HD 406-01, Work and Family
Summer 2008
Instructor Information:
Suzanne R. Smith
Education/Human
Development Building, Room 201
Phone: 360-546-9714
Fax: 360-546-9076
Office Hours:
2:30-4:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday, or by appointment
Email: smithsu@vancouver.wsu.edu
Home page: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/smithsu/smithsu.html
Course Information:
Schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays , 11:00 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.
May 5 - June 13, 2008
Location:
Multi Media Classroom Building, Room 217
Description:
Issues related to work and family; workplace environments; fostering effective policy responses to family needs; role of work-family coordination.
Prerequisites and Other Notes:
Six hours of social sciences.
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Required Texts and Other Materials:
Required Texts:
Friedman, S.D., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2000). Work and family-
Allies or enemies? New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Pearson, A. (2002). I don’t know how she does it. New York, NY: Anchor Press.
Blackboard: http://www.blackboard.wsu.edu
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Special Notes:
Reading and Class Lectures
Students are responsible for all the assigned reading, much of which will be discussed in class lectures. However, on several occasions assigned readings will not be discussed in order to provide additional materials and to expand the breadth of issues presented. You are expected to come to class having read the assigned material and prepared to discuss it. All students are urged to keep up with the reading schedule. Cramming at the last minute is not advised.
Extra Credit Assignment
In this class there will be a possibility for 10 bonus points. You will be required to bring a question to class for our second book (see assignment below). If you ALSO bring a research article from a professional journal on a topic covered within the assigned chapters to share with the class, you will be given 10 bonus points for that assignment. You will need to provide the instructor with a one page summary of the article which includes an APA citation at the top of the page. You will also share the key points from the article as they relate to the reading with the class before you do your question.
Principles of Classroom Behavior
No question or comment is stupid; so all questions and comments are welcomed. Honesty, tolerance, and sharing are expected of everyone during the semester. It is understood that personal information shared in class will not be discussed outside of the classroom with others.
Late Assignments
Papers turned in after the assigned due date will be penalized five points per business day. This is not per class day, but per calendar day. You may fax papers to me at the number given above if necessary.
Class Attendance
Because each class period is like one week, attendance at all class sessions is expected. While no portion of your grade is allocated for attendance, the instructor reserves the right to subtract up to 20 points from your final exam grade for excessive absences,habitually leaving class early or showing up to class late. If you anticipate that you will miss class, arrive late, or leave early, please notify the instructor via email or phone to keep point deductions to a minimum.
Reasonable Accommodations
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented
disability. Please notify the professor during the first week of class
regarding accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause
the requested accommodations to be unavailable. Students needing
accommodations must first have them approved through the Assistant Director for Student Development, located in VSSC room 20C or at 360-546-9155.
Classroom Requirements:
Exams
There will be one exam for your first text worth 100 points on May 22, and a two-question essay exam on your second assigned reading worth 50 points on June 5. Questions will be derived from the assigned readings, handouts, regular and guest lectures, audiovisual materials, etc. You will be allowed to use your lecture notes and any handouts I give you in class, but no books and no other photocopied materials. You will have two hours to take the first exam, and one hour for the second exam. NO MAKEUP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN WITHOUT A VALID MEDICAL EXCUSE (a note from your doctor) OR EVIDENCE OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. All make-up exams must be taken within two days of the regularly scheduled exam unless otherwise arranged.
I Don’t Know How She Does It Daily Quizzes
The book has been divided into three sections for reading. For the first two sections, we will begin class with a ten question (two points each) quiz over the reading assignment. You may use any notes you have taken, but not the book itself. After the quiz, we will discuss the book, have lecture, and review class questions. There are no make-up options for these quizzes as they are given as a regular part of class. If you miss one of these class periods you will have the option of writing a summary of the reading for 10 points, due the next day you are in class.
I Don’t Know How She Does It Prepared Question
Each student will be required to come to class with a question for class discussion from that day’s reading. The question should pertain to an issue related to work and family that is drawn from something covered in that section of the reading. Please see the extra credit assignment option for this as well above. This will be worth 10 points of your final grade and your day to present will be decided within the first week of class. You will be given a note card to turn in with your name and question.
Diversity Group Paper/Presentation
You will be required to write a group paper on some topic pertaining to diversity in the work force. You will choose a topic in your group of five, which will be determined within the first week of class. You will also be required to give a 20 minute (maximum) presentation on the topic to the class during the last day of class. This is worth 150 points of your overall grade for this class. More details are given at the end of this syllabus.
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Grading:
Summary of Grade Requirements:
Exam One Exam Two Book Quizzes Book Prepared Question Diversity Group Project Presentation 50
Total
Grading Scale:
The standard Human Development grading scale is as follows:
| Grade | Percent | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 100-94 | 350-328 |
| A- | 93-90 | 327-314 |
| B+ | 89-87 | 313-303 |
| B | 86-83 | 302-289 |
| B- | 82-80 | 288-279 |
| C+ | 79-77 | 278-268 |
| C | 76-73 | 267-254 |
| C- | 72-70 | 253-244 |
| D+ | 69-67 | 243-233 |
| D | 66-60 | 232-209 |
| F | 59-0 | 208 or below |
Grade Appeals:
All grade appeals must be submitted to the instructor by e-mail within five working days after the return of the assignment. The appeal should describe in detail what your concerns are, state how many points you feel should be added to the grade, and provide justification for the grade change. Appeals will be evaluated as much on the justification in the appeal as on the original assignment. Grades will not be changed based on verbal appeals. Final course grades must be appealed within 10 working days after receipt of the grade.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university and will be strongly enforced in this course. Any student caught cheating on any assignment will be given an “F” for the course and will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
Academic Calendar
The WSU Vancouver Academic Calendar for the current semester is located at the following web site http://www.registrar.wsu.edu/Registrar/Apps/AcadCal.ASPX. Please refer to this document for important dates and deadlines throughout the semester.
