Teaching Workshop

Teaching About Work and Family Life

www.bc.edu/wfnetwork

Stephen SweetIthaca College

Judi C. CaseyBoston College

Susan LambertUniversity of Chicago

Christopher MorettFordham University

Margaret Usdansky

Syracuse University

Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association

Boston, MA

August 2, 2008

About the Network

• The Alfred P. Sloan Work and Family Research Network is the premier online destination for information about work and family.  The Network serves a global community interested in work and family research by providing resources and building knowledge. Current, credible, and comprehensive, the Network targets the information needs of academics and researchers, workplace practitioners, state public policy makers, and interested individuals.  It’s the place to find high quality research and reports, easy-to-read summary sheets and briefs, as well as work and family topic pages – all in one location.

2005-2007• Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes

– Boston College• Ellen Ernst Kossek

– Michigan State University • Carrie Leana

– University of Pittsburgh• Shelley MacDermid

– Purdue University• Patricia Raskin

– Teachers College at Columbia University

• Mary Secret– Virginia Commonwealth University

• Stephen Sweet– Ithaca College

2007-2009• Christopher Morett

– Fordham University• Susan Lambert

– University of Chicago• Lonnie Golden

– Penn State, Abington• Stephen Sweet

– Ithaca College• Margaret Usdansky

– Syracuse University

Curriculum Task Force of the

Sloan Work and Family Research

Network

Work and Family Modules

Modules currently available

1. Overview of Work-Family Issues in the United States

2. Work-Life Issues in the Workplace

3. Work-Family Policy in the United States

4. Surveying the “Best of the Best”: A Seminar Based on Research Articles Nominated for the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Work-Family Research

Modules in development

5. Engaging Students in the Sloan Work and Family Research Network

Module: Overview of Work and Family in the United States

Class 1: Fundamental concepts in work and family

Class 2: Historical overview of work-family: Changes from pre-industrial to industrial arrangements

Key Concepts • Definitions of families• Diversity of employment and

family contexts• Institutional interfaces, spillover,

crossover, conflict, and enhancement

• Multidisciplinary perspectives

Module: Surveying the Best of the Best: A Seminar Based on Research Articles

Nominated for the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Work-Family Research

A Resource for Instruction and Learning

Course Syllabi

A Resource for Teachers and Students

Class and Workshop Activities

Pedagogies of Teaching Pedagogies of Teaching Work-FamilyWork-Family

Methodology:Methodology:Content analysis of published work-family teaching activities

Sample:Sample:

•All articles published in Teaching Sociology from 1990-2006 related to teaching Work-Family issues (N=26)

•All exercises/activities in ASA Resource Manual: Teaching Work-Family (N=22)

Pedagogy NDiscussions 21Field/Qualitative 10Archival/ Existing Docs. 6Self-Analysis 6Policy Debates/ Analysis 6Writing Activities 6Game-Playing/ Role-Playing 5Content Analysis 5Film/ Video/ Discussions 5Case Studies 5Survey 3Reading Realistic Fiction 2Budget/Time Management 2Various "Other" Group Activities 2Creative Personal Expressions 1Non-Fiction Book Reviews 1Panel Discussions 1Visual Illustrations 1N= 58Note- Some activites are coded as using multiple approaches

Source: Sweet, Pitt-Catsouphes, Mumm and Casey (2007)

0 20 40 60 80 100

Alt. Cultures

Communities

Research Methods

Race/ Ethnicity

History

Demography

Family Leave

Household Work

Workplace Change

International

Gender Inequalitites

Schedules/Balance

Child Care

Business/Economics

Percentage of Syllabi

Work-Family Course Work-Family Course CurriculaCurricula

Methodology:Methodology:

Content analysis work-family syllabi

Sample:Sample:

Syllabi accepted in ASA Resource Manual: Teaching Work-Family

N=16

Note: Note:

Topics may be more frequently covered in classes than our observations indicate.

Source: Sweet, Pitt-Catsouphes, Mumm and Casey (2007)

Putting the Teaching Activities to Work

• What topics do you try to cover in your courses?

• Does the Network have examples of strategies others have used?

