Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - SA 331 D100

Politics of the Family (S) (4)

Class Number: 7411

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    S Underwood
    swu3@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: TBA

  • Prerequisites:

    SA 101 or 150 or 201W.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A sociological examination of the contested nature of contemporary domestic and intimate relations. The course will focus on debates arising from equality movement politics (e.g. gender, sexuality, race).

COURSE DETAILS:

Family is often taken for granted and assumed to be natural. Yet, the politics of family in Canada reflect both a diversity in family life and inequalities in how families are constructed and supported. Rather than being natural, Canadian family patterns vary widely, as do which families are socially recognized. But what explains this diversity and these inequalities?

Politics and policy offer us a key lens to make sense of families in Canada. How we understand family, motherhood, fatherhood, and parenthood itself, differs across nations, provinces, and territories. They also differ biologically and legally. Here, the state holds great power of definition: Canadian law, social (family) policy, and the ongoing projects of settler-colonialism and truth and reconciliation are key sites of political contestation and legitimacy. In addition, feminists have long raised important questions about the politics and practices of gendered and racialized care work. Debates around immigration, foreign domestic worker programs, and the experiences of transnational families add further complexity, as do questions surrounding 2SLGBTQI+ parents, families of choice, monogamy/non-monogamy, homonormativity, surrogacy, and adoption. Finally, we examine how the political economy of Canada today (and much of the capitalist world) shapes both family configurations and life chances for those within them. Taken together, these issues inform political debates and influence the policy choices made by Canadian governments regarding what families are recognized, supported, or excluded.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • To raise questions about what we take for granted with respect to family, and to show how a sociological perspective helps answer them.
  • To examine diverse family patterns to better understand why families are organized as they are.
  • To examine different types of families, and the specific challenges and opportunities each of them creates for the adults and children living in them.
  • To understand the politics of family in Canada today, including debates about what makes a family and how to support a family, as well as how these politics are shaped by broader capitalist forces around the globe

Grading

  • Short Responses – Ongoing In-Class 20%
  • Response Pape 25%
  • Final Test 20%
  • Final Paper 35%

NOTES:

Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.

Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:

A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements

Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.

Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.

The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved!  Follow Facebook and Instagram pages or visit our website.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All texts available as pdfs on Canvas or online via SFU Library

 


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.