For this first writing assignment, your task is to consider ideologies about family. You may think about your own family and how you define it (though you do not have to write about your personal life if you don’t want to; you may take a more analytical/abstracted approach). Considering the course materials we have read so far, please write a brief essay that includes answers to the following questions:
* How do you define family or kin? (Does it mean immediate family? extended family? “chosen family”? faith community? ethnic enclave? Something else?) Why do you define it that way?
* How do or might families impart values and ideologies, directly and indirectly? How do those values and ideologies impact children? What impact do those ideologies have on people as they individuate in adulthood? Be specific! You can make a broad claim and support with 2-3 examples.
* What is valuable about children and childhood? What kinds of family structures support and/or undermine that? Give a specific example.
* What assumptions about “family” do you bring to this class? How might that inform and/or limit your analytical lens?
Your assignment should be 3-4 double-spaced typed pages in length.
You need to cite 2 course materials in support of your arguments.
The tone/style does not need to be overly formal (you can use I/me), but you should proofread, and use the following format:
12 point font, Times New Roman, 1” margins
Double spaced, Pages numbered
Proofread the paper before turning in
Works cited and in-text citations for quotations or paraphrased ideas in MLA or Chicago Style format