What the Family Studies?
What the Family Studies?
What Can You Do With a Family Studies Degree? More Than You Think!
The pathway from high school to meaningful career isn't always straightforward, especially for students passionate about understanding human development and family dynamics. In this special episode aimed at high school students, we turn the spotlight on Western University's Family Studies and Human Development program with two inspiring guests at different career stages.
Associate Professor Roula Hawa and teacher candidate Grace Gillett share their journeys through family studies – Roula transitioning from 15 years as a high school family studies teacher to doctoral studies and university teaching, and Grace discovering her passion for education through Western's undergraduate program. Their stories reveal how family studies provides both roots (understanding where we come from) and wings (exploring diverse career possibilities).
We explore the rich history of family studies in Canada, tracing its origins to Adelaide Hoodless, whose son's death from unpasteurized milk in 1903 led her to establish Canada's first domestic science teaching school. This historical foundation has evolved into today's interdisciplinary field drawing from psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, and more.
What makes Western's program particularly valuable is its flexibility and real-world applications. Students study all types of families through a strengths-based, resilience-focused lens. Graduates pursue diverse careers in law, medicine, education, social work, and business. Grace shares her transformative experience conducting research with abuse survivors and teaching nutrition in elementary schools – opportunities that confirmed her calling to education.
For students considering their options, both guests emphasize keeping an open mind, embracing opportunities, and developing leadership skills. The interdisciplinary nature of family studies creates pathways into numerous fields while building transferable skills valued by employers. As Roula wisely notes, "It's okay to fail, because when you fail, you learn."
Curious about where your interest in family studies might lead? Listen for insights on program requirements, course offerings, and how to become a Professional Home Economist in this eye-opening exploration of post-secondary possibilities.
Show Notes:
Western Faculty of Health Science – Family Studies https://welcome.uwo.ca/what-can-i-study/undergraduate-programs/family-studies.html
OFSHEEA https://ofsheea.education/
OHEA https://www.ohea.on.ca/
How to Become a Professional Home Economist https://www.ohea.on.ca/ohea-course.html
Student Branches https://www.ohea.on.ca/student-branches.html
Learn more about Adelaide Hoodless - https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/adelaide-hoodless
Learn more about Ellen Swallow Richards - https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/ellen-h-swallow-richards/
Be sure to like and follow this podcast on your favourite podcast platform.
Follow OFSHEEA on social media
IG @OFSHEEA
Facebook @Ontario Family Studies Home Economics Educators' Association
Email at ofsheea@ofsheea.ca
Hi everyone and welcome to this episode of the what the Family Studies podcast. It's our seventh episode of our third season. In this episode, we're talking with Roula Hawa and Grace Gillett from the Family Studies and Human Development program at Western University. Today's episode is going to be a little bit different from the usual, as our target audience today is going to be students rather than teachers. We hope that high school students in Ontario will have the chance to listen to this podcast and learn more about post-secondary options in the field of family studies.
Catherine Murphy:We have a couple of learning goals today. They are number one, get to know more about our guests and their pathway to careers in family studies. Number two, learn about the history of family studies as a discipline in Canada. And number three, gain a better understanding of the Family Studies and Human Development Program at Western and the potential career opportunities for students who graduate from this program. So our first question. We're going to direct this to both of our guests today, but we'll start with you, r, and we want to have each guest briefly introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about their career path. How did you end up at Brescia Western?
Roula Hawa:Thank you, Cathy, for having me. I just want to say I started actually as a family studies high school teacher and I taught in the family studies classroom for about 15 years and then after that I decided to pursue my doctorate. So I already had a Master's in Family Studies from the University of Alberta and taught at the high school level. So I figured, you know, a Master's in Education would be nice and I pursued my Doctorate in Education and got a position at R, which is now integrated with the University of Western Ontario or Western University. At Western, I'm an associate professor in Family Studies and Human Development and I'm also the undergraduate program chair for Family Studies and Human Development. How did I end up in family studies? I thought it was a very inspiring field. I feel like I've seen it in very different entry points. I taught at Queen's University as well in the continuing teacher education. So I feel like I've seen teacher candidates, I've seen teachers in service and I currently teach mostly undergraduate students in family studies at Western.
