Purpose
This assignment provides you with the opportunity to explore some of the changes in U.S. families and reflect on the evolution of the American family as portrayed in television.
This assignment is aligned with the module learning objectives #2, 3, 4, and 6.
Background
In the United States over 95 percent of people believe the combination of husband, wife, and children constitutes a family. This two-parent family structure is known as a traditional nuclear family, referring to heterosexual married parents and children as the nucleus, or core, of the group. However, the “typical” American family has changed radically over the last 60 years. Today, only about 64 percent of children live in homes with two parents who are married, representing an all-time low (Pew Research Center). American’s today are marrying later than ever before, divorcing sooner, cohabitating or choosing to remain single. Whereas married couples dominated the family structure in years past, only 30 percent of millennials feel that a successful marriage is an important part of life or defines a family.
U.S. families are changing in response to factors such as: higher rates of cohabitation, growing acceptance of divorce, a fast-growing blended family structure, same-sex nuclear families, single parent households and more career options for women, and the growing cost of housing and childcare.
Television is a powerful medium that has continually reinvented images of the American family over the past sixty years. Arguably, television has created an idealized image of the American family and not always portrayed a realistic depiction of what the typical family structure looks like. As you learned in Module 3, Media is a powerful agent of socialization that often dictates what we ‘think we should be doing.’ However, as times have changed, so have the images of family on television. This assignment will explore some of those changes and ask you to reflect on the evolution of the American family as portrayed in television.
*You will find a link to the document of shows to choose from here Family in TV Land –Show Options and at the end of the paper description.
Overview
For this assignment you will write a 2–3-page paper that explores the portrayals of family on TV. The paper will be based on information that you collect from watching shows that portray a traditional family and a nontraditional family (selected from the Family in TV Land –Show Options ). As you are watching the shows you should take notes in order to perform a content analysis. You will then synthesize your observations and the content analyses of the family portrayals on TV into the 2–3-page paper. The paper should include the following:
- A definition for a traditional family and a nontraditional family
- A brief description of each show
- A description of how each show portrays a family
- The content analyses
- A Sociological Analysis
Directions
The assignment begins with “Father Knows Best” (1954-1963). The website for the show “Father Knows Best”.Links to an external site. gives a lot of information about the show, its characters, and content. I want you to read one of the magazine articles on this website from TV Guide that was published during the time the show was syndicated. This information will provide a foundation and context for your paper. You should take notes on what you learned about the show including audience reception, characters, and the content of the show.
Next, you will watch a full-length episode of three (3) shows: “Father Knows Best”, a traditional show and a nontraditional show. You will then begin a content analysis of the three (3) shows.
Content Analysis
- Watch a full-length episode of “Father Knows Best” (these can be found on the “Father Knows Best” websiteLinks to an external site. or on YouTubeLinks to an external site.. ( )
- Choose a show from the Traditional family list and watch at least one full episode
- Choose a show from the Nontraditional family list and watch at least one full episode
In the episode(s) you will be looking for:
- Gender roles and family structure (mother, father, children)
- Roles and expectations of family members
- Parents as figures of authority
- Children (chores, manners, obedience to authority)
- What norms, values or beliefs are assumed in the shows? How are they presented?
- Communication styles
- Content of the show (what message was the show trying to send to the audience?)
- How is the content reflective of the average American family at the time? (or not)
- Take note of:
- race
- occupations
- class
- sexual orientation
- identity
Sociological Analysis
- The heart of the essay is the sociological analysis.
- Choose at least one theoretical view (functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism) through which to analyze your chosen family shows.
- Reflect on how well your show selections support a theoretical view of family. Use your identified families as support for or an argument against the theoretical view of family in society. Address the following questions:
Family in TV Land :
Traditional: The George Lopez show
Non traditional: Modern Family
Submission
Submit your paper as an attachment by clicking the Start Assignment button above.
Please note the following:
The assignment will be submitted via Turnitin to check for plagiarism. Please find the plagiarism policy in the Course Syllabus. All submitted student work will be added as source documents in Turnitin reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such assignments in the future.