A Premier Destination For Work-Family Resources

Work-Family Encyclopedia

Sample Encyclopedia Entry

Entries Cover:

•Basic Concepts

•Importance to W-F

•State of Knowledge

•Policy and Research Implications

Chris MorettFordham University

Sociology and Anthropology

Course syllabus

• FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT

• Family composition: Trends in marriage, divorce, and fertility

• The workplace: Job design and workplace culture• Consumption• Child care• Gender, the division of labor, and

segmentation/inequality

Course syllabus

• CONSEQUENCES (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE)• Background• Benefits of multiple roles• Challenges of multiple roles: How work affects

individuals, their partners, and their children

Course syllabus

• Work-family strain and community: How do they affect each other?

• Reflections on service-learning• The life-course perspective• Welfare reform, work, and family• Private and public policies to address work family conflict:

America and abroad• Work and family later in life: Workers, parents, and spouses• The Opt-Out Revolution???• Prospects for the future, prospects for change

Teaching goals

• Primary substantive content

• Other important/interesting topics

• Being sociological

Research: Locating and Generating Resources for the Encyclopedia

• What topics would you like to see in the Encyclopedia? (and let’s see if they are already there!)

• Would you have any interest in writing an entry– On family responses or outcomes?– On workplace responses or outcomes?– On methodology?– On policy?

A Portal to Work-Family Research

Advantages of the Literature

Data Base

•Full Text AccessMultidisciplinary

Putting The Literature Database to Work

• What issues are central to your research, teaching, or policy initiatives?

• Can you envision using this resource with students? How?

Margaret UsdanskySyracuse University

Using Topics Pages in Work-Family Courses

A Source of Comprehensive Understanding

Using the Topics Pages

A Source for Definitions

A Source for Statistics

Identifying Legislation

Paths for Student Research

A Link To Social Networks

Should you be listed among the “who’s who” of work-family leaders? Inquire to Judi Casey <caseyjt@bc.edu>

A Quick Means to Locate Facts

Putting the Statistics Database To Work

• What statistical facts would be useful to have at your fingertips?

• Can these be integrated into lectures?

• What are the implications of having students use this resource?

A Source For State Policy information

State Profiles

Susan LambertUniversity of Chicago

Integrating Case Studies and Fieldwork into Courses on Work and Work-Family

A Means to Locate Organizational Practices

A Means to Find News and Upcoming Events

The Network News

0 10 20 30 40 50

Soc.

HD & FS

Women

Psych.

Soc. Work

Anth.

Econ/Bus.

Legal St.

Hist.

HR/LR

Nursing

Pol.

Component Course

Number of Schools

Programming of Work-Family In Course OfferingsProgramming of Work-Family In Course Offerings

MethodologyMethodology

Content Analysis of college catalogues

Sample:Sample:

Random sample of 50 Carnegie Colleges & Universities with a high enrollment of undergrads

Measures:Measures:

A formal Work-Family course

Work-Family embedded within a course

Source: Sweet, Pitt-Catsouphes, Mumm and Casey (2007)

What are the biggest challenges you face in integrating work and family topics in your courses?

What pedagogical strategies can help overcome these hurdles?

Have you developed innovative approaches to teaching work-family issues?

To contribute activities or syllabi, contact Stephen Sweet <ssweet@ithaca.edu>

Opportunities to Contribute to the Sloan Work and Family Research Network

• Compose - entries for the Sloan Work-Family Encyclopedia

• Submit - syllabi to the Teaching Resources• Share - teaching activities and exercises for the

Teaching Resources• Nominate - to participate in the 2009-2010

Work-Family Curriculum Task Force and/or Leaders Database

Contacts Judi Casey - caseyjt@bc.edu

Stephen Sweet – ssweet@ithaca.edu

www.bc.edu/wfnetwork

Join Us

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Affiliates receive the monthly “The Network News” with:

- interviews with work-family leaders, - news and updates from the Sloan Foundation, - information about selected publications recently added to the Literature Database- announcements for conferences and calls for papers

A discounted subscription to:

-Community, Work and Family

Access to selected full-text articles in our research Literature database (with password)