Sociology Syllabus

introduction to sociology
SOCI 1510 Section 009; 950
Fall 2013

Instructor: Helen Potts, Ph.D. Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] (preferred) Office: Chilton Hall, 390H

Office Hours: On-line, as needed. Please use the email address above!

The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. That is its task and its promise. To recognize this task and this promise is the mark of the classic social analyst. ~~C. Wright Mills, 1959~~
Required Reading
The required reading for this course will be delivered in an e-book online in Blackboard:
Anderson, M. L. & Taylor, H. F. (2011). Sociology: The Essentials, 6th edition. Wadsworth Publishing (Cengage Learning).
In addition to your UNT EUID and password, you will need a code from the publisher in order to access the readings and other course materials. Access codes may be purchased from the UNT Bookstore. The UNT Bookstore also carries a bundle which includes the access code and a printed version of the textbook. You may also purchase the access code direct from Cengage at: http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/micro/untsoci1510 . (You may need to cut and paste in browser)
Because you will be required to complete readings and a quiz each week, students who are unable to purchase this code by the end of the first week of class should drop the course.
Please note that the course design does not permit substitution of a used book.
Course Overview

This course introduces students to the social and cultural basis of human behavior and examines the impact of social groups and organizations in shaping personal identity, attitudes, and action. It explores social inequality and exposes students to the fundamental ways that social class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality affect individual life chances and opportunities in the United States and throughout the world. Finally, this course acquaints students with major social institutions such as the family, religion, politics, the economy, and healthcare, and familiarizes them with how institutions shape and are shaped by individuals.

Course Objectives
Having successfully completed the course, students will be able to:
1. define and apply the sociological imagination;
2. explain what constitutes social structure and how to study it;
3. demonstrate knowledge and critical reasoning;
4. describe the role of social inequality in society and explain its impact;
5. describe the major social institutions in society and the ways in which they influence and are influenced by the larger society;
6. recognize the ways in which society changes over time;
7. employ the appropriate methods, technologies and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition;
8. analyze social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods, social structures and cultures;
9. use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories;
10. develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues;
11. analyze the effects of a number of elements (i.e., historical, social, political, economic, cultural) on social institutions and specific aspects of social life;
12. identify differences and commonalities within diverse cultures.
Course Format

This is an online course intended to provide you with a unique and practical learning experience. The course material will be administered online. You will be introduced to new concepts and material online in Blackboard. You will have the ability to check your understanding and knowledge of the material through mastery quizzes administered online. It is a course expectation that you will complete the assigned online modules, quizzes, exams, and assignments in the time allocated on the course outline located at the end of this document.

This course will be divided into three sections. Chapters 1-4 will be covered in the first section, chapters 5-10 in the second section and the remaining 6 chapters (11-16) will be covered in the final section. Each chapter has a module quiz associated with it (aside from chapter 9 which is included with Modules 8 and 10; Module 10 also includes chapters 11 and 12). You must take the quizzes in each section prior to taking the exam. In the end, this will benefit you. Please look closely at the attached schedules and due dates. You will be responsible for keeping these commitments. You may complete the course as quickly as you like, as long as you abide by the due dates.
Exams and Assignments

Exams: There will be a total of three exams: two exams will be worth 100 points each and the final exam will be worth 120 points. Exams will cover material from the assigned online modules, quizzes, lectures, class discussions and experiential learning exercises. The exams will be administered totally online and will consist of multiple choice questions. The dates and material covered by each exam is set forth in the course outline located at the end of this document.

To encourage students to master the material before testing, all exams will be timed. Students will be given 50 minutes to complete each exam. Please note that you will only be permitted to “move forward” during an exam. You may not skip a question and return to it later, or answer it and later try to change your answer after you have saved your response. Please be advised that the order of the exam questions will vary for each student.

Quizzes: You must complete the assigned online modules in order to successfully complete the class. At the end of each module, you must successfully complete a 10-question multiple choice quiz by answering at least 7 questions correctly. You may repeat each quiz as many times as you wish to achieve the desired score; however, you will be required to wait at least one hour before repeating the quiz. All quizzes will be timed. You will be allowed 10 minutes to complete each quiz.

Students who fail to correctly answer a minimum of 7 questions or who do not complete the quizzes during the assigned time period will receive a zero. Please note that no make-up quizzes will be given.

Reflection Paper: Identifying how and why we behave and why we have certain attitudes and beliefs can be a daunting task. During the semester, students will be asked to reflect on their beliefs related to a topic. The reflection paper will be worth 25 points. Please note that students will be penalized one letter grade for poorly written work (please proofread). Specific instructions for each paper will be posted on Blackboard.

Survey Completion: Twice during the semester, students will have the opportunity to express their beliefs and opinions about a specific topic by completing a brief, online survey. These surveys will give students the opportunity to compare their views with those of their classmates in a non-threatening and anonymous way. While student responses will not be “graded,” students will be required to complete the surveys within the time provided. Please note that no make-up surveys will be given. Each survey is worth 10 points.
Attendance

As an online class students are responsible for completing all quizzes, exams, and assignments in a timely fashion. Assignments must be completed by the noted date. Students who are unable to complete an assignment in a given time period is encouraged to contact the professor as soon as possible. The professor is likely to be more accommodating prior to a missed assignment versus afterwards.
Grade Calculation

Final grades will be determined through the use of a point system. The maximum value of each exam and assignment along with the range of points associated with each letter grade are listed in the tables below. Throughout the term, students may keep up with their point totals by reviewing their grades on Blackboard.

