FMSC215

Prerequisite: none. Corequisite: none. Recommended: none. Restriction: none. Additional information: This is a UMD STICs course, a Student Initiated Course, which was approved by the STICs program in the fall of 2020 and we are now applying for VPAC course approval to pilot the course. In this Student Initiated Course, students will examine what it means to grow up in the foster care system or to be an adopted member of a family. We will ask questions such as how this impacts mental health and later life outcomes. Your student instructor and faculty advisor will help you explore and critically think about issues surrounding these types of blended families, and the systems that surround them, in Maryland, nationally, and internationally. Students will examine and challenge the topics' laws and policies, including issues on LGBTQ, religious, and trans-racial adoption and the socioeconomic impacts of these systems on families. Students will examine their preconceived notions and contrast them with how these systems impact families. The class welcomes various guest speakers. Classes and activities will be discussion-based, allowing students to explore issues from ethical consideration and for possible life paths.