FAML 460

Course Syllabus

Description
Focus on current challenges or issues being experienced by children and families
and on the development of public policies to address these issues. An ecological
approach to the study of policy formation with the aim of gaining knowledge and
skills to successfully advocate for appropriate and effective child and family policies.

Outcomes
The focus of this course is on the interaction between science, values, public
policies, and gospel doctrines relating to the well-being of children and families.
Specific learning outcomes include:
 Interpret the role of science and values in advocating on behalf of children
and families at the various ecological levels.
 Assess the efficacy of current child and family policies.
 Propose well-informed policies for current child and family issues.
 Develop family advocacy views employing research and gospel doctrines and
principles.
 Defend family advocacy views through speaking, writing, and social media.
 Articulate the relevance of religious freedom in the creation of family policy.
 Explain the importance of giving priority to raising well-adjusted children and
responsible citizens.

Learning Model Architecture

You will apply the principles of the learning model in this course. Personal prayers
and scripture study are essential to learning by faith and helpful to strengthening
your ability to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You will be asked to use both
intellectual and spiritual tools of learning in this course. To this end, you will be
expected to:
 Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a principle of power;
 Understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost;
 Lay hold upon the word of God-as found in the holy scriptures and in the

words of the prophets-in all disciplines;
 Act for yourself and accept responsibility for learning and teaching;
 Love, serve, and teach one another.
Each week, you will prepare by reading course materials and completing activities.
Teaching one another will occur as you provide meaningful feedback, make
presentations, and work with each other on assignments. Lastly, you will ponder
and prove by writing research papers, conducting peer reviews, and making
presentations.

Pre-Requisites
Junior or Senior standing.

Required Materials
Web camera

Microphone

Wilkins, R., & Rasband, E. (1999). A Sacred Duty. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft.
Compare prices for your textbooks through the University Store Price Comparison
site. They will show you all of the options from the University Store plus several
online options to help you find the best price.

Grading Policies
Grading Scale
This course will use the standard BYU-Idaho grading scale:

A 93-100% C 73-76%

A- 90-92% C- 70-72%

B+ 87-89% D+ 67-69%

B 83-86% D 63-66%

B- 80-82% D- 60-62%

C+ 77-79% F 0-59%
Grade Components
Not all assignments and activities in this class will be directly graded. However, all of
them will affect your grade. Grades will be calculated as follows:
 Academic Grade (all graded assignments) = 80% of your final grade
 Citizenship Grade (all non-graded assignments/activities, including HOA
meetings, Journals and Discussion Boards) = 20% of your final grade
Your Citizenship Grade will be calculated once for Lessons 01-07, and another
time at the end of the class for Lessons 08-14 using the points from the Weekly
Participation and Preparation Reports.
The Weekly Preparation and Participation Reports contain your point scores for
the Discussion Board(s) that week, The HOA meeting, and your journal entry. The
journal itself is not scored, but points are given for the journal in the Weekly Report.
The points do add up. Twice during the semester, all of the points from the Weekly
Reports will be averaged together and your grade will be reconfigured to include
these points.
These cumulative checks that add up to be your citizenship grade, will be a
reflection of the effort that you have put into being an active learner in the
discussion boards, Google HOA, and Penzu journal activities.

If you don't participate and put effort towards the Citizenship Grade activities and
assignments, your grade will suffer. Earning 0% of the possible 20% means that the
maximum grade you could earn in this class is a B-, and that's assuming a perfect
score in all of the graded assignments that make up the Academic Grade-an
unlikely feat if you blow off the non-graded activities, as they are an integral piece
of the learning experience and of your ability to master the skills expected and
required for the graded assignments.

Academic Grade
Introduction Quiz (5 points)
This quiz will cover information from the Orientation to Online Learning at BYU-
Idaho and the Syllabus.

Family Doctrine and Principles Paper (25 points)

Find scriptures and talks that help us understand how this topic conflicts with the
Lord's Plan of Happiness for His children.

Family Research and Evidence Paper (25 points)

Write an in-depth analysis on a current issue or threat to the family drawing from
research and current events.

United Families International Alert (25 points)

You and a partner will identify a current child/family issue and write a persuasive,
yet brief advocacy article that may be sent to approximately 100,000 pro-family
subscribers at www.unitedfamilies.org.

Persuasive Speech Delivery, Peer Review, and Reference

Page (70 points)
You will prepare and deliver a persuasive speech aimed at influencing child and
family policy or legislation. Your presentation will be done live through the use of
Google HOA with an assigned small group, where you will also serve as the
audience to your fellow group members that will be presenting their own speech.
As a comprehensive assignment, this will also include a peer review of presenters
and a reference page for all research and data sources used in the speech.

