---

Jump immediately to Prototype Syllabus and Lecture Notes.
The Current Events section is continually updated with news stories pertaining
to family law and public policy, regardless of whether the course is currently in session.

             (Open to interested scholars, students, and members of the public. You'll be asked to log in to facebook first.)

U = Undergraduate, G = Graduate. Regular course numbers at Texas Tech are:
HDFS 4343 for Undergrads ● HDFS 6373 for Graduate Students
(note that the course is sometimes taught jointly for undergraduates and grad students)

---

Prototype Syllabus

Instructor.  Alan Reifman, Ph. D., Office:  HS 303, Office Hours: Before and after class, or by appointment, Phone:  742-3000, Email:  alan.reifman@TTU.EDU   

Expected Learning Outcomes.  Throughout the university, renewed emphasis is being placed on documenting what, specifically, students are expected to learn in classes, and what they actually are learning.  Beyond letter grades, assessment of students’ mastery of specific topics is desired.  Expected learning outcomes for HDFS 6373 (FLAPP) and how they will be assessed are listed below. 

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: (a) identify major areas of law and public policy that interface with substantive topics in human development and family studies; (b) appreciate the legal, political, and scientific parameters within which such policies exist (or ideally exist); and (c) be able to conceptualize how the impact of policy proposals on families and on individuals might be evaluated scientifically. Achievement of these expected learning outcomes will be assessed via written assignments, oral presentations, and class discussion.

Grading Criteria and Legislative Proposal Project [For directed-readings students, grades will be based 100% on legislative proposal and class discussion; there won't be quizzes.] Each student will produce his or her own public policy proposal over the course of the term.  You will first come up with a specific idea for some type of government program or law change, and then continue to develop that proposal (on the same idea) all during the term.  You will turn in a short paper every few weeks that addresses a different aspect of your basic policy idea.  Essentially, you will cumulatively write a big paper over the term (counting 45% toward your course grade), but accomplish this via a series of smaller installments (again, all on the same policy idea of yours).  The components (i.e., chapters) will be as follows: 1.  Initial statement of your proposal idea (1-2 pages).  Should include a statement of the problem, why you feel it is important, and a prospectus for the research and types of legislation you plan to look up (10%). 2.  Review of social-science research literature bearing on your proposal (2-3 pages; 15%).  This section should be like the FINDINGS section of a piece of legislation (examples 1, 2, 3, and 4), but with references to your sources (because you're scholars!). You should not only summarize the articles you've found, but discuss them integratively (e.g., "Studies A, B, and C reach the same conclusion, but their generalizability may be limited"). 3.  Review of prior federal and/or state legislation similar to your proposal (you should identify areas where your proposal is similar to and/or different from previous legislation), and of case law bearing on your proposal (10%). 4.  Initial analysis and planned evaluation of your proposed policy.  Be sure to include an evaluation research design, a completed Family Impact Checklist (does not have to be as extensive as in the completed examples shown below), and a cost/budget estimate for your program (10%). Papers should be submitted to me electronically, via e-mail attachment.  Starting with Paper 2, you will include your earlier paper(s) as previous chapter(s) in the same document.  If, in the course of writing a later chapter, you feel some of the set-up material in an earlier chapter needs to be revised, you can highlight the revised material in an earlier chapter by putting the revised section in italics.  (At the time of preparing Paper 1, you’ll want to do some research ahead of time to make sure the necessary articles, policies, and cases exist for you to write about in papers 2, 3, and 4.) You will also be graded on three quizzes (each 15%; total 45%) and on your spoken participation (10%).  Grad students will have extra brief essay components along with the quizzes, and will be expected to write more detailed literature reviews for the proposal project than will undergraduates.

Textbooks 

Bogenschneider, K. (2006).  Family Policy Matters: How Policymaking Affects Families and What Professionals Can Do (2^nd  Edition, Paperback).  Erlbaum.

Krause, H.D., & Meyer, D.D. (2007). Family Law in a Nutshell (5^th Edition).  Thomson West.

Polikoff, N.D. (2008). Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families Under the Law. Boston: Beacon Press. (website)

Additional short readings (e.g., articles, excerpts from other books) will be assigned, as well.

---

Administrative Matters
 

• Missed Assignments.    With regard to assignments, an extension may be granted due to a legitimate extenuating circumstances. Students should present a note from someone who can authenticate such circumstances.  I reserve the right to contact the writer of the note for verification purposes.  Unexcused late assignments will be penalized 1 point per working day late.
   
• Incompletes.  A grade of “I” will be awarded only by permission of the instructor prior to the end of the semester and only when a small amount of work remains to be completed for the course.  A grade of “I” is awarded only in case of emergency (see above procedures on notes and verification) and when class performance at the time of the request is satisfactory.  Poor planning or excessive absences are not valid reasons for requesting a grade of incomplete.
   
