% for the Adult Roles portion of the grade.

Exams:  (50%)  There will be 16 exams throughout the year that will be based solely upon the textbook (1 exam per chapter). These exams will consist of 30 multiple choice questions per chapter that will be administered on Canvas through Weber State University (these are worth 30 points each).

Personal Family Awareness Paper and Cultural Genogram (300 points): (40%) This assignment will occur in two parts.

  1. Cultural Genogram (100- pts): The cultural genogram is used to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity by helping you understand your cultural identity. In short, it is a way for you to capture your family’s lineage and understand the cultural elements that have influenced you. Through this process you will gain greater insight into and appreciation for the ways in which culture impacts who you are and how you make sense of the world around you. The cultural genogram is designed to help you accomplish some of the course objectives. You will use the genogram to illustrate and clarify the structural and interactional patterns that organize multigenerational families; identify the groups which contribute to the formation of your family’s cultural identity; participate in class discussion to better understand family cultures that are different than your own; and explore how your unique cultural identity may influence how you experience the world and may predict your future family relationships.

The structure of the genogram will need to include three generations; you and your siblings, your parents and their siblings, and your grandparents. You will need to also include a key of the symbols you use to identify various aspects of family roles, boundaries, and emotional relationships. The genogram resource page can be helpful, but not required.

You will need to include the following aspects of your family’s functioning dynamics, as the minimum expectations:

  • Family roles
  • Level of Education
  • Emotional relationship of marriage
  • Family Cutoffs and Enmeshments
  • Sources of Power and Authority
  • Ethnicity
  • Presence of Mental Illness / Physical Illness / Causes of Death
  • Two Emotional Triangles


In order to share your genogram, you will need to create a visual display (poster board,  trifold poster board, etc; with a minimum space of 36”x36”), Your display should be creative, use photos and other multimedia, crafts and historical texts to document your roots and express your family cultures. Investigate where your family ancestors came from (at least 3 generations -- so, from your generation back to your grandparents), what their life stories were/are, what their values are, what are the cultural foods, music, traditions your family continues or discontinued, the importance of gender and gender roles, the influence of religion and/or spirituality, and anything else that is significant to you.
The left side of the board should detail visual images that represent the heritage of your father, the right-side heritage related to your mother. The middle should represent a merging of the influences and cultural representations related to you.

You will then present your genogram to two of your classmates (separately or together), sharing with them the unique aspects of your family cultures (how the two parent cultures are different and how your parents have brought the two together, the structure and interaction patterns, the pride and shame issues, and other meaningful and insightful information). You should be able to discuss any questions or observations that our peers have as well. It will probably be helpful to take notes on the genogram presentations of our peers to help you write the corresponding section of your Family Awareness Paper. When you have completed the assignment, please take a photo of the project to upload into Canvas, and then submit the poster/visual genogram to your instructor.
2.   Family Awareness  Paper (7-9 pages; 200 pts): You will write a paper that should be organized according to the following sections:

  1. An Introduction to your 3-generation family, with the focus primarily on describing the family dynamics/patterns that define your family and how those dynamics/patterns make sense (both positive and negative dynamics). Then, write a comparative analysis and description of how the three generations vary in:
    (i) their communication and conflict styles
         (ii) their parenting styles, and
         (iii) the levels of cohesion and flexibility (as aspects of family boundaries). 3-4 pages
  2. A description of three aspects of your family that could be improved to increase the level of functioning with specific strategies for change. 2 pages
  3. A summary of how understanding your own family cultural and identify helps you better understand other families and their cultures. Be sure to include a discussion on the influence that culture has on family systems and an analysis. Be sure to use examples from the peer genogram presentations to illustrate how your unique cultural identities influence the way that you see others that are different. Discuss specific ways that your peers’ family is different from yours, and still makes sense. 2-3 pages.

This paper should be structured in a manner that demonstrates to the instructor the level of knowledge you have gained during this class and should show a high level of personal insight. The paper is required to written in APA format (double-spaced, and 12-point Times New Roman font, title page, appropriate margins, and headings). You will submit this paper in Canvas.

Course Participation Assignments (150 points): (10%) This assignment group will be worth 50 point total, no matter how many assignments might be required. Each assignment will be announced by the instructor at random times, so it is in your best interest to not miss class and to make a friend with whom you can share missed information and instruction. Students will get up to 10 points a chapter for Chapter Reading Participation.

Grading:  The 16 exams, reading quizzes, Genogram Paper, and Diverse Family Assignments required by WSU. All grades and records for the course will be maintained in the WSU Online Canvas Gradebook. See Weber Canvas and course calendar for due dates.

Grade Distribution

A         93% or greater                         C+       77-79%                        D-        60-63%

A-        90-92%                                    C         74-76%                        E          59% or below

B+       87-89%                                    C-        70-73%

B         84-86%                                    D+       67-69%

B-        80-83%                                    D         64-66%

Points and Schedule of Course work is subject to change based on the discretion on instructor.

Attendance

A student with excessive absences in a class during a term may be given a “U” for a citizenship grade. The definition of excessive absences at Layton High is three or more unexcused absences and/or six or more excused absences. School excused absences will not count towards a “U”. A doctor’s note may be required for every excused absence after six.  If there are extenuating circumstances that cause a student to be absent more than six times during a term, then those will be handled on an individual basis between the teacher, student, and an administrator if necessary. Absences due to Covid-19, including mandated quarantine, will not affect a student's citizenship grade as long as the school has received notification. A student with four or more tardies in a class in any term may result in the student receiving a “U”.

Citizenship

  • H - considerate of others, helpful, interested, follow class rules, are responsible, high percentage, and promote the success of the class.
  • S  - follow class rules, are not disruptive, medium percentage, and have no more than 2 tardies/absences.
  • N - inappropriate or disruptive behavior, for less than full effort, low percentages, and 4 tardies/absences
  • U - beyond inappropriate or disruptive behavior, cheating or helping to cheat, and for 5 or more tardies/absences.

SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTIFICATIONS

Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA). Student assignments might be corrected by other students, under the direction of the teacher.  Students are advised that confidentiality and honesty are of the utmost importance.  Any violation of such will be dealt with administratively.

Disabilities. As high school students, those with IEP and 504 plans are expected to monitor these arrangements and make them known to the teacher when necessary. I will gladly follow them.

Human Sexuality Consent.  The Human Sexuality Consent form at the end of this document must be signed by yourself and your parent/guardian, regardless of your age, before you can participate in human sexuality instruction, computer baby, and the State competency test

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