Dr. Oldham earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies, as well as a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, from Texas Tech University. 

Broadly, Dr. Oldham's research interests include both normative and coercive sexual behavior in romantic relationships.

She teaches Human Development and Family Science courses on intimate relationships, family violence, Family Life Education program development and evaluation, and poverty and discrimination. She was the recipient of the National Council on Family Relations 2022 Emerging Mentor/Teacher Award for excellence in teaching and research mentorship.

She is a member of:

• MT Engage Advisory Council
• MTSU Women's and Gender Studies Council
• Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence State Action Plan Leadership Team
• Rutherford County Coalition Against Child Abuse
• National Council on Family Relations
• International Association of Relationship Research

« Read Less

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

*Undergraduate Mentee.

Cook, C., Oldham, C. R., Casha, C., & Franklin, J. (2024). Utilizing family theories to maximize early intervention work: An examination and application of family systems theory and bioecological theory. Family Science Review, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.26536/PNSI3901

Niehuis, S., *Davis, K., Reifman, A., *Callaway, K., Luempert, A., Oldham, C. R., Head, J., & Willis-Grossmann, E. (2022). Psychometric evaluation of single-item relationship satisfaction, love, conflict, and commitment measures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 50(3), 387-405. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221133693

Joel, S., Eastwick, P. W., Allison, C. J., Arriaga, X. B., Baker, Z. G., Bar-Kalifa, E., Bergeron, S., Birnbaum, G., Brock, R. L., Brumbaugh, C. C., Carmichael, C. L., Chen, S., Clarke, J., Cobb, R. J., Coolsen, M. K., Davis, J., de Jong, D. C., Debrot, A., DeHaas, E. C., Derrick, J. L., Eller, J., Estrada, M. J., Faure, R., Finkel, E. J., Fraley, R. C., Gable, S. L., Gadassi, R., Girme, Y. U., Gordon, A. M., Gosnell, C. L., Hammond, M. D., Hannon, P. A., Harasymchuk, C., Hofmann, W., Horn, A. B., Impett, E. A., Jamieson, J. P., Keltner, D., Kim, J. J., Kirchner, J. L., Klewer, E. S., Kumashiro, M., Larson, G., Lazarus, G., Logan, J. M., Luchies, L. B., MacDonald, G., Machia, L. V., Maniaci, M. R., Maxwell, J. A., Mizrahi, M., Muise, A., Niehuis, S., Ogolsky, B. G., Oldham, C. R., Overall, N. C., Perrez, M., Peters, B. J., Pietromonaco, P. R., Powers, S. I., Prok, T., Pshedetzky-Shochat, R., Rafaeli, E., Ramsdell, E., Reblin, M., Reicherts, M., Reifman, A., Reis, H. T., Rhoades, G. K., Rholes, W. S., Righetti, F., Rodriguez, L. M., Rogge, R., Rosen, N. O., Saxbe, D., Sened, H., Simpson, J. A., Slotter, E. B., Stanley, S. M., Stocker, S., Surra, C., Vaughn, A. A., Vicary, A. M., Visserman, M. L., & Wolf, S. (2020). Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 11(32), 19061-19071. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1917036117

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., Weiser, D., Punyanunt-Carter, N., Flora, J., Arias, V. S., & Oldham, C. R. (2020). Guilty pleasure? Communicating sexually explicit content on dating-apps and disillusionment with app usage. Human Communication Research, 46(1), 55-85. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqz013

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., & Oldham, C. R. (2019). Effects of relationship transgressions on idealization of and disillusionment with one’s romantic partner: A three-wave longitudinal study. Personal Relationships, 26(3), 466-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12287 

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., Al-Khalil, K., Oldham, C. R., Fang, D., O'Boyle, M., Davis, T. (2019). fMRI activation in response to prompts of romantically disillusioning events. Personal Relationships, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12272

*Wood, W. I., Oldham, C. R., Reifman, A., & Niehuis, S. (2017). Accuracy and bias in newlywed spouses’ perceptions of each other’s personalities. Personal Relationships, 24, 886–901. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12219  

