I am looking for a serious paper investigating further an issue of interest to the student that was touched upon in class. To help in the development of this paper, a mid-term take-home exam will be distributed on October 26 and due on November 9. This exam will consist in a series of questions on aspects of the readings. Students will be asked to write a brief essay (about 5 pages) on one of these questions.
Ideally, the student will then expand this essay into a full-fledged paper (15-20 pages) due on (preferably) December 14 (but no later than December 21). This paper should demonstrate one's ability to integrate various ways or disciplines for dealing with a topic.
Students already deeply involved in some research project on family issues may negotiate alternative frames for the paper.