Child and Family Studies

Students may complete a Child and Family Studies Minor as an adjunct to any major at Bryn Mawr or Haverford, pending approval of the student’s course­work plan by the Child and Family Studies advisor in the student’s major department.  Click here for a list of Tri-Co Faculty members involved in the CFS minor.

Click here to view the CFS page on the BMC website.

   Director
           Leslie Rescorla, Psychology

           lrescoral@brynmawr.edu

           (610) 526-7318

           Assistant Director
           Alice Lesnick, Education

           alesnick@brynmawr.edu
           Phone: 610-526-7944

           Steering Committee
           Marissa Golden, Political Science
           Mary Osirim, Sociology
           Janet Shapiro, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research
           Nell Anderson, Civic Engagement Office

 

The Child and Family Studies (CFS) minor provides a curricular mechanism for inter-disciplinary work focused on the contributions of biological, familial, psychological, socioeconomic, political, and educational factors to child and family well-being.  The minor will not only address the life stages and cultural contexts of infancy through adolescence but will also includes issues of parenting; child and family well-being; gender; schooling and informal education; risk and resilience; and the place, the representation, and the voice of children in society and culture.

 

General inquiries concerning the minor should go to the CFS Director Leslie Rescorla (lrescorl@brynmawr.edu). Specific questions can be addressed to the advisor for the CFSminor in the student’s major department: Leslie Rescorla (Psychology), Marissa Golden (Political Science), Philip Kilbride (Anthropology), and Mary Osirim (Sociology). Students in other departments wishing to enroll in the CFS minor should confer with Leslie Rescorla so that a departmental advisor can be selected.

 

Requirements for the Child and Family Studies Minor

 
The minor comprises six courses: one gateway course (PSYCH 206 Developmental Psychology, PSYCH 203 Educational Psychology, EDUC 200 Critical Issues in Education, or SOCL B201 Study of Gender in Society), plus five additional courses, at least two of which must be outside of the major department and at least one of which must be at the 300 level. Advanced Haverford and Swarthmore courses typically taken by juniors and seniors that are more specific than introductory and survey courses will count as 300 level courses. No more than two courses may be double-counted with each major, minor, or other degree credential.

Students will craft a pathway in the minor as they engage in course selection through ongoing discussions with their advisor. Sample pathways might include: political science/child and family law; sociology/educational policy; child and family mental health; depictions of children/families in literature and film; child and family public health issues; social work/child welfare; anthropology/cross-cultural child and family issues; gender issues affecting children and families; social justice/diversity issues affecting children and families; economic factors affecting children and families.

The minor also requires participation in at least one semester or summer of volunteer, practicum, praxis, community-based work study, or internship experience related to Child and Family Studies, with reflections to be recorded in a journal, which will be part of the student’s portfolio. Students are expected to discuss their placement choices with their minor advisor.

Click here to see what students have done during their internships.

Click here for a list of field sites.

 

To foster the inter-disciplinary nature of child and family studies, students enrolled in the minor must also complete the following requirements:

• Attendance at a minimum of two CFS-related formal events per year, for which reflections/comments will be recorded in a journal, which will be part of the student’s portfolio.
• Attendance four times per semester for two semesters at a “brownbag” 1-hour seminar, comprised of individual workshop/discussion sessions facilitated by a range of individuals, including the students themselves, affiliated faculty and staff, and guest speakers
• Participation during senior year in an annual CFS Poster Session during which students will share highlights of their CFS campus and field-based experiences.
   Click here for Posters from 2013

 

Courses that can be counted toward the Child and Family Studies Minor

(Note: it is important to check the Trico course guide for updated course information.  In some cases, courses relevant to the CFS minor will have changed, or been added.  Students should explore freely and consult with their advisor on curricular choices):

 

