Family Studies Minor
Advisor: Nancy Poe
Phone: (540) 568-6955
Email: familystudies@jmu.edu
Family Studies Minor Website
Program Description
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. The minor offers two focuses: Family ecology (FECO) and gerontology (GERO). Both focuses explore a range of family factors, family processes, policies, laws, services and the interrelationship of families and society. The minor will enhance majors in many fields including anthropology, early and middle education, health sciences, management, nursing, psychology, social work and sociology.
Minor Requirements
The family studies minor requires a minimum of 18 credit hours, with no more than six credit hours coming from the student's major area (for example, SOWK majors cannot apply more than six credits of SOWK courses toward the minor). 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 374.
For FECO focus students, six other credit hours are required and must be selected from these areas: Development and Family Processes, and Social and System Impacts on Families. Six additional credits may be selected from these two areas or from approved electives.
For GERO focus students, nine additional credits of core required courses and three credits from approved electives must be completed.
Each focus requires completion of a linked three credit capstone experience: For FECO: FAM 400 and FAM 401; for GERO: FAM 400 and IPE 313—002.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course | ||
| FAM 133 | The Contemporary Family | 3 |
| or SOCI 374 | Sociology of Families | |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Focuses | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 15 | |
Family Ecology Focus | ||
Gerontology Focus | ||
| Subtotal | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Focuses
Family Ecology Focus
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Family Development and Process | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Lifespan Issues for Individuals with Disabilities 1 | ||
| Child Development | ||
or PSYC 365 | Developmental Psychology | |
| Parent-Child Relationships Across the Lifespan | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Health Aspects of Gerontology | ||
| Psychology of Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
or SOWK 340 | Violence in Families | |
| Psychology of Adulthood | ||
| Family Communication 2 | ||
| Working with Adolescents | ||
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Social and System Impacts on Families | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Issues Affecting LGBTQIAP+ Individuals and Their Families | ||
| Social Gerontology | ||
| Programs and Services for Older Adults | ||
| Women in U.S. History | ||
| Care and Consideration for Children and Young Adults with Disabilities | ||
| Impact of Chronic Illness | ||
| Sociology of Death and Dying | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Community Mental Health Practice | ||
| Issues and Policies in Family Services | ||
| Child Welfare Services | ||
| Social Work with Immigrants and Refugees | ||
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Electives | ||
| Choose six credit hours of additional courses from Social and System Impacts on Families and/or Family Development and Process clusters or the following: | 6 | |
| Substance Use Interventions | ||
| Grant Writing for Agencies | ||
| Youth Empowerment Strategies (YES) | ||
| Special Topics in Family Studies | ||
| Special Studies in Family Studies 3 | ||
| Rural Health: An Interprofessional Approach | ||
| Issues and Applications of Family Caregiving: Caregiver's Community Network (FECO focus students limited to one credit section; can be repeated up to three credits) | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
| Frameworks and Focus Capstone Courses | ||
| FAM 400 | Theory Survey 4 | 1 |
| FAM 401 | Issues and Applications 4 | 2 |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
- 1
Special education non-teaching and chronic illness concentration students only.
- 2
SCOM majors and minors only.
- 3
Can be taken for a total of six credits.
- 4
Must be taken in same semester
Gerontology Focus
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | ||
| GERN/SOCI 280 | Social Gerontology 1 | 3 |
| GERN/SOWK 372 | Programs and Services for Older Adults | 3 |
| PSYC 160 | Life Span Human Development [C5SD] | 3 |
| Subtotal | 9 | |
| Elective Course | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introductory Neuroscience | ||
| Parent-Child Relationships Across the Lifespan | ||
| Palliative and Hospice Care: An Interdisciplinary Approach | ||
| Special Topics in Gerontology | ||
| Special Studies in Gerontology | ||
| The Use and Effects of Drugs | ||
| Health Aspects of Gerontology | ||
| Issues and Applications of Family Caregiving: Caregiver's Community Network 2 | ||
| Ethical Decision-Making in Healthcare: An Interprofessional Approach 3 | ||
| Helping Persons in Pain | ||
| Integrative Health Care | ||
| Life, Death, and the In-Between | ||
| Living Successfully with Chronic Illness | ||
| Sociology of Death and Dying | ||
| Rural Health: An Interprofessional Approach | ||
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Frameworks and Focus Capstone Courses | ||
| FAM 400 | Theory Survey 4 | 1 |
| IPE 313 | Issues and Applications of Family Caregiving: Caregiver's Community Network 4,5 | 2 |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |