FCS 5280-1: Marriage and Divorce *** Please read the syllabus carefully. It is a contract of sorts, outlining your *** *** rights and responsibilities as a student in this course. *** Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah Professor Nicholas H. Wolfinger Official U of U description: Covers the process and dynamics of divorce and remarriage for adults and their children. Overview: Divorce has social, psychological, legal, religious, and economic implications for both individuals and society. All of these will be considered, with the primary intention of answering one simple question: Is divorce good or bad? Additional insight will be provided through guest lectures by various divorce specialists (divorce attorneys, family therapists, and so forth). What you’ll learn: By the end of this class you’ll know more about marriage and divorce. What you’ll get: three upper-division credits Office: 256 Alfred Emery Building E-mail: [email protected] Phones: (801) xxx-xxxx (office); (801) xxx-xxxx (home). It's easier to reach me at home than the office. Please feel free to call me at home, but do so only between noon and 10PM. Mailbox: 228 Alfred Emery Building, the Department of Family and Consumer Studies office. If turning in an assignment make sure to sign the receipt verification log (ask at office). Grading: midterm 25%; paper 35%; participation 5%; final 35% Grades will be curved and based on the following scale: A 93% or above A- 90% - 92% B+ 87% - 89%

B 83% - 86% B- 80% - 82% C+ 77% - 79%

C 73% - 76% C- 70% - 72% D+ 67% - 69%

D 63% - 66% D- 60% - 62% E 59% or below

Challenges: If you disagree with the way your paper or a particular question on an exam has been graded, you can make a challenge in writing. Challenges must be typed and submitted to me no later than one week after exams/papers have been returned. Your challenge should explain why you disagree with the way the question/paper was graded, and must include page numbers and/or specific references to lecture justifying your disagreement. Books: Cherlin, Andrew J. 1992. Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, revised edition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

1

Clarke-Stewart, Alison and Cornelia Brentano. 2007. Divorce: Causes and Consequences. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. McLanahan, Sara S. and Gary Sandefur. 1994. Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Wolfinger, Nicholas H. 2005. Understanding the Divorce Cycle: The Children of Divorce in Their Own Marriages. New York: Cambridge University Press. Reader to be sold in class by Empire Publishing (755-2057). I’ll let you know when. All books are required. All will be available on short-term loan in the Marriot library. You may be able to purchase used copies of the books at the Campus Bookstore or online. If you choose to purchase a previous edition of the reader, you should be aware that the content may differ from the current edition. Even when content is identical, the page numbers may differ due to changes in formatting. You are responsible for all assigned content from the current editions. Finally, I encourage you to buy your books used on http://www.amazon.com or http://www.half.ebay.com/. Either will probably be cheaper than the campus bookstore. Attendance: Not required, but highly suggested. Kids, food, pets, cell phones and beepers: Quiet only. Graduate students: The rules are somewhat different. Please see me. Paper: A research paper on some aspect of marriage, divorce, remarriage or a related topic that must use outside sources and be in the neighborhood of ten pages. Please submit a typed one paragraph description of your paper topic on or before Wednesday, September 2. I will return these with comments. COURSE OUTLINE (subject to change) WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION, HISTORY OF DIVORCE Read: McLanahan 1-12, Wolfinger Chapter 1, Wolfinger 2007 WEEKS 2-3 HISTORY OF DIVORCE Read: Cherlin 1-65, Clarke-Stewart 1-12, Wernick 1996, Wolfinger Chapter 5 WEEKS 4-5 CAUSES OF DIVORCE Read: Clarke-Stewart 29-51, Bumpass et al. 1991, Amato and Rogers 1997 WEEK 6 ECONOMICS OF DIVORCE Read: Holden and Smock 1991, McKeever and Wolfinger 2005 WEEK 7 Read: Mason 1994

DIVORCE AND THE LAW, CUSTODY

WEEK 8

MIDTERM, EFFECTS ON ADULTS

WEEKS 9-10 EFFECTS ON ADULTS Read: Clarke-Stewart 67-105, Stewart 49-74 & 95-116, McLanahan (article) 1983; OPTIONAL: Amato 2000

