Description:

This course provides an introduction to the problem of family violence. Topics to be addressed include: child maltreatment (physical & sexual abuse, neglect, psychological maltreatment), dating and marital violence, children exposed to marital violence, and elder abuse. The course will focus on psychological research and theories but also will cover some sociological and criminological research. Some attention will be devoted to the history of family violence, methodological issues, and legal and social remedies. Various controversial issues will be addressed such as "Does spanking children play a role in family violence?"; "Are women equally likely to abuse men?"; "Do some children bring abuse on themselves?"; and "Do children fabricate reports of sexual abuse?"

Texts:

Barnett, O.W., Miller-Perrin, C.L. & Perrin, R.O. Family violence across the lifespan. Thousand Oaks, Sage. 1997.

Grading and Requirements:

Exams:

2 midterms - 20% each

1 final - 15%

Papers:

10 reaction papers; 1pp -- 0.5% each

2 term papers; 6-10pp -- 20% each

Prerequisites:

Psychology 301 with a grade of C or better, Psychology 304 or 333D, Psychology 418 or an equivalent statistics course with a grade of C or better, and upper division standing.

Updated 16 June 1998
Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
University of Texas at Austin

Some graphics courtesy of Ann Pommerehn