Online Advocacy (25 points)

This is a group assignment, in which you will have the opportunity to create an
online forum (Facebook page or blog) and present research findings and analysis
related to a child/family issue of your choice. Your online forum will be evaluated
on content quality, effort, thoughtfulness, and professionalism.

Amazing Grace Final Exam (25 points)

You will watch the movie Amazing Grace and apply everything you learned
throughout the semester, utilizing readings and other material covered in class. You
will then discuss your answers with a partner in a Google Hangout discussion.

Citizenship Grade
Discussion Boards
After reading and pondering the assigned reading you will be required to post your
thoughts and engage in meaningful discussion with your classmates. Late posts will
not receive a grade, and posts will be evaluated and graded based on their
relevance and level of effort.

Google Hangouts on Air

While the nature of each Google HOA activity will vary, all will require action and
accountability of all members of the group or class. ALL students should
participate. Your overall grade will be reduced if you do not make an effort to
contribute to both class and group discussions.

Penzu Journal
You will keep an electronic journal of all that you are learning regarding advocacy
research, policies, and doctrine throughout the semester. This will be assessed
periodically throughout the semester and can impact your final grade, for better or
worse. Your grade will be reduced if you half-heartedly complete your journal.

Preparation and Participation Reports

Each week you will complete a self-assessment reporting your level of preparation
and effort in the discussion boards, Google Hangouts and Penzu Journal activities.

Final Self-Assessment
At the end of the semester you will reflect on your efforts throughout the course
and grade yourself according to what you think you deserve to earn for your
discussion board, Google HOA, and Penzu journal assignments. Please note that
while your self grades will be considered, they may or may not be a reflection of
your actual citizenship grades.

Late Work Policy

Students should complete their work on time, and late work generally will not be
accepted. However, the instructor has discretion to accept late work or extend due
dates in the case of extenuating circumstances.

Disclaimers
Due Dates/Times
All due dates/times for this course are based on Mountain Standard Time. Please be
aware of this information; in this course you will need to submit all assignments by
the required date/time based on MST.

Order of Sections in Each Lesson

Starting with Lesson 02, you will notice that the course materials are divided into
three separate sections, named according to the focus of that particular topic of the
lesson. From there on out, you can expect the following order:
 First section: readings, activities, and assignments to be completed
on Monday and Tuesday.
 Second section: readings, activities, and assignments to be completed
on Wednesday and Thursday.
 Third section: readings, activities, and assignments to be completed
on Friday, Saturday, and Monday morning.
Please note that while this is the general order, there may be some exceptions
occasionally (e.g., ensure a more even distribution of work load, and allow you
ample time to complete more complex activities/assignments, etc.). Also, discussion
boards should be carried on from the time the open through the end of the week
(Monday morning).

Teamwork
This course involves group work. You will be assigned to a team to work, study and
learn together. A major function of the teams is to collaborate, discuss, investigate,
teach, and counsel with one another. For those who hope to coast while your group
does all the work, remember the Lord has said: "let every [wo]man be diligent in all
things. And the idler shall not have place in the church"(D&C 75:29).

Google Hangouts on Air

As explained previously, this course will require that you participate in live,
synchronous meetings using Google HOA with your assigned small groups once a
week, starting with Lesson 2, through the end of the semester. This means if you do
not already have a Google (Gmail) account and a YouTube account, you will need to
set those up. This is a course requirement; therefore, signing up for an account is not
optional and there are no alternatives to it.
Additionally, the instructor will make an effort to arrange the groups according to
time zones to make the coordination of these meetings easier for everyone, but
please be aware that such accommodations may not be possible for everyone or in
every single week. As you organize your time throughout the semester, please
remember to budget in the time for those live meetings.

Can I be spoon-fed?
A vital principle to learning is to "act for themselves and accept responsibility for
learning and teaching" (BYU-Idaho Learning Model). To become an engaged learner,
you must read the assigned material, post to discussion boards, ask questions, and
share insights. Moreover, you have a responsibility to contribute to our learning
community by "loving, serving, and teaching one another." Keep this in mind as you
review the course assignments and requirements.

What does baptism have to do with the Honor

Code?
BYU-I students are responsible for abiding by all established University Policies and
Standards. Although these policies are described in detail, we want to provide one
specific point and some additional thoughts. Please be aware that penalties for
academic dishonesty are determined by the instructor's policy, and can vary
depending on the severity of the misconduct. While this is the policy for this course,
it is expected that you will be honest in your academic conduct.

At baptism, we covenanted to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all

things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9). Ponder
this if you are ever tempted to be dishonest in your work, or to do anything that
does not witness your commitment to the Savior. As the prophet Jacob once said,
"O be wise, what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12).