Course Syllabus

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Description

The essence of this course is to learn how to promote and protect both the optimal well-being of children and the core strength of the family unit at all levels in society. To do this, students will use a bioecological systems approach to discern potential harm and/or benefit to children and families and effective solutions at each level. These levels or systems include the micro, meso, exo, macro, and chronosystems.

Additionally, this course is multidisciplinary in that it utilizes the fields of sociology, family studies, child development, political science, philosophy, and communications. Related skills such as researching, writing, speaking, and social media will be taught.

Child and family advocacy, as shown in this article, Humanity Starts at Home, will teach students why the family is the most humane, economical, and powerful system known for building competence and character in people.

Finally, the course equips students to see how the majority of challenges that children and families face are connected or interrelated, and thus the solutions are similarly correlated.

Outcomes

The focus of this course is on the interaction between social science, moral systems, public policies, and gospel doctrines relating to the well-being of children and families.  These learning outcomes enable a student to:

  1. Describe the moral foundations of various positions on social issues impacting children and families.
  2. Explain the attributes of an effective child and family advocate.
  3. Evaluate the impact local, state, national, and international laws and policies have on children and families.
  4. Illustrate how all social trends impacting children and families are interrelated and interconnected.
  5. Promote the family as the fundamental unit of society through research, writing, and speaking.

Learning Model Architecture

Students will apply the principles of the Learning Model in this course. Personal prayers and scripture study are essential to learning by faith and helpful in strengthening our ability to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Students will be asked to use both intellectual and spiritual tools of learning in this course. To this end, they will be expected to do the following:

  • Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a principle of power.
  • Understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost.
  • Lay hold upon the word of God—as found in the holy scriptures and in the words of the prophets—in all disciplines.
  • Act for themselves and accept responsibility for learning and teaching.
  • Love, serve, and teach one another.

Each week, students will prepare by reading course materials and completing activities. Teaching one another will occur as they provide meaningful feedback, make presentations, and work with each other on assignments. Lastly, they will ponder and prove by writing research papers, conducting peer reviews, and making presentations.

As a reminder, students are expected to spend 3–4 hours per week per credit. As this is a three-credit course, please plan on spending 9–12 hours each week reading, studying, and completing various assignments. 

Prerequisite

Take 1 of the following:

This is a 400-level class and is not appropriate for freshmen. It is intended for students with junior or senior standing.

Required Resources

Two Required Textbooks 

You are required to purchase two low-cost textbooks.

Resource Title/Description
(books, software, etc.)		 Author/Provider Year 13-Digit ISBN

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

This book is delivered using auto-access. Your student account will be automatically charged the first day of the term. Read the information in the textbook information module to learn how to access your textbook, and how to opt-out of this automatic purchase, if desired. 

Jonathan Haidt

 2012 9780307377906

A Sacred Duty: The True Account of a BYU Law Professor's Journey to Defend the World's Families

This book is available through the BYU–Idaho University Store. The e-book is not auto-access, so you will not be charged automatically.  

Ester Rasband, Richard Wilkins

 1999 9781609074661

You can see these textbooks in your Course Materials List.

Free Textbook

You will also study the following book. It is linked in the course for free from the BYU-Idaho library.

If you would like a personal copy of this book, it can be purchased from a variety of outlets at nominal cost.

Other Resources

You will also need regular access to a web cam and microphone.

Grading Policies

This course will use the standard BYU-Idaho grading scale:

Letter Grade Percentage Range
A 100%–93%
A- 92%–90%
B+ 89%–87%
B 86%–83%
B- 82%–80%
C+ 79%–77%
C 76%–73%
C- 72%–70%
D+ 69%–67%
D 66%–63%
D- 62%–60%
F 59%–00%

Some grading and feedback will come through a TA.

Grade Components

Grades for this course are separated into two categories:

  • Academic grade = 80% of the final grade.
  • Citizenship grade = 20% of the final grade.

Academic Grade

Introduction Quiz – Week 01 (10 points)

This quiz will cover information from the Orientation to Online Learning at BYU-Idaho and the Syllabus.

Becoming Christlike Family Advocates Part 1 – Week 02 (15 points)

This assignment has three parts. The first two you will compete during Week 02, and the last part will be completed at the end of the semester. In Part 1 you will explain that you understand character and its importance in your advocacy efforts, reflect on your heart and character to see where you might lack, and set goals and make plans to improve throughout this course. 

Becoming Christlike Family Advocates Part 2 – Week 02 (4 points)

Part 2 is a self-evaluation quiz on Christ-like attributes and character.