Catherine Murphy:That's amazing. That's. That's quite the career you have. Grace, you're at a little bit of a different spectrum in your career. Can you tell us where you're at right now and how you got there?
Grace Gillet :Absolutely so. Currently I am a year two teacher candidate at Western's Faculty of Education and I got there by attending Brescia University College for a four-year undergrad in an Honour specialization in Nutrition and Family. So originally, when I was choosing where I wanted to go to university from grade 12, I was interested in food and nutrition. But the Family Studies program allowed me to really experience those interdisciplinary courses that the family studies program offers while still learning nutrition. But I didn't choose to go straight into dietetics because I'm a little weaker with my science knowledge. So that Family Studies program met me where I was at, not sure where I wanted to go whether it was education or dietitian but it allowed me to explore Family Studies in more depth over my four-year degree. And then I chose to make the jump to education to pursue being a Family Studies teacher. So my teachable subjects in ntermediate Senior are Family Studies i Geography.
Catherine Murphy:Grace, I love that. When you went into it, maybe you weren't 100% sure of what you wanted to do, because I find a lot of our students that we teach today you know they're not 100% sure what pathway they're going to take and where they're going to end up. But you know, you seem to have gone into it with just being open to different experiences and different ideas. Do you think that that served you well?
Grace Gillet :Absolutely. I think being able to choose the courses I was studying and have the choice of that, but also to grow and learn about who I was as a learner and what I was passionate about, is really a beautiful opportunity within the Family Studies program because you have that flexibility to choose courses that work best for you, depending on your interests and passions, and that allowed me to really figure out where I wanted to go next.
Catherine Murphy:I love it. I think that's a great attitude. So we want to take a little bit of a turn here. We want to look at a little bit of the history of Home Economics and Family Studies in Canada. It's a very, very rich history. We can trace its beginnings back to a woman by the name of Adelaide Hoodless. I'm sure most of us have heard of her before. In 1903, her young son died from drinking unpasteurized milk and that led her to establish the first training school for domestic science teachers in Canada. And another pioneer in the home economics movement is Ellen Swallow Richards. So, Roula, I'm wondering if you can maybe give us a little bit more about this history, maybe some history of Ellen and her work and how her early work and that of women such as Adelaide Hoodless informs the discipline today.
Roula Hawa:When I'm thinking about Home Economics like this is really where the roots, our roots are. When we're thinking Family Studies now we have to think of where we came from. I really feel that Adelaide Hunter Hoodless and Ellen Swallow Richards are both women who were ahead of their time. Adelaide Hoodless I have to mention that she's a lifelong crusader for the recognition of the Domestic Sciences and at the time really that involved cooking, sewing, childcare and housework and an early proponent of home economics in Canada. So she's clearly a Canadian figure in Home Economics. She was considered one of the radical new women of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She helped turn the Canadian YWCA into a national organization. She founded the Women's Institute, assisted in the founding of the Victorian Order of Nurses and represented Canada on numerous international councils of women. For that we are very much indebted to her.
Roula Hawa:Helen Swallow Richards and again I have to say that they did meet in terms of their time is basically a very significant figure in the US. Again, if we want to look at a little bit of that history, she's a pioneering chemist which is very unique to a woman during that time. She lived in 1842 to 1911. She founded the field of home economics in the United States and, as I just mentioned, Adelaide Hunter Hoodless founded home economics in Canada and they both championed the same cause, basically establishing Home Economics education. So we're indebted to both. When we're thinking of Ellen Swallow Richards, we're thinking in terms of being the first woman to be admitted to MIT, which is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, applying scientific principles to domestic life and founding the American Home Economics Association. Her work was very, very pioneering in sanitary engineering, experimental research in domestic science, and very important that her work focused on women's education and the opportunity that is available for women.