2

WEEKS 11-13 EFFECTS ON OFFSPRING Read: McLanahan 64-133, Cherlin 1999, Wolfinger Chapter 2, Stewart 75-94, Sheff 1999; OPTIONAL: Wolfinger Chapters 3-4, rest of Clarke-Stewart WEEK 14 REMARRIAGE, COHABITATION Read: Coleman, Ganong, and Fine 2000, Mason et al. 2002, Cherlin 80-86, Bumpass and Lu 2000, Smock 2000, Wolfinger Chapter 6 WEEKS 15 POLICY, CONCLUSION Read: Nock et al. 1999, Wolfinger Chapter 7, newspaper articles (#18-24 in reader) NOTE: Books are referenced by the lead author’s last name and page or chapter numbers; article listings include the year of publication. IMPORTANT NOTICES Students with special needs: The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. In accordance with the University accommodations policy no accommodations for content will be given. University drop and withdrawal policies: You may drop this class without penalty or permission until Wednesday, January 21. You can withdraw from the course without permission from Thursday, January 22 until Friday, March 6, but a “W” will be recorded on your academic record, and applicable tuition and fees will be assessed. After that you will not be allowed to withdraw from this course. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact the Office of Admissions and Registrar at (801) 581-5808. Incompletes: In order to qualify for an incomplete in any University of Utah course, you must complete no less than 80% of the course work and be in good standing (i.e., have earned at least a C on all completed work) and receive permission from the instructor. The FCS policy is that students who do not submit work required to resolve an incomplete within 1 year of the posting of the “I” on the student’s transcript will automatically receive a failing grade. No exceptions will be made to this policy. Student Responsibilities: 1. Spend 2-3 hours per credit hour in preparing for this class, including completing reading assignments, written assignments, and studying for exams. As this is a 3 credit hour course, you should plan to spend 6-9 hours per week in preparation for this course in addition to class time. 2. Complete required reading assignments in a timely manner.

3

3. Complete written assignments on time, or make alternate arrangements for completing assigned work with the instructor in advance of assigned due dates. 4. Attend class and participate in class activities and discussions. 5. Arrive on time for class and stay the entire class period – arriving late and/or leaving early will be disruptive to group work and class discussions. 6. Treat one another, the instructor, campus staff, and the classroom with respect. 7. Turn cell phones OFF prior to the beginning of class. 8. Seek help from the instructor (and other resources such as the Center for Disability Services or the Writing Center) whenever necessary, and before minor problems become major barriers to learning. 9. Refer to the syllabus and the class web page for important information pertaining to exams, written assignments, and class policies. For the full list of student rights and responsibilities at the University of Utah, see http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10.html. Instructor Responsibilities: 1. Be prepared for class. 2. Arrive on time or early for class, and give advance warning if class will be cancelled for any reason. In the case of an emergency, the instructor will contact campus staff to relay a message to students. 3. Use a variety of teaching methods, including lecture, group work, discussion, demonstrations, and, films, in an effort to create a stimulating learning environment and accommodate different learning styles. 4. Provide feedback on assignments in a timely manner. 5. Be available for individual consultation whenever possible, during office hours or by appointment. 6. Reply to email within 48 hours, not including weekends or holidays. 7. Follow all official University of Utah policies regarding conduct within the classroom, incompletes, and accommodations. Accommodations will be considered on an individual basis and only with the required documentation. No exceptions will be made to this policy. 8. Treat students equitably and with respect. This includes enforcing responsible classroom behavior on the part of students. For the full list of faculty responsibilities at the University of Utah, see http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-12-4.html. Internet: The class web page can be found on Canvas (formerly Blackboard Vista, formerly formerly WebCT). To access this page, log in to the Campus Information System (CIS). The class webpage will be a place to access the syllabus if you lose yours. Please do not use Canvas to email me. It is assumed that you have a basic knowledge of computers, including how to navigate the internet. If you do not, it is recommended that you attend the free short courses offered at the Marriott Library. It is your responsibility to maintain your computer and other equipment needed to access online material and complete assignments. Equipment failures will not be an acceptable excuse for late or missing assignments. It is also suggested that you save back-up copies (e.g., on