Electronic Mail
All students are required to be on e-mail to further communication between students and instructor. Students at WSU Vancouver have access to free e-mail by going to the following web site: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/vit/accounts.htm. A home e-mail account is also acceptable.
Student Conduct and Academic Dishonesty:
Per the WSU Vancouver Student Handbook, students are, "Expected to show due respect for ... the rights of others". Students should be familiar with the Washington State University standards of conduct. The following web site outlines the student conduct and academic integrity process: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/student_conduct.htm.
Schedule:
Reading Assignments and course Schedule
| Date | Readings |
|---|---|
| May 6 | Introduction The European Response to Work and Family |
| May 8 | Work and Family - Allies or Enemies? Chapters 1-2 Update your Profile on Blackboard |
| May 13 | Work and Family - Allies or Enemies? Chapters 3-5 Group Topic and Member Names Due |
| May 15 | Work and Family - Allies or Enemies? Chapters 6-7 |
| May 20 | Work and Family - Allies or Enemies? Chapters 8-9 |
| May 22 | MIDTERM EXAM: Work and Family - Allies or Enemies? and the European Union lecture |
| May 27 | I Don't Know How She Does It? Chapters 1-14 |
| May 29 | I Don't Know How She Does It? Chapters 15-28 |
| June 3 | I Don't Know How She Does It? Chapters 29-end Perfect Madness lecture by Jane Lanigan |
| June 5 | ESSAY EXAM on I Don't Know How She Does It? Diversity Project Paper Due at 4:00 p.m. in EHD 201 |
| June 10 | NO CLASS: INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE WORK ON GROUP PRESENTATIONS |
| June 12 | Diversity Project Presentations |
Diversity Group Paper/Presentation
You will be required to work in groups of approximately five to write a paper/develop a presentation pertaining to some diversity issue concerning work and family. Groups will be assigned/chosen during the first week of class, and the group will choose topics at that time. While you will be given a list of topics to choose from, you may also come up with your own group topic if you have approval from the instructor to use that topic. There is a maximum of six pages of text, and the paper must be written in APA format, so you do not have to include the title page and your reference page in the page limit. Papers will be checked for accuracy of use of APA on title page, reference page, and within the body of the paper.
Papers will also be assessed for spelling, wording, content, and grammar. I suggest you always have at least one person proofread the paper prior to turning it in. Papers should be double-spaced, one inch margins, and a standard 12 point font.
Your paper should contain three parts. The first section will include a paragraph or two on your topic and how it is related to work and family issues. In this introduction you will also detail the purpose of your paper or what you will cover.
The second section should be a brief review of the literature available on your topic as it pertains to the specific issues you have chosen to cover. You are required to have a minimum of five professional journal references. If your primary field of study is not Human Development, you can use journals specific to your field. If you have questions concerning whether or not an article is from a professional journal feel free to bring it to class, and I will review it for you.
The third section of your paper should provide a summary of your topic, and two suggestions for a “plan of action”. In other words, what can be done to improve the experiences or situations of those you discuss in your paper. The written portion of this assignment will be worth 100 points and is due on June 5, 2008..
You will also be asked to evaluate the effort of each member of the group. You will be asked to rate the level of participation from each member on a scale of 1-10. An average of those scores will be added to your final points for this assignment.
The final 40 points for this project will come from your class presentation. You will be asked to give a group presentation (maximum of 20 minutes) on your topic, what is known about it, and your suggestions. Be as creative as you can with these. I will be looking for knowledge of the topic, creativity in presenting the material, and ability to keep the class interested. Feel free to use skits, videos, audio-tapes, or anything else you think will be helpful. You are not required to cover everything in your paper in this presentation - it simply has to be on the same topic. Each group member should have some role in the presentation, but it does not have to be a speaking role. Each member of the class will rate each presentation on a scale of 1-20. That average score will determine 20 points of your final project grade. The other 20 points will come from an evaluation of your presentation by the course instructor.
Score Summary
| Diversity Paper | 100 points |
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Presentation (50 points):
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| Total | 150 points |
Suggested Paper Topics
- The working poor
- Split shift families
- Military families and work and family issues
- The history of work for women
- Working “without papers” in the United States
- Affirmative Action
- Sexual orientation, gender, or ethnic minority discrimination in the workforce
- The glass ceiling
- Sexual harassment in the workplace
- Pink collar jobs or other issues of gender discrimination in the workforce
- Comparison of the European Union and US work place policies
- Women who earn more than their spouses
- Stay-at-home fathers and how they feel about their “work” roles
Special Notes:
- It is best to avoid replicating those topics that are being covered in class lectures such as the effects of maternal employment on children
- Feel free to choose a topic that is not on this list - just run it by the instructor first
- You will be asked to tell me your topic and group members by May 13
Paper Grade Sheet
- How logical is your explanation for the intentions of the paper (5 points)
- The paper contains a review of the literature on your topic as it pertains to your specific topic (20 points)
- There are two suggestions for a plan of action concerning what can be done to improve the situation (20 points)
- The paper is based on research studies that have been read and included in the reference list (minimum of 5) and the authors of the research are cited in the paper in APA style notation (15 points)
- The paper is organized in a coherent, logical and understandable manner, i.e., it flows from point to point beginning to end, and there is evidence that you understand what you’re writing about (15 points)
- The paper is in proper format, spelling, and punctuation is correct, appropriate grammar used, and is neat and clean (15 points)
- There is a summary or pulling together of the main points of the paper (10 points)
Useful Links:
You may find some useful information at web sites listed on the department resources page.