Lesson Plans
Click on the tabs below to view the lesson plan for each chapter.
Chapter 1
From Reluctant Student to Passionate Proponent
How Youth Have Used Family Policy to Change the World
Objectives
To give students an understanding of the course goals and requirements, to explain the unique perspective that family policy brings to policymaking, and to encourage personal reflections on the dimensions and consequences of changes in family life during the last quarter century.
Required Readings
Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 1
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights
[Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch1.docx) Bogenschneider (2014)- What life lessons do we learn in families?
- Identify two or three public policies that impact you, your close relationships, and/or family members (either now or in the future).
- What policy efforts have you been involved in?
- What policy efforts would you like to get involved in? Why?
Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch1.pptx)
- Synopsis of the Course. Overview the rationale for the course from Chapter 1, particularly how important family policy is and how students have been involved in family policymaking in this country and abroad.
- Getting Started. Distribute syllabus and discuss course expectations and student goals. Explore the range of personal experiences both you as the instructor and the students bring to the course. Review the educational philosophy of the course.
Resource: Philosophies and Strategies for Teaching Family Policy in Undergraduate and Graduate Classrooms [Link] (Link to Strategies.pdf)
- Demographic Changes in Family Life. The following activity helps students comprehend how much family life has changed in only one generation. This activity brings family demographic changes up close and personal by drawing upon experiences in their own families.
Activity 3: “How Much Have Families Changed in Your Lifetime?” helps students understand the changes that have occurred in family life over the last generation. [Activity] (Link to Activity 3.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- The Role of Citizens in a Democracy. As cited in the chapter, President G. W. Bush in his 2001 inaugural address calls for citizens to take personal responsibility for those less fortunate by showing compassion, hope, and humanity. President Bush says that what citizens do for their country is as important as what government does in the section from 8:36 to 13:17. (14:57) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXzgMdj5urs
- Keli Carender, Originator of the Tea Party Movement, Washington. These three videos give an overview of the Tea Party Movement, an introduction to Keli Carender, and an example of the Tea Party’s creative protesting.
- CBS Video on the Tea Party Movement’s beginnings and the role played by Keli Carender. 2010. (1:39) [Video] http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6994578n
- Keli Carender Introduces herself. 2010. (1:27) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbeJyGRNmOM#t=15
- Keli Carender at a Seattle protest, singing a song she wrote about people on welfare that highlights the Tea Party’s concerns about reliance on government. 2012. (2:01) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoZWetk8mG0
- Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Protests. This PBS News Hour coverage of the Collective Bargaining Protests shows footage of the protests that were launched, in part by students from the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association. The basis of the controversy is presented in the first 9 minutes. (10:14) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDcfqeIT0PA
- Ira Sharenow and Cigarette Smoke, Wisconsin. Ira Sharenow received the Mother Jones’ Hellraiser award for his work on banning indoor cigarette smoke in restaurants in his hometown and eventually across the state. This article written in 1996 describes his activism. [Resource] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1996/09/mojos-september-hellraiser
- Barbara Johns and the Civil Rights Movement, Virginia. At age 16, Barbara Rose Johns Powell became a civil rights activist. In response to her dissatisfaction with conditions at the Prince Edward County school, a teacher advised that she do something about it. So she did. Read more in her biography from the Robert Russa Moton Museum. [Resource] http://www.motonmuseum.org/biography-barbara-rose-johns-powell/
- Building Skills to Get Involved in Family Policy. For examples of how to get involved and the skills needed to be successful, see the Skill Building section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] www.familyimpactseminars.org
Homework
Students should come to class with responses to the discussion questions for the following week. (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch1.docx)
Chapter 2
Objectives
To examine why families are marginalized in policymaking and what recent changes have occurred in family life.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 2
- Coontz, S. (1997). What we really miss about the 1950s. In The way we really are: Coming to terms with America's changing families (pp. 33–50). New York: Basic Books.
- Hernandez, D. J. (2005). Changes in the demographics of families over the course of American history. In J. Heymann and C. Beem (Eds.), Unfinished work: Building equality and democracy in an era of working families (pp. 13–35). New York: The New Press.
- Tocqueville, A. (1945). Democracy in America, Vol. 2, (pp. 104–106, 109–113, 114–118). New York: Vintage Books.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch2.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Are family considerations given as high a priority in policymaking as economic considerations? Why or why not? Give examples to support your view.
- Give three explanations for the marginalization of families in policymaking.
- Is lack of interest from policymakers a plausible explanation for the marginalization of families in policymaking? Cite examples from current and former policymakers.
- What changes have occurred in family life during the last half century? Provide data that indicate how extensive these changes have been.
Tocqueville (1945)
- What are the differences between an aristocracy and a democracy?
- Why is a democracy more apt to lead to individualism?
- What are the benefits for a democracy of citizen participation in public associations?
Hernandez (2005)
- Do you agree or disagree that children should be the primary unit of statistical analysis? Can you reconcile Hernandez's view of a child focus with the emphasis in this course on a family focus?
- What are the revolutionary changes that Hernandez contends have occurred from the Civil War to World War II?
- What revolutionary transformations have occurred since World War II?
- In the 1980s, what percent of children lived in Ozzie and Harriet families? How can this number be deceiving?
- According to Hernandez's definition of the relative poverty threshold, what percent of families live below the poverty threshold?
- Why should baby boomers be interested in the economic prospects of immigrant children?
- What policy recommendations does Hernandez offer? Would you consider these recommendations more liberal or conservative? Does providing policy recommendations from one perspective affect the reader's confidence in the demographic data Hernandez provides?
Coontz (1997)
- In the 1996 poll, why did more Americans choose the 1950s than any other decade as the best time for children to grow up?
- Why was the choice of the best decade not universal across all respondents?
- What aspects of life in the 1950s should be reinstated? What aspects could be reinstated?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch2.pptx)
- Why Family Policy Is so Controversial. This discussion examines what factors make it difficult to reframe family policy and why gridlock occurs. The nine questions included in this activity never fail to stimulate discussion of the fault lines that make family policy so controversial for students individually and for society as a whole.
Activity 2: “Why Family Policy Is so Controversial and Difficult to Move Forward” introduces why it is important to study family policy and how controversial it can be. [Activity] (Link to Activity 2.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout For Activity 2.docx)
- Should Children or Families be the Primary Unit of Analysis? Making data available on a problem or a pending crisis for individuals (e.g., children) can often evoke public interest in an issue; however, one role for family professionals may be pointing out that the best policy response may be family-oriented. See instructor insights for the Hernandez reading (Hernandez (2005) Discussion Question 1).
- How Family Data Can Be Misleading. Family professionals need to read data carefully to see which kinds of families are included and excluded from the data. See discussion about family structure and relative poverty in instructor insights for the Hernandez reading (Hernandez (2005) Discussion Questions 4 and 5).
- Implications of Changes in Family Demographics. Changes in family life need to be considered carefully to assess both positive and negative consequences.
Video and Web Resources
- Examples of presidential candidates speaking to the important functions families fulfill for their members and society:
In a campaign rally in North Carolina in November 2008, candidate Barack Obama eulogized his recently deceased grandmother, describing the role that she played and that other parents and grandparents play in the lives of their children and grandchildren. The section from 0:47 to 1:50 is quoted in Chapter 2 of the Bogenschneider text. (5:47) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5oMY6_kCoo Presidential candidate John McCain cited the importance of family functions when introducing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. This may be one of the first times that the performance of family roles was cited as one criterion for qualification as the vice president of the United States. The section from 4:56 to 7:10 is quoted in Chapter 2 of the Bogenschneider text. (26:38) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx4XaE9v-pk
- Six Disruptive Demographic Trends: What Census 2010 Will Reveal. This article from January 2011 presents an overview of some of the major demographic changes that affect family life. [Resource] http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/kenan-institute/publications/census-2010-trends
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch2.docx)
Chapter 3
Defining Family Policy
An Identity of Its Own
Objectives
To examine the definition of family policy and the family impact lens in policymaking; to discuss the extent of individualism in American culture, whether a shift toward familism is possible, and, if so, how this shift could occur.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 3
- Bellah, R. N., Madsen, R., Sullivan, W. M., Swidler, A., and Tipton, S. M. (1996). Habits of the heart: Individualism and commitment in American life. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
- Hewlett, S. A. (1991). When the bough breaks: The cost of neglecting our children (pp. 138–167). New York: Basic Books.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch3.docx).
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Would substance abuse be classified as a family policy? What criteria would you apply to define an issue as family policy?
- What qualities can family policy and the family impact lens bring to policymaking?
- Is a single definition of family needed to move family policymaking forward? Why or why not?
- How could you briefly explain to a policymaker why it is important for them to consider families in their decisions?
Bellah et al. (1996)
- Is American culture focused more on individualism or commitment to others? What evidence can you provide? Can you think of examples from your personal experience?
- Do families influence American individualism? If so, how and why? What other factors play a role?
- Is a cultural shift toward individualism or familism possible? How would this happen?
Hewlett (1991)
- What is the main point of the article? Did it surprise you?
- What facts in the Hewlett reading did you find most surprising?
- Why do children fare so poorly?
Children lack the political clout of the elderly for a number of reasons:
- Children are dependent upon adults for support and for advocacy.
- Children do not vote or pay taxes.
- Children do not contribute to campaigns, lobby, or make political speeches.
- Children are least able to represent themselves in political decision making.
- How can we meet the needs of children without pitting their needs against those of the elderly? Be specific.
If there were easy answers, this dilemma would have been dealt with long ago. Some possible approaches are given below:
- Reframing the Question: Instead of asking how we could meet the needs of children and the elderly, could we reframe the question to society's role in supporting vulnerable populations? For example, special-needs children and the elderly with chronic or disabling conditions both need long-term care, but the lobbying typically occurs separately and often has different agendas.
- Economic Perspective: Could the need to invest in children be framed from an economic perspective? Could a case be made that the economic cost of inaction may outweigh the economic costs of action? For example, would it work to argue that early investment may cost far less than ignorance, illness, teen pregnancy, and welfare dependency? Can we argue that we cannot afford not to do this? Could we contend that allowing parents to take family leave will help their children become better workers down the road? Will investments in children increase their earnings potential, which eventually will benefit the economy and increase contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund? Given the economic benefits of investing in family support, should taxes be raised and/or should the tax system be made more progressive to provide sufficient revenues for meeting the needs of both vulnerable children and the elderly?
- Family Perspective: Could support for children and the elderly be framed as a commitment to stronger families? Would it be more politically feasible to discuss the role of public and private institutions in supporting the caregiving role of families rather than government supporting individuals within families?
- Documenting a Need: Can data mobilize support for investing in children? For example, how persuasive are data demonstrating the success of government policy in raising the elderly out of poverty and the lack of success in raising children out of poverty?
- Political Activism: Can the well-organized and well-financed lobbying capacity of the elderly through organizations such as the American Association for Retired People (AARP) be tapped to advocate for children? Could existing child advocacy organizations such as the liberal Children's Defense Fund and the conservative Focus on the Family join forces on specific issues to move a political agenda forward?
- Appeals to Altruism: As people age, their thoughts may turn to what legacy they will leave for those who follow. Would the elderly respond to appeals of a moral responsibility, not only to their own offspring, but also to all children, on whom the future of the country depends? In a democracy, do all children deserve the opportunity to do well? Do those who have done well have an obligation to pay back society by giving today's children the same opportunities that they had when they were young?
- Grass-Roots Organization: Instead of looking to government, would it make more sense to organize citizens at the grass-roots level to support children and the families in which they live? Instead of asking what government can do for children, should we ask what we can do to improve the well-being of children in our neighborhoods and communities?
- Generational Accounting Procedures: Instead of framing accounting around annual budget deficits, some economists have recommended that the government use generational accounting, which measures the amount current and future generations can be expected to pay in net taxes (i.e., the taxes paid minus any government transfers received). According to these economists, U.S. fiscal policy is seriously out of kilter because current taxing and spending policies provide substantial net gains to older citizens with the costs borne by today's and future children. For example, today's 65-year-old male is estimated to secure a net gain of $74,000 if current policies continue in the future, whereas a 30-year-old male incurs a net loss of over $205,000. Tracking expenditures in this way provides insight into whether fiscal policies are present- or future-oriented and whether they will help or hurt the current and future generations of children. (For further information, see Haveman, R. (1994). Generational accounting as an alternative to public budgets and deficits. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 8(1), pp. 95–111.)
Powerpoint, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch3.pptx)
- Definition of Family Policy and Family. The following activities lead students through a critique of a number of definitions of family policy and family to help them grasp why definitions can be so controversial.
Activity 4: “What is a Family and What is Family Policy?” helps students think through the importance of what is and is not included in definitions. [Activity] (Link to Activity 4.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 4.docx)
Activity 17: “Grandparent Visitation Rights Debate” by Tammy Henderson illustrates the controversy involved in family policy issues when the rights of different individual members of a family conflict with each other. [Activity] (Link to Activity 17.docx)
Activity 19: “Family Policy Definitions” by Denise Skinner helps students grasp what is within and outside the parameters of the field. [Activity] (Link to Activity 19.docx)
Activity 20: “Family Policy Dimensions” by Denise Skinner illustrates the broad-ranging dimensions of family policy. [Activity] (Link to Activity 20.docx)
- An Elevator Speech for Family Policy. This activity encourages students to think about the rationale for family policy and how to explain it to a friend, a family member, or a policymaker.
Activity 32: “An Elevator Speech for Family Policy” helps students clearly and concisely state why family policy is important for families and for society. [Activity] (Link to Activity 32.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 32.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Robert Bellah Discusses the Link between Individualism and Politics. In this Bill Moyers interview on September 27, 1988, sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, lays out the challenge that the next generation faces in creating an interdependent society. He discusses the invasion of the market economy into public life and how it can corrupt the decisions of policymakers and citizens. Bill Moyer’s introduction of the segment through 12:40 includes many of the course concepts. (26:08) [Video] http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/archives/bellahwoi_flash.html
- Carl Dunst on the Characteristics and Consequences of Family-Centered Practices on Parent, Family, and Child Outcomes. In this 2011 lecture, developmental psychologist Carl Dunst summarizes over 30 years of research on family-centered practices. He defines family-centered practice and the theory on which it is based between 4:00 and 5:30. (1:00:19) [Video] http://vimeo.com/20762730
- Robert Bellah’s Views on Family and the Future of Family Policy. In this Bill Moyers interview on September 27, 1988, sociologist Robert Bellah discusses a framework for considering the diversity of family forms that exist in the United States today. He also raises the possibility that the United States, like most other nations, could develop a family policy in the short segment between 23:48 and 26:26. (27:45). [Video] http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/archives/bellahwoi_flash.html
- Theodora Ooms’ Evaluation of Policies to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce. On October 21, 2011, the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation hosted an event to release a new report from the Institute for American Values, "Second Chances: A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce." [Handout] (http://americanvalues.org/secondchances/) Co-authors Professor William Doherty and Justice Leah Ward Sears presented the report's findings with commentary provided by Robert Rector from the Heritage Foundation and Theodora Ooms from the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center. The remarks of Theodora Ooms begin with an historical overview of the marriage and divorce agenda in the context of policy. She specifically addresses why the domestic violence community will resist policies to reduce unnecessary divorce and how to address these concerns. Ooms discusses the policy dynamics between 32:00 and 40:00. (56:55) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFVCpIBw-f0
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch3.docx).
Chapter 4
How Families Support Society and How Societies Support Families
Objectives
To consider an evidence-based rationale for the contributions that families make to society illustrated with examples from around the world on how societies support these key family functions.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 5
- Skocpol, T. (1997). A partnership with American families. In S. B. Greenberg and T. Skocpol (Eds.), The new majority: Toward a popular progressive politics (pp. 104–129). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Strach, P. (2006). The politics of family. Polity, 38, 151–173. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.polity.2300033
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights[Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch5.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- What kinds of arguments are most effective when communicating the public value of families to policymakers?
- What are four key contributions that families make to society? What research evidence did you find most compelling for each?
- In what ways do family policies in the United States differ from those in other countries? What values underlie these policy choices?
- How do Sweden and the United States differ in the ways that family policy is targeted and structured?
- Is it possible to focus too much on individuals? What are the consequences of too much individualism?
- Is it possible to focus too much on familism? Would it matter if we did?
Skocpol (1997)
- Is the United States a social policy laggard? Why or why not?
- What rationale does Skocpol give for supporting families?
- What does Skocpol propose to promote family well-being in public policies and programs?
- Why does Skocpol say we should focus on families rather than children?
Strach (2006)
- How is family both an end policy goal and a means to other policy goals? Give examples of each.
- What does it mean that families act as a “shadow government”? Give three examples. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this shadow government for families?
- Why is family used so frequently in political speeches? Cite examples of what purposes family can serve in public policy discourse.
Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch5.pptx)
- Comparing Family Policy in the United States with other Countries. The individualistic flavor of policies in the United States becomes apparent when students compare and contrast U.S. family policies with those in other countries. Students can engage in a mini-comparative analysis by identifying the values that underlie the international family policies and the U.S. family policies that are mentioned in the Bogenschneider chapter.
- The Influence of Values in Family Policy Decisions. This activity helps students realize how values shape family policies.
- The Interplay of Facts, Myths, and Values. This activity examines the role of values in public policy debate. It will help students begin to grasp the complicated process by which policies are made through a weighing of facts, myths, and values. The policy that you think is the best option to address a societal challenge will probably be influenced by research evidence, although seldom can research evidence make a “slam dunk” case. The policy option that you deem most desirable is likely to also be influenced by values—who you think is most affected by recent demographic changes, which values are more important, and what types of policy responses are likely to be the most effective over the long run.
Activity 21: “Culture Clash” by Steven Wisensale illustrates a cultural clash based on an incident that actually occurred in New York City in the 1990s. [Activity](Link to Activity 21.docx)
Activity 10: “Flinchbaugh’s Worm Exercise: The Role of Facts, Myths, and Values in Public Policy” illustrates that public policy is influenced, not only by facts and their absence, but also by values; the instructor needs to create a visual for this activity. [Activity] (Link to Activity 10.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Doing Better for Families. All 34 countries associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) want to give parents more choice in their work and family decisions. This 2011 book from the OECD, Doing Better for Families, looks at the different ways in which governments support families. It seeks to provide answers to questions such as: What is the trend in spending on family benefits and does it vary by the age of the child? Has the economic crisis affected public support for families? Do parental leave programs influence mothers’ labor force participation and children’s well-being? Is the cost of childcare an impediment to parental employment and would flexible workplace options help? What is the best time for mothers to go back to work after childbirth? What policies are most effective in reducing poverty among single mothers? [Resource] http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264098732-en
- Making a Difference: A European Perspective on Research to Policy. This footage is from the 30th anniversary of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children meeting in St. Andrews, Scotland in June of 2013; during a session entitled "Making a Difference: HBSC Research Data into Policy Action," the host, Professor Peter Donnelly, opens the proceedings by discussing how frustrated the research community gets when policymakers do not hear research findings or act upon them. He then describes how the policymaking community wants to do the right thing and why it is difficult to capture their attention. His analysis of the difficulty of translating research into policy from a European perspective is strikingly similar to the U.S. experience. His analysis runs from 1:52 to 4:40 after which he introduces the speakers—Antony Morgan, Dominic Richardson, and Susan Sawyer. Each of them speak for five minutes starting at minute 8:00 (1:23:13) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2iPXR9Wk0
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch5.docx)
Chapter 5
How Families Support Society and How Societies Support Families
Objectives
To consider an evidence-based rationale for the contributions that families make to society illustrated with examples from around the world on how societies support these key family functions.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 5
- Skocpol, T. (1997). A partnership with American families. In S. B. Greenberg and T. Skocpol (Eds.), The new majority: Toward a popular progressive politics (pp. 104–129). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Strach, P.(2006). The politics of family. Polity, 38, 151–173. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.polity.2300033
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights[Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch5.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- What kinds of arguments are most effective when communicating the public value of families to policymakers?
- What are four key contributions that families make to society? What research evidence did you find most compelling for each?
- In what ways do family policies in the United States differ from those in other countries? What values underlie these policy choices?
- How do Sweden and the United States differ in the ways that family policy is targeted and structured?
- Is it possible to focus too much on individuals? What are the consequences of too much individualism?
- Is it possible to focus too much on familism? Would it matter if we did?
Skocpol (1997)
- Is the United States a social policy laggard? Why or why not?
- What rationale does Skocpol give for supporting families?
- What does Skocpol propose to promote family well-being in public policies and programs?
- Why does Skocpol say we should focus on families rather than children?
Strach (2006)
- How is family both an end policy goal and a means to other policy goals? Give examples of each.
- What does it mean that families act as a “shadow government”? Give three examples. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this shadow government for families?
- Why is family used so frequently in political speeches? Cite examples of what purposes family can serve in public policy discourse.
Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch5.pptx)
- Comparing Family Policy in the United States with other Countries. The individualistic flavor of policies in the United States becomes apparent when students compare and contrast U.S. family policies with those in other countries. Students can engage in a mini-comparative analysis by identifying the values that underlie the international family policies and the U.S. family policies that are mentioned in the Bogenschneider chapter.
- The Influence of Values in Family Policy Decisions. This activity helps students realize how values shape family policies.
Activity 21: “Culture Clash” by Steven Wisensale illustrates a cultural clash based on an incident that actually occurred in New York City in the 1990s. [Activity] (Link to Activity 21.docx)
- The Interplay of Facts, Myths, and Values. This activity examines the role of values in public policy debate. It will help students begin to grasp the complicated process by which policies are made through a weighing of facts, myths, and values. The policy that you think is the best option to address a societal challenge will probably be influenced by research evidence, although seldom can research evidence make a “slam dunk” case. The policy option that you deem most desirable is likely to also be influenced by values—who you think is most affected by recent demographic changes, which values are more important, and what types of policy responses are likely to be the most effective over the long run.
