"Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? How did the legalization of abortion affect the rate of violent crime? These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life--from...

"John Taylor Gatto's radical treatise on public education, a New Society Publishers bestseller for 25 years, continues to advocate for the unshackling of children and learning from formal schooling. Now, in an ever-more-rapidly changing world with an explosion of alternative routes to learning, it's poised to continue to shake the world of institutional education for many more years."--

What would happen if every human being on Earth disappeared? This isn't the story of how we might vanish it's the story of what happens to the world we leave behind.

This lesson explores the many in many shapes and colors of marriages, influenced not only by the dynamics of the couple relationship but also the expectations people have when they form their marital union. This lesson also looks at the qualities of successful marriages like compatibility, flexibility, and emotional support..

In 18 half-hour video lessons Our Families, Ourselves offers a contemporary look at marriages and families – and the choices, changes and constraints that affect individuals, diverse family types, and interpersonal relationships. Documentary footage, combined with expert commentary, brings into focus the fascinating mosaic of family forms that exist today – traditional families, single-parent families, inter-racial families and stepfamilies –...

This lesson dispels many of the myths about the single life and explores the relationship between cohabitation and marriage as well as the impact of the marriage movement..

This lesson examines some of the theoretical models therapist as well as researches use to study the family. Regardless of which of these models they use, family therapists and researchers work in a field that is not only personally gratifying, but makes a genuine difference in people’s lives..

This episode explores the many and varied forms that modern families commonly take, from single-parent and stepfamilies to multi-generational families living together, and looks at the growing racial and ethnic diversity brought about by the upsurge in immigration. The lesson concludes by recognizing that while the American family has changed and continues to change—at what sometimes feels like a dizzying pace—it remains as vital and important...

This lesson looks at stereotypes and misconceptions about the aging process, as well as the realistic challenges that older people face, including medical, economic and emotional issues. Group-living options, such as assisted living and nursing homes, are explored, as is the valuable role family can play in terms of support. Family is also a part of the discussion about the inevitable end of life, as options concerning preparation for death are considered.....

This lesson looks at traditional as well as contemporary dating and mating rituals. What factors tend to draw people together, or wedge them apart? Just what role does culture play? And what are the qualities that tend to distinguish relationships that stand the test of time?.