Roula Hawa:And when I'm thinking, how are those two women in history have shaped us today, I always think of we need our roots to develop our wings. We need our roots and currently now, in the field of whether it's Human Ecology or Family Studies individuals, especially young adults, or even children, they require both a strong sense of belonging and security and I'd like to think that we offer that in our program and the freedom to explore and pursue their potential. So hence the roots and the wings to explore and pursue their potential. So hence the roots and the wings to thrive and become well-rounded, productive and happy adults.
Roula Hawa:Also, something I need to mention here is I would like to put a plug for A. So, if we look at the contribution of Adelaide Hoodless, I would like to say around 1973, which is really a very important time or even 72, the Family Studies Home Economics Association of Ontario was incorporated and in 1977, the name was changed to its present name, Ontario Family Studies Home Economics Educators' Association. And for some of you you may not know, if you're a high school student, you don't know what this association does and I want to say the ultimate goal of A is to strengthen the family and, again, very important role when it comes to educators, initiate, facilitate the professional development and personal growth of educators, to promote quality family studies programs in Ontario. So again, as somebody who teaches family studies at the post-secondary level, I feel like we need to know our roots and our field really has very rich roots in order to develop our wings and in order to celebrate who we are currently as a Family Studies program.
Catherine Murphy:You're absolutely right. I couldn't agree with you more. Understanding our roots and understanding where we come from and understanding these women who were very strong women who fought long and hard, who came before us that's very important and also understanding what O FSHEEA oes d does F does for us. I think you know, particularly when I was a new teacher and teaching family studies courses for the first time, I don't know where I would have been A the help from Afshia and that little beehive that we have there. We're all working so hard and helping each other out, so it is an amazing organization.
Roula Hawa:I actually joined A when I was at teacher's college. I thought it's very important to have that professional association.
Catherine Murphy:Absolutely Now. You were a high school Family Studies teacher prior to your work as an associate professor at Western, so you have an excellent understanding of the value of Family Studies courses, their role in preparing students for their daily lives, their future careers. So I want to learn more about the Family Studies and Human Development program at Western. It sounds like a great extension of the high school program and what we're doing in high schools. What are the entry requirements to that program and what does the program include? And then, what kind of career opportunities are available to graduates?
Roula Hawa:Excellent. I just want to say we had our spring open house a couple of days ago and we had a lot of high school students asking exactly the same questions. First of all, like what is Family Studies? I mean, I know for a lot of the high school students who've taken Family Studies courses, we're not really a foreign subject. I think more the parents need to know what Family Studies is, and I always think what Grace mentioned we are very interdisciplinary, so we are a social science that draws upon many other fields, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, health studies, gender studies, immigration studies and more. And if you look at our program at Western the Family Studies and Human Development Program, which is under the R School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, we are a direct entry program so students from high school can actually choose Family Studies to come to Western and study Family Studies.
Roula Hawa:Our program follows a lifespan approach and, again, many high school students may be very familiar with the lifespan approach because you may be taking a course in early childhood development, you can take a course in middle childhood, you can take a course in adolescence and aging. In particular, I'm thinking of human growth and development, h F M. I feel like this is a really perfect course where you're taking all of those areas of development, whether they are physical, social, emotional and cognitive, except for this course that you take at the high school level. We actually have a course for each of those areas and, again, level, we actually have a course for each of those areas. And, again, very unique to our program is we cover the lifespan from birth to death and we have a well-being lens really embedded in the courses that we teach. What do we teach? We teach about all types of families two parents, single parent, grandparent that seems to be a more kind of newer trend in Canada step families that have existed for a long time extended families, l p parents as well, and many more. And our approach in our program is very much a strengths based approach, which means we approach all of the issues that affect individuals and families in a strengths based approach, which means we look at it from a resilience point of view. We look at it how do we empower families, how do we work with individuals to help them overcome challenges? In terms of, particularly some of the courses that we offer, that, I could see some parallels with high school courses and these will be very familiar Parenting, for instance, we have a course in parenting and intergenerational relationships, so that will be equivalent to a parenting course in high school. As I mentioned, human growth and development conception to middle childhood so we offer a course. We also offer a course development in adulthood and aging. We offer a course in work-life balance and resources. So resource management is something we teach.
