F S P
	Family Studies Program

 

         
Family values, poor children, and welfare reform are all hot topics in our society today.  The Family Studies Program offers educational opportunities to students, human service personnel in both the public and not-for-profit sectors, as well as the general public to enhance understanding of the state of American families.
         

What is Family Studies?

         

       

        Family Studies is an interdisciplinary, academic discipline which explores the many facets of families themselves as well as societal trends such as the aging population, economic changes and public policies - to name just a few - which influence families.  Sociology, psychology, history, economics, and communications studies are just a few of the disciplines which contribute to our knowledge of families.  The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Family Studies Program focuses primarily on the situation of American families and the social services organizations which serve them.
       

Get a Minor in Family Studies!

         

       

            The UMKC College of Arts and Sciences Family Studies Program offers a minor in family studies.  The interdisciplinary upper-level undergraduate academic curriculum introduces participants to the sociological and psychological foundations of families and the historical, political, and social climate in which they exist.

Students complete an 18-hour (nine-hour core and nine-hour elective) course of study outlined below.  Completion of the family studies minor is recorded on the student's transcript.  Complete this form with your information, obtain the signature of the Family Studies Director and you are on your way to adding value to your degree!

FAMILY STUDIES MINOR REQUIREMENTS

CORE CLASSES

Nine credit hours are required.
Psych 322 Child Psychology (3 credits) (prerequisite: Introduction to Psychology) usually offered every semester

                                                                  and
Soc 211 Sociological and Psychological Development Through the Life Cycle (3 credits) usually offered every semester

                                   and
Soc 310R Families and the Life Course (3 credits)
                                    or
Psych 453P Family Life Cycle: Developmental Approach to Understanding Family Dynamics (4 credits)

Soc 310R and Psych 453P are equivalent and will provide three credits towards the core requirements.  Do not take both Soc 310R and Psych 453P.

ELECTIVE REQUIREMENTS
Nine credit hours of elective classes are required.  A maximum of three elective credits can come from one-credit classes. 

Humn 452 Images of the Family in Art and Literature (3 credits)

A&S 400J Intimacy in the Family

Note: The Psych 453P Family Life Cycle class counts for one core course, the HUMN 452 Images of the Family in Art and Literature and A&S 400J Intimacy in the Family classes count as two elective courses.  After taking the PACE Block, you only need to take Soc 211 and Psych 322 (an Introduction to Psychology is a prerequisite for this course) and one more elective course!

FALL SEMESTER PACE CLASSES

Each Fall semester the College's PACE program offers Family Studies courses one core and two elective classes.  The PSYCH 453P Family Life Cycle class counts for one core course, the HUMN 452 Images of the Family in Art and Literature and A&S 400J Intimacy in the Family classes count as two elective courses.  After taking the PACE Block, you only need to take Soc 211 and Psych 322 (an Introduction to Psychology is a prerequisite for this course) and one more elective course!  For more information contact the PACE Office at 235-1588.

 

Each semester, the classes that can be used to fulfill the elective requirements are listed under the Family Studies section of the College of Arts and Sciences Division of Continuing Education catalog, which is available on campus or by clicking on the link UMKC CE COURSE CATALOG.
             SIGN UP FOR CLASSES ON PATHWAY!

          Why Should I get a Minor in Family Studies?

Students with a deeper understanding of American families and the social-cultural climate in which they exist will have expanded career opportunities in human services, program development, law, academic research, and graduate studies in social work, sociology, psychology, and counseling.

Family Studies in the Community

 

            Family Studies in the Community

          FDC - The MidSouth Regional Family Development Credential Program

The FDC is a credential program providing frontline family workers the skills to empower families to set and reach their own goals for self-reliance.

For more information, please visit our website at: http://cas.umkc.edu/fdc        

 

Questions? Contact Us

 

Deborah B. Smith, PhD
Associate Professor Sociology
Director, Family Studies Program
208 Haag Hall
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO  64110
Phone: (816) 235-2529
Fax: (816) 235-1117
Email: familystudies AT umkc.edu