Getting Outside Your Moral Matrix (10 pts)

An effective family advocate will strive to see all sides of an issue. No one can completely rid themselves of bias, but this assignment will help students apply course readings by exploring their perspectives, beliefs, and biases toward specific social issues. This will require students to acknowledge and understand various perspectives—even if such perspectives may seem ridiculous.

The Formation of Sociological Trends – Week 04 (15 points) 

The more you look into the major social problems threatening children, families, and society, the more you will see how interconnected they are. This assignment will encourage you to see how these sociological trends develop and are perpetuated.

Fathering Social Issues – Week 05 (15 points) 

This paper will enable you to connect the dots between fatherlessness and other social issues. Additionally, this will enable you to see how the family is the cause and the solution to most of our world’s problems.

Family Research Synthesis Paper – Week 06 (25 points)

Write a brief abstract regarding several research studies on your chosen issue/threat to children and the family. This activity will be a springboard to provide credibility for your persuasive article and policy speech.

Persuasive Blog Article – Week 08 (25 points)

You will learn the art and skill of persuasion and then combine that with your research and write a persuasive, yet articulate advocacy article pertaining to your chosen topic/threat. 

Family Law and Policy Speech – Week 10 (25 points)

Students will prepare and deliver a persuasive speech aimed at influencing child and family policy or legislation. Their presentation will be done live through the use of Zoom with an assigned small group, where they will also serve as the audience to their fellow group members that will be presenting their own speech. As a comprehensive assignment, this will also include a peer review of presenters and a reference page for all research and data sources used in the speech.

Getting Involved in Your Community – Week 12 (25 points)

Students will research, interview, and summarize an organization in their local community that is doing something to advocate on behalf of, or is supporting, children and families.

Becoming Christlike Family Advocates Part 3 – Week 13 (6 points)

Part 3 is the same self-evaluation quiz as Part 2 where you can show the progress you've made over the semester.

Amazing Grace Final Exam – Week 13 & 14 (25 points)

Students will watch the movie Amazing Grace and apply everything they learned throughout the semester, utilizing readings and other material covered in class. They will then discuss their answers with their Zoom group.

Citizenship Grade

The citizenship grade portion includes weekly Zoom meetings and journal submissions. If students don't participate and put effort towards the Citizenship grade activities and assignments, their grades will suffer. Earning 0% of the possible 20% means that the maximum grade a student could earn in this class is a B-, and that's assuming a perfect score in all of the graded assignments that make up the academic grade—an unlikely feat if they blow off the non-graded activities, as they are an integral piece of the learning experience and of their ability to master the skills expected and required for the graded assignments.

Zoom Activities

Starting in Week 02 students will meet in small groups via Zoom. While the nature of each Zoom activity will vary, all will require action and accountability from each group member. All students should participate. Zoom meetings are an "all or nothing" grade. To receive full points each week students must attend at least 75% of the meeting and be both seen and heard the entire time.  Students are allowed to miss up to 2 meetings throughout the semester (with the exception of week 10, where students will deliver their Policy Speech Assignment). Missing more than two or not fully participating in the weekly meetings will cause students' overall grade to be reduced.

Journal

Students will keep an electronic journal of all that they are learning regarding advocacy research, policies, and doctrine discussed throughout the semester. This will be assessed weekly and can impact their final grade for better or worse. Students' grades will be reduced if they half-heartedly complete their journals.

Final Self-Assessment

At the end of the semester, students will reflect on their efforts throughout the course and grade themselves according to what they think they deserve to earn for their Zoom meetings and journal assignments. Please note that while these self-grades will be considered, they may or may not be a reflection of the actual Citizenship grades.

Late Work Policy

Students should complete their work on time, and late work generally will not be accepted. However, the instructor has the discretion to accept late work or extend due dates in the case of extenuating circumstances.

Due Dates and Times

All due dates and times for this course are based on BYU-Idaho's time zone, mountain time. Students will need to submit assignments according to on-campus time. If they update their account settings under their names in the upper right, it will calculate due dates and times to on-campus time.

This course includes required synchronous meetings.

Order of Activities in Each Week

Starting with Week 01, students will notice that the course materials are presented in the recommended order of completion. Assignments will have due dates. In order to be successful, students should work through the activities in order. Below is a general weekly pattern of activities:

Early in the week Read Introduction
Read first "Study" page.
By midweek Read the second "Study" page.
Read the third "Study" page (if applicable).
Participate in the Zoom discussion and submit the link for your recorded meeting.
By the end of the week Complete weekly the assignment (in Weeks 02, 04, 05, 06, 08, 10, 12, 13, and 14).
Submit weekly journal entry.

 

Teamwork

This course involves group work. Students will be assigned to a small group to work, study, and learn together. A major function of the teams is to collaborate, discuss, investigate, teach, and counsel with one another. For those who hope to coast while their group does all the work, they should remember that the Lord has said, "let every man [and woman] be diligent in all things. And the idler shall not have place in the church" (D&C 75:29).

Zoom

As explained previously, this course will require that students participate in live, synchronous meetings using Zoom with their assigned small groups once a week, starting with Week 02 and going through the end of the semester. Zoom is a free program, and after a few simple steps, students will have their account set up. They can use the student help guide, How Do I Get Started with Zoom? to get started with Zoom.

Additionally, the instructor will make an effort to arrange the groups according to time zones to make the coordination of these meetings easier for everyone, but please be aware that such accommodations may not be possible for everyone or in every single week. As students organize their time throughout the semester, they need to remember to budget in the time for those live meetings.

Importance of Active Learning

A vital principle to learning is to "act for themselves and accept responsibility for learning and teaching" (BYU-Idaho Learning Model). To become an engaged learner, students must read the assigned material, post to discussion boards, ask questions, and share insights. Moreover, they have a responsibility to contribute to the learning community by "loving, serving, and teaching one another." Students should keep this in mind as they review the course assignments and requirements.

What Does Baptism have to do with the Honor Code?

BYU-I students are responsible for abiding by all established University Policies and Standards. Although these policies are described in detail, we want to provide one specific point and some additional thoughts. Please be aware that penalties for academic dishonesty are determined by the instructor's policy, and can vary depending on the severity of the misconduct. While this is the policy for this course, it is expected that students will be honest in their academic conduct.

At baptism, we covenanted to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9). Students should ponder this if they are ever tempted to be dishonest in their work or to do anything that does not witness their commitment to the Savior. As the prophet Jacob once said, "O be wise, what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12).

Program Statement for Marriage and Family Studies

March 2021

As the world is becoming more diverse in its values and perspectives on marriage and the family, it becomes increasingly important that students and faculty understand our mission as a major in Marriage and Family Studies at BYU-Idaho. Consistent with the University, our mission is to prepare family life professionals to strengthen families throughout the world as true disciples of Jesus Christ, as outlined in the doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Regardless of current or future philosophies or practices related to the family unit, the major of Marriage and Family Studies at BYU-Idaho is built upon The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Although this program will explore a variety of views and perspectives on the family, and each student is entitled to his or her own beliefs, it will emphasize research and theory and be guided by eternal truths as taught by the Lord’s prophets. In short, our major strives to follow the admonition from President Dallin H. Oaks that “every generation has its tests and its chance to stand and prove itself. I believe our attitude toward and use of the family proclamation is one of those tests for this generation. I pray for all Latter-day Saints to stand firm in that test.” (from “The Plan and the Proclamation,” October 2017 General Conference)

Department Policy Regarding Intellectual Property and Course Materials

All of the materials in this course are covered by fair use and copyright law and are proprietary (intellectual property). Students are not permitted to sell, post, trade, share, distribute, or send any information contained in this course (including outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, or images of the same, etc. including students' own work for this course) to any parties outside of this course (Course Hero, Quizlet, Google Docs, etc.) by any means (posting, uploading, attachments, etc.) without the express written permission from the creator of these works and the Department Chair. Any of these actions violate the Academic Honesty policies of Brigham Young University-Idaho (please see Academic Honesty) and will be dealt with as such. The materials in this course are also intellectual property, and taking any materials from the course and posting them outside of this course in any manner will be construed as theft and distribution of intellectual property. If students engage in any of these actions, or use any of these materials without authorization, the instructor has the right to impose an appropriate academic sanction (in other words, give them a failing grade for the assignment and/or fail them from the course). Additionally, the respective Course Lead, Program Lead, and/or Department Chair also reserve the right to impose appropriate academic sanctions regardless of any imposed by the instructor.

University Policies

Students with Disabilities

BYU-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by BYU-Idaho Disability Services. If you need assistance or feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established policy and procedures.

If you have any disability that may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact Disability Services as soon as possible, preferably before the beginning of the semester, in order to ensure that you receive appropriate accommodations.

Disability Services Contact Information:

Academic Honesty 

Academic Honesty means students do their own work. Students should not be dishonest—this includes all types of work in their courses.

Examples of academic dishonesty include:

  • Plagiarism
  • Fabrication or Falsification
  • Cheating
  • Academic misconduct
  • Uploading or sharing BYU-Idaho course content and material without permission

The materials in this course are also intellectual property and taking any materials from the course and posting them outside of this course in any manner (such as posting on Course Hero) will be construed as theft. If you post course materials without authorization, the instructor has the right to impose an appropriate academic sanction (e.g., give you a failing grade for the assignment and/or fail you from the course).

Go to the Student Resources module to review the university policies regarding honesty, online etiquette, communication expectations, etc.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due