Southwestern Community College

Department of Family Studies

Instructor: Layla Davis, MSW, LCSW (You may call me Layla, Ms. Davis, or Instructor Davis.)

Welcome

A date for homework?! Wait, what? Yes, in this practical class that focuses on families from single (pre-family) through launching children, you will go on a date.  You will also interview a married couple to learn from them about what works and what doesn’t work in relationships.  Through these and other practical activities, we will discuss what is a family and how effective communication, love, and appreciation helps families grow and develop.

There are two overarching themes in this class.  First, this is a child development class and its focus on the impact of these various issues on children and child development is what makes it different than a marriage and family class in psychology or sociology departments.  Second, we will focus on the impact of personal choice in relationships.

It is my sincerest hope is that you will take what you learn from this class and apply it to the relationships in your life (with the family you were raised by, the family you create, your coworkers, and your friendships).

Warmly,

Layla  (You may call me Layla*, Ms. Davis, or Instructor Davis.)  *Click my name anywhere on this website to learn how to pronounce it.

Teaching Philosophy

From attending the lab preschool on campus, through graduation with my AA degree, to teaching on campus, Southwestern has been a major part of my life.  I teach on this campus specifically because I am able both give back to the college and community that helped me become the person I am or me today, and because it is one way that I can help make the world a better place.  I invite you to join me in promoting healthy development in the children and youth of our community.  Together, we will discover specific activities, approaches, and concepts, that we can do to promote healthy socio-emotional development and mental health in the next generations of the South Bay.

“A brave space is an intentional environment where people can choose to engage in challenging dialogues with courage and empathy. This could be a classroom, a community event, a public library, or a meeting. In these spaces, people can step out of their comfort zone to learn from each other’s perspectives and address critical issues impacting their lives (Gates et. al, 2019).”As a brave space, I would like our class to be a supportive learning environment that values and builds on the richly diverse perspectives and experiences of our group. Most of our discussions are reflections and personal in nature. Please help me develop this brave space by being courageous in telling your own experience and perspective, by honoring the diverse experiences of your classmates, and by letting me know (by anonymous surveys or email) if an assignment, comment, etc. makes you feel uncomfortable. In the readings, videos, and discussions, you will likely encounter cultures, ideas, and values that differ from your own – especially since we will be discussing marriage and family. These are valuable opportunities to learn more about different perspectives and where they intersect with your own.

We all see the world from a point of view informed by our experience and backgrounds. Because of this, you will be asked to reflect on your family of orientation (the family in which you were raised) and your family of procreation (the family you create as an adult). What we read. watch, and discuss can open new windows through which to understand families and the world around us. So, let’s try to be generous and kind in our responses to one another.

Community & Individual Agreements

• Be prepared, focused and ready to learn something new in every class, even when we are not meeting online at the same time.

• Commit to spending 9 hours a week engaged with the course content by watching videos, reading, and completing assignments.

• Engage and participate in class. Please share your thoughts or questions.

• Ensure all assignments are submitted according to deadline and method.

• Be respectful towards teacher and classmates in person and online. Encourage one another!

What you can expect from me:

• Educational videos and other content that I have specifically chosen to help you meet the course objectives and learning outcomes.

• A safe and open environment for all of us to learn from each other and our diverse life experiences.

• An environment that honors our diverse experiences that allows you to be seen and heard.

• Office Hour availability throughout the semester via Zoom.

My promise to each of you individually:

Regardless of what grade you end up with at the end of the semester, you will learn skills and concepts that will help you develop healthier relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and others you come in contact with on a daily basis.

Office Hours and Response Time

My office hours are times for conversation about the course and your work in it. I am here to answer questions, offer feedback, discuss a course concept, or just listen as you explore a line of reasoning. I can also direct you to resources to help you meet challenges you face outside of class. I am looking forward to working with you!

About this Course

CD 135 will introduce you to historical and modern family lifestyles, functions, and values that influence behavior.  It provides examination of contemporary family changes, crisis, and resilience.  It analyzes nontraditional families as well as the classic nuclear family and the social support they need.

• This course is 16 weeks long (including finals week).  For Fall 2023, it begins August 21st, 2023.

• This class does not meet regularly in Zoom. Your learning will be conducted asynchronously (which means “not live”) in Canvas.  However, there may be opportunities for extra credit meetings through Zoom and Office Hours through Zoom.

• There is no required textbook. All of your required readings will be included in our course modules in Canvas.

• This course is designed with modules focused on themes/subjects rather than by weeks.  So, the first week there are multiple modules (an Orientation Module and a content module).  Some modules (such as communication and crises in the family) last for two weeks.  The dates for each section are posted on the syllabus tab, the course home page (the first one you see when you login), and in each module, and start for each week.

