Faculty at the University of California, Riverside can help reporters dig deeper into the complexities of fatherhood to shape extraordinary feature stories just in time for Father's Day. The following sources can answer questions about the changing face of fatherhood, and why a father's role becomes more crucial as kids hit their teen years.

* Professor of Sociology Scott Coltrane: Coltrane has written extensively on family dynamics and gender roles. He wrote "Family Man: Fatherhood, Housework, and Gender Equality," voted the 1996 Outstanding Academic Book by the American Library Association. He has researched how dual-career couples balance career, housework, and family, how their priorities have changed over time, and how those shifts have also affected the way we view fatherhood. Coltrane is currently involved in a five-year, $3.5 million study with scholars at Arizona State University to look at how fathers and stepfathers influence the mental health of teenagers.
Office Telephone: (909) 787-3501
E-mail: scott.coltrane@ucr.edu

* Professor of Psychology Carolyn Murray: Murray studies the dynamics of the African American family and has received a National Institute of Health grant to conduct developmental research on the practices African American families use to build social networks and to understand how children are prepared to participate successfully in society. She has developed a research instrument to assess different socialization practices in African American families that determine variables that pertain to racial identity, discipline, family communication, and values. Murray recently published a study that shows the important link between African American fathers in the home and the positive development of adolescent boys' self esteem.
Office Telephone: (909) 787-5293
Email: carolyn.murray@ucr.edu

* Ross Parke, professor of psychology. Parke studies how mothers and fathers differ in the way they rear their children and how those differences affect the way children treat their peers. He has studied fathers for 30 years and is the author of "Fatherhood," published in 1996; and the 1999 book "Throwaway Dads: The Myths and Barriers That Keep Men from Being the Fathers They Want to Be." Both books look at the forces fueling the changing role of fatherhood. His research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He is currently involved with Coltrane and with colleagues at Arizona State University to look at how fathers and stepfathers influence the mental health of teenagers.
Office Telephone: (909) 787-4144.
E-mail: parke@citrus.ucr.edu

The University of California, Riverside offers undergraduate and graduate education to nearly 16,000 students and has a projected enrollment of 21,000 students by 2010. It is the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse campus of the preeminent ten-campus University of California system, the largest public research university system in the world. The picturesque 1,200-acre campus is located at the foot of the Box Springs Mountains near downtown Riverside in Southern California. More information about UC Riverside is available at www.ucr.edu or by calling 909-787-5185. For a listing of faculty experts on a variety of topics, please visit http://mmr.ucr.edu/experts/.