• Withdrawals.  If illness or other problems keep you from attending class and/or lead to the missing of assignments, then you should plan to drop the class by one of the deadline dates. Do not simply stop coming to classes as this may jeopardize your grade point average.  Do not plan on an “I” under these circumstances; it will not happen, nor will there be special assignments or extra credit in these cases.
   
• Disability Needs.  Any student who requires special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor to make necessary accommodations.  Students should first present appropriate verification from Disabled Student Services, Dean of Students Office.
   
• Academic Integrity.  Students are expected to abide by all of the rules for academic integrity at Texas Tech.  Any violations will be reported to the proper authorities for disciplinary review.
   

---

For reading assignments:

• KM = Krause & Meyer book

• P = Polikoff boook

• B = Bogenschneider book 

Meeting 1
Intro to course; defining family; areas of life affected by family policy; discussion scenarios

• P Introduction (not the same as Ch..1);

• B Student Preface, Ch. 3, and Ch. 8 (pp. 110-111)

Meeting 2
Basics of gov’t; federal/state; “family perspective” in policymaking

• B Ch. 1 (pp. 3-5, 12-14); Ch. 2 (pp. 15-22); Ch. 4 (pp. 46-52); Ch. 5 (Big table [5.1], plus pp. 60-62)

Meeting 3
Basics of legal system; Constitution; Supreme Court (especially personal/family privacy rights)

• KM Chapters 1 & 2;

• Reifman overview of U.S. Supreme Court

Meeting 4
Proposal Part 1 Due
Marriage (basic laws)

• P Ch. 1;

• KM Chapters 3 & 4, plus Section 5.4;

• B Ch. 8 (pp. 104-107)

Meeting 5
Continue basic laws of marriage; begin discussion of same-sex marriage, opposite-sex cohabitation, and other non-marital relationships

• P Ch. 3(pp.46-52,55-62),5 (pp. 88-100),7 & 8;

Meeting 6
Continue discussion of same-sex marriage, opposite-sex cohabitation, and other non-marital relationships

• KM Ch. 6; B Ch. 8 (pp. 107-109)

Meeting 7
Divorce (basic laws)

• KM Ch. 17, 20, 21, & 22 (skip sections 22.3-22.5);

• P Ch.10 (pp. 174-183)

Meeting 8
Proposal Part 2 Due
Divorce and Children

• KM Ch. 14 & 16;

• P Ch. 5 (pp. 83-88, 100-103)

Meeting 9
Parental authority; adoption & foster care

• KM Ch. 13 & 11;

• P Ch. 3 (pp. 52-55)

Meeting 10
Child maltreatment

• KM Ch. 15

Meeting 11
Welfare Reform

• B Ch 8 (pp. 101-104);

• P Ch. 4;

• Plus assorted brief articles

Meeting 12
Proposal Part 3 Due
Work-family interface; Family and Medical Leave Act

• B Ch. 8 (pp. 98-100);

• P Ch. 9 (pp. 168-173);

• Plus selected online articles

Meeting 13
Issues Affecting Older People (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Grandparent Visitation Rights)

• P Ch. 11 (pp. 202-207);

• B p. 100

Meeting 14
Policy analysis & evaluation

• B Ch. 11;

• Ayres, Super Crunchers, Ch. 3 [available from Dr. Reifman]

Meeting 15
Proposal Part 4 Due
Connecting with legislators and other policymakers; the art of compromise

• B Ch. 9; B Ch. 12 (just case study on pp. 197-199); Ch. 13; Ch. 14 (pp. 250-255)

---

LINKS TO LECTURE-NOTE MODULES
(Note from Dr. Reifman:  No agreement or disagreement, on my part, with the views expressed in any of the linked websites should be inferred from the fact that I listed them; I seek to represent a diversity of opinion.)

Current Events

Introductory Information

Policymaking and Policy Analysis

Research Institutes and Organizations

Intro to Government and Politics

Intro to Legal System

Marriage

Cohabitation and Other Close, Non-Marital Relationships

Divorce (General)

Divorce in Families with Children

Children, Policy, and the Law (Well-Being; Maltreatment; Adoption; Education, etc.)

Welfare Reform

Work-Family (also known as "Work-Life") Issues

Issues Affecting Older Persons

International/Comparative Policies

Website for My Wisconsin Version of this Class

---

Additional State Capitols Visited and Photographed by Dr. Reifman

New Mexico (2009)

---

California (2000)

 

In then-Gov. Gray Davis's chair.

At the portrait of Earl Warren, California governor from 1943-1953 and Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1953-1969.

---

Arizona (Winter Break 1993-94)

In the gallery of one of Arizona's legislative chambers (probably the House because of the large size). The chamber obviously was dark when I was photographed. We can get a better idea of how the floor looks through playing with the brightness, but then I get washed out.

---

Links to photos of additional visited state capitols on other pages of mine:  Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin (plus the U.S. Capitol)

---

Other capitol buildings I've visited (without photos): Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Rhode Island