For love and money: rethinking the family

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Through investigating cross-cultural case studies, this course introduces students to the anthropological study of the social institutions and symbolic meanings of family, household, gender, and sexuality. We will explore the myriad forms that families and households take and evaluate their social, emotional, and economic dynamics. In particular, we will analyze how people's expectations for, and experiences of, family life are rooted in or challenged by particular conceptions of gender and sexuality. What does it mean and entail to be a "man" or a "woman"—as well as a "good" father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, in-law, grandparent, etc.—in different cultural, religious, and political contexts?

Classes will integrate lecture and discussion. Each class is keyed to a set of readings, and it is crucial that students keep up with the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class. Class participation—in terms of regular attendance and participation in discussion—will count strongly towards the final grade. Occasionally we will break into small groups for more concentrated discussion. Some lectures will directly engage our readings while others will integrate background historical and theoretical information.

You must attend class and participate in discussions; this part of the course, including reader responses (see below), will account for 25% of the final grade. Writing reader responses will help you feel prepared to speak up in class; if a student does not volunteer, she or he may be called upon to speak. Students who miss more than 3 classes will lose credit.

These will consist of a couple paragraphs describing your reaction to one or more of the readings (and possibly film) for that session. Do not summarize, but rather give us your response to the reading. These should take no more than 30 minutes to write. While reader responses are not individually graded, they will be factored into the overall evaluation of your performance. You will write 3 over the course of the term. You will be encouraged to post these on the class site prior to the class for which they are due to share your thoughts with your classmates.

You will write 3 papers, roughly 2000 words each, each counting for 25% of your final grade. The first paper will address the political economy of gender, family, and households. The second paper will explore the relationship between "love" and "money" in families / households in a comparative context. The third paper on a topic of the student's choosing may include personal reflection and / or interviews.

For more detail, see the Assignments section.

Walley, Christine J. Exit Zero: Family and Class in Postindustrial Chicago. University of Chicago Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780226871806. [Preview with Google Books]

Park, Lisa Sun-Hee. Consuming Citizenship: Children of Asian Immigrant Entrepreneurs. Stanford University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780804752480.

The remainder of the readings can be found in the Readings section.

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