3creditsThis course examines the family as a basic institution. Special focus is given to the marital life cycle: courtship, dating, marriage, the childbearing years, parent-child relationships and marriage during the middle and older years. This course examines the implication of marital dissolution and the family, as they exist under modern social conditions. Focus is given to contemporary variations of the family commonly referred to as intimate relationships (co-habitation, hooking up and gay marriage). This course is a required component for USD, BCU and BVU Social Work transfer programs.