Point

Letter

Assignment
Value

Grade
Point Range
Exams (2 @ 100 points each)
200

A
454 - 505 points
Final exam
120

B
404 - 453 points
Reading Quizzes (14 @ 10 points each)
140

C
353 - 403 points
Reflection Paper
25

D
303 - 352 points
Survey Completion (2 @ 10 points each)
20

F
302 points or below
TOTAL
505

Additional Course Policies and Procedures

Blackboard: Copies of the syllabus and assignments will be posted on Blackboard. All assignments must be posted via Blackboard to receive credit.

Make-up policy: NO make-up exams will be provided.

Online Text and Access Code: Students are responsible for purchasing an access code. An access code and e-text are required for online access to materials and quizzes necessary for passing the class. There will be no extensions granted for not obtaining these or for allowing these to lapse or expire.

Extra credit: There will be NO extra credit. Please do not ask.

Late papers or assignments: All papers and assignments must be submitted via Blackboard before the posted deadline to be graded. Late papers/assignments will not be accepted. Any paper or assignment sent via email or received in person will not be graded. Students may either submit papers in Microsoft Word or PDF as attachments or they may cut and paste the content of their papers/assignments into the submission window in Blackboard. Always cut and paste! Papers that are submitted in a different format or that cannot be opened will not be graded.

Classroom conduct: Please make every effort to respect others in class discussions. Disagreements are allowed and expected, but the focus should be on ideas rather than on the individual who expresses them.

University Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty

The University of North Texas is very clear on this point. Students must do their own work. Cheating on exams, quizzes, plagiarism, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Detailed explanations of the UNT’s standards of academic integrity for students may be found in the UNT Policy Manual at http://policy.unt.edu/policydesc/student-standards-academic-integrity-18-1-16. If it is determined that a student has cheated on an exam or has committed plagiarism, he or she will automatically fail that exam or assignment and a zero will be entered for the grade. The student will also be reported to UNT’s Office of Academic Integrity.

Students Requiring Special Accommodation

If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this course, please notify the instructor during the first week of class. Any necessary or appropriate accommodations will be made provided that timely notice is received, and that the arrangement is consistent with recommendations from Disability Services, when applicable. Students who require this type of assistance should contact the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) at [phone], or at TTY [phone] to make appropriate arrangements. Information on the services provided by the ODA as well as application procedures is available at http://www.unt.edu/oda/index.html. Information on UNT’s policies related to disability accommodations is available at http://policy.unt.edu/policy/18-1-14. Please note that disability accommodations are not retroactive. Accommodations will be made only after a disability is officially verified.

Succeed at UNT

“Succeed at UNT” was created to provide students with consistent student success messages, and user-friendly, accessible links to student support services. The following six focused messages:
Show Up
Find Support
Take Control Be Prepared
Get Involved
Be Persistent
For further information please access www.succeed.unt.edu

Problems, Questions, Concerns

Students are strongly encouraged to speak with the instructor if you are having problems with the course or if you have other concerns. The best way to reach the instructor outside of class is by e-mail.
Course Outline
Suggested Course Schedule:

Week
Dates
Covers
Due
1
8.28-8.30
Course Introduction

Zip Code Survey
2
9.3-9.6
Ch. 1: What is Sociology?

Module 1

3
9.9-9.13
Ch. 2: Culture

Module 2
4
9.16-9.20
Ch. 3: Research Methods

Module 3
5
9.23-9.27
Ch. 4: Socialization

Module 4

8.28-9.29
Exam 1 – online
Modules 1-4 (Chapters 1-4)
6
9.30-10.4
Ch. 5: Social Structure

Module 5
7
10.7-10.11
Ch. 6: Social Groups

Module 6
8
10.14-10.18
Ch. 7: Deviance

Module 7
9
10.21-10.25
Ch. 8/9: Social Class & Globalization

Module 8 (Ch. 8 & 9)
10
10.28-11.1
Ch. 10: Race & Ethnicity

Module 9

9.30-11.3
Exam 2 – online
Modules 5-9 (Chapter 5-10) 11
11.4-11.8
Ch. 11/12: Gender & Sexuality

Module 10
12
11.11-11.15
Ch. 13: Family & Religion
Module 11

13

11.18-11.22
Ch. 14: Education & Healthcare
Module 12

14
11.25-11.29
Ch. 15: Politics & the Economy
Module 13

15
12.2-12.6
Ch. 16: Social Change

Module 14

12/7 – 12/13: Final Exam (Modules 10-14/Chapters 11-16) – Available Online

NOTE: Every Friday night from 11:00pm until 2:00am CDT Saturday morning, Blackboard is offline. All quiz answers or submissions made during this time will NOT be recorded.

Blackboard/Online Student Help Line: Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Online Schedule and Due Dates:

Week

Activity

Start
Date

Day
Start
Time
Due
Date

Day
Due
Time
1 - 5
Quiz – Module 1
Quiz – Module 2
Quiz – Module 3
Quiz – Module 4
Online Survey #1

8.28

Wed
1:00 am
9.29

Sun

11:00 pm

Exam 1

8.28

Wed

1:00 am

9.29

Sun

11:00 pm

Reflection Paper

10.1
Sun
1:00 am
11.24
Sun
11:00 pm
6 - 10
Quiz – Module 5
Quiz – Module 6
Quiz – Module 7
Quiz – Module 8
Quiz – Module 9

9.30

Mon

1:00 am

11.3

Sun

11:00 pm

Exam 2

9.30
Mon

1:00 am

11.3

Sun

11:00 pm
11 - 15
Quiz – Module 10
Quiz – Module 11
Quiz – Module 12
Quiz – Module 13
Quiz – Module 14
Online Survey #2

11.4

Mon

1:00 am

12.6

Fri

11:00 pm

16

12/7 – 12/13: Final Exam (Modules 10-14/Chapters 11-16) – Available Online