"Organized to reflect the natural trajectory of relationships, the reader "The Relationship Trajectory: Readings on Courtship and Marriage" uses primary source texts to engage students and encourage insight into dating, sexuality, marriage, parenting, and divorce as experienced by people from a broad range of cultural backgrounds.
The material provides readers with small windows through which to view the detailed experiences of people who may, or may not, be like them. It asks readers to reexamine their own ideas about what constitutes an intimate relationship, and what such relationships have the potential to be. Topics include partner selection for African American single mothers, the decision to marry, changes resulting from the legalization of same-sex marriage, interracial marriage, difficulties maintaining marriage for military couples, and the stressors that most typically impact those in partnered relationships.
Designed to help readers question the meanings of their own experiences and challenge the assumptions they may have about the experiences of others, "The Relationship Trajectory: Readings on Courtship and Marriage" is an excellent choice for courses in sociology, family studies, and contemporary relationships.
Jacob Jantzer, who holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Rural Studies at South Dakota State University. Dr. Jantzer has taught courses in introductory sociology, research methods, and sociological theory. His research currently centers on survey design and data collection for the South Dakota Quality of Life Survey. He is a research team leader for students who use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to explore relationships between cultural identities and bullying victimization. Dr. Jantzer is a member of the American Sociological Association."