SOC 101 Introductory Sociology
On-line Course
Spring Term 2005

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Instructor: Sue Greer-Pitt 
Location of instructor in cyberspace: sue.greer-pitt@kctcs.edu
Mailing Address: Southeast Community College/2 Long Avenue/Whitesburg, KY 41858
Telephone: 606-633-0279, extension 2020.
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, Tuesday and Thursday 10 AM to Noon and 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Division Chair: Elijah Buell, Social Sciences Division,Southeast Community College, 700 College Road, Cumberland , KY 40823, 606-589-2145, or call toll free 1-888-274-SECC.
Index for Syllabus

Course Description

Required Texts

Ordering Textsbooks

General Educational Goals of Course

Course Outline and Schedule for Spring 2005

Requirements and Grading

Students with Disabilities

Across the Currriculum General Educational Competencies

Essay Criteria

Discussion Criteria

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Course Description

Introduction to the concepts and methods of sociology. Investigation of socialization, group processes, social institutions, and social change. Major Lessons are social systems, culture, social structure, socialization, family, and social stratification. Course emphasizes applying concepts to student's own experience. This is a completely on-line course. All assignments, discussion and tests are on-line.

Required Texts

All readings for this course are from the two textbooks below or from internet sites for which links are provided with each assignment.

Macionis, John. Society: The Basics. SEVENTH Edition (paperback. Prentice Hall. ISBN for this book is 0-13-111164-7 .

Macionis, John and Nijole Benokraitis Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in SociologySIXTH Ediction. ISBN for this book is 0-13-111557-x.

BOTH BOOKS bundled for a discount:  ISBN:  0-13-104909-7.

Ordering Textbooks

See instructions for ordering textbooks on line http://www.kctcs.edu/distancelearning/bookstore_procedures.htm or by contacting Ashland Community and Technical College’s bookstore, http://ashlandctc.bkstore.com/. Be sure that you identify which course (Soc101) you are taking and with WHICH instructor (Sue Greer-Pitt). Students with financial aid should see the instructions at kctcs.edu listed linked above.


OR You may also go to http://wwww.prenhall.com/ and click on the customer service link at the top of the webpage. OR call Prentice Hall at 1-800-282-0693. Students should choose UPS ground delivery for 5 to 7 day delivery, or Air Express for 3 to 5 day delivery.

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Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities or who believe they may have a disability that requires accomodations in this class, must contact their local community college's ADA, Disability coordinator. The Disability coordinator will discuss your needs with you and the accomodations that can be made, and the coordinator will contact your instructors to arrange for accomodations.

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Course  Outline and Schedule for Fall 2004 Semester

Orientation
January 10, 2005 through January 14, 2005.

All information about the course and its materials are found in the WebCT data base on-line. This includes lectures, reading assignments (assignments are in the data base, the actual readings are in text and reader that you purchase), written assignments such as essays and all tests . Links to the course materials will appear on the home page in the database AFTER you take the "Syllabus Quiz" on the home page.

Part 1 -- Lessons 1 through 5  
January 15, 2005 through February 7, 2005
Lesson 1 Why Do People Do the Things They Do? Sociology as a Discipline
Lesson 2 Theory in Sociology
Lesson 3 Symbols and Language
Lesson 4 Beliefs, Values and Norms
Lesson 5 Technology and Material Culture
Part 1 exam -- Essays Due Monday February 7, 2005, no later than 11:55 PM. Essays are open book, open notes and can be viewed at least two weeks in advance of when due. Essays may be turned in earlier.
Part 1 exam -- Multiple choice
Four DAY Availability Window:  Friday February 4, 2005 (12:01 AM) through Monday February 7, 2005 (11:00 PM)
Multiple choice portions of the exam are timed and two hours are allowed for the exam once begun.  

Part 2 -- Lessons 6 through 10
February 8, 2005 through March 7, 2005
Lesson 6 What is Socialization and How Does it Come About?
Lesson 7 Becoming Human: A life long process.
Lesson 8 The Structure of Social Systems: Statuses, Roels and Social Groups
Lesson 9 Secondary Groups and Bureaucracy
Lesson 10 Social Interaction
Part 2 Exam -- Essays Due Monday March 7, 2005, no later than 11:00 PM. Essays are open book, open notes and can be viewed at least two weeks in advance of when due. Essays may be turned in earlier.
Part 2 Exam -- Multiple choice
Four DAY Availability Window:  Friday March 4, 2005 (12:01 AM) through Monday March 7, 2005 (11:00 PM)
Multiple choice portions of the exam are timed and two hours are allowed for the exam once begun.  

