The role of the family in human evolution, and as a symbol in our own social and political lives. Topics include: sex, marriage, and parenting; the labor market; class, race, and ethnicity; and the family's probable future. We begin by considering briefly the evolution of the family, its cross-cultural variability, and its history in the West. We next examine how the family is currently defined in the U.S., discussing different views about what families should look like. Class and ethnic variability and the effects of changing gender roles are discussed in this section. We next look at sexuality, traditional and non-traditional marriage, parenting, divorce, family violence, family economics, poverty, and family policy. Controversial issues dealt with include day care, welfare policy, and the "Family Values" debate.

Developmental psychology concerns itself with the changes (psychological and otherwise) that occur as a result of our physical and mental maturation. This course proceeds from prenatal development through adolescent and adult development. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Discuss the interaction between and the roles of nature and nurture in lifespan development.; Describe the basic development of the human nervous system; Explain the developmental processes associated with the five senses; Describe the important developmental milestones and age expectations associated with motor skills, social skills, cognitive ability, sensory awareness, and the use of language; Discuss the important theories of cognitive development, including those of Piaget, Vygotsky, the information-processing approach, and the intelligence perspective; Discuss and contrast the nativist, behavioral-cognitive, functionalist, and learning stage theories of language development; Describe the developmental process of language, from cooing and babbling to mature language; Explain the important theoretical issues in the study of the development of personality; Discuss the most influential theories of personality development, including those of Freud, Erikson, Klein and Mahler, Bowlby, and Ainsworth; Explain Kohlberg's theory of moral development, including the perspectives of its critics; Describe the physical and cognitive changes associated with adolescent development; Explain the significance of the differences in maturation rates between individuals; Discuss the major issues of development in adulthood, including marriage and divorce, parenting, and mid-/later-life physical and cognitive changes. (Psychology 302a)

'Living with the Living Theater,' 1989, was created by video artist Nam June Paik with Betsy Connors and Paul Garrin, and is a documentary-style look at Judith Malina and Julian Beck of the experimental Living Theater drama group. In Paik''s style, the footage is played backwards, forwards, and at odd speeds. Segments are juxtaposed with little explanation as to their relationship. Scenes witnessed include interviews with Malina, Beck, the poet Jackson Mac Low and the painter Iris Lezak about communal living and parenting; their children responding to this interview footage; Malina, Beck, and others smoking marijuana at the grave of Mikhail Bakhunin; footage of the Living Theater performing in Berlin in 1967; a news clip of Paik's robot being hit by a car; and Beck's funeral. Rock music by the likes of Janis Joplin and Madonna permeates the work. This work was never broadcast because Nam June Paik did not have rights to some of the material used. The 'Television Workshop' created several shows that were broadcast on WGBH without being a part of a series sponsored specifically by the Workshop. Additionally, they were commissioned to create shows showcasing video art for national broadcast and created several shows in collaboration with existing series at other stations, such as WNET''s 'American Playhouse.'

This course has been developed using portions from several of the books, videos, and audio products produced by Glenn Latham. These materials will give parents the skills necessary to raise children well. Glenn Latham said of his book, The Power of Positive Parenting, which is his definitive book, upon which this course is built, that it has been subjected to more independent, scientific scrutiny than any parenting book in print today. In every instance, it has been shown to be an effective parenting tool. For that reason, it has been adopted by parent training programs, schools, university professors, early childhood and head start programs, and governmental programs as the basic text for teaching parenting skills.