Bryn Mawr College Courses and Seminars

ANTH 212 Primate Evolution and Behavior, not offered 2013-2014

ANTH 253 Childhood in the African Experience, not offered 2013-2014

ANTH 281 Language in the Social Context, not offered 2013-2014

ANTH 312 Anthropology of Reproduction, Fall 2013

ANTH 341 Cultural Perspectives on Marriage & Family, not offered 2013-2014

EDUC 200 Critical Issues in Education, Spring 2014

EDUC 250 Literacies and Education not offered 2013-2014

EDUC 266 Schools in American Cities, Fall 2013

EDUC 275  English Learners in U.S. Schools, Fall 2013

EDUC 301 Curriculum and Pedagogy, Fall 2013

EDUC 302 Practice Teaching Seminar, Spring 2014

EDUC 310 Defining Educational Practice, not offered 2013-2014

EDUC 311 Field Work Seminar, not offered 2013-2014

POLS 375 Gender, Work & Family, Fall 2013

PSYC 203 Educational Psychology, Fall 2013

PSYC 206 Developmental Psychology,Spring 2014

PSYCH 209 Abnormal Psychology, Spring 2014

PSYC 220 Autism Spectrum Disorders, Fall 2013

PSYC 256 Culture and Development, Spring 2014

PSYCH 340 Women’s Mental Health,  not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 346 Pediatric Psychology,Fall 2013

PSYC 351 Developmental Psychopathology, not offered 2013-2014

PSYCH 352 Advanced Topics I Developmental Psychology,  not offered 2013-2014

SOCL 201 Study of Gender in Society, not offered 2013-2014

SOCL 205 Social Inequality, Fall 2013

SOCL 217 The Family in Social Context, not offered 2013-2014

SOCL 225 Women in Society,  not offered 2013-2014

SOCL 258 Sociology of Education, not offered 2013-2014

SOCL 266 Schools in American Cities, Fall 2013

SOWK Poverty and Inequality, Fall 2013

SOWK Child Welfare, not offered 2013-2014

SOWK Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity, not offered 2013-2014

SOWK Public Education: Issues in School Social Work Practice, not offered 2013-2014

SOWK Education Law for Social Workers, not offered 2013-2014

SOWK Public Health, Fall 2013

 

Haverford College Courses and Seminars

ANTH H209 Anthropology of Education, not offered 2013-2014

ANTH H263 Anthropology of Space: Housing and Society, not offered 2013-2014

BIOL H217 Biological Psychology, Spring 2014

COML H289 Children’s Literature, Spring 2013

EDUC H200 Critical Issues in Education, Fall/Spring 2013-2014

EDUC H210 Perspectives on Special Education, not offered 2013-2014

EDUC H260 Multicultural Education, not offered 2013-2014

PSYCH H213 Memory and Cognition, Spring 2014

PSYCH H215 Introduction to Personality Psychology, not offered 2013-2014

PSYCH H225 Self and Identity, not offered 2013-2014

SOCL H235 Class, Race & Education, not offered 2013-2014

 

Swarthmore College Courses and Seminars

 

Ed 14 Introduction to Education, Fall 2013

Ed 17 Curriculum and Methods Seminar, Fall 2013

Ed 21/Psych 21 Educational Psychology, Fall 2013

Ed 23/Psych 23 Adolescence, Fall 2013

Ed 23A Adolescents and Special Education, Fall 2013

Ed 26/Psych 26 Special Education, Fall 2013

Ed 41 Educational Policy, Fall 2013

Ed 42 Teaching Diverse Young learners, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 45 Literacies and Social Identities, Fall 2013

Ed 53 Language Minority Education, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 61 Gender and Education,not offered 2013-2014

Ed 64 Comparative Education,not offered 2013-2014

Ed 68 Urban Education, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 70 Outreach Practicum, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 121 Psychology and Practice Honors Seminar, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 131 Social and Cultural Perspectives Honors Seminar,not offered 2013-2014

Ed 151 Literacies Research Honors Seminar, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 162 Sociology of Education, not offered 2013-2014

Ed 167 Identities and Education Honors Seminar, not offered 2013-2014

HIST 079 Women, Family, and the State in China, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 27 Language Acquisition and Development, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 35 Social Psychology, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 39 Developmental Psychology, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 41 Children at Risk, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 42 Human Intelligence, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 43 Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 50 Developmental Psychopathology, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 55 Family Systems Theory and Psychological Change, not offered 2013-2014

PSYC 135 Seminar in Social Psychology, Fall 2013