Activity 10: “Flinchbaugh’s Worm Exercise: The Role of Facts, Myths, and Values in Public Policy” illustrates that public policy is influenced, not only by facts and their absence, but also by values; the instructor needs to create a visual for this activity. [Activity](Link to Activity 10.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Doing Better for Families. All 34 countries associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) want to give parents more choice in their work and family decisions. This 2011 book from the OECD, Doing Better for Families, looks at the different ways in which governments support families. It seeks to provide answers to questions such as: What is the trend in spending on family benefits and does it vary by the age of the child? Has the economic crisis affected public support for families? Do parental leave programs influence mothers’ labor force participation and children’s well-being? Is the cost of childcare an impediment to parental employment and would flexible workplace options help? What is the best time for mothers to go back to work after childbirth? What policies are most effective in reducing poverty among single mothers? [Resource] http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264098732-en
- Making a Difference: A European Perspective on Research to Policy. This footage is from the 30th anniversary of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children meeting in St. Andrews, Scotland in June of 2013; during a session entitled "Making a Difference: HBSC Research Data into Policy Action," the host, Professor Peter Donnelly, opens the proceedings by discussing how frustrated the research community gets when policymakers do not hear research findings or act upon them. He then describes how the policymaking community wants to do the right thing and why it is difficult to capture their attention. His analysis of the difficulty of translating research into policy from a European perspective is strikingly similar to the U.S. experience. His analysis runs from 1:52 to 4:40 after which he introduces the speakers—Antony Morgan, Dominic Richardson, and Susan Sawyer. Each of them speak for five minutes starting at minute 8:00 (1:23:13) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2iPXR9Wk0
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch5.docx)
Chapter 6
How Society Shapes Families
A U.S. View
Objectives
To examine how families are shaped by the cultural, economic, political, and social contexts in which they occur by comparing the United States with other Western societies.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 6
- Daly, K. J. (2001). Deconstructing family time: From ideology to lived experience. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(2), 283–294.
- Hewlett, S. A., and West, C. (1998). The war against parents: What we can do for America’s beleaguered moms and dads (pp. 88–97). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
- McLanahan, S., and Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps (pp. 1–18). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch6.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- In what ways is family life universal?
- How does family life in the United States differ from that in other Western nations?
- Provide examples that individualism is held as a cultural ideal in the United States.
- Give an example of how Americans move back and forth between the cultural ideals of individualism and marriage.
- In what specific ways is family commitment shaped by a strong market economy?
- When countries such as the United States have a smaller government safety net, how does this affect family life? Be specific.
Daly (2001)
- What does Daly say has contributed to the growing urgency about time in families?
- Do you agree or disagree with Daly’s selection of a sample?
- How do families develop views about family time? What do they expect?
- What was the most common complaint about family time?
- What were some of the impediments to family time?
- How did families respond when the “real” of family time did not meet the “ideal”? What should be changed—the “real” or the “ideal”?
McLanahan and Sandefur (1994)
- According to the authors, do children raised by only one parent do just as well as children raised by both parents? Why or why not?
- What factors do the authors say affect child well-being in single-parent families?
- Should research on the effects of single parenthood on child well-being control for income? Why or why not?
Here's a suggested format for leading this discussion.
Judith Stacey, a prominent writer on this topic, claimed at a talk at NCFR several years ago that when you compare families of similar income, there are no differences in child outcomes as a function of family structure. Do you think this is a fair statement?
Researchers who study single-parent families disagree about the best way to conduct research on this controversial topic. In statistical tests, controlling for a variable removes the effect of the variable from the analysis. In studies of child outcomes in single-parent families, researchers disagree about whether analyses should control for income. On average, children who grow up in low-income families do less well than children who grow up in families with more income.
If you control for income in studies of single-parent families, which means that you remove the effects of income from the analysis, would you underestimate or overestimate the effects of single parenthood on child outcomes?
Controlling for income underestimates the negative effects of single parenthood because you are treating all families as if their income was the same. Some researchers contend that this is not a realistic comparison of single-parent and two-parent families because 1 of 2 single parent families are poor and 1 of 10 married couple families are poor. Thus, children growing up in single-parent families are five times more likely to be poor. If the parents had chosen to live together, the income available to the child would have been higher.
If you do not control for income and you treat all families as if they are the same, would you underestimate or overestimate the effects of single parenthood on child outcomes?
Running analyses with no controls for income would overestimate the negative effects of single parenthood. Some of the observed effects are due to low income and would occur whether there are one or two parents. Part of what appears to be an effect of family structure is actually an effect of income.
Of course, it could also be the case that low income precedes divorce or a reluctance to marry after the birth of a child. If so, low income may actually cause a change in family structure.
The authors recommend dealing with this issue by controlling for family income before divorce or before the child was born. Even if you control for family income before divorce, divorce will lead to a drop in income. Thus, low income is also a result of single parenthood. Later in the book, the authors demonstrate that, regardless of what the income was before a divorce, the decline in income following a divorce accounts for as much as half of the increase in high school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, and periods of youth idleness.
- Do McLanahan and Sandefur recommend public debate about single parenthood? Why or why not?
- Why is the discussion of single parenthood so controversial?
- Why are the effects of single parenthood on child well-being important?
Hewlett and West (1998)
- In what ways has the conservative view undermined family life?
- In what ways has the liberal view undermined family life?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch6.pptx)
- How a Nation’s Values Are Expressed in Family Policy. This activity helps students realize that considering a nation’s values is more than a theoretical exercise. Values are expressed and embedded in a nation’s family policies and laws in obvious ways.
Activity 6: “Which Country Is This: The Influence of Values in Family Policy” asks students to figure out the country based on a national family code. [Activity] (Link to Activity 6.docx)[Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 6.docx)
- How Values Are Expressed in U.S. Family Policy. This activity helps students experience firsthand how values are part and parcel of policy debate. This activity focuses on 29 potential policy choices for single-parent families that express a range of value stances.
Activity 5: “Identifying the Trade-Offs Policymakers Face” is an exercise that never fails to generate spirited debate as students experience how policies choices are resolved through debate and compromise among diverse interests with divergent values. [Activity] (Link to Activity 5.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity 5.docx)
Video and Web Resources
Examples of politicians referencing the importance of individualism in American society:
- In a 2011 campaign speech, President Barack Obama discusses the country’s approach to capitalism and references America’s history of “rugged individualism” and skepticism of government. (1:02) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBrm_bjrQQ8
- In this sound clip from a 2012 speech, Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan references the tension in our society between individualism and collectivism, as quoted in Chapter 6 of the Bogenschneider text. (0:16) [Audio] http://www.hark.com/clips/nhnmgzbsnj-paul-ryan-on-individualism-vs-collectivism
- Marriage as a Status Symbol. Sociology professor Andrew Cherlin examines the modern status of marriage in the United States as compared to other Western countries in this 2008 video clip. (2:30) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aSj5tO-qHU
- The Outsourcing of Family and Community Life. Arlie Hochschild discusses her book, The Outsourced Self, in this 2012 interview; she describes how the market has impacted what she calls "intimate life." (4:48) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYsr5JmmD5A
- Parent Views on Time Spent at Work and Home. Parents find their time spent with children more rewarding and also more tiring than time spent at work in this 2013 analysis from the Pew Research Center; the report examines gender differences in which types of activities parents engage in and what meaning they find in these activities. A press release of the report is at this link. [Resource] http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/10/08/parents-time-with-kids-more-rewarding-than-paid-work-and-more-exhausting/. The full report is at this link. [Resource] http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2013/10/parental-time-use_10-2013.pdf
- The Education of Sara McLanahan. This subsection of the longer article, “Dan Quayle Was Right” by Barbara DaFoe Whitehead, summarizes how Sara McLanahan became interested in studying the effects of single parents on children and why she was surprised by the results of her studies. [Resource] http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1993/04/dan-quayle-was-right/307015/
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch6.docx)
Chapter 7
Families as a Legitimate Focus of Public Policy
Yesterday and Today
Objectives
To examine whether families are primarily a private matter or a legitimate target of public policy and to consider the roles played in building family policy by philanthropy, international conventions, and federal/state laws; to drill down specifically on the dynamics, causes, and consequences of poverty, what role policy can play, and whether policy has disparate impacts depending upon race/ethnicity, class, disability, income, and so forth.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 7
- Corbett, T. (1993). Child poverty and welfare reform: Progress or paralysis? Focus, 15(1), 1–17. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Institute for Research on Poverty.
- Searle Grannis, K., and Sawhill, I. V. (2013). Improving children's life chances: Estimates from the Social Genome Model. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/10/11-improving-childrens-life-chances-sawhill-grannis/11-improving-childrens-life-chances-sawhill-grannis.pdf
- Wilson, W. J. (1987). The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass, and public policy (pp. 140–164). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch1.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Do American citizens believe that government should support families? Are some families more deserving of support than others?
- Is government support for family policy needed? Why or why not?
Michael Laracy, Program Officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, explained the need for government involvement in family policy this way at an October 10, 2013, talk at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He explained that the amount of money that the Foundation gives away annually would run the Milwaukee public schools for a couple of months. He cited the words of legendary bank robber, Willie Sutton, when he was asked why he robs banks: "Because that's where the money is." Similarly, if you are interested in making big changes in the lives of families, you need to "go where the money is"—government.
One recent example comes from Minnesota where a group of foundations decided to tackle how the state could improve early learning and school readiness for disadvantaged children. After a series of conversations, what became obvious is that foundations were providing only 2 percent to 4 percent of the funding for the state's early childhood education system. Government involvement was necessary if any dents were to be made in access to and the quality of early childhood education in the state.
- How do federal expenditures on children compare to spending on the elderly? How does federal spending on children compare to spending on nonchild portions of the federal budget?
- Give examples of some of the remarkable changes that family policies have brought about for families in the last decade or so.
- How have recent trends in policymaking affected which families receive benefits, who provides them, and how generous they are?
- Do state government investments in policies and programs matter for families? In what ways?
- Do family policies lead to more or less government? Explain your answer.
Wilson (1987)
- Why have the social conditions of the ghetto underclass deteriorated so rapidly in recent years?
- Why does Wilson say that the increases in inner-city poverty are due to desegregation?
- What is Wilson's hidden agenda?
At this point, I often discuss the differences between universal programs that provide benefits to all families and means-tested programs that provide benefits to only certain categories of people who meet specific eligibility criteria. Examples of universal programs include child support, free public education, Medicare, Social Security, and veteran's benefits. Examples of means-tested programs include fuel assistance, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Food Stamps, Head Start, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Title I, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
I ask students to brainstorm about the consequences of both universal and means-tested programs. Examples are given below.
Consequences of means-tested programs:
- lack of public support; some contend that programs for poor families are poor programs because it is easy to eliminate them during tight economic times
- stigma associated with benefits because they are available only to the poor or needy
- high administrative costs to determine who is and is not eligible
- benefits typically meager—often below the poverty level and often not indexed to inflation
- cutoffs for eligibility are often arbitrary so that people just above the threshold may be in need of benefits, but nevertheless ineligible
- can have unexpected side effects such as discouraging work, savings, and the accumulation of assets.
Consequences of universal programs:
- more costly for society because benefits go to everyone—the rich and poor alike
- easier to generate long-term political support because more people benefit
- lower administrative and overhead costs
- little or no stigma.
Corbett (1993)
- Why has child poverty been so persistent?
- Describe Corbett’s view of the “hard” and “soft” causes of poverty. What perceptions of the poor emanate from each of these explanations?
- Corbett suggests a more heterogeneous view of the dependent poor. What data does he provide to support this view?
- What lessons does Corbett’s view provide for reforming welfare policy? Are new solutions needed? What solutions does Corbett suggest? Be specific.
Searle Grannis and Sawhill (2013)
- Is intervening early in the life of a low-income child enough to improve life prospects at middle age? Why or why not?
- If we invested as much as $25,000 each in low-income kids during early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence, would the long-term benefits of this investment exceed the costs? Why or why not?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint](Link to LectureSlides_Ch7.pptx)
- One Specific Challenge to Family Well-Being—Poverty. Given that poverty is one of the most damaging contexts for individual and family development, it warrants class time discussing the number of families affected, its causes, and consequences. The following article can be assigned as a reading or can provide background for a mini lecture.
