Fall 2003 Syllabus

MAIS 5301: Interdisciplinary Seminar

on Close Relationships - GR 2.816

Instructor: Karen Prager

Office: GR 2.214

Phone: 972-883-2353

Email: kprager@utdallas.edu

Office hours: M 5-6 p.m.; Th 12:30-1:30

Want an answer to your question fast? Use email.



Required Readings: Books and articles on reserve in the library under my name, this course (be sure to check the course number before you start making copies).

Required Books (all are available in paperback):

1) Sternberg, R.J. (1995). The Psychologists' Companion: Edition III. New York: Cambridge.

2) Hendrick, S. & Hendrick. C. (2000). Close Relationships: A Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA:, Sage.

3) Solomon, R. (2001). About Love: Reinventing Romance for Our Time. Lanham, MD: Madison Books).

4) Olsen, D. & Stephens, D. (2001). The Couple's Survival Workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

5) Schnarch, D. (1997). Passionate Couples. New York: Norton. (Also listed as "Passionate Marriage").

Optional:

1) Antony, M.M. & Swinson, R. P. (2000). Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.





CLASS SCHEDULE



Date Topic Reading Assignment
Aug. 25 Introduction to the Course:

A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Studying Close Relationships

 Poem, "I find no peace, and all my war is done." Sir Thomas Wyatt
Sept. 1 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
Sept. 8 Topic: Attraction & the challenges of getting acquainted
  1. On reserve, "Attraction" by Cunningham et. al., International Encyclopedia of Marriage & the Family.
  1. Questionnaire: Milestones in Interpersonal Development
  2. On reserve, "Dating," by Laner, International Encyclopedia of Marriage & the Family.
  3. On reserve, Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook, Chapters 1 & 6.
    Sept. 15    		 Topics for final paper must be selected and approved by today

    Topic: Making and keeping friends
    1. In Close Relationships, Chapter 4, Rose & Asher, "Children's Friendships"
    2. In Close Relationships, Chapter 5, Collins & Laursen, "Adolescent Relationships"
    3. In Close Relationships, Chapter 22, Wood, "Gender and Personal Relationships."
      Sept. 22      		 LIBRARY TOUR - Class meets at the Information Desk in the Library

      Topic: Falling in love & loving: What does it mean?
      1. On reserve, poem by Y'huda Amichai, "Songs for a woman."
      2. Hendrick & Hendrick, Close Relationships, Chapter 15, "Romantic Love."
      3. In About Love, Introduction, pp.20-28; 31-48; 125-147;168-174.
      4. In Couple's Survival Workbook, Chapters 1 & 2.
        Sept. 29        		 Topic: Parents, children, attachment & and "working models"

        1. In Close Relationships, Feeney, Noller & Roberts, "Attachment and close relationships."
        2. On reserve, Stams, G.J.M., Juffer, F., van Ijzendoorn, M.H. (2002). Maternal Sensitivity, Infant Attachment, and Temperament . . ., Developmental Psychology, 38, 806-821.
        3. Questionnaire: "The Relationships Style Questionnaire." - Intimacy
        4. In The Couple's Survival Workbook, Chapter 6.
        5. On reserve: Susan Cross, et al. (2002). "Thinking about oneself and others," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, pp. 399-418.
          Oct. 6 (Class begins at 7:30)                     		Topic: The challenges of intimacy
          1. Questionnaires, Intimacy Scales
          2. In Close Relationships, Prager, "Intimacy in Personal Relationships."
          3. In Couple's Survival Workbook, Chapter 10.
          4. On reserve, John Hess, (2002) "Distance regulation in personal relationships," Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, pp. 663-683.
            Oct. 13             		Topic: Self-in-relation: What does the individual bring to adult relationships?
            1. On reserve, Aron, et al., "Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 596-612.
            2. In Passionate Couples, Chapters 1, 2, 4.
            3. On reserve, Prager & Roberts, (in press), "Deep intimate connection."
            4. In About Love, pp. 194-251.
              Oct. 20              		 Writing Workshop: Writing about Close Relationships
              1. In The Psychologists' Companion, Chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, 8
                Oct. 27                		 Topic - Thinking, feeling, and satisfaction in intimate relationships
                1. Questionnaire: "Relationship Attribution Measure."
                2. Questionnaire: "Relationship Beliefs Inventory."
                3. In Close Relationships, Guerrero & Anderson, Chapter 13, "Emotion in Close Relationships."
                4. In The Couple's Survival Workbook, Chapters 3, 4, 5.
                  Nov. 3                  		 Papers Due!!

                  Topics -Different relationships for different individuals? Gender, culture,

                  & sexual orientation
                  1. In Close Relationships, Chapter 8, Gaines & Liu, "Mi8ulticultural/multiracial relationships."
                  2. In About Love, pp. 283-300.
                  3. In Close Relationships, Chapter 9, Peplau & Spalding, "The close relationships of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals."
                  4. In Close Relationships, Chapter 10, Steil, "Contemporary Marriage."
                    Nov. 7                    		 Great opportunity - optional

                    Dr. Art Aron

                    Professor of Psychology

                    State University of New York at Stony Brook will speak:



                    9:30 a.m. - Green Commons

                    		 "Interpersonal Closeness as Including Others in the Self: Implications for Understanding Love

                    and Prejudice"

                    Nov. 10 Topic -- Relationships in distress & domestic violence
                    1. Questionnaire "Marital Status Inventory"
                    2. In Close Relationships, Canary & Messman, Chapter 19, "Relationship conflict."
                    3. On Reserve, Atwood, "The competent divorce."
                    4. In Close Relationships, Christopher & Lloyd, "Physical and sexual aggression in relationships."
                      Nov. 17                      		 Revised papers due!!

                      Turn in original with comments and revised version to get credit.



                      Topic -- Making Relationships Better

                      Short take-home test over readings
                      1. On reserve, poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Love."
                      2. Passionate Marriage, Chapters 11-13.
                      3. In The Couple's Survival Workbook, Chapters 8, 9, & 11.



                        Nov. 24

                        Film: "Married in America"

                        Michael Apted's documentary on marriage is gripping and sweet
                        1. On reserve, sonnet by William Shakespeare, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds."
                        2. On reserve, short story by T. Coraghessan Boyle, "Modern Love."

                        44. Film (to be specified)

                        Dec. 1 Papers returned!





                        Grade will be based on the following:

                        1) In-class presentation: 15%

                        2) Take-home quiz over lecture & readings: 15%

                        3) Research paper: 30%

                        4) Research paper, revised based on comments: 35%

                        5) Class attendance: 5%



                        Class Presentation: Please select one reading from the syllabus (i.e., one book chapter, one article, one short story, or one poem). Write a short (1 page) "presentation guide" that lists the three most interesting (or more important points) made by the author(s). Tell the class what you think about each and why. Find out what your classmates think by raising one discussion question per point. (P.S. You will probably be tempted to choose something short like a poem. Do remember that shorter is likely to be more difficult!)



                        Feel free to prepare handouts, power-point slides, or anything else that might add to your presentation. Your grade for the class presentation will be based on your oral presentation and on the written presentation guide that you will hand in to me.



                        Readings Packet - Close Relationships

                        Table of Contents