#101 - Changing Families
The American family in the 21st century is an extraordinarily diverse and eclectic social unit, reflecting many of the changes taking place in society as a whole. The notion that there is no single, "one-size-fits-all" model of what constitutes a family is a concept of enormous importance, especially in an era when diversity is much more the rule than the exception.

#102 - Perspectives on the Family
Rachel Barr is a therapist who works with emotionally disturbed children at an alternative school for youngsters with behavioral problems. For family therapists like Barr, as well as researchers who study the family, the road to understanding is often grounded in one or more theoretical models.

#103 - Family History
Examines many of the momentous events and powerful ideas that have shaped the evolution of the American family over more than two hundred years, including the vital role immigration has played in bringing families to the United States from around the world.

#104 - Race, Ethnicity, and Family
Explores patterns of behavior that can be linked to specific racial or ethnic groups, including different degrees of emphasis on religion and multigenerational solidarity that persists even though the underlying details may go unexplained.

#105 - The Role of Gender
How we learn about gender and some of the ways in which gender-based roles, expectations, and assumptions are changing.

#106 - Love and Loving
Theories about what love is and how it differs from simple attraction, the primary obstacles that stand in the way of love, and some of the strategies and techniques couples can use to avoid those pitfalls and make love endure.

#107 - Sex and Sexuality
Attitudes about sex and sexuality in America and the impacts of those attitudes on such diverse issues as infidelity, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, the frequently uneasy tension among schools, the community, and the family in the sexual education of young people.

#108 - Making Connections, Choosing Partners
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?

#109 - Singlehood and Other Options
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.

#110 - Marriage and Commitment
Three couples from the series—the Hoenigs, the McLeans, and the VanDenburghs—share their thoughts about their marriage relationships, the challenges they've faced at various stages, and the adjustments they've made.

#111 - To Parent or Not To Parent
Various ways couples can become parents, as well as the factors that go into the life-altering decision of whether or not to parent.

#112 - Parents and Children
The factors that influence parenting choices, including social class, and the growing impact of outside-the-home child care.

#113 - Working
Globalization and the other economic realities that are behind the massive influx of women into the workforce, plus a look at the implications for home life.

#114 - Family Violence
Examines violent behavior within a family context and the prevention and intervention programs that are making inroads in combating its toxic effects.

#115 - Divorcing
The reasons behind the drastic increase in divorce rates over the past century; the implications of divorce for both adults and children; and strategies couples can use to lessen the impact, including counseling and creative custody arrangements.

#116 - Remarriage and Stepfamilies
Explores both the obstacles and the opportunities stepfamily members are likely to encounter. Recovering from a past divorce can be a struggle for both children and adults. And while there is no template for stepfamily success, families that value kindness, compassion, and maturity generally fare best.

#117 - Growing Older
Looks at stereotypes and misconceptions about the aging process as well as the realistic medical, emotional, and economic challenges older people face. Other topics include group living options, such as assisted living and nursing homes, and the valuable support role family plays as a person grows older and prepares for death.

#118 - Families Today and Tomorrow
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.