Rank, M. R. (2004). The disturbing paradox of poverty in American families: What we have learned over the past four decades. In M. Coleman and L. H. Ganong, Handbook of contemporary families: Considering the past, contemplating the future. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
The article covers:
- the official measurement of poverty;
- its dynamics (e.g., how many people are poor and for how long);
- comparisons to other nations;
- likelihood that Americans will experience poverty during their lifetime;
- three main ways to understand the underlying causes of poverty; and
- the consequences of poverty.
The Corbett paper on the rise and fall of poverty policy in the United States (link provided in the section on video and web resources) provides an excellent overview of the trajectory of poverty policy over the last century.
- The Poor Are Not a Monolithic Group. I use Corbett’s “onion” analogy to illustrate that the poor are not a monolithic group. When describing Corbett’s onion analogy, I sometimes cut an onion in half during class. (Warning: This can be such a powerful activity that it brings students to tears.) As I cut the onion, I describe some of the policies that are needed at the outer layer, the middle section, and the core. (Activity 14 that follows provides a number of examples of diverse policy responses that meet different needs of those in poverty.)
- The Diversity of Policy Responses. Because the poor are so diverse, a number of different policy responses often are needed. To dramatically illustrate that one giant, grand policy may not work, I draw the diagram on the blackboard step-by-step, defining a specific subgroup of the population, and identifying targeted policy responses. This activity is based on a drawing presented in a similar manner in a social policy class taught in the late 1980s by policy gurus, Sheldon Danziger and Irwin Garfinkel.
Activity 14: “The Diversity of the Poor Requires Different Policy Responses” visually portrays how a range of policy responses can respond to different subgroups of the poverty population. [Activity] (Link to Activity 14.docx)
- Measuring and Improving the Life Chances of Low-Income Children. A short paper recently released by the Brookings Institution introduces a new model that examines how socio-economic status affects children and whether policy interventions could change children’s life outcomes (see Searle Grannis and Sawhill reading).
- The Unintended Consequences or Disparate Impact of Policies. Even the best-intentioned policies can have adverse, unintended consequences. Sometimes policies have inadvertent or uneven consequences for families depending upon race/ethnicity, class, disability, or income. For example, the Wilson reading illustrates some of the far-reaching impacts of desegregation that policymakers did not anticipate. The following activity helps students consider the disparate impact of policies for families.
Activity 16: “Understanding Disparate Impact” by Nancy Wicklund Gonzalez illustrates how policies can have intended or unintended impacts on families. [Activity] (Link to Activity 16.docx)
- Current Policy Issues That Affect and Are Affected by Families. Family policy instructors use a number of activities and assignments to entice students to track and get involved in current policies affecting families. See the assignments section of this instructor’s manual for how current policy events are incorporated into the class.
Activity 25: “News Analysis: Policy Values” by Shirley Zimmerman breaks students into groups to analyze a news article related to problems affecting families. [Activity] (Link to Activity 25.docx)
Activity 26: “News Analysis: Problems Experienced by Families in Relation to Society” by Shirley Zimmerman provides a procedure for classroom discussion of news stories. [Activity] (Link to Activity 26.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Tension Around the Appropriate Size and Role of Government. In a 2009 speech to Congress about health care, President Obama recognizes the tension that continues to exist between the private role of individuals and the public role of government. The segment from 41:35 to 45:32 includes the excerpt quoted in Chapter 7 of the Bogenschneider text. A transcript and video are available at the link.(47:51) [Video] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/10/us/politics/20090910-obama-health.html
- Using Kids Count Data to Inform Family Policy Decisions. This video by Voices for Utah Children was created, in part, by students from the University of Utah in 2013, using information from Annie E. Casey’s KIDS COUNT project; it aims to bring KIDS COUNT data and statistics to life by showing what the state is doing right for kids and where improvements could be made. (3:38) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKDbAoJHHfw
- The Truly Disadvantaged. In this 2009 interview for the Kirwan Institute at the Ohio State University, William Julius Wilson provides an historical overview of race and class inequalities in the Black community, the subsequent focus on affirmative action versus full employment policies, and the importance of framing poverty programs broadly in order to lift up those at the lowest levels of poverty. The first eight and a half minutes of the video clip cover the concepts most relevant to this chapter. (10:00) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQWa73_F5EI
- Black Poverty 50 Years Ago and Today. In 1965, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan authored a controversial report that said the decline of the Black nuclear family was a major contributor to Black poverty. Now, five decades later, a 2013 Urban Institute report indicates improvement for middle-class Blacks but not for the Black poor. This segment from National Public Radio examines the causes of Black poverty with the voices of Senator Moynihan, President Obama, and others. (4:07) [Audio] http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/13/190982608/moynihan-black-poverty-report-revisited-fifty-years-later
- The Rise and Fall of Poverty as a Policy Issue. This well-received presentation, given by UW-Madison Senior Scientist Tom Corbett at a fall 2013 event for the Institute for Research on Poverty, overviews the trajectory of poverty policy in the United States over the last century. This talk can be assigned as a class reading or incorporated into a mini lecture on the origins of poverty policy. [Resource]http://www.irp.wisc.edu/newsevents/workshops/teachingpoverty101/participants/Presentations/Corbett-Pov101-Talk.pdf
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch1.docx)
Chapter 8
How Current Policy Issues Can Benefit from the Family Impact Lens
Objectives
To examine the potential of the family impact lens to make valuable contributions to policy and practice decisions on several high-profile issues—early childhood care and education; health care; juvenile crime; long-term care; parent education; and welfare reform.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 8
- Reeves, R. V., and Howard, K. (2013). The parenting gap. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/09/09-parenting-gap-social-mobility-wellbeing-reeves/09-parenting-gap-social-mobility-wellbeing-reeves.pdf
- Reich, R. B. (1996, November 8). My family leave act [Op-ed]. The New York Times, p. A33. Retrieved from http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/documentStore/f/c/g/fcg32d00/Sfcg32d00.pdf
- Wisensale, S. K. (2001). California's paid leave law: A model for other states? In S. K. Wisensale and L. Haas (Eds.), Families and social policy: National and international perspectives (pp. 177–195). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch8.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Give examples of how the family impact lens has impacted the effectiveness, the efficiency, and the implementation of family policies.
- Should early childhood care and education programs be required to include parents? Why or why not?
- In what specific ways have family considerations been incorporated into welfare reform? Do you think including the family impact lens has improved the effectiveness or efficiency of welfare reform policies?
- What role do families play in creating juvenile delinquents? What role can families play in policies aimed at reducing juvenile crime? What process did Washington State use to implement evidence-based policy?
- What five major roles do families play in health and illness? Give examples of each.
- What makes designing long-term care policy more difficult than designing acute care policy? How extensive is family caregiving? What specific policies can support the caregiving that families provide to their members?
Reeves and Howard (2013)
- What are the approaches that policymakers can take to address the parenting gap?
- Which parenting practices influence child outcomes?
- How well are U.S. parents performing?
- What are the characteristics of parents who exhibit the weakest quality of parenting? Why is this important?
- Does the quality of parenting affect child outcomes? At which life stage is it most important?
- Does U.S. policy invest more in supplementing parenting or improving parenting? Do you think public dollars should be spent on parenting? If so, where would you target the dollars for the greatest return on investment?
Wisensale (2001)
- What are the provisions of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?
- In what ways are the provisions family-friendly? In what ways are the provisions not supportive of family well-being?
- Did the FMLA have a negative impact on business?
- What tactics did Clinton use to try to expand the accessibility and affordability of the FMLA when his legislative initiatives were stalled? How successful were these tactics?
- Why was California successful in passing a paid family leave program? Did research play a role? Does Wisensale think California's strategy will work in other states?
- What does research show are the economic impacts of family leave?
- Who does paid family leave benefit most? Is this a political advantage or disadvantage?
Family leave benefits members of higher-income families more than members of lower-income families. The higher the wages of a family member, the greater the value of this benefit. Some political observers would contend that a family benefit for all income levels is more politically sustainable because it is easier to generate broad-based political support. Programs targeted to the poor are more apt to be axed in tight economic times.
Of course, family members who do not work outside the home receive no benefit at all even if the decision to work at home was made primarily to care for young children, the elderly, or those with disabilities.
Reich (1996)
- Does Reich think there is a way to get work and family into balance? What do you think?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch8.pptx)
- The Landscape of Family Policy Issues. Deborah Gentry acquaints students with hot-button issues that have relevance for family policy and popular culture by encouraging students to read books from a suggested list or that are approved by the instructor. Sample books include: For Her Own Good; Bait and Switch; Nickel and Dimed; Reefer Madness; Fast Food Nation; Are You There Alone? The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates; Peace Pilgrim; Riding in Cars with Boys; A Child Called “It”; One Child’s Courage to Survive; Girl Interrupted; Whose Face is in the Mirror; Calendar Girls; etc.
- Activity 15: “Literary Circles” by Deborah Gentry provides a formal process for students to teach each other about hot-button family policy issues by reading relevant books and discussing them in class. [Activity] (Link to Activity 15.docx)
- The Conflicting Priorities Policymakers Face When Passing Family Policies. After policies are passed, it is easy to forget the controversies that arose when policymakers originally made the policy decision. Sometimes the controversies stem from the different perspectives of family members and taxpayers. Sometimes the controversies stem from the different perspectives of different generations. This activity shines a light on some of the controversies that can arise when policymakers face difficult decisions about allocating scarce resources.
Activity 23: “Intergenerational Relations and Policy” by Steven Wisensale illustrates the different perspectives of stakeholders on two public policy issues—issuing fishing licenses and distributing Grandma’s assets. [Activity] (Link to Activity 23.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- A Family Test Applied to All Domestic Policy. In a 2011 speech responding to riots in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameron declares the need to tackle the moral crisis that led to the riots, and specifically references the importance of a public focus on families and parenting. The quote that introduces Chapter 8 of the Bogenschneider text is included in the segment from 1:27 to 3:13. (4:58) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyNE6TZeCBk A transcript of the full speech is included at this link. [Resource] http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/08/society-fight-work-rights
- Any Excuse But Family. When she chaired the Committee for Children, Youth, and Families, former U.S. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder found employees were more comfortable explaining work absences in terms of car trouble than in terms of family issues; she highlights the tendency of our work environments to downplay family considerations. 2013. (1:48) [Video] http://on.aol.com/video/pat-schroeder--any-excuse-but-family-517674825
- Impacts of Welfare-to-Work Programs on Children. Drawing from research conducted by the social policy research organization MDRC, this 2011 video describes primary findings about how different welfare reform strategies affected the well-being of children and adolescents. (5:50) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o4_ZqWohZI&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLA0C2F0EA128C414D
- Impact of Family Involvement on the Education of Children. This 2013 report from MDRC summarizes ten years of research on how families’ involvement in children’s learning and development through activities at home and at school affects the literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills of children ages three to eight. [Resource] http://www.mdrc.org/publication/impact-family-involvement-education-children-ages-3-8?utm_source=MDRC+Updates&utm_campaign=16569d481d-October_31_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_504d5ac165-16569d481d-34966201
- Impact of Long-Term Care on Family Life. In this 2010 video, a filmmaker and a photo journalist reflect on the family effects of providing long-term care for their aging father. (7:10) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwSPpDNfk-0
- Assessing the Family Impact of Policies, Programs, and Practices. For resources on (a) assessing family impact, (b) guidelines for conducting family impact analysis, and (c) examples of family impact analyses on a range of policies and programs, see the Family Impact section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] www.familyimpactseminars.org
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch8.docx)
Chapter 9
Bridging Controversy and Building Consensus
The Theory of Paradox
Objectives
To introduce a theoretical framework for bridging controversy and building consensus; to consider three different worldviews of the consequences of family demographic shifts over the last half-century and what each can contribute to policies that strengthen and support family well-being.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 9
- Schroeder, P. (1984). Changing life cycles: Homemaking and the displaced housewife. In Champion of the great American family (pp. 87–114). New York: Random House.
