Shelby Elizabeth

Course: SOC 656 Family Demography

Assignment: Read the 4 articles listed below. Prepare discussion questions to email to my classmates by 5 pm on Sunday. There must be enough questions and substance to fill up a 3 hour class session. In that, I must understand the articles and have answers prepared - as I will be leading the discussion, filling the lulls in conversation, and helping to ensure each of my classmates understands the main principles and findings of each article.

Readings: “Premarital Sex, Premarital Cohabitation, and the Risk of Subsequent Marital Dissolution Among Women” - Teachman (May 2003); “The Relationship between Cohabitation and Marital Quality and Stability: Change Across Cohorts?” - Dush et al. (August 2003); “How Cohabitation is Reshaping American Families” - Susan Brown (Summer 2005); and “Measuring and Modeling Cohabitation: New Perspectives from Qualitative Data” - Manning & Smock (Nov 2005).

Welcome to a day in the life of a sociology graduate student!

Joan left me some quilting homework for the weekend! It was a fun surprise to find the stack of books on the counter. Mike and I looked through the books to find our favorite quilt designs for our wedding quilt! We get a one of a kind quilt a la Joan just because we’re getting married! Awesome! We have a few favorites, mostly African designs! They have post-it note tabs on them, waiting for Joan’s review!

The count as of today: 8 months, 1 week, 5 days, 15 hours, 37 minutes….and counting!