Purcell, J. B. K., Oldham, C. R., Weiser, D., & Sharp, E., (2017). Lights, camera, activism: Using a film series to generate feminist dialogue about campus sexual violence. Family Relations, 66, 139-153. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12228

Encylopedia Entries

Oldham, C. R., Lindsey, J., & Niehuis, S. (2017). Doing gender. In K. L. Nadal (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of psychology and gender (pp. 468-469). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483384269.n

Oldham, R., & Niehuis, S. (2014). Hooking up. In M. J. Coleman & L. H. Ganong (Eds.), The social history of the American family: An encyclopedia (Vol. 2, pp. 695-696). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Oldham, R., & Niehuis, S. (2014). PREP Programs. In M. J. Coleman & L. H. Ganong (Eds.), The social history of the American family: An encyclopedia (Vol. 3, pp. 1073-1075). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Reports, White Papers, and Other Published Contributions

Oldham, C. R., Cook, C., Weir, S., & Bruce, J. (2023, May 22). Curating Open Educational Resources for family science courses. NCFR Report, FF95, 14-15. https://www.ncfr.org/system/files/2023-05/Focus%20Spring%202023_converted.pdf

Aceves, L., Bermea, A., Bradley, C., Caldwell, J., Doty, J., Mendez, S., Newquist, J., Oldham, R., Rose, A., Routon, J., & Sanner, C. (2023, April). Results of a formative assessment to promote racial justice for students and new professionals in the family science field. Report to National Council on Family Relations Board.

« Read Less

Paper Presentations

**Graduate mentee. *Undergraduate mentee.

Oldham, C. R. (2024, November). Unequally yoked: A systematic literature review of deconversion within religiously homogamous marriages. Lightning paper presentation at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Bellevue, WA.

• Left conference before presentation due to death in family

Oldham, C. R., Shealy, A., Tilton, K., & Oldham, C. (2022, November). Discrimination and poverty as a prism for teaching information literacy. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Aceves, L., Bermea, A., Bradley, C., Caldwell, J., Doty, J., Mendez, S., Newquist, J., Oldham, R., Rose, A., Routon, J., Sanner, C., (2022, November). Results of a formative assessment to promote racial justice for students and new professionals in the family science field. A Student-New Professionals invited presenters symposium at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., Oldham, C. R., Willis-Grossman, E., Ireland, M., Flora, J., Luempert, A., Head, J., & Ogolsky, B. (2021, November). Interpersonal cognitive and linguistic markers of romantic partners’ sense of consensus in an experimental design. Paper presented at the conference of the National Communication Association, Seattle, WA.

**Christian, G., Bowman, A. S., Gray, J., & Oldham, C. R. (2021, October). Quadriplegic sexuality: Demystifying misconceptions and exploring psycho-social determinants of healthy sexual habits among people with disabilities. Paper presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, Virtual, Denver, CO.

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., & Oldham, C. R. (2021, June). The moderating effects of blameworthiness attributions on the association between transgressions and disillusionment with one’s romantic partner: A three-wave longitudinal study of dating couples. Symposium paper presented at the conference of the International Association for Relationship Research Biennial Conference, London, England (virtual due to COVID-19).

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., Oldham, C. R., Flora, J., Head, J. A., Willis-Grossmann, E., Luempert, A., *Callaway, K., *Davis, K., Elizondo, G., Hernandez, V., John, A., *Rankin, C., Smith, A., *Taylor, D., Thacker, M., & Ursua-Benitez, M. (2021, June). Romantic partners’ “shared realities”: Social cognitive and linguistic markers in an experimental design. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN (cancelled due to COVID-19).

Oldham, C. R., Fleming, W. M., Hoskins, N., Scales, B., Strattion, T., Allen, D., Hill, K., Bakari, A., & Borchert, J. (2020, November). Men’s engagement in violence prevention: Methods and messaging in the era of #MeToo. Symposium paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO (virtual due to COVID-19).

