Parenting and Family Relationships in Childhood

This course will focus on the relevance of parenting and family relationships for children's development. We will examine studies of: (1) how parental and child behaviors contribute to sensitivity, responsiveness, scaffolding, autonomy, and control within the dyad; (2) parents role in socializing children's emotions and their ethnic/racial identity; and (3) parents involvement in early education. We will discuss cultural and economic factors affecting our conceptualization, measurement, and interpretations of parents' behaviors and their interactions with their children.