Aims

At the end of the course, the students should be able :
- to present the main cues of the sociological thought with respect to a question-problem
- to reliably report the thought of an author
- to "debuild" the reasoning of an author and to put it in perspective with the reasoning of other authors

For the students choosing to present a work during the course, the quality of the verbal expression is also considered as a training.

For the students choosing to present a written work, the quality of the written expression is also considered as a training.

Main themes

- to present the various sociological theories related to family and sexuality by explaining their emergence from an historical point of view and their bases.

- to establish links between the various theories presented.

- to tackle and present the questions-problems in order, on one hand to introduce to the construction of a reasoning about a question-problem and on the other hand to show the possible links between the approaches of various authors.

Content and teaching methods

The course aims at introducing the students to a sociological reflection on the themes of family, love and sexuality. It tries to draw a table of the sociological theories of the family, focusing on the contemporary sociologies of family. Relatively to the theme of sexuality, the chosen perspective aims at overhauling the approach of sexuality from its "results" and its institutional expressions (fecundity, wedding, etc.) on the basis of the teachings of the important inquiries made in this field in order to study the significations given by the actors to their practices. Love will be approached as a cultural concept, i.e. not as a feeling but as a code of communication.
Moreover, the course tries to be related to the contemporary problems in the field and gives a privileged place to the late research in the field. Some examples of the contemporary problems tackled : the individualism in the family life, the question of identity in the couple life, the repartition of tasks in the domestic sphere, the tensions between professional and private lives, the place of the child in the family, the pluriparentality, the divorce, the intra-family violence, the codification of the private space by the State, the repression of sexuality, the AIDS, etc.
The course mainly consists of lectures, with some sessions more participative organised as debates. The students wishing to present, alone or in group, an important question in the frame of the course can do it after consultation of the teacher.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisite : Basic Notions in sociology

Evaluation :three forms: 1° the classical examination, either an exchange on the matter of the course ; 2° presentation, alone or in group, of a question in the frame of the course. The evaluation is done on this presentation and on the note given to the teacher (presentation of the elements of discussion + critics) ; 3° presentation of a question at the examination. The evaluation is done on this presentation and on the note given to the teacher. The informations are given on the website of the course
http//labo.icampus.ucl.ac.be/SEX2410

Support : The supports (texts, references of papers, copy of the transparents used) are given on the website.

Other credits in programs