- Smith, D. E. (1993). The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code. Journal of Family Issues, 14(1), 50–65.
- Stacey, J. (1993). Good riddance to “the family”: A response to David Popenoe. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 545–547.
- Orthner, D. K. (1990). The family in transition. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, and J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the American family (pp. 93–118). Milwaukee: Family Service America.
- Popenoe, D. (1990). Family decline in America. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, and J. B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the American family (pp. 39–51). Milwaukee: Family Service America.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights[Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch9.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Is partisan polarization growing among policymakers, the public, or both? What data support your view?
- What societal trends does the concerned camp focus on? What are the values of the concerned camp? What policy responses do the concerned prefer? What evidence supports the views of the concerned camp? What is their policy agenda?
- What societal trends does the satisfied camp focus on? What are the values of the satisfied camp? What policy responses do the satisfied prefer? What evidence supports the views of the satisfied camp? What is their policy agenda?
- What societal trends does the impatient camp focus on? What are the values of the impatient camp? What policy responses do the impatient prefer? What evidence supports the views of the impatient camp? What is their policy agenda?
- What is the theory of paradox designed to accomplish? What is a true paradox? Give some examples.
A true paradox is two ideas or principles that seem, at first blush, irreconcilable with each other, but prove upon closer scrutiny to be simultaneously valid. For example:
- freedom versus equality
- a focus on children versus adults
- individualism versus familism
- cultural versus institutional change
- whether government is the problem or the solution.
- How can the theory of paradox be applied to welfare reform?
For this example, I use a barbell (on one end I write welfare dependency and on the other end child poverty). I move the barbell while explaining the following:
According to Tom Corbett, he could end welfare dependency in a minute. He would eliminate welfare and there would be no programs to be dependent upon. Of course, if we eliminated welfare programs, we would increase the number of children living in poverty and jeopardize children's well-being (move barbell so that welfare dependency is down and child poverty is up).
Alternatively, we could end child poverty by increasing welfare benefits. Yet increasing welfare benefits would make welfare more attractive and would run the risk of increasing the number of welfare recipients and the prospects that they might become dependent on government assistance (move barbell so that child poverty is down and welfare dependency is up).
Thus, the crux of welfare reform is to reduce welfare dependency by encouraging parental self-sufficiency, but doing so in a way that does not increase child poverty and harm child well-being.
- What examples exist of how using the theory of paradox can help build common ground?
Popenoe (1990)
- As a proponent of the concerned view, what four social trends does Popenoe discuss?
- Can these changes be conceptualized as decline? Can decline be a good thing? In what ways have the changes that have occurred been beneficial?
- What does Popenoe mean by civil society?
- What alternatives for social action does Popenoe discuss?
- If you wanted to discount Popenoe's argument, what would you need to prove?
- Show that children are doing okay or even better than in previous eras.
- Disprove his contention that there is a cultural devaluation of children and childrearing
- Demonstrate that individualism is not rampant in modern society.
- Prove that he is contrasting contemporary society with the 1950s, and offer evidence that the 1950s was an anomaly and consequently not a valid comparison point.
Schroeder (1984)
- As a proponent of the satisfied view, what kind of changes does Schroeder see in society?
- How does Schroeder define family policy?
On page 114, Schroeder defines family policy in this way:
“If we get rid of the inequalities that hinder women, we strengthen the family at the same time. For me, building a family policy has meant finding a way to bridge the gap between public policy and the reality of women’s lives.”
Is improving women’s rights the same as family policy? Or is this definition a thinly veiled guise for individual rights? What about fathers? Are they part of family policy? This definition greatly simplifies the tension between individual rights and family responsibilities. Critics say that equating the needs of women with the needs of families magically creates a coherent argument, but one that fails to acknowledge not only the relationships that define family life, but also the inherent conflict that women and men face in balancing their rights as individuals with their responsibilities as family members (Blankenhorn, 1990).
- Why is this view satisfied?
- What data could she use to better support her arguement?
- data that documents that children are doing okay, even though family roles are changing
- scientific evidence that divorce has no disadvantages for children
- data indicating that improving women's economic status benefits other family members
- rationale and supporting evidence that more equality for women benefits or, at a minimum, does not harm children.
Orthner (1990)
- As a proponent of the satisfied view, does Orthner believe that family values are changing? What is his thesis? How has it occurred? What examples does he give?
- Does his arguement apply equally to all sectors of society?
Critics say that values and norms are inextricably linked and that “you can’t go on revolutionizing norms forever without changing values” (Bellah, 1990, p. 228). For example, when more women work, this could shape a norm of acceptance of women in the workplace. This norm encourages more women to work and eventually the values regarding women’s work will change.
The satisfied focus on those marriages that do not end in divorce, adolescents who do not get pregnant, and adolescents who are happy and graduate from high school. This argument may not apply as well to marriages that break up and children who are less resilient.
Stacey (1993)
- As a proponent of the impatient view, what is Stacey's view of the changes that have occurred in families in the last couple decades?
- Why does Stacey say that we should work to hasten the demise of the family?
- Do you notice any inconsistencies in Stacey's argument?
Stacey argues for more tolerance and acceptance of diverse family forms, yet she is critical of families based on marriage claiming that they are a threat to a democracy. In her words on p. 547:
“Certainly under present conditions of political, economic, social, and sexual inequality, truly egalitarian marriage is not possible for the majority. One can only conjecture whether a fully egalitarian marriage system would be compatible with lifelong commitments to dyadic intimacy under utopian conditions of gender, sexual, racial, and economic justice.”
Her criticism of Popenoe’s contention that the family was the dominant form of social organization in the distant anthropological past may be misleading. Anthropologists such as Moria Eastman (1996) contend that family (in a variety of forms) has been a part of every known human society.
- In what ways does she agree with the concerned camp?
She agrees with the concerned camp regarding the “grim prospects confronting most of our nation’s children” (p. 546).
Smith (1993)
- As a proponent of the impatient view, how would you describe an ideological code in your own words?
- What is the SNAF ideological code? What examples do the authors give of the SNAF ideological code?
- Do you detect any fallacy in her thinking? Is there a potential bias in her argument?
This argument is appealing in the sense that it is hard to know how we are unconsciously shaped by being immersed in a certain set of ideas so well accepted that they are perceived to be true.
Smith argues that female-headed families are not a result of poverty, but that women may choose not to marry. Does this make more sense for some women in society than others? In a 1989 article by McLanahan and Booth, this line of thinking works better for white, middle-class women who can earn enough to lift themselves out of poverty and become independent. The argument does not seem to work as well for poor, minority women. It is hard to argue that the "independence" of poor minority women is a sign of progress for the women and/or their children.
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch9.pptx)
- Proponents of the Concerned, Satisfied, and Impatient Views. Students may find it interesting and enlightening to read the writings and listen to video snippets of proponents from the concerned camp (i.e., Popenoe), the satisfied camp (i.e., Schroeder, Orthner), and the impatient camp (i.e., Stacey, Smith). These views are summarized in Chapter 9, but reading original writing may make the views come alive (see the discussion questions and instructor insights above). Reading publications of the proponents of each worldview may require extending the number of classes assigned to this topic.
- The Diversity of Values and Perceptions That Underlie Family Policy. Too often family policy is conceptualized in simplistic either/or terms—left versus right, liberal versus conservative, or progressive versus traditional. The following activities underscore the diversity of values and perspectives that exist in a pluralistic society.
Activity 1: “How Demographic Changes in Families Affect One’s Political Views: Three Thought Experiments for Introducing Family Policy” illustrates the three worldviews through a reaction to a movie plot, a 1950s photograph of a family, and a scenario comparing the quality of life of infants borns in the 1950s versus today. [Activity] (Link to Activity 1.docx)
Activity 8: “Constructing a Family Policy Map Based on Walljasper’s American Political Landscape” identifies prominent political philosophies and charts their relationship to one another. Visit http://utne.com for permission to reprint “The American Political Landscape” by Jay Walljasper. Instructors will usually receive same-day permission. [Activity]
Activity 29: “My Political Compass” by Julie A. Zaloudek introduces students to political ideologies and personal beliefs/biases. [Activity] (Link to Activity 29.docx)
- The Theory of Paradox. Instructors have developed a number of activities to help students understand the theory of paradox and how it can be used to build common ground.
Activity 18: “Theory of Paradox” by Mark Lederer applies the theory of paradox to retirement security and the federal deficit. [Activity] (Link to Activity 18.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout for Activity18.docx)
Activity 27: “Discerning Among the Concerned, Satisfied, and Impatient Perspectives” helps students differentiate among the three worldviews. [Activity] (Link to Activity 27.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- The Paradox of Welfare Reform—Personal Responsibility and Dependency by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In 1977, after months of pressure from Senator Moynihan, the Carter administration introduced legislation for the federal government to partially take over the local costs of welfare. In support of Carter’s bill, Moynihan argues that welfare reform is all about families. Carter’s bill was debated for three years but never passed. (8:39) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPxkJZsz4Kc
- David Popenoe as a Proponent of the Concerned View. Students can discuss why David Popenoe of the Rutgers National Marriage Project is considered a proponent of the concerned view. Also, students can discuss the emphasis of the interview on economic considerations of cohabitation and whether it is economics that is uppermost in a couple's decision about cohabitation. 2011. (5:10) [Video] http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3874088/wedding-bliss/
- Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder as a Proponent of the Satisfied View. This video will prompt discussions on what life experiences shaped Congresswoman Schroeder’s political views, why she decided to take on women’s and family issues, and what she sees as the role of women in this generation. 2013. (4.22) [Video] http://www.makers.com/pat-schroeder
- Judith Stacey as a Proponent of the Impatient View. Judith Stacey, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, is a prominent spokesperson for the impatient view and discusses her views on the inevitability of diversity. 2012. (2:16) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0_KJasTQTY
- President Barack Obama on the Need to Reach Common Ground. In this address to the 2009 graduating class of Notre Dame, President Obama challenges the graduates to find a way to live together as “one human family.” He reviews the challenges facing this generation, none more important that learning how to reach common ground. He illustrates how common ground can be found on even the most divisive of issues—abortion. The section from 6:57 to 17:00 deals with common ground. (31:06) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwJPOfIQKwA
- Survey Data on Marriage and Families by the Pew Research Center. This 2010 report, The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families, addresses such questions as whether marriage is becoming obsolete, how marriage is affected by money, whether love trumps money, and how the public defines family. [Resource] http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/11/pew-social-trends-2010-families.pdf
- Annual Kids Count Data by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This annual report, the 2012 Kids Count Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-being, illustrates what a difference a state makes in child well-being with its state-by-state tracking of a number of child indicators. [Resource] http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/123/2012KIDSCOUNTDataBook/KIDSCOUNT2012DataBookFullReport.pdf
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch9.docx)
Chapter 10
Looking Back to Move Forward
Lessons from the History of Family Policy
Objectives
To review some of the controversies, dilemmas, and stumbling blocks that the field of family policy has encountered since its origins in the 1970s; to examine three major efforts over the past century to establish family policy in the public arena and to consider whether the themes and cycles of the past will dictate progress in the future.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K., and Corbett, T. (2014). Chapter 10
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch10.docx)
Bogenschneider and Corbett (2014)
- Family policy is a relatively young field, conceived in the 1970s. What have been some of the controversies and defining questions of each decade? How were each of these defining questions resolved?