Reifman, A., Niehuis, S., Oldham, C. R., & Head, J. (2019, July). Personality as a moderator of spouses’ negative interpersonal behaviors and relationship disillusionment. Symposium paper presented at the International Association for Relationship Research Mini-Conference on Applied Relationship Research, Brighton, England.

Niehuis, S., Weiser, D., Reifman, A., Punyanunt-Carter, N. M., Flora, J., Arias, V. S., & Oldham, C. R. (2019, February). Guilty pleasure? Communicating sexually explicit content on dating apps and attitudes toward the self, other people, and marriage. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Western Communication Association, Seattle, WA.

• Recipient of Western States Communication Association TOP FOUR Paper Award

Oldham, C. R. & Purcell, J. B. K. (2018, November). Critical film analysis as a pedagogical tool for feminist family scholars: Research & theory. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.

Oldham, C. R., Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., & Weiser, D. (2018, July). Relative timing of sex and commitment during courtship: Implications for changes in marital satisfaction over the first two years of marriage. Symposium paper presented at the International Association for Relationship Research Biennial Conference, Fort Collins, CO.

Poster Presentations

*Young, M., & Oldham, C. R. (2022, November). Attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors: When do people feel sex guilt versus regret? Poster presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Oldham, C. R., & McKnight, E. (2021, November). Passion turning points revisited: Using mixed methods to map romantic relationships’ sexual development. Interactive poster presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD (virtual due to COVID-19).

*Howard, S., & Oldham, C. R. (2021, April). Does religion moderate the influence of sex on emotional intimacy? Poster presented at the National Council on Undergraduate Research Annual Conference, Virtual.

*Young, M., & Oldham, C. R. (2021, April). The sacred bed phenomenon: Which sexual attitudes mediate the association between fundamentalism and sex guilt? Poster presented at the National Council on Undergraduate Research Annual Conference, Virtual.

Oldham, C. R., Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., & Weiser, D. A. (2019, November). A longitudinal study of the timing of first sex in romantic relationships and subsequent relationship quality. Poster to be presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX.

Oldham, C.R., Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., & Weiser, D. (2016, November). Predicting the timing of sex in relationships using discriminant analysis. Poster presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Oldham, C. R., Yuan, S., Lindsey, J., *Barron, K., *Ginste, K., *Ozpolat, A., Reifman, A., & Niehuis, S. (2015, November). The use of self- versus partner-reports in the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Poster presented at the annual conference for the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Oldham, C. R., Noriega, I., Baird, H., Niehuis, S., *Wood, W., Ireland, M. (2014, November). Mentoring undergraduate research in the social sciences. Roundtable presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Oldham, C. R.(2014, April). Do Hispanic acculturation and religion predict the relative timing of sex, love, and commitment? Paper presented at the Texas Tech Changing the Face of the Academy: Diversity in Action Conference, Lubbock, TX.

Oldham, C. R., Reifman A., & Niehuis, S. (2013, November). Predictors of sexual tempo: A survival analysis. Poster presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.

« Read Less

Teaching

Oldham, C. R. (2025). Tina Stewart Campus Nonviolence Fund, Award $1,500 (January 2025-April 2025), The Campus Nonviolence Committee, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. (2024). MT Engage Sway Faculty Fellow, Award $1,000 (August 2024-May 2025), MT Engage, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. (2024). Tina Stewart Campus Nonviolence Fund, Award $2,500 (January 2024-April 2024), The Campus Nonviolence Committee, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. (2023, April). Influential Faculty of Staff, Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. (2022, November). Emerging Mentor/Teacher Award, Advancing Family Science Section, National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN.

Cook, J. C., Oldham, C. R., Weir, S., & Bruce, J. (2022) Faculty Learning Community: MT Engage Major Pathway, Award $2,000, (August 2022-May 2023), MT Engage, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. (2021-2022). Faculty Fellows Program, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R., Cook, J. C., Weir, S., & Bruce, J. (2021) Embracing Equity through Open Educational Resources (OER) Medium-Scale Conversion, Award $4,000 (May 2021-September 2021), Tennessee Board of Regents, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. & Shealy, A. (2021). Information Literacy Curriculum Integration Grant, Award $2,000 (June 2021-June 2022), James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Research

Young, M. & Oldham, C. R. (2021). Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) Assistant, Award $1,000 (Sept 2021-May 2022), Undergraduate Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Howard, S. & Oldham, C. R. (2021). Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) Assistant, Award $500 (May 2021-August 2021), Undergraduate Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Young, M. & Oldham, C. R. (2021). Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) Assistant, Award $500 (May 2021-August 2021), Undergraduate Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.

