USING CONTEMPORARY FICTION TO TEACH FAMILY ISSUES.

This article discusses the use of contemporary novels to supplement textbook reading assignments in a way that allows sociology students to apply what they have learned and broaden their understanding of family issues. Contemporary fiction reflect the changing demographics and family configurations in our society. Current novels are frequently focused on timely family issues and, when well-written, they can make the experiences depicted seem real to the reader. Literature has the ability to transport the reader, but the readers of novels, generally, are not transported very far from their own lives. Oftentimes, the appeal of novels is that they so closely parallel common human experiences. Because of the multiple connections with the reader's own world, and the focus on issues of central interest to undergraduate family students, namely love and marriage, novels can help students better understand human behavior. Many excellent nonfiction sociological works that address current family issues exist today. However, an advantage of having students use fictional works for their analyses is that the analysis is not done for the student, but rather by the student. Sociologists who have used novels in teaching sociology suggest that this experience brings the process of discovery to students.