In this course, we will:

• Increase our understanding of the complexities of family communication and, in the process, gain insight into our own family experiences.
• Gain an understanding of various theoretical perspectives on family communication.
• Examine the role of narratives, including family stories and cultural mythology, in family communication.
• Acquire an appreciation of the uniqueness of each family as well as the systemic processes common to diverse family types.
• Consider family life cycles.
• Develop an appreciation for the diversity of family experiences.
• Enhance our critical and creative thinking skills through course readings, class discussion, and course assignments.

• Sandra Cisneros. 1984. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage.
• Mary Karr. 1995. The Liar's Club. New York: Viking.
• Salvador Minuchin. 1998. Family Healing. New York: Touchstone.

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You have the opportunity to complete the following assignments this semester:

This assignment requires you to interview a member of your family. Your interview should focus on your family history. You may choose any member of your extended family, though I would encourage you to choose a grandparent or someone else who has been a member of your family for an extended period of time. You should record the interview by using a video or audio recorder. Your interview should be at least 60 minutes long.

After your interview is complete, you must write a 3-5 page story based on your conversation. Your story should offer an analysis of the family history told to you by your family member and should address the question: How was your family represented in this person=s account?

Think about the particular themes (related to family identity, family roles, gender, class, ethnicity) that emerged during the interview. Explore the kinds of stories told (birth stories, courtship stories, marriage stories, etc.). You should also consider the ways in which the family history told to you is or is not consistent with what you know. Did you learn anything new about your family? Did you believe everything you heard? Was this a truthful and authentic account? Why or why not? Make sure you use quotes from the interview to support your points. You may even choose to write this paper as a story of the interview itself.

Your paper must be typewritten and double-spaced. Please use 12-point font and 1" margins. We will discuss criteria for evaluation in class. You will be expected to present a 5-minute summary of your interview to the class.

This family story assignment offers you the opportunity to delve into the communicative dynamics of your family. The purpose of this autobiographical assignment is to encourage you to explore your own family experience in an effort to interpret and understand the meanings of your family stories.

Your family story will be a personal narrative about life in your family. One way to think about it is as an expression of what it means to be "a Jago," "a Smith," or "a Washington." You may want to focus on such issues as how you think your parents regarded you as a child; how your family operates as a system; how dialectical tensions are exhibited and managed in your family; how your family has changed over the course of its life cycle; and/or what terms such as "home," "family," and "love" mean in your family. There are merely suggestions. You may choose to focus on any aspect of your family's communication.

You cannot tell us everything that happened in your family from the moment you were conceived to the present. You must select the details, the specific events, themes, or turning points that get your point across. In addition, there is no mandate to share private, uncomfortable, or painful aspects of your experience. This is not an exercise in self-disclosure. Rather, think about this as a detailed and evocative story teaching the reader about the inner workings of your family.

This is a story of your family from your unique perspective. Although your life may seem fragmented, unclear, and disconnected, your story should attempt to attach meaning and significance to your experience. Use your imagination and be creative. However, while all stories contain elements of fiction, this story should be true.

Your story should be 6 - 8 typewritten, double-spaced pages (12-point font, 1" margins). Your story should be adequately developed, concrete and specific, clearly focused, well organized, and well written.

A first draft of your story will be due a month prior to the final due date. We will spend time in class conducting peer critiques. I will provide you with the appropriate Peer Evaluation Forms. You are expected to turn in two Peer Evaluations of your First Draft with your Final Family Story.

At the end of the semester, each student will be required to present her/his Final Family Story to the class. We will discuss this presentation more fully as the semester progresses.

You will enjoy one exam during the semester. The in-class final exam will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. We will discuss the details of the exam as the semester progresses.

I will give approximately four unannounced short answer quizzes over he course of the semester. They will cover the basic points of the course readings.

Learning is an active process in which we all participate. Viewing learning as an active process implies several significant distinctions between many traditional classroom interactions and what I hope this course will become for us. First, an active process suggests the importance of understanding and experiencing ideas as they relate to our own lives, rather than just remembering a list of facts. This course will provide us plenty of material upon which to reflect as we consider the role of storytelling in our lives.

Second, a process continually evolves with no clear beginning or end. Hence, this course will become a dialogue among all of us as we reflect upon the material presented and its relevance to our experiences. Such a conversation includes responsibilities to which we must all agree. Clearly, our initial responsibility includes being in class regularly. But merely being in class is not enough. Being prepared for class is also necessary. A quick reading of the assigned material will do little to prepare for class. You must come to class prepared to analyze and critique the readings.

An additional important responsibility involves a willingness to be open. Each of us must consider the thoughts and ideas of others in the class. If there are twenty of us in the classroom, there will be at least twenty different perspectives. No one experience or viewpoint is more valuable than any other. You may not agree with the views expressed by others in the course, but we must all agree to respect each individual's right to have and share her/his own opinions. Listening to the perspectives of others should do nothing more than create greater understanding of the diversity of experience in contemporary society.

Finally, self-disclosure is not a prerequisite for this class. You will not be expected to share intimate details of your life. But if you feel comfortable doing so, you can expect your classmates
--and me--to respect your privacy. Any personal information shared during this class will remain private.

Simply stated, THIS IS YOUR CLASS so your participation is essential! The more voices heard the better. But don't forget that quality matters.

Grades are earned based on the following scale:

A (94 and above): Extraordinary
A- (90-93): Exceptional
B+ (87-89): Superior
B (84-86): Great
B- (80-83): Very Good
C+ (77-79): Good
C (74-76): Average/Satisfactory
C- (70-73): Below Average
D+ (67-69): Inferior
D (64-66): Unsatisfactory
D- (60-63): Very Unsatisfactory
F (59 and below): Unacceptable and Failing