Oldham, C. R. (2020). First Place for Outstanding Dissertation Award in Social Sciences, Award $1,500, Graduate School, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.

Niehuis, S., Reifman, A., & Oldham, C. R. (2019). Effects of relationship transgressions on idealization of and disillusionment with one’s romantic partner: A three-wave longitudinal study. Personal Relationships, 26(3), 466-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12287

• Second place for best article published in an International Association for Relationship Research journal in 2019 or 2020 out of ~500 eligible articles

Niehuis, S., Weiser, D., Reifman, A., Punyanunt-Carter, N. M., Flora, J., Arias, V. S., & Oldham, C. R. (2019). Top Four Paper Award, Interpersonal Communication Division of the Western States Communication Association.

« Read Less

Dr. Oldham is also publishing out of her dissertation data regarding the development of sexual behaviors within romantic relationships with collaborators and URECA student researchers. Students interested her research mentorship should complete the research assistant application. Students with little to no research experience are encouraged to apply.

Dr. Oldham is also assessing the efficacy of integrating information literacy into college classrooms. She and her colleague, librarian Ashley Shealy, and their research team are currently analyzing and publishing the results of a four-year pedagogical intervention.

« Read Less

Teaching

DeGennaro, N. (2025, March 4). Free family violence panel series at MTSU offers ‘practical information’ to address domestic abuse, MTSU News. https://mtsunews.com/family-violence-panels-2025/

McDow, Z. (2024, September 23). Professor Rebecca Oldham named MT Engage Faculty Fellow, to educate colleagues on new e-portfolio software, MTSU News. https://mtsunews.com/oldham-named-mt-engage-faculty-fellow-2024/

Cameron, L. (2024, April 26). Family Violence Panel Series at MTSU, Medium. https://medium.com/@lc3y/family-violence-panel-series-at-mtsu-87a9e0ed2b88

DeGennaro, N. (2024, February 12). Registration open for Family Violence Professional Panel Series at MTSU, MTSU News. https://mtsunews.com/family-violence-panel-mtsu-2024/

Out of the Blue (2022, November 22). Child Development & Family Studies program at MTSU [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2PHkZwnkx0

Wagner, S. (2023, April). Registration open for family violence panels with local professionals, networking, MTSU News. https://mtsunews.com/registration-open-family-violence-panels-2023/ 

Middle Tennessee State University (2022). Child Development and Family Studies Program at MTSU, Out of the Blue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2PHkZwnkx0 

Logue, G. (2022). MTSU students work, walk April 29 to stem tide of violence against children, MTSU News. https://mtsunews.com/hometown-heroes-walk-april2022/

Research

Joel et al. (2020) News Coverage

Kaur, H. (2020, July 29) A landmark study shows what makes a successful relationship, CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/29/us/what-makes-a-relationship-successful-study-wellness-trnd/index.html

Young, G. (2020, August 24). Researchers contribute to broader understanding of committed relationships, Texas Tech Today. https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2020/08/Stories/researchers-contribute-broader-understanding-committed-relationships

« Read Less

MT Engage ePortfolio Sway Training

• Instructional ePortfolio (view only)
• MT Engage ePortfolio Sway Toolkit

Research Mentorship

Since 2013, Dr. Oldham has mentored dozens of undergraduate researchers in her lab at MTSU and as a project manager in Dr. Sylvia Niehuis's SMITTEN Lab at Texas Tech University. She has trained undergraduate student researchers in participant recruitment, research ethics, various methods of data collection (e.g., interviewing, survey administration, experiments, fMRI data collection, focus group moderation), data management (e.g., SPSS data entry, codebook management, lab file management), and data analysis (quantitative and qualitative). She has assisted students' acquisition of project and travel funding to present results at local, state, and national conferences. Several students won awards for outstanding research. She has also mentored students admittance to NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates and graduate schools. Her mentees have gone on to diverse career paths including, couples and family therapy, counseling, clinical psychology, medicine, physician assistant, nursing, social psychology, social work, criminal justice, and more. 

