Each paper should be 3-5 pages long. Each paper will be graded closely and points will be deducted for grammatical errors, not following APA format, not following directions, not meeting the page minimum, and not including at least 2 outside sources per assignment and your textbook at least once. The rubric for the assignments can be found below.

Cite 2 credible outside sources within each assignment (NOT YOUR TEXTBOOK). Please see APA for the definition of and examples of credible sources. Wikipedia and most general websites are not credible. To be a credible source, a source must have at minimum, a date of publication and the name of a credible expert in the field as an author. Joe Smith from Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in geology and a blog is not an expert on parenting nor is Oprah (sorry Oprah I still love you though!). In general, the best credible sources are peer-reviewed journals and books found in the ASU online library. This means that at minimum you must cite one of your textbooks once AND cite 2 credible outside sources for a minimum total of 3 references on your reference page. You must also cite in-text.

Assignment 1:Evaluate Current Trends in Family – 50 points

DUE Week 3, Sunday – 11:59pm

Students typically lose points for not following APA format and not utilizing good grammar and sentence structure. One thing that students consistently do is use pronouns like “I” “we” “you,” “your,” “our,” etc. This is inappropriate language for assignment #1 (except for the last question that asks for your opinion). This paper asks you for an evaluation of facts, not for your personal experience (except the last question). If you want to label a person use “one.” For example, “It is important to assess one’s emotional intelligence in order to ensure success in all areas of life.” Please don’t use “you” “yours” or “our” ever unless you are talking directly to me or the reader (which you shouldn’t be!)

In order to evaluate current trends in family, it is important to first understand how families were perceived in the past. In this assignment you will evaluate the perception of American family life via TV sitcoms/dramas.

Watch one episode of any family sitcom/drama from 5 of the following decades 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 (Nick @ Nite, hulu, sidereel, youtube, and Google are great resources for searching for shows):
You can use these as examples or find your own: 1950’s (ex: I Love Lucy); 1970’s (ex: the Brady Bunch); 1980’s (ex: the Cosby Show); 1990’s (ex: Rosanne); 2000’s (ex: Modern Family)
Many students lose HUGE points because they misunderstand the directions and only analyze one episode. You need to do a TOTAL of 5 episodes (1 from each decade)

Thoroughly discuss all of the following points:
How was the family portrayed for each show?
Was there significance within this program (such as a message to society at large) for that time?
What remained the same across the different programs over the years?
What differences did you see between the programs over the years?
What concepts from the programs fit in with concepts from the books you are reading?
Use your books as a references if they fit, cite it as needed per APA

You don’t have to format your paper this way but here is a sample structure:
1st paragraph – introduction (introduce the overall theme of your paper and talk about the episodes you picked and why you picked those 5 episodes as opposed to others.
Next 8 or more paragraphs – analyze each episode using the above questions
Last paragraph – conclude your paper. Talk about the overall issues again and what you found. And what did you find surprising about this assignment? (you can use the “I” program to answer this last question)
Reference page – with all of your references (i.e. – textbooks, outside sources, TV shows viewed)
Cite 2 credible outside sources within your paper (NOT YOUR TEXTBOOK). Please see APA for credible sources. Wikipedia and most general websites are not credible. In general, the best credible sources are peer-reviewed journals and books.

By submitting this paper, you agree: (1) that you are submitting your paper to be used and stored as part of the SafeAssign™ services in accordance with the Blackboard Privacy Policy; (2) that your institution may use your paper in accordance with your institution’s policies; and (3) that your use of SafeAssign will be without recourse against Blackboard Inc. and its affiliates.
Institution Release Statement
This assignment will be checked using anti-plagiarism software and returned to your instructor with an originality report.