Accessibility Statement

This book was created in good faith to ensure that it will meet accessibility standards wherever possible, and to highlight areas where we know there is work to do. It is our hope that by being transparent in this way, we can begin the process of making sure accessibility is top of mind for all authors, adopters, students and contributors of all kinds on open textbook projects.

If you encounter an accessibility issue, please let your instructor know right away.

Equity Lens

The Open Oregon Educational Resources Targeted Pathways Project seeks to dismantle structures of power and oppression entrenched in barriers to course material access. We provide tools and resources to make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) primary considerations when faculty choose, adapt, and create course materials. In promoting DEI, our project is committed to:

1. Ensuring diversity of representation within our team and the materials we distribute
2. Publishing materials that use accessible, clear language for our target audience
3. Sharing course materials that directly address and interrogate systems of oppression, equipping students and educators with the knowledge to do the same

Designing and piloting openly licensed, intersectional, and antiracist course materials is one starting point among many when addressing inequities in higher education. Our project invites students and educators to engage with us in this work, and we value spaces where learning communities can grow and engage together.

We welcome being held accountable to this statement and will respond to feedback submitted via our contact page.

Course Learning Outcomes

Educators, students, and future employers all benefit when course-level learning outcomes guide our shared work. When course-level learning outcomes are public, institutions demonstrate a commitment to equitable student success through the potential for increased collaboration and inclusive course design. This project analyzed learning outcomes across the state of Oregon to identify themes and commonalities. Authors used this analysis as a basis for developing course outcomes that could match the curriculum of multiple institutions in Oregon while still considering their local needs and context.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Use theoretical frameworks to interpret the nature of contemporary families, how family structures and roles have changed, and how they continue to change.
2. Describe how social structures such as the media, the economy, and public policies interact with family groups to contribute to the complexity of family outcomes.
3. Analyze current social issues, including the impact of historical and environmental influences, on family development.
4. Explain how difference is socially constructed.
5. Using historical and contemporary examples, describe how perceived differences, combined with unequal distribution of power across economic, social, and political institutions, result in inequity.
6. Analyze ways in which the interactions of social categories such as race, ethnicity, social class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and age are related to difference, power, and oppression in the United States.

Pedagogical Foundations

The authors of this book embraced an equity-minded design for structure, scope, and sequence of chapters and chapter content. They sought to honor the needs and experiences of students who are often underserved in higher education in Oregon. Authors considered Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TILT), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Culturally Responsive Teaching to design meaningful learning pathways for you. You will find rich images and multimedia in addition to written content. You will also find provocative discussion questions that align with learning outcomes and objectives.

Each chapter follows a similar pattern. Chapters begin with a reading guide that includes the purpose of the chapter, the chapter learning objectives, and a preview of key terms with their definitions. Reviewing the reading guide will help you be more focused and efficient in your learning.

The middle of every chapter contains three to six webpages, or sections of content. You’ll notice the key terms will be hyperlinked with their definition the first time that they appear, and you will find a comprehension self-check and references at the end of each section.

Closing the chapter are two more sections: “Looking Ahead” and “Going Deeper”. “Looking Ahead” is part of the regular chapter reading and focuses on a person, idea, or project that supports movements toward equity for families. “Going Deeper” is an optional section (unless required by your instructor) that contains curated videos, podcasts, readings, and activities all designed to help you explore the chapter or a specific topic more deeply. This would also be a good place to look if you are doing research for a class assignment, or have a choice of topics for an assignment. “Going Deeper” contains some of the author’s favorite resources!

Instructors, please see the Instructor Resources section in the Back Matter for an overview of curriculum design as well as openly licensed course packs and teaching tools.

Language Inclusivity

As a part of our equity lens, we strive to be inclusive of all families, and to use language that is clear and accessible. We are doing our best to use terms that are preferred by diverse groups of people represented. But just like a family, groups are made up of many individuals, and choosing a term to use consistently will not be the first choice of everyone who shares that identity. Terms that were preferred 20 years ago, may be considered useless or offensive today.

Let’s look at one example, terms that have been used and debated to describe people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. First, authors identity themselves as they choose with all identities. In cases where authors are describing a group of people who share this particular identity, there are four terms we’ve used:

• Latino
• Latino/a/x
• Latinx
• Latine

The authors spoke with scholars, students, and friends who consider themselves a part of this group. There are varying opinions and rationales for which term is “best”. As of the publication of the second edition, we have used “Latine” in most cases, as it can include people of multiple genders, and is preferred by some Spanish speakers. In other cases, we used “Latino” because this is the term used by the U.S. government and other data sources. We have done our best to be inclusive and respectful.

This is just one example of our work to use vocabulary that is respectful to the people who own each identity. In some other cases, the American Psychological Association (APA) Style guidelines informed our choices, such as capitalizing racial and ethnic groups such as “Black” and “White”.

We have also chosen to use the term “dominant culture” when discussing the predominant social structures in the United States. We use this term to signify the ways that these ideas influence what is seen as the “traditional” or “ideal” family form, and may devalue or stigmatize other family forms. We do not intend to imply that it should be dominant, merely that it permeates our society and our unconscious minds.

If you have questions about word choice, please talk about it with your peers and your instructor. These can be rich conversations that uncover diverse thinking about meaning, vocabulary, and diversity.

Triggering Topics

This book also touches on painful topics. Any book about families must examine the oppressive systems that have harmed families as well as painful interpersonal behaviors within families. As you read, pay attention to topics that may sadden, depress, or “trigger” your feelings. Let your instructor know if you are having difficulty getting through a particular topic.

For the most part, we have not included specific “trigger warnings” with the understanding that the range of topics that can trigger any one person are quite different. But you will find that both Chapter Nine (Safety and Stability) and Chapter Fourteen (Meaning and Purpose) include deeper dives into subjects such as intimate partner violence, and system government violence toward families.

Licenses and attributions for About this Book

About this Book by Elizabeth B. Pearce and Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Accessibility Statement was adapted from Accessibility Features by Dave Dillon, Blueprint for Success in College and Career: Oregon Edition, licensed under CC BY 4.0.