• You will learn in a community with your peers. This is not a self-paced course.

• This is a practical course, in which you will learn valuable life skills such as active listening, healthy (verbal and nonverbal) communication, relationship repairs (how to fix things when we mess up), and how to assess objective (non-feeling based) aspects of a relationship.

  How we communicate and relate to others is learned early in life and become entrenched habits.  Changing how you have connected and communicated with others most of your life is not easy – but it will help you become a better person.

  You will learn these skills through to reviewing content (text, video, images), completing quizzes, assignments, and discussions about the course content.

  Some activities that involve interacting with other people outside the course, and then reporting back during discussions about your experiences.  Some of the assignments are personal in nature, because the goal is for you to apply these skills to your every-day life – not just get a good grade.

• The easiest way to progress through the course is to treat each Canvas Module as a chapter in a book.  Start at the beginning and progress through each assignment.

Week 1 Toolkit for Success

Online courses require you to be motivated and organized.  Starting successfully will set you on the right path for the rest of the semester.

There are several different kinds of assignments this first week, because I would like you to get used to all the different kinds of technology we will use this semester.  There may be a steeper learning curve this week, but by doing all the different kinds of assignments, the rest of the semester we can focus on the course material instead of technology.  I also will have an office hour this week, so if you have struggles with technology, please either reach out or come to the office hour on Zoom.

 Materials Needed for Week One:

1. SWC e-mail account

2. Access to Canvas Course

3. Reliable, high-speed internet access (desktop/laptop computer preferred but a SmartPhone is okay.)

Materials Recommended for Week One:

1. Webcam/Phone Camera and Microphone

2. OPTIONAL: Digital copy (PNG or JPEG file) of a picture of your family of orientation (family that raised you) and/or your family of procreation (family that you created)

Assignments for Week One:

• Extra Credit if you complete the Quest for Online Success module.  It helps ensure that you will be ready for an online class.  You will likely find something of value for your other online classes, even if you have taken it previously.  This opportunity will be open at least one week before class starts so that if you discover some technology, or other needs, you might be able to resolve them in advance of the class start date.

• Question posted to the VoiceThread syllabus review.  Since I tend to run a waitlist for this class, please complete the assignment by Wednesday 11:59 PM PST.  This way I can reach out to the waitlisted folks with add codes at that time.

• Getting to Know You Survey due Friday 11:59 PM PST.

• Defining Family Padlet (This is not for a grade, but a great way to make sure you know how to use Padlet.)

• Family Autobiography on Family Values, Structure, and Functions due Friday 11:59 PM PST.

• Discussion 1 : Post due by Wednesday 11:59 PM PST and reply due by Friday 11:59 PM PST.  Just to wet your appetite for the course, I’ve included the first discussion under the course tour video.

Discussion 1:

Remember that we are all born into a family (our family of origin).  This may, or may not be the family in which you were raised (your family of orientation). Please share with us who was in your family of orientation (siblings, parents, etc.) as well as a quality, value, tradition, or activity that you would like to continue into your family of procreation (the one that you make as an adult).  Who is in your family now?

If you would like, you may add a picture of your family when you were a child and/or of your family of procreation (the family you have formed as an adult).   Don’t worry if you are camera shy, your instructor is too.

What You Will Learn This Semester

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Compare historical and modern family lifestyles, functions, and values that influence behavior.

• Analyze the role of communication among family members, describe why effective communication is important, and list various components of effective communication.

Course Objectives:

• Analyze the social history of the family and compare and contrast the image, structure, and function of family.

• Describe and analyze the factors which contribute to family diversity.

• Examine gender identities and gender expectations and debate the role culture plays in gender differences (nature vs. nurture).

•  Describe and evaluate the process of forming intimate relationships by analyzing attraction, love, sexuality, and commitment.

• Recognize and explain the influence of social factors on attitudes toward marriage and singlehood.

• Analyze the role of communication among family members, describe why effective communication is important, and list various components of effective communication.

• Examine and analyze the dynamics of family violence, the impact on each family member, and will list community resources to help.

• Student will describe and analyze contemporary trends in parenthood and categorize parenting styles and stages of parenthood.

• Identify and describe internet resources related to changes in contemporary families, and the emotional and economic impact on family members.

• Formulate sources of stress in contemporary families and propose alternatives for help.

• Compare historical and modern family lifestyles, functions, and values that influence behavior.

Course Policies

Late Work

Assignments for this course should be completed on time so that we are all moving through the class together. Sometimes, though, life gets in the way of learning. In unexpected situations leading to late work, please contact me to discuss a plan for success.  Some deadline flexibility has already been built into this course: you may submit late assignments and discussions.  If you reach out to me in advance, I am happy to negotiate an alternative timeline.  However, if you do not, you will lose points for submitting late assignments and discussions. Since you may not retake quizzes, you may submit them late with no penalty.  The final exam may not be submitted late.

Academic Integrity

College isn’t just about getting a degree so you can get a good job that you like. It is also about learning who you are as a person, learning to live with integrity, and growing into the best version of yourself. Since much of your life and energy is focused on your academic life, you have the opportunity to practice many important life skills in this setting. You problem-solve and resolve conflict in a professional and respectful manner when you work on group projects. You consider the consequences of your actions and delay gratification when you choose to study for a test instead of going out partying with friends.  Even in your classroom assignments, you have the opportunity to practice qualities and skills that will make you a better person and a better colleague. We start doing this by practicing academic integrity which includes honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, and respect for the learning process. Not only does academic integrity teach you important life lessons, there can be very serious consequences for violations of these policies including: receiving a grade of 0 for the assignment, the school dean being advised of your behavior, and others leading up to, and including, expulsion from the college.

Code of Conduct

“A brave space is an intentional environment where people can choose to engage in challenging dialogues with courage and empathy.  This could be a classroom, a community event, a public library, or a meeting.  In these spaces, people can step out of their comfort zone to learn from each other’s perspectives and address critical issues impacting their lives (Gates et. al, 2019).

As a brave space, I would like our class to be a supportive learning environment that values and builds on the richly diverse perspectives and experiences of our group.  Most of our discussions are reflections and personal in nature.  Please help me develop this brave space by being courageous in telling your own experience and perspective, by  honoring the diverse experiences of your classmates, and by letting me know (by anonymous surveys or email) if an assignment, comment, etc. makes you feel uncomfortable.  If your suggestions will be used in future versions of this course, you will receive extra credit in gratitude.  In the readings, videos, and discussions, you will likely encounter cultures, ideas, and values that differ from your own – especially since we will be discussing marriage and family.  These are valuable opportunities to learn more about different perspectives and where they intersect with your own.

We all see the world from a point of view informed by our experience and backgrounds, and what we read. watch, and discuss can open new windows through which to understand families and the world around us.  You are encouraged to contribute your ideas about course content freely, but please remember to demonstrate respect for the world, as well as your classmates and instructor.

We all have  unconscious biases that stem from our experiences, and recognizing them and discussing them can lead to unexpected insights.  To that end, one of our discussions will have you reflect on your own experiences of taking an implicit bias test of your choosing.  Moreover, sometimes, we are not aware of how what we say, or how we say it, may be viewed by others.  So, let us all be generous, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and be kind in all of our responses to one another.

Netiquette

Netiquette is a set of guidelines for respectful behavior in an online environment. It is etiquette for the internet, and knowing these social rules can help you have a more rewarding semester. The netiquette guidelines here are ones that are especially important in our online classroom.

1. Reading the posts of others is helpful for you, but you must also do your part to be helpful for the group. Share your ideas to strengthen our discussion, and don’t wait until the last minute to contribute. Encourage others to participate by responding to their ideas. Be involved, but do not dominate a discussion with too many posts.
2. Remember the human. This common Internet mantra means that even though we may not be face to face, there is a real person behind each discussion post. Do not write something that you would not feel comfortable saying in a face-to-face classroom setting. Discuss ideas, not people. In other words, do not attack a classmate for expressing his or her opinion; instead, discuss your position on the ideas that have been presented. Be kind and understanding with your classmates to keep our environment positive and productive.
3. Help others. We will be working together all semester, so let’s try to be a good team. If you can help a classmate with a question, please do! Your efforts will be appreciated by both students and instructor.
4. Respect other people’s time. Your posts should be focused, organized, and clear so that your classmates can quickly see your point and evidence. Another way to respect people’s time is to look for answers before asking for help. For example, if you can’t find something or you don’t remember when an assignment is due, look through the syllabus and other course documents for the answer. Ask for help when you truly need it.
5. Edit and proofread before posting. We have lots of posts to read, so yours needs to be as clear as it can be. Please review and edit what you have written before posting.
6. Don’t shout. TYPING IN ALL CAPITALS MEANS YOU ARE SHOUTING AT US! Don’t do it. The same can be said of repeated exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!
7. Use emoticons sparingly. Social media and texting have given us lots of fun options to add tone to a message. Because a smiley face or wink can help to establish the intended tone of a comment, you are welcome to use common emoticons occasionally. Too many emoticons can make your writing look more casual than academic, so don’t overdo it. 🙂
8. No flaming. “Flaming” is an angry message, often directed at another person. When another person responds in anger, we have a “flame war” taking over the discussion. Personal attacks are unacceptable in the classroom, whether in person or online. If you see a conflict developing, try to calm things down if you feel comfortable doing so. If you feel attacked, contact your instructor rather than responding to the flaming student. We all have biases, and sometimes we are not aware of how what we say may be viewed by others, so let’s all try to be generous and kind in our responses to one another. Everything we do in Canvas is permanent, so please think very carefully about your tone before submitting a post. If you don’t, that mistake might haunt you for the rest of the semester.