Roula Hawa:Diversity and Canadian families, which is equivalent to Individuals and Families and a Diverse (HHS4U/4C). . . ( ( . That start at the high school level, and many, many more. Admission you're asked about admission. So for a high school student, you need really a grade 12 U English if you are aiming for a Bachelor of Arts in Family Studies, and that's all that you need. We do also have a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies, but I feel like our Bachelor of Arts is the more popular stream for us. And, of course, you need your six best courses in terms of either U or an M level and our average guideline is low 80s and in terms of OUAC when you apply for Family studies. As I said, it's a direct entry program. The code is EFS, but that's available on the website and you can also counsellor out to your guidance counselor and learn all about that when a student graduates from the program.
Catherine Murphy:What kind of career opportunities are out there for them A?
Roula Hawa:Right.
Roula Hawa:Excellent question. So when we think, where are the Family Studies alumni today? So we surveyed our alumni and we found out where they are. So our graduates are in law school. Believe it or not, people do not think law school. But because we are very interdisciplinary, we have that flexibility that the students get in order to have, for instance, a double major or pursue a profession after they finish Family Studies. Medical school is another option. This is where some of our alumni are.
Roula Hawa:In education, there's a very distinct link between Family Studies and education. You can be a Family Studies teacher, you can be a secondary school teacher in general, but you can also be an elementary school teacher, early childhood educator and with a degree in Family Studies, and this is where our graduates are today. They are teachers in all of those different panels. Some of our graduates are pursuing graduate studies. Some of them are doing a Master of Education, Master of Social Work I have a student who graduated from an MSW program at the University of British Columbia, so that's an option.
Roula Hawa:Master of Science in Kinesiology, family counselling if that's something that excites students marriage therapy these are all after degrees, but this is where some of our graduates are. Some of our graduates are now working in non-profit agencies. The YMCA is an option community connector. Our graduates are also in business and that doesn't seem like an obvious connection, but it is depending on what kind of other major that you connect with Family Studies. So career pathways are very, very diverse because we are interdisciplinary and because of the nature of our courses. It allows the students to have that diversity and picking the career that they wish to do.
Catherine Murphy:I think that's absolutely amazing because you know, as Grace said and as many of the students that I teach on a regular basis, when they head into university they're still very young and they don't really know what they want to do. So a program like that that can give you such diversity is absolutely amazing. And, Gace, you're a graduate of that program. Can you tell us some of your experiences as a student in the program and why you chose it? And then, of course, what kind of courses did you take? Was there an experiential component for you?
Grace Gillet :Absolutely so. I was interested in dietetics. However, wasn't that confident in science. I also was very interested in education, but I didn't want to limit myself into the concurrent education route in fear I didn't love it after four years. So I chose to attend the Family Studies program to have that interdisciplinary perspective of where my pathway could go next. And I truly believe that the Family Studies program allowed me to discover what I was passionate in learning and having the opportunity to learn about.
Grace Gillet :Who am I, the type of learner I am, my interests and that realization of that I wanted to go into education and that was the career pathway I was interested in after my four years. I believe was due to the communication skills I gained, the leadership skills I gained and the experiential learning opportunities that shaped who I am as a leader, but also how I want to be a contributing member of society moving forward. So one of the courses I was able to study was a Diversity and Canadian Family course, which was a third year opportunity course for me, and within the course my colleagues and I were actually co-investigators in a research project with Dr Hawa and we were interviewing live survivors of the London Abused Women's Centre and we were collecting data to find themes to share with the City of London regarding the housing crisis in London, Ontario. So, first of all, this experience really emphasized the confidence that you can get from real life experiences, not only in the classroom, but implementing those practices that you learn in theory into real world examples and knowing that I'm making a little positive difference, of sharing findings with the City of London.
Grace Gillet :Other courses that I appreciated, learning that I think correlated strongly to becoming a teacher now are a comparative family policy course, middle childhood and adolescence course, professional perspectives, nutrition, education and communication. And then in fourth year I was able to wrap up my four-year degree taking a practicum course which was full term of my fourth year, and I was able to go into a non-profit called Growing Chefs in London, Ontario and support their nutrition literacy program. So I was able to visit elementary schools with the Growing Chefs team and teach nutrition literacy to elementary school students and this right there really solidified my desire to go into education. With the interpersonal skills I gained that perspective of real world issues and real world experiences families in Canada as well as around the world are experiencing, and that lens allowed me to have that meaningful and intentional perspective of how to meet others with where they're at.
Catherine Murphy:The experiences you got through this program are absolutely amazing to me. I think it's wonderful how you were able to go out into the community on so many occasions and get credits for the work that you're doing in the community. That's fantastic.
Grace Gillet :Absolutely. It really didn't even feel like school and I don't want to say that I'm bad, but it felt like the right choice and I felt like that security of knowing this is an element or an environment where I feel like I'm contributing in positive ways through the education that I was able to gain and putting that into practice.
Catherine Murphy:It sounds like you found your passion, that's for sure. Okay, Roula, I have a question for you because I'm very curious about Human Ecology. So the program offers an undergraduate course in Human Ecology. Can you explain what is Human Ecology and tell us more about some of the courses and opportunities that you're involved in as part of this program at Western All right, yes, so Human Ecology is an all encompassing term.
Roula Hawa:If you look at the term Human a Ecology very much so you're looking at place, you're looking at environment, you're looking at sustainability. You're also looking at nutrition, you're looking at individuals, you're looking at families. All of that under this one big umbrella at individuals, looking at families, all of that under this one big umbrella. When the students graduate from our program Family Studies and Human Development, they're actually their degree is in Human Ecology because it's like a large umbrella that encompasses a lot of the areas that we teach. And if we're thinking in terms of some of the courses that we teach that are considered Human Ecology, we have a course at the 3000 level and when we say 3000 level means in your third year called Design for Human Needs. It very much reflects those aspects in terms of shelter, furnishing, clothing, consumer products. There are physical needs, social, psychological factors such as technology, some are environmental, ethical and economic concerns are all addressed in that particular course. So that really kind of encompasses all of the different areas of Human Ecology. Another Human Ecology course that's also at the 3000 level is Issues in Housing. So it's a study of economic and ethical principles in housing needs of individuals and families, how these have been met at different times in history. So there is a historic component to it in different societies and cultures, but with a focus particularly in Canada, and again it includes discussions of housing design, urban planning, environmental issues and alternative housing. So all of those environmental issues are right there embedded, and this course, I find, lends itself to an opportunity to talk about poverty, particularly people who are experiencing homelessness. So I feel like there's a lot of social issues that can be touched upon in this course. Another course that we also teach in human ecology is Consumer Economics and Resource Management. At the high school level we have a lot of Resource Management courses that are offered, and this is very much an interdisciplinary approach to study the roles and responsibilities of the consumer. So there's very important roles there marketer, government in the marketplace, and then there's an emphasis on consumer behaviour, management of human, economic and environmental resources. So, as you can see, environment is also there.
Roula Hawa:Another unique course that we offer in Human Ecology is called Professional Perspectives. It introduces our history in Home Economics, the mission and philosophy of Human Ecology and Home Economics professions in North America and the evolving concepts of Human Ecology and Home Economics as a field of study in higher education. We talk about socialization towards professionalism. That will include the development of knowledge, skills and values appropriate to the profession. So this is a very basic foundational course for someone who is interested in becoming a Professional Home Economist. So, for instance, myself, I am an Ontario certified teacher but I'm also a Professional Home Economist.
Roula Hawa:So someone may ask well, what is a Professional Home Economist? So you do need a degree from a university program that offers that program. So us, for instance, Western Family Studies will be one of those programs, and also in Ontario we have Toronto Metropolitan University. Both offer program in Family Studies and you qualify to become a Professional Home Economist. If you have that degree, you can easily apply to the Ontario Home Economics Association, which is OHEA. Again, you can check their website to become a Professional Home Economist. If you do not have a degree from one of those two universities, you can still apply. But you do need to take a home study course to become a Professional Home Economist and, as a result, that course will be kind of an equivalent to the course that we offer in terms of professional perspectives at Western.
