The understanding of families, individuals, and their relationships in societal contexts is an overarching theme influencing a majority of the Human Ecology/Child and Family Studies courses. This content area focuses on the interactions between families and societal institutions, such as, educational, governmental, religious, and occupational institutions. To reinforce this understanding, particular topics are highlighted, including the structures and functions of families, the various geographic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds of families, the religious affiliations of families, and the work, family, and gender role dynamics. An important theory, the Ecological Systems theory, explained in several of the courses in the CFS curriculum helps to clarify this content area. The Ecological Systems theory, developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, observes the various environments and contexts individuals and families interact. The relationship between families and their contexts are reciprocal environments, both influencing the other. The Ecological Systems theory explains the reasoning for individuals behaving differently in the context of their family compared to their school or work context.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory consists of various systems that influence individuals’ behaviors. The systems consist of the micro system, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. The micro system contains the individual, such as the body and cognitive and emotional systems, and the people individuals interact with directly. This is the environment that surrounds individuals daily. Individuals are not just consumers in the micro system but producers. Individuals have a direct influence in creating this environment they interact with always. The mesosystem contains the influences and relationships of the micro systems, such as, school, religion, and family. This environment would include a physically abused child at home deciding to bully and hurt other children in his or her school. The exosystem contains the environment that individuals do not directly interact or influence, such as, community, society, and culture. Individuals are affected by the exosystem, because someone from their micro system interacts with an aspect of the exosystem. A child is still impacted by a parent who loses their job. The macrosystem is the least direct system in children’s lives. The macrosystem contains influences on childrens’ lives, such as, values, norms, customs, laws, and culture. The values a society holds indirectly impacts the way children are reared. In an individualistic culture, such as, the United States, children are raised to believe the individual is the most important aspect. One must help himself or herself first, before worrying about the community or group as a whole. The chronosystem is an abstract system containing the dimension of time interacting with individuals’ environments and lifespans. The time at which events occur or the ages of individuals experiencing particular events influence the reactions of the individuals. A child experiencing his or her parents’ divorce would react differently than an adult experiencing the same life event.
HUEC/CFS 1000: Human Ecology as a Profession
HUEC/CFS 2050: Family Dynamics
HUEC/CFS 2065: Management of Family Systems and Services
HUEC/CFS 3055: Development of Young Children in Context
HUEC/CFS 3060: Family Finance
HUEC/CFS 3065: Adult-Child Relationships
HUEC/CFS 3067: Field Experience in Family, Child & Consumer Science
HUEC/CFS 3090: Professional Seminar in Family, Child & Consumer Science
HUEC/CFS 3091: Reading and Research in Human Ecology
HUEC/CFS 4051: The Adolescent and the Family
HUEC/CFS 4052: Families: Policy and Law
HUEC/CFS 4064: Family Stress Management
HUEC/CFS 4065: Family Life Education
HUEC/CFS 4067: Internship in Child and Family Studies
SW 3003: Skills in Working with People
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory consists of various systems that influence individuals’ behaviors. The systems consist of the micro system, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. The micro system contains the individual, such as the body and cognitive and emotional systems, and the people individuals interact with directly. This is the environment that surrounds individuals daily. Individuals are not just consumers in the micro system but producers. Individuals have a direct influence in creating this environment they interact with always. The mesosystem contains the influences and relationships of the micro systems, such as, school, religion, and family. This environment would include a physically abused child at home deciding to bully and hurt other children in his or her school. The exosystem contains the environment that individuals do not directly interact or influence, such as, community, society, and culture. Individuals are affected by the exosystem, because someone from their micro system interacts with an aspect of the exosystem. A child is still impacted by a parent who loses their job. The macrosystem is the least direct system in children’s lives. The macrosystem contains influences on childrens’ lives, such as, values, norms, customs, laws, and culture. The values a society holds indirectly impacts the way children are reared. In an individualistic culture, such as, the United States, children are raised to believe the individual is the most important aspect. One must help himself or herself first, before worrying about the community or group as a whole. The chronosystem is an abstract system containing the dimension of time interacting with individuals’ environments and lifespans. The time at which events occur or the ages of individuals experiencing particular events influence the reactions of the individuals. A child experiencing his or her parents’ divorce would react differently than an adult experiencing the same life event.
HUEC/CFS 1000: Human Ecology as a Profession
HUEC/CFS 2050: Family Dynamics
HUEC/CFS 2065: Management of Family Systems and Services
HUEC/CFS 3055: Development of Young Children in Context
HUEC/CFS 3060: Family Finance
HUEC/CFS 3065: Adult-Child Relationships
HUEC/CFS 3067: Field Experience in Family, Child & Consumer Science
HUEC/CFS 3090: Professional Seminar in Family, Child & Consumer Science
HUEC/CFS 3091: Reading and Research in Human Ecology
HUEC/CFS 4051: The Adolescent and the Family
HUEC/CFS 4052: Families: Policy and Law
HUEC/CFS 4064: Family Stress Management
HUEC/CFS 4065: Family Life Education
HUEC/CFS 4067: Internship in Child and Family Studies
SW 3003: Skills in Working with People
HUEC/CFS 4051
PowerPoint presentation on the transition to adulthood for youth aging out of the foster care system
(Grade: A)
PowerPoint presentation on the transition to adulthood for youth aging out of the foster care system
(Grade: A)
SW 3003
Reflection of the course and social work as a profession
(Grade: A)
Reflection of the course and social work as a profession
(Grade: A)
HUEC/CFS 3090
Interview and review of a social worker’s life, struggles, and job tasks
(Grade: A)
Interview and review of a social worker’s life, struggles, and job tasks
(Grade: A)