Resilient Marriage and Family – MILT 575

Course Description

This course studies the impact of military culture on service members and their families. It addresses precepts essential to the development of healthy and resilient military marriages and families. Topics include pre-deployment preparation, deployment, post-deployment reintegration, therapeutic needs, domestic violence, substance use, infidelity, divorce, and the impact of injury and death. Special emphasis is given to understanding, intervening, and treating the stresses and challenges of military families.

Rationale

Work and family are two significant life domains. The course covers the relationship between the work organization and the family in the United States military. Counselors and other mental health professionals are increasingly encountering client populations that are impacted by concerns related to military operations. Service members and their families have been subjected to frequent and extended deployments during wars that have had far-reaching influence on the military families and society as a whole. A bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework will be used for understanding military families and the Service members’ who defend our nation.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Each student will complete 3 Discussions in the course. Initial discussion posts, must be completed by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the assigned module. Also, each student must submit discussion replies to 2 classmates’ discussion threads by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned module. Discussion threads should be a minimum 400 words with at least 2 references to the course texts, course teaching resources and additional scholarly research as applicable.

Discussion replies should be a minimum of 200 words, engaging a minimum of two peers in a substantive way that adds to the academic discussion, and include at least 1 reference to the course texts, course teaching resources and additional scholarly research as applicable. Please see the grading rubric in Blackboard for the grading criteria to ensure maximum points for discussion assignments. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)

Topic Selection Assignment

Each student will select a topic from the approved list of topics and write a 2–3 page paper (not including the title page and references) which addresses the following: (1) the importance of the topic as it relates to resilience in military,  (2) the relationship to all military components (Active, Guard and Reserves), (3) the importance of the topic as it relates to you as a caregiver, leader or counselor working with military families. Students will want to support their ideas with a minimum of two scholarly research sources, i.e., course texts, peer-reviewed journal articles. Please see the grading rubric in Canvas for the grading criteria to ensure maximum points for this assignment. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Students will develop an annotated bibliography for the topic selected in Module 2. An annotated bibliography is a writing tool which will help the student to gain a better understanding of the topic as well as the many challenges, benefits, resiliency and spiritual related resources and programs.  Students will review a minimum of 8 peer-reviewed journal articles no older than 5 years old, and write a one-paragraph summary for each article. Please see the grading rubric in Canvas for the grading criteria to ensure maximum points for this assignment. (CLOs: A, B)

PowerPoint Presentation Assignment

Each student will create an attractive, visually appealing (graphics) 14-15 slide PowerPoint presentation based on the military resiliency topic from the approved list in Module 2 and researched in Module 3. The presentation will also address the importance of the selected topic, a minimum of 5 learning outcomes for a selected audience, the challenges, the benefits, resiliency programs and resources and spiritual programs and resources, conclusion and a Reference page.  The major and subsections must be clearly supported by a minimum of eight scholarly research sources cited in the text of the PowerPoint. Please see the grading rubric in Canvas for the grading criteria to ensure maximum points for this assignment. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)

Case Study: Fictitious Military Family Vignette Assignment

Each student will develop a fictitious military family vignette for the case study which is directly related to the topic selected in Module 2 and further developed in Modules 3 and 5.  The case study is a 10-page scholarly paper, and is based on what you have learned in class from your readings, research, and presentations,  and is focused on the exploration of the challenges, intervention strategies and resiliency and spiritual resources and programs. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)

Quizzes (2)

There will be two objective quizzes throughout the course. The quizzes will consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions. The quizzes are open-book, but the student is NOT permitted to consult with anyone on the quizzes, take the quizzes in groups, or share answers. Integrity, professionalism, and godly comportment are expected of the student at all times. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)