- The authors give three examples of family policies in the last century. Why are each of these good examples of policies that are aimed at families rather than individuals?
- The advocacy of middle-class women's organizations was family policy in the truest sense because they focused, not only on the child or the woman, but also on the state's interest in preserving families and on the parent's, usually the mother's, responsibility for the child.
- The Children's Bureau aimed to save babies through better mothering and family life. For example, Julia Lathrop helped develop an innovative compensation plan designed to maintain decent living standards for families; half of the wages of soldiers and sailors were paid directly to their wives and children; and a family allowance was provided on a sliding scale of up to $50 per month for families with four or more children.
- The Social Security Act was amended in 1939 to add survivor and dependent benefits, thereby transforming it from a program for an individual worker to a social insurance program for the entire family unit. Widowed mothers received 75 percent of the pension their husband would have received and surviving children received one half of the benefits their father would have received.
- How do individualistic societies such as the United States justify social programs?
- If your goal is to advance family policy, would you be more likely to reach this goal if you pointed out how well families are doing or the risks that families face?
- The authors contend that data collection tends to be focused on individuals rather than families. Can you give examples that support or refute this position?
- To move family policies forward, are individual or structural explanations likely to be more effective? Are political incumbents more likely to use individual or structural explanations? Which explanations are political challengers likely to use?
- How does the structure of our policy and intellectual worlds affect progress in the field of family policy? What structural change might advance the field?
- In what ways has political activism changed recently? What effect might this have on advancing family policy?
- What lessons can be learned from the past about bringing family policy into the mainstream of political debate? Which of these lessons do you think is most compelling? Which is most realistic?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint](Link to LectureSlides_Ch10.pptx)
- The Need for Family Policy. One underlying question in a course on family policy is whether families are self-sufficient. To help students see the interdependence of families and society, I lead a discussion about the public and private institutions that provide support to the family. I tend to get a lively discussion by writing on the board the five main functions of family from Chapter 3: (a) family formation, (b) partner relationships, (c) economic support, (d) childrearing, and (e) caregiving. Then I ask students to brainstorm about what supports families receive from both the public and private sectors. Numerous examples can be found in the following chart and in Table 4.1 of the Bogenschneider text of how family functions are supported by institutions, providers, services, and systems, both public and private. The bottom line is that families do better when supported by close friendships, good schools, and caring communities.
Video and Web Resources
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1939 Annual State of the Union Address to Congress. The President argues that, “Our nation's program of social and economic reform is therefore a part of defense, as basic as armaments themselves.” This speech could be discussed in class to determine the themes that are similar to and different from a state of the union address by a current president. [Resource] http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15684#axzz2iTwii6CY
- Julia Lathrop, Head of the 1912 Children’s Bureau in the Department of Commerce and Labor. Jane Addams and her network of supporters lobbied President William Howard Taft to appoint Julia Lathrop as head of the Bureau. Lathrop became the first woman in charge of a federal government agency. Her impressive career is detailed in this biography from the National Women’s History Museum. [Resource] http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/julia-lathrop/
- The Activism of Florence Kelley Before Women Had the Right to Vote. In 1899, Kelley became head of the National Consumer's League (NCL), a position she held for over 30 years. She also helped organize the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was a founder of the National Child Labor Committee, and contributed greatly to the creation of the U.S. Children's Bureau. Her activism is detailed in this biography from the Harvard University Open Collections Program. [Resource] http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/kelley.html
- The 1921 Sheppard-Towner Act. On November 23, 1921, President Warren Harding signed the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act, which contributed matching federal funds to states to establish and run prenatal and child health care centers. The University of Virginia Miller Center provides historical background. [Resource] http://millercenter.org/president/events/11_23
- The Employment Act of 1946 that Established the Council of Economic Advisers. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan recommended that families are in need of a law such as the Employment Act. Students can read the Social Security Administration Bulletin account of the Employment Act and discuss the ways a similar act could be designed for families. [Resource] http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v9n3/v9n3p25.pdf
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout](Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch10.docx)
Chapter 11
What Policymakers and the Policy Process Are Really Like
Objectives
Because of the power that citizens wield in a democracy, this chapter introduces what citizens need to know about the basics of what government does, how it is structured, and the way the culture of policymaking works; the chapter examines negative stereotypes of policymakers and the policymaking process.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 11
- Ross, R., and Staines, G. L. (1972). The politics of analyzing social problems. Social Problems, 20, 18–32, 37–38. (Note page numbers that are assigned.)
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch11.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- What are the three branches of federal government? What specific powers does the Constitution grant to Congress?
- What is the typical job of a policy administrator? Can you give examples of the influence that policy administrators have on policy development, implementation, and evaluation?
- What are the common steps in the policymaking process that most bills must pass through?
- Is policymaking a rational process? Defend your position.
Ross and Staines (1972)
- When do social problems arise?
- What role can social science play in the definition of social problems?
- How do social problems come to people's attention?
- Does your explanation of the cause of a social problem depend upon your political position (e.g., whether you are in or out of office, an underdog, or serving in a staff role)? How would authorities, underdog partisans, the privileged, staff, and ideologues view welfare reform?
- Overall, how do Ross and Staines conceptualize family policy? How does this differ from the theory of paradox? What are the strengths of Ross and Staines' conceptualization? The weaknesses?
Ross and Staines contend that the policy process is political and that the nature of the outcomes is related over the long run to a constellation of power, influence, and authority. The theory of paradox suggests that the policy process ought to welcome a number of different, equally justifiable solutions and that policy decisions are worked out through negotiation and compromise.
The strengths of the proposition of Ross and Staines include:
- helps explain the partisanship of the political process
- shows the role that social science research can play
- explains the value of problem definition
- seems realistic (in the views of many) in its portrayal of the policymaking process.
The weaknesses of the proposition of Ross and Staines include:
- contends that policy rarely results in redistributing resources from the privileged to the masses
- contends that outcomes are related over the long run to a constellation of power, influence, and authority, but not what is right, just, true, or statesmanlike
- seems to favor system-blame explanations; however, the theory of paradox would suggest that if we move too far in the direction of system-blame solutions that a shift toward person-blame solutions might be necessary and appropriate.
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch11.pptx)
- The Role Professionals Can Play in Getting the Question Right. This activity helps students understand how professionals may be able to move a family issue forward by reframing the policy question. You can ask the students the same question posed to a panel of professionals at a conference several years ago. In Activity 13, three additional examples are given of the importance of getting the question right and of viewing issues through the family impact lens.
Activity 13: “Getting the Question Right: The Role of Professionals in Reframing Policy Debate” illustrates the fundamental importance of how policy questions are framed and of framing issues from a family impact perspective. [Activity] (Link to Activity 13.docx)
- The Role of Personal Values and Beliefs in Policy Debate. This activity can be used for students to examine their own personal values and beliefs on family policy. The activity can also be expanded to a classroom discussion where students vote on the issues so they can see how similarity or differences in values and views affects the ability of policymakers to reach consensus on controversial family policies.
Activity 24: “Legislators and Family Values” by Steven Wisensale illustrates the role that personal values and beliefs play in a range of family policies. [Activity] (Link to Activity 24.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- How a Bill Becomes a Law. This School House Rock video, “I’m Just a Bill,” illustrates how a bill becomes a law. (3:01). [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otbml6WIQPo
- Three Branches of Government. This School House Rock video, “Three Ring Government,” describes the structure of American Government. (3:02) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMY6lOVjQgs
- The Rise of the Tea Party. Theda Skocpol, Professor of Government and Social Policy at Harvard, and Vanessa Williamson, doctoral candidate at Harvard, describe a 2013 book, The New Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism. In this video, they describe Tea Party members as middle-class, older Americans organized in 1,000 grass-roots groups across the country with support from the right-wing media and professional funders. 2012. (10:05). [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8deeSJV0IE
- The Political Agenda of the Progressives. Theda Skocpol, Harvard Professor of Government and Social Policy, describes a new social contract that could position progressives to become a new majority based on a 1977 book that she coauthored with Stanley Greenberg, The New Majority: Toward a Popular Progressive Politics. In this1977 C-Span program, she argues that families raising children are the true heroes of our time grappling with care and support of the elderly at the same time they are making their way in a difficult economy while raising children. The section 34:07 to 40:15 describes her views of the political popularity of a partnership with American families (1:35:05). [Video] http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/92623-1
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch11.docx)
Chapter 12
Building Family-Focused Policy
The Family Impact Toolkit
Objectives
To consider the theoretical frameworks, the pragmatic processes, and the methodological procedures for applying the family impact lens when policies are enacted, programs are established, and practices are implemented.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K., Little, O., Ooms, T., Benning, S., Cadigan, K., and Corbett, T. (2014). Chapter 12
The Family impact guide for policymakers: Viewing policies through the family impact lens. This two-page guide is available at the website of the Family Impact Institute www.familyimpactseminars.org under the family impact section.
Supplemental Reading
- Bogenschneider, K., Little, O., Ooms, T., Benning, S., and Cadigan, K. (2012). The family impact handbook: How to view policy and practice through the family impact lens. Available at the website of the Family Impact Institute www.familyimpactseminars.org under the family impact section.
- Bogenschneider, K., Little, O., Ooms, T., Benning, S., and Cadigan, K. (2012). The family impact rationale: An evidence base for the family impact lens. Available at the website of the Family Impact Institute www.familyimpactseminars.org under the family impact section.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch12.docx)
Bogenschneider, Little, Ooms, Benning, Cadigan, and Corbett (2014)
- What is family impact analysis? What is its purpose? How does it differ from program evaluation?
- In what ways does Kingdon's theoretical framework suggest three different methods for operationalizing the family impact lens?
- How are relational and participatory practices thought to contribute to family self-efficacy?
- What are the five principles that undergird the family impact lens? What evidence suggests that each is an important principle for analyzing how sensitive policies and programs are to family well-being?
- Family impact analysis was first introduced in the 1970s. Why was it not adopted and used more extensively? Do you think the new methods introduced here will be used more frequently and with greater effect?
- Drawing from specific examples from the chapter, what was learned from the family impact analysis that was not previously apparent? In what ways can the findings of family impact analysis benefit policy and program decisions? Were there beneficial effects that a family impact analysis helped promote? Were there harmful effects that a family impact analysis helped avoid?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch12.pptx)
- Critiquing Family Impact Analyses. This activity can be used as an assignment to help students learn how to conduct a family impact analysis, or it can be used as the basis for classroom discussion. This activity provides real-world examples of the contributions that family impact analysis can make to policy decisions. The case studies can be found in Ooms and Preister (1988), A strategy for strengthening families: Using family criteria in policymaking and program evaluation, which is available at no charge at www.familyimpactseminar.org in the family impact section under historical documents. Because the thoroughness of these case studies varies, it provides an opportunity to teach about how to conduct a family impact analysis and to point out some of the strengths and shortcomings of each. As an aid to the instructor, the following activity critiques each case study and describes the outcome of the analysis in the real world.
Activity 12: “Critique of the Family Impact Analysis Case Studies” provides an analysis of the strengths and shortcoming of some real-world family impact analyses. [Activity] (Link to Activity 12.docx)
- Applying Family Impact Analysis to the 14th Amendment. Considering the family impacts of part of the 14th Amendment can generate some provocative, insightful, and nonideological discussion on immigration and deportation.
