James Madison University - Family Studies

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Family Studies

The minor in family studies is designed for undergraduates seeking enhancement of their major, desiring to increase understanding of self and relationships, and seeking to make a positive contribution to society. A substantial knowledge of family-related issues, family processes, policies, laws, services and the interrelationship of families and societies will enhance majors in many fields including anthropology, early and middle education, health sciences, management, nursing, psychology, social work, and sociology. The minor encourages students to make connections between their major field and family studies.

The family studies minor requires a minimum of 18 credit hours with no more than six credit hours in the student’s major. Note that some courses have prerequisites that must be completed before enrollment. Some courses may be restricted to students enrolled in particular majors.

One introductory course is required: either FAM 133 or SOCI 276. One course must be selected from each of these areas: Families in society, family and intimate relationships, and human development in the family. An additional course must be selected from any of the three areas or from family studies electives. A capstone course, FAM 400, is also required. At least four courses in the minor, including the introductory course, must be completed prior to enrolling in FAM 400.

Required Courses	Credit Hours
Introductory course (choose one of the following):		3
FAM 133. The Contemporary Family
SOCI 276. Sociology of Families
Families in Society (choose one of the following):		3
ECON 306. Economics of Women and the Family
GERN/SOCI 280. Social Gerontology
HIST 320. Women in U.S. History
HIST 379. Family and Gender in East Asia
HIST 466. The Family, 1400-1800
NSG 390. Impact of Chronic Illness⁴
SOCI 303. Sociology of Death and Dying¹
SOCI/WGS 337. Sociology of Gender
SOWK 338. Issues and Policies in Family Services
SOWK 342. Child Welfare Services
Family and Intimate Relationships (choose three credits from):		3
HTH 372. Human Sexuality
NSG 313. Issues and Application of Family Caregiving (service-learning) (1-2 credits)
NSG 326. Care and Consideration for Children with Special Needs (service-learning) (1-2 credits)
PSYC 275. Psychology of Human Intimacy
PSYC 450. Psychology of Child Abuse and Neglect¹
SCOM 440. Family Communication²
SOWK 340. Violence in Families¹
Human Development in the Family (choose three credits from):		3
EXED 306. Lifespan Issues for Individuals with Disabilities³
FAM 300. Child Development¹
FAM 335. Parent-Child Relationships Across the Lifespan
PSYC 304. Death and Dying: Thanatology¹
PSYC 365. Developmental Psychology¹
PSYC 475. Psychology of Adulthood
SOWK 387. Working with Teenagers
Capstone		3
FAM 400. Issues and Applications
Additional family studies course		3
(choose three credits from one of the three topic areas above or one of the following):
FAM 375. Grant Writing for Agencies
FAM 386. Youth Empowerment Strategies
FAM 487. Special Topics in Family Issues
FAM 490. Special Studies in Family Issues
IPE 220. Adult Health and Development Program
FAM Elective

		18

1 Some courses in the minor have substantive overlap in focus and content. To ensure students gain a broad exposure to family functions and dynamics, some restrictions apply for overlapping courses. For the family studies minor, students may take either:
SOCI 303. Sociology of Death and Dying or PSYC 304. Death and Dying: Thanatology
PSYC 450. Psychology of Child Abuse and Neglect or SOWK 340. Violence in Families
PSYC 365. Developmental Psychology or FAM 300. Child Development

2 SCOM majors and minors only.

3 Special education non-teaching and chronic illness concentration students only.

4 Access may be limited.