Roula Hawa:We do have agreements in other provinces. For instance, you can get your degree. In my case, my Master's in Family Studies or Human Ecology is from the University of Alberta. So when I came here to Ontario I gave my transcripts to OHEA and I was able to receive my Professional Home Economist designation New Brunswick also, you can do that a degree from British Columbia or Manitoba.
Roula Hawa:Why is it important to be a professional home economist? Like what are kind of the privileges? I want to say we have about 300 members in Ontario. They all work in the areas of public and private sectors and in Ontario we have a Provincial act that respects the Ontario Home Economics Association. It recognizes the rights of individuals who have this designation, Professional Home Economist and, as I said, it gives a particular status. So this is like a registered status and you have particular skills, for instance, in clothing and child development and family relationships and family resource and development and housing and consumer issues. I encourage you as a high school student, when you apply to our program, to think in terms of that ultimate goal and to become a Professional Home Economist at one point.
Catherine Murphy:It's absolutely amazing. It's amazing how transferable it is between provinces in Canada, so you know, able to move around so well. I think that's awesome, gives people a lot of flexibility, and I like that. Normally, as we close out our podcast, normally what we do is we do what we call a rapid fire questions, but we're going to do something a little bit different today, simply because we're we're focused on high school students here. So, for each of you, if you were to give one piece of advice to current high school students about their future education and career goals, what would it be and what do you wish? You knew when you were 18 years old that you knew now.
Grace Gillet :I would give the advice that you should get involved and to never shy away from an opportunity that interests you and might be of interest, even if it's just a little interest to just go out there and give it a try. Don't be that follower and be that leader. Through these opportunities that you may attend, you'll be able to learn and grow about yourself. Find your passions. So, whenever it is a workshop that you're maybe unsure of or hesitant, or a club, challenge yourself to grow and don't shy away from those opportunities. And if I were talking to my 18-year-old self, I would want to know that you'll find those individuals who encourage you, who fill your cup and who share those same passions with you. And to hold on to those individuals and to continue to lift them up as well. And thank you for letting me share about my own family studies passions, kathy, today.
Catherine Murphy:Oh, no problem, I loved hearing about it. When we deal with students every day, it's nice to see sort of the end result sometimes with some of you, where you guys end up and I think you know you give great advice and I think the one thing I would add is that you never know what other doors will open for you when you do take part in certain things. So I think that's amazing. Great job, Grace and Roula. How about you? What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Roula Hawa:Yeah, I was gonna say along the same lines keep your options open. I mean, I started with an undergrad in Public Health, Environmental Health in particular, and I thought I'm going to be in the health professions, which I mean, again, full circle. I am in the Faculty of Health Sciences. I feel like opening your you know, your eyes to what's around you. I wouldn't be afraid to always asking what is my end point.
Roula Hawa:Leadership opportunities is another one I would like, if I'm 18, to kind of think about how can I be a leader, how can I take risks and it's okay to fail, because when you fail you learn and I feel those opportunities are available in family studies. Would I have ever known I will be a professor teaching family studies? No clue, I think it's just the doors opened in terms of interdisciplinarity. But I encourage everyone who is at the high school level to think interdisciplinary, to think that you don't have to narrow yourself in one particular field, and to explore and try and then you'll find your passion no matter what Great advice about, you know it's okay to fail every once in a while, and the idea of the interdisciplinary skills are really important.
Catherine Murphy:Employers do look for that right. They want someone who's very flexible and can do a lot of different things. Thank you both for joining us today. It was it was really wonderful. We really appreciate having you here, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to our guests from Western University, Roula Hawa and Grace Gillett, and to our listeners. Thank you for joining us to learn more about post-secondary opportunities in the field of Family Studies and Human Development. We will see you again in April.
Cassandra MacEachern:What the Family Studies?? is brought to you by the Ontario Family Studies Home Economics Educators Association. Special thanks to Producer producer m micheline Gallant Tech Support support Podcast Editor editor Cassandra McEachern, and Co-Hosts co-hosts Catherine Murphy and Hattayer Hattier.