Part 3 -- Lessons 11 through 14
March 8, 2005 through April 4, 2005
Lesson 11 Understanding Social Stratification
Lesson 12 Stratification in the United States
Lesson 13 Stratification and Life Chances in the United States
Lesson 14 Race and Ethnicity in Stratification
Part 3 Exam -- Essays Due Monday April 4, 2005, no later than 11:00 PM. Essays are open book, open notes and can be viewed at least two weeks in advance of when due. Essays may be turned in earlier.
Part 3 Exam -- Multiple choice
Four DAY Availability Window:  Friday April 1, 2005 (12:01 AM) through Monday April 4, 2005 (11:00 PM)
Multiple choice portions of the exam are timed and two hours are allowed for the exam once begun.  

Part 4 -- Lessons 15 through 18
April 5, 2005 through May 6, 2005
Lesson 15 The Family Across Human Societies
Lesson 16 The Family in the U.S.
Lesson 17 What Is Social Change and How are Societies Changing?
Lesson 18 Explaining Social Change
Part 4 Exam -- Essays: Due Tuesday May 3, 2005, no later than NOON. Essays are open book, open notes and can be viewed at least two weeks in advance of when due. Essays may be turned in earlier.
Part 4 Exam -- Multiple Choice
Four and a half DAY Availability Window:  Monday May 2, 2005 (12:01 AM) through Friday May 6, 2005 (at NOON)
Multiple choice portions of the exam are timed and two hours are allowed for the exam once begun.  

The course ends Friday May 6, 2005. Discussion will end Tuesday May 3, 2005 by noon.

Make-ups for Multiple choice exams 1, 2, and 3 will occur during the same Four and a half DAY Availability Window:  Monday May 2, 2005 (12:01 AM) through Friday May 6, 2005 (at NOON) as Exam 4.

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Course Requirements and Grading

The grade in this course is primarily based on discussion and examinations (both open book essays and closed book multiple choice tests). The total points for the course is 540 points.  Grades will be assigned as follows :  460 through 540 points for an A; 405 through 459  points for a B; 350 points through 404 points for a C; 270 points through 349 points for a D; 269 or fewer points is an E.

This course has 18 lessons, these twenty lessons are divided into four parts. In each of the four parts of the class you are required to do two things:

  1. participate in discussion on the discussion board.
  2. Take an examination that consists of two parts

Discussion: Each discussion entry is worth 5 points. You can earn a maximum of 100 points through discussion in the entire class. You should average about five discussion postings in each part of the course. There is no requirement for a specific number of postings in any part of the course. You are not required to post on each Lesson, as long as you make a total of twenty postings through out the course.

Examinations: Each of the four parts of the course has a 110 point examination. Each examination has two parts. A student should complete all the material for a particular part of the course before attempting the examination for that part of the course. The "study guide" or preparation for the examinations comes from the Learning Objectives for each Lesson.

Part 1 -- Essays: The criteria for grading essays is described below. Students will choose two questions from each essay portion on which to write. Each essay is worth 30 points. This portion of the test is worth 60 points. These are open book, open note essays, and they are made available to students at least two weeks prior to the due date.

Part 2 -- Multiple choice exam: There is a multiple choice exam for each part of the course. This is closed book and closed notes. No proctor is required. Student takes the test on their own computer at any time during the testing window (which is generally several days long). Each test is 50 points. To prepare for the multiple choice exams read the "Learning Objectives" for each Lesson found in each of the 20 Lessons in the course. Once the student begins the test they have two hours to complete it. Specific instructions on what to do if you have technical problems will be found in the instructions for the test when it is made available.

Students are also expected to display ethical behavior in writing essays and taking tests. This means no plagiarism, and no cheating.  Plagiarism is defined as using four (4) or more exact, consecutive, words from a source written by anyone other than the student without placing the borrowed words in quotations and providing a reference or citation to indicate the author, source and location of those words (page number or url). This applies to all books, text books, readers, lectures, and all internet pages. This rule applies to all courses at all times. Note, that even when a student does not use exact words, but does borrow ideas or statistics that were originated by some one else, quotes are not needed but references are appropriate. The student may select whatever reference/citation format that they prefer. Some of the recommended formats generally taught in ENG101 and ENG102 are APA and MLA. This instructor is not picky about the exact format of references as long as all the information mentioned in red above is included.

The penalty for the first case of extensive plagiarism is an automatic zero (no points) on that essay. If, after being warned a student engages in plagiarism on a second exam, he or she will receive an E for the entire course.. A warning: if plagiarism is discovered in an essay later in the course, the instructor reserves the right to re-inspect earlier papers to see if they also contain plagiarism that was overlooked. All points will be deducted after the fact if plagiarism is discovered in a paper that has already been graded. However, since a warning was not given, a failing grade in the course will not be given unless further plagiarism occurs after the warming is given.

