Family and Consumer Sciences

FCSC 1000/ Intro to Family and Consumer Sciences

Professor Charles Mitchell

7/23/13

Human Sciences is an academic framework that provides multidisciplinary education, research and service focused on individuals, families, communities and their health and environments for the purpose of improving and enhancing the quality of living. (KMHS, 2013).Home economics has a highly significant place in the educational system today. No other academic discipline incorporates in its curriculum as many pertinent life skills that will help students succeed independent of their chosen career paths.

Home economics has come a long way. Initially, this field of study/ profession was organized to train a woman in efficiency and to develop her outlook on life. Such a department is a necessity as a means of developing society and has greatly contributed to the development of society. For example, the Department of Human Sciences at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) began in 1920 when a two year Domestic Science course of study focusing on dressmaking, was taught to female students. Domestic Science, as the profession was called in the earlier 20th Century was a small but integral program of the early National Training School and Durham State Normal School (NCCU, 2013). Now this department is called the Department of Human Sciences, this change has taken place at other schools as well.

Home economics evolved has greatly. In 1994,the American Association of Family and Consumer Science, other organizations, and programs decided to change the name of the field to family and consumer sciences from home economics to more accurately reflect the complexity of the profession. As times have changed, so have the issues and needs of daily living. And, the family and consumer sciences profession has evolved to meet the current challenges facing individuals, families, and communities. Home economics has transformed into FCS due to the complex social and economic issues that individuals, families, and communities face today. Like any other applied science, family and consumer sciences has evolved with society and technology (American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, 2013).

In the past, home economics was focused on teaching the woman how to prepare and run the household. Classes on cooking, sewing, etc were offered. Today emphasis is placed issues pertinent to today's individuals