The role of the family in society

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The family is primarily the social organization which meets the need of affection and provides for the bearing and nurture of children. It is sometimes forgotten that it could once lay claim on other grounds to being the major social organization. It was the chief economic institution, the factory of the time, producing almost all that man consumed. It was also the main educational institution. The factory displaced the family as the chief unit of economic production in large part because steam, which took the place of man power, could not be used efficiently in so small a unit as the home. Some of the economic functions of the family were transferred to the factory and store, although it remains the most important consumption. At the same time, the educational and protective functions were transferred in part to the state or to industry. Other institutions, organized on a large scale, less personal in character, less steeped in feeling, but with greater technical efficiency, grew up outside the home and gradually extended their influence upon the lives of members of the family in their outside activities.

The changes in industry have been more rapid than those in the family, as witnessed by the arrival of old forms of family law, of the patriarchal-employer conception of the husband, of the old theories as to the proper place of women in society, and of the difficulties of adequate child training.

The various functions of the home in the past served to bind the members of the family together. As they weakened or were transferred from the home to outside agencies, there were fewer ties to hold the members with a consequent increase of separation and divorce. Divorces have increased to such an extent that, if present trends continue, one of every five or six bridal couples of the present year will ultimately have their marriage broken in the divorce court. This prospect has led to much concern over the future of the family, and prophecies that it will become extinct. Anthropologists, however, tell us that no people has ever been known without the institution of the family. On the other hand, many peoples have had higher rates of separation and marriage, especially those with simpler cultures than ours. Few cultures, however, have or ever have had families which perform as few economic functions as do American families today dwelling in city apartments. These facts suggest, as does a projection of the divorce curve, that our culture may be conducive to further increases in divorce unless programs are instituted to counteract this tendency. The growing divorce rate apparently has not acted as a deterrent to marriage, for the married percentage of the population has been increasing during the 40 years for which there are records.

With the weakening of economic, social and religious bonds in the family, its stability seems to depend upon the strength of the tie of affection, correlated sentiments and spiritual values, the joys and responsibilities of rearing children. How the strengthen this tie, to make marriage and the family meet more adequately the personality needs and aspirations of men and women and children is the problem. This is a task in which the clergy and clinics are already showing an increasing interest. Much more knowledge is needed of the psychology of emotional expression and there is opportunity and need for the artist as well as the moralist. There are few problems of society where success would bring richer rewards.

Back of the facts on numbers of marriages and percentages of divorce, there are diverse personalities and the play of human emotions which defy exact measurement. Happiness and unhappiness have been little studied by science, yet happiness is one of our most cherished goals. As economic institutions are the clue to the standard of living, so, perhaps, the institution of the family is nearest that elusive thing called happiness. Opinions vary as to how much unhappiness there is in marriage, but in several studies, with rather larger samples, generally among educated groups, around three-fourths or four-fifths are reported as happily married, either by the married persons themselves or by close friends of the families. The ratings are fairly constant. While science has thrown little light on what happiness is, it appears to be closely bound up with the affections. The family, of course, does not have a monopoly of the affectional life, and happiness may be found in work, in religion and in many other ways. Although closely related to the affections, happiness is based upon the whole personality and its successful integration, and this integration goes back to childhood and the family setting. The family is not only concerned with the happiness of adults but by shaping the personalities of its children more than any other institution it determines their capacity for happiness. Further progress in mental hygiene may provide wholly unsuspected help in this field. The study of marriage and divorce may not only aid in stabilizing the family but may also help us on the road to happiness.

Source: Recent Social Trends in the United States, an examination of the social state of the United States at the end of the 1920s undertaken at the direction of President Herbert Hoover.

UNIT 2:

 

OUR ACADEMY. MY FUTURE PROFESSION.

TEXT A: OUR ACADEMY

Read and translate the text:

I study at the Volgograd Physical Education Academy. It’s one of the youngest in the city. It was founded in 1960 and then expanded. Now the Academy has four study buildings and many sport facilities: its own stadium with man-made covering, an indoor athletic stadium, two swimming pools (outdoor and indoor), weight rooms, gyms and sport grounds, lecture halls, seminar rooms, faculties’ offices, the Assembly hall, the cafeteria, the museum and the library. The library has an extensive collection of books, textbooks, encyclopedias and periodicals related to sports, management, psychology and pedagogics. There is a big reading hall where students can do their homework.

The Academy is situated in Lenin Avenue near the Central Stadium, venue of football matches and city festivities.

The administrative structure of the Academy includes Rector, three assistant rectors, the Deans and the Heads of chairs. There are 18 chairs. About 2000 students study at the Academy. The teaching staff covers about 200 highly qualified coaches and teachers.

The Academy has five faculties: Physical Education Faculty, Physical Education and Sport Faculty, Preparatory Faculty for Foreign Students, Correspondence Faculty and Professional Qualification Faculty.

The VPEA offers two academic programs: Bachelor of Physical Education and Sport and Master of Physical Education. Physical Education Faculty trains physical education teachers and coaches in separate sports such as Track-and-Field, Weightlifting, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming, Rowing, Boxing, Sports Gymnastics, Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics, Aerobics, Acrobatics, Sport Dances and Chess. The faculty of physical education and sports trains specialists in various fields such as: adaptive physical training, management, social pedagogy and psychology.

The advanced students can continue their study at the Post-Graduate course in different research specialties.

To be admitted to the Volgograd Physical Education Academy an applicant must take entrance examinations according to his or her chosen specialty. Most of the students are rated athletes and some of them have the title of Master of Sports. To study at the VPEA is both free of charge or of charge. Non-local students are provided with a hostel (residence hall) situated close to the study buildings.

The academic year starts in September and ends in June. It is divided into two terms; at the end of each students take credits and exams. If the exams are passed successfully, a student is awarded with a state scholarship.

All students should attend lectures, seminars and regular training sessions. They study many theoretical subjects: Biology, Philosophy, Pedagogic, Psychology, History, Physiology, Sports Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Foreign Language and others.

Most students cumulate study with competitive activities. They take an active part in many competitions, sports festivals and Spartakiads. Some of them join sport clubs and national teams. That’s why the individual education is available by obtaining special permission from the coach and the Dean of the Faculty.

After graduating from the Academy our students become physical training teachers and coaches in separate sports, sports managers, and also guidance counselors (social teachers) and educational psychologists.

 

ACTIVE VOCABULARY