Dr. Oldham has also formally and informally mentored graduate students in navigating graduate school, the job market, research projects, and dissertations. She served on multiple dissertation committees at MTSU about sexual behaviors, attitudes, and sexual violence prevention/intervention.

In Summer 2021, Dr. Oldham and two undergraduate students will be working on research projects funded by the MTSU URECA program. In the 2021-2022 academic year, one student continued as a Silver URECA Researcher and completed another project as a follow-up to her summer work, which she presented at a national conference.  

Students who have an interest in social science research, romantic relationships, sexuality, or graduate school may contact Dr. Oldham directly or apply to work with her as a research assistant. Dr. Oldham is currently accepting applications for lab research assistants. If students are interested in working on a focus group project about gender-based violence program messaging, please complete the RA application here.

Dr. Oldham's lab is featured in the MTSU Lab Directory 2022.

« Read Less

CDFS 2100 Dating & Mating: The Science of Love, Sex, and Relationships

*True Blue Core: Explorations in Human Society and Social Relationships

Description

In this course, students learn about diverse romantic and sexual relationships across the life course from and interdisciplinary perspectives.

This is a traditional lecture-discussion-based class. Throughout the semester, students work on a series of assignments and small student support group discussions to facilitate growth in a communication skill that they identify as needing improvement. Small groups share their collective learning at the end of the semester via classroom activities and presentations.

Details

• Fall semester
• Face-to-Face
• Miller, R. (2022). Intimate relationships. 9th edition.

Student Comments

She was excited to teach, she made it very personal to our lives and overall made me want to come to class and i enjoyed it when i learned new things. (Fall 2024)

Dr. O was a very caring professor. She was very accommodating to personal issues, and constantly reminded the class that we mattered and that she was there for us if we needed anything. She made me feel safe and welcomed to come talk to her about issues I had and assignments. Dr. O was also very knowledgeable on the topics we discussed. She always had answers to our questions and was able to explain the course by talking theough memory instead of directly reading off a powerpoint, which was helpful. (Fall 2024)

Her strengths are being a great professor. She understands the material well enough to explain it to us a class. She also was always available for when I needed help or needed further explanation. I was able to learn a lot in this class. (Fall 2024)

CDFS 4140/5140: Violence in the Family

*MT Engage Course

*Women & Gender Studies Course

Description

The causes, dynamics, and consequences of violence in the family. Includes the discussion of violence toward children, spouses, dating partners, siblings, and elders. Emphasizes the social conditions which lead to these types of violence.

The first half of the semester features in-class lectures with quizzes, but shifts to a flipped classroom halfway through the semester so that class time can be used for group work and guests. The course features multiple opportunities via guest speaking, professional panels, and community engagement to interface with community professionals who work to prevent/intervene in cases of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, stalking, child abuse, and elder abuse.

Family Violence Professional Panel Series Recordings 

• 2025 Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Panel Recording
• 2025 Child Abuse Panel Recording
• 2025 Elder Abuse Panel Recording

Undergraduate students complete three projects:

1. a media analysis group project wherein students critique portrayals of violence in popular media of their choice (with ample time to work together in class),
2. an individual analysis paper on a topic of the student's choosing (e.g., research paper, policy analysis, book report, current event analysis), and
3. a community engagement project wherein students serve and network with local community non-profits that support families at risk of violence or economic insecurity (student chooses either to complete as an individual or as a group assignment). 

Graduate students who enroll in this course work directly with me to make the course projects align with their professional goals (e.g., writing a peer-reviewed manuscript).

Details

• Spring semester
• Face-to-Face (latter elements of the course are delivered online to provide more collaborative work and guest panels/speakers during class time)
• Same as SOC 4140
• Prerequisite: CDFS 3320 or SOC 2500 with C or better or permission of instructor.
• Textbook: Miller-Perrin, C. L., Perrin, R. D. & Renzetti, C. M. (2020). Violence and maltreatment in intimate relationships (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
  • 1st edition is an acceptable substitute.
  • Used for reference to supplement lecture/online course content for writing assignments (i.e., media analysis and individual analysis papers)

Student Comments

Dr. Oldham arranged for guest speakers on a couple occasions, and their presentations were so enriching for me and my classmates. She assembled a professionals panel with people from a range of interdisciplinary fields, all related to our coursework, so we could hear from people doing the work we will be doing once we graduate. It was so inspiring, and gave us a window into the possibilities that await us once we enter the field. (Spring 2022)

Dr. Oldham is not only an instructor, she is a mentor to me and many other students in our program. Her courses are always paradigm-shifting, and I know I am so fortunate to study under her. In CDFS 4140, Dr. Oldham presented what can be incredibly difficult material in a sensitive, trauma-informed way while still addressing the core issues. Her assignments helped us to zoom out and consider the ecological context in which violence occurs, which is essential for understanding what drives intimate partner and family violence. I have come away from Dr. Oldham's class with knowledge that will make me a more effective professional in the field; I have also personally grown from her instruction, influence, and guidance. Dr. Oldham's impact on myself and others is transformative, and I look forward to taking more of her classes. (Spring 2022)

This is my second semester taking one of Dr. Oldham's classes, and I have enjoyed both. Dr. Oldham provided so many opportunities to learn and really connected us to the community through the guest speakers we had in class and the community engagement project. Dr. Oldham really cares about student learning and accessibility. She offered a lot of extra credit opportunities and was so willing to accommodate/meet my needs as a student registered with the DAC. I have never had a professor as kind and accommodating as Dr. Oldham. (Spring 2022)  

Dr. Oldham really knows her course material and makes consistent efforts to give students networking opportunities with real-world orgs and professionals who the course material relates to. For example, we had speakers from the Child Advocacy Center during the part of the course when we learned about child abuse, and a speaker from a local domestic violence shelter when we learned about intimate partner violence. This both helped my learning and helped me conceptualize possible careers I could pursue--I have not had a professor who offered such a high amount of opportunities like this, she went above and beyond here. (Spring 2022)

CDFS 4340: The Contemporary Family

Description

This course utilizes a variety of approaches and theories, including the ecological perspective, to study intergenerational contemporary issues, problems, and lifestyles and their impact on families and individuals. Implications for policy and intervention are addressed.

Details

• Fall semester
• Asynchoronous online course
  • The entire course is open on the first day of class so students can work ahead, if desires.
  • Modules close as the semester progresses.
• Textbook: Bush, K. R., & Price, C. A. (2021). Families & change: Coping with stressful events and transitions (6th edition). Sage.
  • Required for regular quizzes

CDFS 4710: Social and Economic Contexts of Individuals and Families

Description

Cultivates an understanding of the diverse economic and social contexts of individuals and families. Critical self-reflection along with analysis of contemporary policies, events, and issues aim to increase student awareness of how such contexts affect individual and family development and wellbeing. Students also develop information literacy skills to be more critical consumers of news and social media.

In addition to completing in-depth online learning modules with quizzes and small assignments, students engage in weekly small group discussions via Zoom to facilitate community, reflective learning, and critical thinking. The final project is a Current Event Media Analysis Paper.

*Students are strongly recommended to schedule this course during a semester when they have time for time-consuming, rigorous, and challenging coursework. Discuss with your academic advisor and Dr. Oldham if you need further advice on arranging your academic map.

Details

• Fall semester
• Web-assisted course: Independent online learning with student-led class meetings once per week
• Prerequisite: CDFS 3320 with C or better.
• Corequisite: CDFS 3390 (to give priority to CDFS majors who are graduating within the next calendar year)
• Textbook: Tatum, B. D. (2017). Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? And other conversations about race (2nd ed.). Basic Books.
  • Students will read the entire book in the latter half of the semester and will be quizzed on their reading.
  • The first half of the semester will be based on Open Educational Resources, which will be made freely available to students.

