SOC 4057

Great class for anyone interested in policy-- you don't need to be a sociology major to take it or appreciate it. Each week you read a whole book and write a 1.5 page "memo" that's supposed to be structured like an op-ed review. It's quite a bit of work to do this each week, but you get four skips/drops without a penalty to your grade. One day a week Wilcox lectures, one day students lead discussion. No exams. Final project was choice between a 10-page policy memo or a 3-min video/podcast. He is a fair grader, but really reads all of your work and gives you good feedback. Cool material, balances all points of view on this topic and you get to hear from some really great guest speakers.

This course was so interesting and really spoke about engaging topics. I recommend this class to anyone honestly. I will say there are lots of books to read, but you can get away with skimming, you just have to be able to create a 1.5-2 page paper each week arguing a point about one of the topics covered. Also, everyone will have a day that they (alone or with a partner) lead a discussion, but honestly it is not bad. The only other assignment is coming up with a PSA or policy regarding family and the topics we go over. Other than that participate and just enjoy the class. I really think this class is not as intimidating as it sounds and it super cool. We talk about really cool things like marriage and parenting and just different studies about how different variables affect the family.

Professor Wilcox genuinely cares about his students and is an incredible and very knowledgeable professor. He brings many of the authors of the books we have to read for talks or videochats. The content is extremelly interesting and I can say that this class has definitely changed my view of the world. We talk about many things such as marriage, divorce, child-rearing, relationships and etc. I would definitely recommend taking this class, although we had to read a couple of books and write a 1.5 page memo every week (you do get 3 skips for the semester). Overall it can be a lot of work, but if you're interested in the subject it will be totally worth it!

This class is SO INTERESTING! The material is applicable to every day life and is for the majority an easy read. However there is an undoable amount of reading. You are supposed to read a full book a week, which no one has time for. Class time is devoted to participating and discussing the readings. You also have to write a page and a half memo about the reading each week. Once you have to lead class discussion too. Also a final paper at the end. All in all it is a pretty good amount of work, but the topic is so interesting that it cancels out the hard work you have to put in. Definitely recommend this class!

Loved this class and the professor. It challenges your views on the family and governments role in family issues and explores all perspectives in a balanced and interesting way. Everyone should take this class!

This class will make you want to get (and stay) married before having kids! Throughout the semester, Professor Wilcox makes a very complex and convincing argument for the importance of the institution of marriage in our society. He's a great professor and you'll learn a LOT, and it's especially helpful if you're someone interested in social work or family law. Take note, he assigns a book to read every week and a requires a two page memo on each book. I got away with skimming the books but it's still kind of a hassle to do every week. Also, he requires that each student lead discussion once a week on the book assigned for the week. Overall not a super hard class, there are no tests but you do a lot of work throughout the semester.