10682 Families: Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Sociology & Anthropology

Prerequisites: none

Recommended: Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Anthropology

Author: Matat Adar-Bunis

The course provides a critical discussion of the domain of family relations and of the connection of this domain to social factors, among them nationality, state, religion, race, class and economics. The course also offers an extensive discussion of families in Israel and their relations with Israeli society and the state of Israel.

Topics: The relations between the individual and the family and between the family and society, theoretical approaches and research methods in the field; Sociological and anthropological studies concerning familial and blood relations throughout the world and in different periods in history; The relationship between the family and three key demographic variables: fertility, mortality and immigration; The relationship between the family and the organization of work and property in various economies: gathering, hunting, gardening, farming, herding and industrial economies in the Western and Third World; The relationship between different family structures and familial ties, such as marriage and parenting in relation to the welfare state; The attempt to explain blood relations as an outcome of biology.