Activity 31: “Applying the Family Impact Lens to the 14th Amendment” by Jill Steinberg helps students see the value of the family impact perspective on a current, hot-button issue. [Activity] (Link to Activity 31.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Assessing the Family Impact of Policies, Programs, and Practices. For resources on (a) assessing family impact, (b) guidelines for conducting family impact analysis, and (c) examples of family impact analyses conducted on a range of policies and programs, see the Family Impact section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] www.familyimpactseminars.org
- Carl Dunst on the Characteristics and Consequences of Family-Centered Practices on Parent, Family, and Child Outcomes. In this 2011 lecture, developmental psychologist Carl Dunst summarizes over 30 years of research on family-centered practices; he defines what family-centered practices are, how they are measured, and their consequences for parent, family, and child outcomes. The family impact rationale and checklist were heavily informed by this work. He defines family-centered practice between 13:18 and 14:57; he provides an overview of the findings between 36:30 and 39:36; and he summarizes conclusions from 49:23 to 52:12. (1:00:19) [Video] http://vimeo.com/20762730
- Focusing on Families in Congress. Former U.S. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder speaks to the importance of incorporating the voices of women and families in Congress, in order to ensure that policymakers remain in touch with the family issues faced by everyday Americans. 2013. (1:14) [Video] http://on.aol.com/video/pat-schroeder--congresss-millionaires-517674807
- Focusing on Families in Australian Policymaking. The Australian Institute of Family Studies is a research institute within the Australian government charged with providing an evidence base for developing policy and practice related to the well-being of families. Former director Harry McGurk, one of the pioneers of family impact analysis, promoted its use within the Institute; in this brief report from 1994, he discusses the ways in which family considerations are being raised on the public and political agenda. [Resource] http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm/fm39hm.pdf
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch12.docx)
Chapter 13
Building Evidence-Based Family Policy
Insights from the Family Impact Seminars
Objectives
To review the theory, knowledge, and skills that it takes to promote the use of research to build better public policies for families; to examine the core components of the Family Impact Seminars, its track record, and lessons learned about advancing evidence-based policy decisions.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 13
- Shulock, N. (1999). The paradox of policy analysis: If it is not used, why do we produce so much of it? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 18(2), 226–244.
Supplemental Reading
- For Activity 9, instructors might want to assign testimonies by Urie Bronfenbrenner and Miss Dee Pointe. [Activity] [Handouts]
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights[Handout](Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch13.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Why does community dissonance theory suggest that research is underutilized in policymaking? In what specific ways do the Family Impact Seminars incorporate the tenets of community dissonance theory?
Community dissonance theory suggests that the underutilization of research in policymaking is due to a lack of communication between two different communities—research and policy—that operate in distinct professional and institutional cultures with different goals, information needs, languages, and reward systems. The Family Impact Seminars deliberately attempt to focus their efforts on the goals, information needs, and language of the policy culture. For example:
- Policymakers identify the seminar topics to ensure their timeliness.
- The Family Impact Seminars provide good process by communicating the information in the oral format that policymakers prefer—presentations and discussion sessions.
- The Family Impact Seminars record the good content by producing materials that policymakers can refer back to—briefing reports, audio CDs, and web and audio postings of presentations.
- The Seminars provide objective, nonpartisan information, which provides a unique perspective in an influence-driven process such as policymaking.
- The Seminars provide rare opportunities for policymakers to engage in discussion in a neutral, nonpartisan, off-the-record setting. This provides an opportunity to foster relationships and find common ground.
- If you were the evaluator of the Family Impact Seminars, would you focus primarily on how research presented at the Seminar influences a policy decision? Why or why not? What other outcomes might you track?
- Do policymakers value the role that research can play in policy decisions? What evidence supports your view?
- Bogenschneider contends that connecting research and policy is a two-pronged process—encouraging policymakers to become more research-minded and encouraging researchers to become more policy-minded. What impacts have the Seminars had on researchers, on universities, and on our scientific understanding of how research can be used to influence policymaking?
The Family Impact Seminars have influenced researchers, universities, and science in several ways:
- The Seminars have become the face of the university at the legislature in many states.
- Universities have provided staff and funding to support the seminars.
- Other campus organizations and institutes have adopted the seminar process for addressing other issues such as the environment.
- Seminar directors have published books and journal articles on what they are learning about the theory and practice of communicating research to policymakers.
- Seminar directors have conducted trainings at a number of professional societies on how to effectively communicate research to policymakers.
Shulock (1999)
- What conundrum does Shulock address?
- In what ways are Shulock's conclusions similar to those of Bogenschneider in Chapter 13? In what ways are her conclusions different from those of Bogenschneider?
- 3. Shulock sees no reason why an individual analyst must present competing perspectives on an issue. Why does Bogenschneider say this is necessary?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch13.pptx)
- Communicating Effectively with Policymakers. This activity gives students practical experience in identifying those characteristics that make an effective and an ineffective presentation for policymakers. This activity includes a two-page handout that summarizes the importance of knowing who the audience is, what information to include, which approach to use, and how to effectively present information. The activity also includes two testimonies, one by exemplar policy communicator Urie Bronfenbrenner (that was originally presented to Congress), and a second by Miss Dee Pointe (that was designed for this activity). Students find it interesting and illuminating to analyze these two testimonies noting what makes them more or less effective.
Activity 9: “Communicating Effectively with Policymakers: Secrets for Success” by Heidi Normandin engages students in analyzing two testimonies to identify how they are less effective than they could be and what strategies could make them more effective. [Activity] (Link to Activity 9.docx) [Handout] (Link to Handout A for Activity 9.docx) [Handout 2] (Link to Handout B for Activity 9.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Is Partisanship and Polarization Increasing in the U.S.? Advancing the use of evidence in policymaking may be one way to build common ground amidst rising polarization and declining civility within U.S. politics; this webpage overviews the evidence of declining civility and increasing political polarization in recent years. [Resource] http://www.civilpolitics.org/content/has-civility-declined
- Understanding the Partisan Divide. In this 2012 interview with The Economist magazine, moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt discusses the differences between liberal and conservative moralities; he touches on several interesting issues, including the importance of trust in communicating information and why polarization has increased in the U.S. (7:02) [Video] http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/08/jonathan-haidt-conservative-and-liberal-morality?bclid=0&bctid=1797521486001
- Translating Research in Ways People Can Understand. In a 2009 speech to researchers at the Institute for Education Sciences, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan notes the importance of translating data and research in ways people can understand. Leading up to this video excerpt, he states: “One of our collective challenges is to talk about data and research in ways that people understand . . . to take complicated ideas and make them understandable. That is the only way that good ideas can lead to action and not just remain on a shelf somewhere.” Then he goes on to challenge researchers to make data more accessible in the first minute and a half of this video. (5:24) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9frsExQgxVo. A full transcript of the speech is at this link. [Resource] http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/robust-data-gives-us-roadmap-reform
- Federal Evidence-Based Social Policy Initiatives. This 2011 paper, written by Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution and Jon Baron of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, outlines the Obama Administration’s plan to promote and strengthen the use of rigorous research in U.S. social policy decisions, by focusing on and funding evidence-based social policy initiatives. [Resource] http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/articles/2011/4/obama%20social%20policy%20haskins/04_obama_social_policy_haskins.pdf
- Family Impact Seminars. Researchers and policy experts have presented to state legislators on a range of family-relevant topics at Family Impact Seminars convened in states throughout the country; a variety of seminar topics, presentations slides, and seminar audio/video recordings can be viewed at the State Seminars section of the Family Impact Institute website. [Resource] http://familyimpactseminars.org/
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch13.docx)
Chapter 14
Deciding What You Can Do
Careers in Family Policy
Objectives
To help students assess which careers might be most compatible with their interests and skill sets by presenting a conceptual framework of nine family policy roles, each supplemented with real-world case studies; to explore through supplemental readings the role that research, civic engagement, and the nonprofit sector play in family policy.
Required Readings
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 14
- Scott, K. G., Mason, C. A., & Chapman, D. A. (1999). The use of epidemiological methodology as a means of influencing public policy. Child Development, 70(5), 1263–1272.
- Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65–78.
- Weisbrod, B. A. (1997). The future of the nonprofit sector: Its entwining with private enterprise and government. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 16(4), 541–555.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch14.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- Are the family policy roles described in this chapter primarily ways to do good or to perform volunteer service? Why or why not?
- Which of the roles do you find most appealing? What interests and skill sets do you have that would contribute to success in this role?
- How does The Bond differ from U.S. advocacy groups such as the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) and the National Organization for Women (NOW)?
- What is the difference between a career and a calling?
- This chapter primarily considers a career that can shape family policy. In what ways could a nonpolicy career be shaped by policy?
Scott, Mason, and Chapman (1999)
- If research revealed that one factor increased risk six times more than another factor, the prudent policymaker would focus on the risk factor with the greater influence. Why or why not?
- If a researcher is studying adult-onset mumps in a large sample and finds a small correlation between gender and mumps, this finding suggests that this issue is unlikely to be relevant to policymakers. Right or not?
- Should policy researchers dichotomize continuous variables? Why or why not?
Putnam (1995)
- This paper became almost an “instant classic”—widely read on University campuses and featured prominently in the media.
- Why does Putnam focus on bowling and not television?
- What is the hallmark of quality governance? Why?
- How does Putnam define social capital? What are its benefits?
- Is civic engagement similar to or different from familism?
- Which organization is most popular with U.S. citizens?
- What evidence does Putnam give of civic disengagement? Why is civic disengagement surprising? Why does it matter?
- Why does Putnam contend that social capital is declining in America?
- Can policy promote social capital?
Weisbrod (1997)
- Can nonprofits make a profit?
- Are nonprofits growing or declining in the United States? Why?
- What competition and tension exists between nonprofits and government?
- What is the key to understanding the interrelatedness of nonprofits with other parts of the economic system?
- What evidence exists about the quality of the services provided by nonprofits and for-profits? Do all nonprofits provide the same quality?
- As you read this article, identify researchable questions. Please identify general research questions as well as research questions emanating from the family impact lens.
- Do for-profits or nonprofits provide more family-friendly benefits?
- Are for-profits or nonprofits more likely to involve families as partners?
- Are for-profits or nonprofits more likely to provide services to vulnerable families?
Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch14.pptx)
- How Political Activism is Shaped by the AAMFT Code of Ethics. This activity illustrates how political activism is shaped by one’s profession.
Activity 28: “Linking Political Involvement to the AAMFT Code of Ethics” by Julie A. Zaloudek discusses the ethical obligation to engage in political activism. [Activity] (Link to Activity 28.docx)
- The Role Advocacy Organizations Can Play in Building Family Policy. The Bond in Belgium provides an impressive example of a family movement working for and with families to provide services and to advocate on behalf of their political, material, social, and cultural needs. A 15- to 20-minute PowerPoint summarizes the way that the activist organization works. This can spark lively discussions about whether an organization like this could work in the United States and how it differs from current U.S. advocacy organizations.
Activity 33: “Belgium’s League of Families: The Bond,” presents an overview of Belgium’s grass-roots family advocacy organization. [Activity] (Link to Activity 33.docx)
- Promoting Social Capital and Civic Engagement. For a more in-depth discussion on social capital and civic engagement, the following pages from Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone, can provide fodder for fostering a fruitful discussion. Putnam proposes that six spheres will need attention—youth and schools; the workplace; urban and metropolitan design; religion; arts and culture; and politics and government.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community (pp. 402–414). New York: Simon & Schuster.
