Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University

Family Law and Public Policy ("FLAPP")
 Advanced Topics in Family Studies
 Fall 2009 Joint Undergraduate/Graduate Course
HDFS 4343 (Section 001) for Undergrads ● HDFS 6373 (Section 002) for Graduates
MWF, 12:00 pm - 12:50 pm, Human Sciences 174
Dr. Reifman (back row, left) with past (and perhaps future) FLAPP students during
Texas Tech group's visit to the Arkansas State Capitol while attending the
2008 NCFR conference in Little Rock (photos by Sothy Eng).
See bottom of page for photos of additional state capitols visited by Dr. Reifman.   

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.

Previous Offerings of the Course
Fall 2008 as Directed Readings
(HDFS 5311) Texas Tech		 Summer I 2008
Texas Tech
Summer II 2008
University of Wisconsin-Madison		 Summer II 2006
Texas Tech

Syllabus -- Fall 2009

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

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 (example), but with references to your sources. 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 (2nd  Edition, Paperback).  Erlbaum.

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

For reading assignments:

Aug. 28 & 31, Sept. 2 & 4
 Intro to course; defining family; areas of life affected by family policy; discussion scenarios

Sept. 9 & 11 (Sept. 7 is Labor Day holiday)
 Basics of gov’t; federal/state; “family perspective” in policymaking

Sept. 14, 16, 18
 Basics of legal system; Constitution; Supreme Court (especially personal/family privacy rights)

Sept. 21, 23, 25
 Proposal Part 1 Due on SEPT. 23 (WED.)
 Marriage (basic laws)

Sept. 28 & 30, Oct. 2
 QUIZ 1 on SEPT. 28 (MON.)
 Continue basic laws of marriage; begin discussion of same-sex marriage, opposite-sex cohabitation, and other non-marital relationships

Oct. 5, 7, 9
 Continue discussion of same-sex marriage, opposite-sex cohabitation, and other non-marital relationships

Oct. 14, 16 (Oct. 12 is part of Fall Break)
 Divorce (basic laws)

Oct. 19, 21, 23
 Divorce and Children

Oct. 26, 28, 30
 Proposal Part 2 Due on OCT. 26 (MON.)
 Parental authority; adoption & foster care

Nov. 2, 4, 6
 QUIZ 2 on NOV. 2 (MON.)
 Child maltreatment

Nov. 9, 11, 13
 Welfare Reform

Nov. 16, 18
 Work-family interface; Family and Medical Leave Act

Nov. 20, 23 (Nov. 25, 27 are part of Thanksgiving holiday)
 Proposal Part 3 Due on NOV. 20 (FRI.)
 Issues Affecting Older People (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Grandparent Visitation Rights)

Nov. 30, Dec. 2, 4
 QUIZ 3 on DEC. 2 (WED.)
 Policy analysis & evaluation

Dec. 7
 Connecting with legislators and other policymakers; the art of compromise

Dec. 9
 Summary and review
  • P Conclusion

Final Exam period (Wed., Dec. 16, 1:30-4:00) will be used for presentations of legislative proposals.
Proposal Part 4 will be due at the final exam period.


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; Early 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

 

Links to state-capitol photos on other pages of mine:  Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin