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• Think about the diverse kinds of families now becoming more common in the U.S. What special problems do such families face, if any?
• Analyze the possible reasons that Americans are moving away from heterosexual marriage with children, and toward a more diverse array of family lifestyles.

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• List all of the sociological reasons why endogamy or exogamy might be practiced in a society. Contrast how a functionalist and a conflict theorist would differ in their interpretation of your list.
• Based on your romantic involvements, which do you think is more common for Americans, exogamy or endogamy--and, specifically, endogamy or exogamy based on which social groupings? Why, from a sociological perspective, is this the case? In thinking about these questions, consider all of the social group memberships that have made you similar to, or different from, your romantic partners. Think carefully about social group attributes of yourself or a partner that may have made you or your family feel uncomfortable, and that perhaps have led to break-ups in the past.

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• Do you agree with conflict theorists that machismo can have a negative impact on the family position of women? Why or why not?
• Describe the nature of your life chances, thus far. To what factors would you attribute those life chances?

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• William Ogburn identified the six basic functions of the family. How many additional functions can you think of? In what ways, if any, could your additional functions fit into Ogburn's categories?
• Explore any intergenerational differences in the ways that families fulfill Ogburn's basic functions. If you have a life partner and/or have children, do so by describing the generational differences between your current nuclear family, and the family of your birth. If you have no life partner and/or children, do so by explaining how, ideally, you would fulfill Ogburn's family functions, and how this differs from the patterns in your birth family.

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• In Reel Society, Sayeed seems to have no doubts about entering into an arranged marriage. Imagine that your family has decided to arrange a marriage for you, based on what kind of spouse they feel will be best for you. What kind of person do you imagine your family will select for you? How does he or she compare to the kind of spouse you would have selected on your own? Write an essay in which you discuss these questions. What does this comparison suggest to you about personal and family compatibility in mate selection for arranged marriages?
• Among all of the married or formerly married couples you know, which have had the shortest courtships? Are some or all of these couples still married? If not, how long did the marriages last? Write an essay in which you use your knowledge of these couples to discuss the relationship--if any--between length of courtship and length of marriage. Based on this analysis, would you expect a high divorce rate among couples who marry through arranged marriages? If not, what are the sociological reasons?