Student Comments

She is a very knowledgeable professor who is always up to date on the topics she is passionate about. She is kind and passionate about the subjects she teaches. She deeply cares about all of her students, and I am so glad I have had the opportunity to be in multiple of her classes and will have a couple more to look forward to. (Fall 2024)

Dr. Oldham makes every effort to seek out and incorporate contemporary issues into the coursework, and all assignments are designed to maximize student learning, engagement, and critical thinking. Her expectations are clearly communicated, and she sets the bar high for us. The outcome is that Dr. O's classes are absolutely transformative. (Summer 2022)

Dr. Oldham did a great job by amplifying voices in the classroom by providing a safe space for giving feedback. I can tell she is very passionate about this course, and that helped her engage us students to be excited. (Fall 2021)

This has been one of my favorite classes. It’s very organized. Dr. Oldham created this classroom as a safe space in which me and my peers can grow our knowledge and character together. (Fall 2021)

Strengths of this course were organization, the instructor was passionate about the topic, provided plenty of material to use in learning, was fair in grading, and helped us whenever we needed it. It was a challenging course, but well worth it for what we learned and how we grew. (Summer 2021)

CDFS 4790: Family Life Program Development and Evaluation

*MT Engage Course

Description

Addresses concepts of Family Life Education (FLE) as they apply to the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs. Incorporates developmentally appropriate criteria for individuals and families over the life span. Students will be assigned to small groups who will spend the entirety of the semester learning about how to develop and evaluate a family education program.

In this flipped classroom, individual students will complete online modules before each class where they will apply their new knowledge to develop a fictional FLE program with their group during class time (attendance required). Students will implement regular instructor feedback on their projects throughout the semester. Working groups will submit and present a concept proposal mid-semester describing the objectives of the FLE and their supporting research. At the end of the semester, working groups will submit a funded proposal including lesson plans, evaluation surveys, marketing materials, etc. Groups will demonstrate one of their designed lessons as their final presentation.  

Details

• Spring semesters (Fall semester taught by Dr. Claire Cook)
• Meets once per week for a 3-hour block
• Face-to-Face (attendance requirement, 1 "freebie" mental health day)
• Prerequisites: CDFS 3310, CDFS 3320, CDFS 3390, CDFS 4310,  CDFS 4340, CDFS 4350, CDFS 4390 , and CDFS 4710 (all with grade of C or better).
• Students are encouraged to take this course as close to graduation as possible so they have plenty of knowledge from previous coursework to apply to their project.

Student Comments 

Dr. O is the best professor ever. I always learn so much in her classes and she challenges us to grow and achieve beyond what we thought was possible. (Spring 2023)

Dr. Oldham is a wonderful professor who meets students where they are and helps each student to grow academically, professionally, and personally. All of her courses are organized and extremely effective in portraying complex material. (Spring, 2022)

Dr. O courses are very challenging, but rewarding. I learn a lot in all of her courses, because she definitely makes you put the work in. (Spring 2022)

The strengths of this course was being able to learn information about the detailed process of trying to design a program and the steps an individual will have to go through in order to get that program recognized. I feel as though Dr. Oldham was very thorough in her knowledge regarding this course and this was very beneficial in order to understand the reasoning for evaluation and program design. (Spring, 2021)

Dr. Oldham does a very great job at making sure her students critically think about the answers to the assignments. She also makes sure that everyone in the class and within their groups learn new things and to never be afraid to ask a question. She makes sure to give feedback with assignments and always tells students that they are more than capable of doing anything that they set their too. (Spring, 2023) 

I learned so much in this course, and began to recognize my love of research. Dr. Oldham truly cares about her students and their learning, she is always willing to be flexible and meet a student where they're at and she gives very detailed feedback that is super helpful in knowing exactly what needs improvement. (Spring, 2023)

« Read Less