300437 Family, Partnership and Networks. Historical Development and Social structural differences (S) (WiSe 2010/2011)

Fears about social integration and the reproduction of the population have been part of the discourse about the consequences of modernization since the beginnings of sociology as a scientific discipline.
In this seminar we will review the theoretical evidence for such fears, the inevitability of negative consequences, and arguments for positive consequences of societal developments over the last decades.
Empirical evidence will will be reviewed by the rather few analyses of historical developments after the Second World War as well as by international comparisons between countries.
Other than most single investigations we will finally try to come to a synopsis of developments and between-country differences of fertility, family and partnership patterns, and configurations of social networks.
Though we do not do empircal analyses in this seminar, to get a critical understanding of applied data, operationalizations, and methods in this research field will be a major learning target for the participants of the seminar.

Requirements for participation, required level

Participants are encouraged to present and discuss in English. However, you may switch between English and German if necessary. I would be pleased if as many students as possible will have the heart to try it out.
The written paper for individual merit can be in English or German. However, the presentation has to be done in English language

Bibliography

Lesthaeghe, Ron J. (2010): "The Unfolding Story of the Second Demographic Transition." PSC Research Report No. 10-696. January 2010.

Lüdicke, Jörg, Martin Diewald (2007): Modernisierung, Wohlfahrtsstaat und Ungleichheit als gesellschaftliche Bedingungen sozialer Integration – eine Analyse von 25 Ländern. In: Lüdicke, Jörg, Martin Diewald (Hrsg.): Soziale Netzwerke und soziale Ungleichheit. Zur Rolle von Sozialkapital in modernen Gesellschaften. Wiesbaden. VS-Verlag, S. 265-301.