Video and Web Resources
- The Role of Social Capitol in Moving Citizens from Passion to Action. Harvard Professor Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, discusses the power that social networks plays in moving people to social and political action by transmitting information, developing trust and mutual obligation, creating a wider sense of our own self-interest, and so forth. The segment from 31:38 to 38:45 addresses social capital. 2007. (1.30.09) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xD4nzLFVE
- Tools for Family Impact Analysis. The Family Impact Institute’s website includes a theoretical and empirical rationale for the family impact lens and a handbook for viewing policies and programs through the family impact lens. In addition, there is a family impact toolkit that includes checklists, procedures, tips, and so forth. Further, there are examples of Family Impact Analyses that have been conducted. [Resource] Check out the family impact section of www.familyimpactseminars.org.
- Tools for Teaching Family Policy. On the Family Impact Institute’s website, there are resources for about the precepts and philosophies from which good courses and high teaching evaluations are made including undergraduate and graduate syllabi, definitions, activities, assignments, etc. [Resource] Check out the teaching family policy section of www.familyimpactseminars.org.
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch14.docx)
Chapter 15
Approaches for Getting Involved in Family Policy
Advocacy or Education
Objectives
Examines not what to do in the policy arena, but rather how to do it; helps students sort through which approach might be most appropriate, given considerations such as one’s personal communication style and job context.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 15
- Barrows, R. (1994). Public policy education. Madison, WI: North Central Regional Publication, Cooperative Extension Service.
- Grisso, T., and Steinberg, L. (2005). Between a rock and a soft place: Developmental research and the child advocacy process. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 619–627.
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch15.docx)
Bogenschneider (2014)
- What is family policy advocacy? What beliefs and assumptions underlie it?
- How is advocacy with a small “a” different from advocacy with a capital “A”?
- What is family policy alternatives education? What beliefs and assumptions underlie it?
- Is family policy alternatives education a politically neutral act? What evidence supports your position?
- Is family policy alternatives education a dispassionate approach with little political influence?
- Do you think family policy courses can be taught from an advocacy or education approach? How would courses based on these different approaches differ from each other?
- Do you think the Family Impact Seminars use an education or advocacy approach?
- Select a policy issue that interests you. Develop a list of criteria that would help you determine whether to approach the issue as an advocate or educator. Which approach would you use and why?
- Do I have the skills, ability, and knowledge to approach this issue from an even-handed education perspective?
- Do I want to work on this issue in a more neutral, scientific manner?
- Am I willing to commit to all it takes to become a credible educator?
- What could happen if I use the education approach improperly?
Barrows (1994)
As background, this reading has become a classic for those who subscribe to the education or alternative/consequences approach. Dr. Richard Barrows is trained as an agricultural economist, the discipline from which the educational approach emerged. He retired in summer of 2006 as Associate Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He previously served in a number of positions including Interim Vice Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Associate Vice Chancellor responsible for undergraduate education improvement at UW-Madison, acting Dean for International Studies and Programs, Interim Associate Dean for University of Wisconsin-Extension, and Director of the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program. Barrows says that he has used the educational approach in the university and beyond. At the university, Barrows used the educational approach to revise the undergraduate curriculum in his stint as Associate Vice-Chancellor. Beyond the walls of the university, he has used the educational model to work on a number of issues including the development and implementation of natural resource and economic development policies and rural leadership. He has been credited with the leadership in providing education throughout the state prior to the passage of Wisconsin's innovative Farmland Preservation Law in 1977, much of which is still in effect today. As he has demonstrated in his own career, Dr. Barrows recommends that students and professionals get involved in policy in a number of different venues on a variety of issues using the education approach.
- How does Barrows suggest injecting knowledge into a democracy?
- How does the alternative/consequences model of public policy education differ from the advocacy model?
- Would Barrows support turning over policy decisions to experts? Why or why not?
- Does the alternative/consequences model have any shortcomings? If so, what are they?
Grisso and Steinberg (2005)
- At what point in the research process do Grisso and Steinberg say that a researcher's motives are appropriate? At what point are they inappropriate?
Scientists can apply their personal values to decide what study to conduct, but they must be impartial in the conduct of their study. According to Grisso and Steinberg (p.620), “They will utterly fail if their motives drive their methods.”
- What do Grisso and Steinberg say is the proper role of science? What is the proper role of advocacy?
In their words, the proper role of science is to "answer a question," whereas the proper role of advocacy is to "make a point." As they state in the abstract, "Scientific credibility demands impartiality, whereas advocacy is never impartial."
- Would Grisso and Steinberg recommend talking to the press before the study is completed? Why or why not?
- Given the recent buzz about evidence-based policy, can scientific studies tell policymakers what to do?
The authors are blunt in their response to this question. "Scientific studies can never tell us what we ought to do" (p. 625).
- The research shows that the risk of incompetent participation in a trial is considerably greater for youth 15 and younger than for adults. What policy does this research finding suggest should be put in place?
PowerPoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch15.pptx)
- The Practice of Education and Advocacy—Straight from the Horse’s Mouth. To make this topic come alive, I often invite an advocate and an educator to discuss the role they play in the policy arena. In Wisconsin, some of the leading advocacy organizations are the Farm Bureau, the Wisconsin Association of Manufacturers and Commerce, and the Wisconsin Education Association Council (the teacher’s union). For educators, I have featured Cooperative Extension Service state specialists or county/area educators. If your state is involved in the Family Impact Seminars, the seminar director would be a good choice to describe the education role. In the Q & A, I often ask the advocate if he/she ever uses education in his/her advocacy work.
- Moving Course Concepts from the Ivory Tower to the Real World. To help students apply the ideas in this class, I use these two real-life examples described in Zigler’s (1998) article in Child Development.
Activity 30: “Moving Course Concepts from the Ivory Tower to the Real World” helps students see how researchers and organizations have grappled with decisions about education or advocacy, often with different conclusions. [Activity] (Link to Activity 30.docx)
Video and Web Resources
- Separating Ideology from Analysis. In a 2009 speech to researchers at the Institute for Education Sciences, during the section from 1:39 to 3:07, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan emphasizes the need to “separate ideology from analysis” and calls on researchers to distill facts and evidence in a dispassionate way in order to improve education. (5:24) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9frsExQgxVo. A full transcript of the speech is at this link. [Resource] http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/robust-data-gives-us-roadmap-reform
- Academics and Policymakers: The Role for Research. Professor Peter Urwin, Director of the Centre for Employment Research at the Westminster Business School in the United Kingdom, talks about how academics engage with policymakers; he speaks to the importance of maintaining long-term relationships with policymakers to ensure continued impact. 2011. (4:01) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5gTbFNEkZ4
- Using Evidence to Advance Advocacy Efforts. Audrey Schremmer-Philip, Executive Director of Three Rivers Center for Independent Living in Wamego, Kansas, talks about several ways the Center has used evidence-based research to advocate for people with disabilities. 2011. (11:09) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHZNH0MATQ
- Presenting Unbiased Information on Both Sides of an Issue. ProCon.org is nonprofit organization with the mission of providing resources for critical thinking and educating the public without bias; the goal of their website is to highlight a number of high-profile, controversial policy issues and present background information along with pro and con arguments on each side of the topic in a balanced, comprehensive, straightforward, and transparent way. [Resource] http://www.procon.org/
Homework
Students should come to class with their responses to the discussion questions for the following week. [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch15.docx)
Chapter 16
Making Family Policy Matter
Moving from Analysis to Action
Objectives
To overview how to advance the field of family policy by discussing whether we have enough information to proceed, whether we know how to proceed, and whether we have the wherewithal to do so; to wrap up the course by discussing the most important ideas students have learned, the roles students can play in family policy, and the future of the field.
Required Reading
- Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 16
Discussion Questions and Instructor Insights [Handout] (Link to DiscussionQuestions_Ch16.docx)
Bogenschneider, K. (2014). Chapter 16
- What are the most important ideas you have learned in this course about family policy?
- For building family policy, do we have enough information to proceed or should we wait until more family research and data are available? Do we know which policies and programs work and which don’t? Defend your position with evidence.
- What is the difference between building “policy development” and “policy watchdog” capacities? Which one does Bogenschneider say is more important?
- Ambassador and Governor Madeleine Kunin argues that political activism starts with a healthy dose of anger. What experiences can spark the right amount of anger?
- To change the world of family policy, Ambassador and Governor Madeleine Kunin argues that imagination is needed. What influence’s young people’s ability to imagine a better world?
- What one or two things can you imagine being accomplished in the family policy field in your lifetime? How optimistic are you that they could be accomplished?
- What do you imagine that you can do to build policies that will make the world a better place for families? What can you do to bring this about? What background and qualities do you have to make it happen?
Powerpoints, Activities, and Key Concepts
- Chapter Overview. [PowerPoint] (Link to LectureSlides_Ch16.pptx)
- Moving from Analysis to Action. What I find particularly fulfilling as an instructor is to spend the last class looking back and looking forward. I ask students to look back across the class to identify those ideas that they found most eye-opening and useful. Also, I ask students to look forward to how policy can build a better world by creating the conditions that enable families to fulfill the important functions they perform for the benefit of their members and the good of society. I encourage students to engage in a broad-ranging discussion of what policies they can imagine for families and what role they might play in creating those changes.
- Ethical Obligations of Family Policy Professionals. Sometimes I use the final class to brainstorm with students about what ethical standards family professionals should uphold in their work. Sometimes a current example of an ethical failing by a policymaker, a researcher, a business, or an academic institution can stimulate discussion. For example, the controversies that occurred at Penn State and at J.P. Morgan can stimulate discussion about the importance of operating with a high degree of integrity and transparency in one’s work.
Video and Web Resources
- The Call for Political Engagement Is Timeless. This 2013 CNN video commemorates the 50-year anniversary of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream for America from the steps of the Lincoln Monument. (2:24) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAtOV_cp2b8
- Ask What You Can Do. John F. Kennedy, in his 1961 inaugural address, tells American citizens to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” (0:33) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRg--jhO8g. A full transcript of the address is at this link. [Resource] http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html
- The Value of Youth Engagement. Professor and author Connie Flanagan discusses what community service is, why it is controversial, and how it can benefit young people’s understanding of the common good. Connie Flanagan presents her research on this topic as part of a 2011 panel on youth as engaged citizens. Her 16-minute presentation begins at 20:00; the first 6 minutes provide a good overview. (1:38:13) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq-3RY6AvJs&feature=youtu.be
- The Importance of People Connecting with Each Other. According to professor and author Connie Flanagan, youth engagement is valuable because it enlarges perceptions of what public problems are, deepens personal responsibilities to the common good, and builds connections among people who are different from each other. The importance of different people connecting with each other is illustrated by this 2009 short film based on a 1960s poem written by the American poet James Patrick Kinney. The scene is six men gathered around a dying fire, each who held tightly to their own log of wood. (3:06) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8nyBiX5jU4
- Youth Speak Out Around the World. At 16 years of age, Malala Yousafzai is the youngest person ever to be nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. She was shot twice in the head by the Taliban after speaking out about education for girls. In this October 8, 2013 interview, she explains how she found the courage to use her own voice, rather than waiting for someone else to speak up on her behalf. (6:14) [Video] http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-october-8-2013/malala-yousafzai
- What It Takes to Get Involved. Former Governor of Vermont and Ambassador to Switzerland Madeleine Kunin talks about her book, Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead. She is the first woman in U.S. history to be elected as Governor three times. In this 2012 video, she discusses her personal inspiration for political activism and her belief that it is worth taking the chance and making the sacrifice needed to affect change. She discusses her ideas (included in the chapter) that activism takes a mix of anger, optimism, and personal responsibility. The first 4:18 minutes provide an overview. (25:26) [Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqE2C4ZbF8I