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General educational goals of course

Social Interactions -- Students will be able to demonstrate an awareness of self as an individual, as a member of a multi-cultural society, and as a member of the world community. Students will demonstrate, through Discussion and group projects and assignments, essays, and objective examinations the following:

Across the Curriculum General Education Competencies

Writing -- Students will be able to communicate effectively using standard written English. 
Students will have the opportunity to develop their writing competency through the essay examinations. Essays will be evaluated for both writing and sociological content. A detailed criteria for the grading of essays and short answers is attached to this syllabus. 
Analytical Reading -- Students will be able to analyze, summarize and interpret a variety of reading materials. 
Students will develop their reading competency through reading the textbook, the associated reader and readings from the internet. Students reading ability will be evaluated through the knowledge they demonstrate on examinations and in Group projectsand Discussion discussions.
Integrated Learning -- Students will be able to think critically and make connections across the disciplines. 
Students will be required to draw upon skills developed in writing classes, and introductory computer classes. The content material of introductory course will also expose the student to direct links with knowledge in the fields of economics, history, and psychology. Students use of critical thinking will be evaluated through the essay portion of exams as they sift through information from text, readings and internet, evaluate their fellow students' responses in Group projectsand Discussion discussions and develop syntheses.
Creative Thinking -- Students will be able to elaborate upon knowledge to create new thoughts, processes and/or products. 
Students will be required to develop their own ideas about their place in society and how social structures affect the lives of those around them. These will be expressed and evaluated through Group projectsand Discussion discussions and essay portions of exams. 
Ethics And Values -- Students will be able to demonstrate an awareness of ethical considerations in making value choices. 
Students will be required to consider the ethical and value consequences of being part of a social system. They will be expected to develop sensitivity for the way in which social structures affect the options that individuals have and the choices that they make, in order to make more informed choices. Students' awareness of these issues will be evaluated through the essay exams, and class Discussions.
Students are also expected to display ethical behavior in writing essays and taking tests. This means no plagiarism, and no cheating.  Plagiarism is defined as using the 4 or more exact, consecutive, words from a source written by someone other than the student, without placing the borrowed words in quotations and providing a reference or citation to indicate the author, source and precise location of those words (page number or url). This applies to all books, text books, readers, lectures, and all internet pages. This rule applies to all courses at all times. Note, that even when a student does not use exact words, but does borrow ideas that were originated by some one else, quotes are not needed but references are appropriate.

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Essay Criteria

Breadth and Depth of Sociological Content: 70 percent

Use of Examples and Social Science Terminology: 10 percent

Writing organization: 10 percent

Sentence Structure and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling: 10 percent

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Discussion Criteria

Participation in the Discussion is an important part of the grade. As stated earlier in the syllabus, to be counted a post must be at least 50 words. This is not as long as it might seem. This short paragraph is more than 50 words in length.

A quality Discussion posting is one that is focused on the course materials. A Discussion posting may be a question that occurs to you while reading to which you wish others to respond. It may be a simple question like "what does this guy mean by...." Or it may be a more open question about how something in the reading applies to something in the real world. A Discussion posting may also be an opinion (either postive or negative) about the reading or some point in the reading. A two word comment like "this sucks" is NOT appropriate for the Discussion. But negative opinions can be legitimately expressed in appropriate language. A Discussion posting may be a simple reaction -- "this reminds me of...." Personal experience is appropriate in moderation IF and only if it directly illustrates, or substantiates the point you wish to make about sociology and the reading material in the course.

The Discussion Area is for interaction with other students, so read other people's postings and respond to them as well as starting threads of your own or making declarations. Points are given for both responses to others and for new threads. When you have similar reactions or experiences you may wish to provide validation to class members. You may wish to answer someone elses question. You may disagree with a point someone else has made. Knowledge grows through discussion among people who disagree, but only if the discussion is respectful and focuses on the issues and not personalities. Disagree with IDEAS, do not indulge in personal criticisms.

Because the discussion area is designed to help students understand the material before writing their essays and taking tests, the discussion area will always be closed one to two days BEFORE the end of testing for a part of the class is completed. Always be sure to make your contributions to the discussion area early. Do not wait until after you have done everything else.

Discussion posts should not use profanity or obscenties. Discussion posts should not disparage any individual or group on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, marital status, parental status, or sexual orientation. The instructor will regularly monitor the Discussion discussions. Students should also feel free to report (via e-mail) any posts they feel violate the rules. An individual violating the principles of Discussion posting will be given a warning, and the instructor will remove offending posts and they will NOT count towards the grade. A repeat offense by the same individual may result in being barred from participating in the Discussion, which will mean that student will NOT have the opportunity to earn any more points towards that part of the grade. .

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