4

a disk or flash drive, or as an email attachment) of each assignment you submit. If you do not have access to a computer and/or the internet at home, you will need to arrange to visit campus to make use of the computers available to students. Please note that online communications, including e-mail in Canvas, are University property and subject to GRAMA regulations. Privacy regarding Canvas communications must not be assumed unless mutually agreed upon in advance. Note that content may be shared with the class when there are valid teaching/learning reasons for doing so and mutual privacy agreements for the communications have not been previously made. THE RIOT ACT Academic Honesty: All honesty and plagiarism policies established by the University of Utah will be upheld in this class. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, representing another’s work as your own, collaborating on individual assignments, and submitting the same work for more than one course without the permission of both instructors. None of these actions will be tolerated. If you include information from outside the class or quotes in your written assignments (with the exception of exams), you must provide citations and a reference list. Avoid the urge to over-rely on quotes; a written assignment that is substantially made up of quoted material will probably not be a good assignment, even if you have used correct citations. If it is discovered that you have engaged in academic misconduct of any type in this course, the Family & Consumer Studies departmental policy states that you must be given a failing grade in the course and be reported to the Dean and the VP for Academic Affairs, who will keep your name on record. Should you be reported more than once, you may face expulsion from the University. For further information about the University of Utah’s policies regarding academic misconduct, please refer to the online version of the Student Handbook and look for “University Code”: http://www.acs.utah.edu/sched/handbook/toc.htm Scheduling Accommodations: You should register only for those courses for which you have no scheduling conflicts that will interfere with your ability to complete course requirements. If you must be absent from a specific class to participate in officially sanctioned University activities (e.g. band, debate, student government, intercollegiate athletics), religious obligations, or other obligations meeting with the instructor's approval, you will be permitted to make up or otherwise receive credit for both missed assignments and exams. In accordance with university policy no accommodations for content will be granted. Exams 1) You must speak with me before the scheduled date if you anticipate missing an exam. Retroactive (i.e., after the exam) notification is acceptable only if you or an immediate family member is in the hospital or in jail. Should either be the case please provide written documentation.

5

2) You have received guidelines defining cheating, plagiarism, and other capital offenses. Learn them. Don't do it! 3) For exams I will have sign-in sheets at the front of the room. Be sure to sign one at some point during the exam period. This is for your protection and mine. 4) Space allowing, please sit every other seat during exams. 5) Do not wear headphones during exams. 6) No calculators, smart phones, etc. allowed during exams. 7) Please remove course materials (papers, books, etc.) from your desk during exams. Other stuff (tissues, food, etc.) is fine. 8) Please retain all returned tests and papers. Papers 1) It is fine (and even recommended) to work together while doing your research papers. All that I ask is that you write your own paper. 2) Turn in your paper on or before the listed due date in class or at the FCS main office (228 Alfred Emery Building) by 4:00pm. Don't fax or e-mail them to me. Don't put them under my office door. Don't nail them to my door. 3) Papers arriving at any time between the due date and the end of the universe are subject to arbitrary and severe penalties. 4) Double space. One inch margins all around. Do not right justify. Single side of the paper only. Number pages. Ten to twelve point font. Avoid binders, sheet protectors, etc. 5) Keep a copy of your paper when you turn it in. 6) Do not submit papers written for other classes without first discussing it with me. General 1) Unless otherwise notified there are no extra credit assignments. Please don't ask! 2) The schedule of readings, tests, and topics may change. I will announce any changes in class. You are responsible for being aware of them. 3) Unclaimed papers and tests will be thrown away on xxxxxx. 4) Useful FCS resource guide: http://www.lib.utah.edu/ResGuides/fcs.htm.

6