Support Services

Student support services are available both on campus and online. For a complete list of services, including the library, tutoring, and counseling, visit the Student Services and Campus Resources webpage.

To further your success, reinforce concepts, and achieve the stated learning objectives for this course, I refer you to the Academic Success Center learning assistance services. Upon request for tutorial services, you will be automatically enrolled in NC3: Supervised Tutoring, a free noncredit course that does not appear on your transcripts. Free online tutoring is available to all currently enrolled Southwestern College students through SWC’s Online Tutoring Center, Online Writing Lab (OWL) and the Western eTutoring Consortium.

The Family Studies lab, including tutors, is available on the Main (Chula Vista) campus in Room (Room 554 on the Main Campus) to complete their assignments. Students will have access to video equipment, tape recorders, cameras, resource materials, textbooks, the internet, computers, copier, and tutors to assist them in being successful in any child development.

When you have questions about Canvas and online learning at SWC, the Online Learning Center is ready to assist you.  A wide range of well-being and supportive services are available to students through SWC Cares.

Students with Disabilities

If you have a learning disability, physical disability, or any other circumstance that needs special accommodation, please discuss it with your instructor, via email. I want you to be successful and am happy to work with you! Here is additional information provided by our college’s DSS office:

Southwestern College recommends that students with disabilities or specific learning needs contact their professors during the first two weeks of class to discuss academic accommodations. If a student believes that they may have a disability and would like more information, they are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services (DSS) at (619) 482-6512 (voice), (619) 207-4480 (video phone), or email at DSS@swccd.edu. Alternate forms of this syllabus and other course materials are available upon request.

I have made every effort to make this course accessible to all students. If you encounter a problem accessing anything in this course, please email me immediately so that I can support you. Ensuring accessibility to all students is so important to me that I will offer extra credit if you identify an issue with accessibility and email me at my Canvas inbox the issue.  Additionally, if you have any suggestions for improving assignments or content to ensure that everyone feels respected and the course is fully accessible, please include your suggestions in the Reflection survey at the end of each module.  You will receive 5 points for completing the survey and I will provide additional points for suggestions that improve the course for the next semester.

Emergency Plan

If our course or instructor unexpectedly becomes unavailable, continue following the schedule to complete assignments, which will be submitted when access is restored. In emergency situations, college updates will be provided via the emergency notification system and social media.  I will also post updates on my professional website: https://www.nurturingfamilies.net.

Additional Tips for Taking an Online Course

• It is crucial to remain current with readings, responses to discussion questions, group conversations, and assignments. This is imperative for both individual and class learning.
• Be sure to login the Learning/Course Management System multiple times a week, and at a minimum twice a week. Many successful students find themselves logging in daily, and the course catalog states that students need to be able to have an email address and daily access to a computer.
• Canvas works best with Google Chrome and Firefox. Safari is the third best option for Canvas. Other browsers are not as compatible and have more challenges.
• Closed Captioning does not always wrap around to a second or third line on Google Chrome. If you find this to be the case, use a different browser to watch the videos.
• There is a greater responsibility on the student in online education than in a traditional face-to-face class. This is an opportunity to develop basic life skills including: time management, integrity, professionalism, organization, planning, responsibility for self and to colleagues, developing and maintaining intrinsic motivation, and being able to work both independently as well as collaboratively.
• We really want to learn with you! So, please be sure to submit an assignment, post to a Discussion, or quiz every week. If for some reason, you won’t be able to do this, reach out to me right away so we can work together to find a way to help you not fall behind in the class.
• Time management is key. Many students are attracted to the flexibility of an online class and may not be prepared for the expectation that they will be spending the same amount of time as they would in a face-to-face class. A time management tip is to put on a calendar (perhaps an online one that syncs with the student’s mobile device with alerts and reminders) all assignments, and when the student intends to work on the assignments.
• You might it helpful to compose their responses in a word-processing program, cutting, and then pasting your responses onto the online classroom because if you lose your internet connection, you might lose all of your work!

Course Tour:

Visual (Infographic) Course Syllabus: