vermette - socy 101 syllabus

Fall 2015

Social & Human Relations/Sociology

Linda L. Vermette, Ph.D.

Introduction to Sociology Office: Tuesdays Noon–2 PM by appointment

SOCY 101-011 [email protected]

Students and Instructors are accountable for all information on the Course Syllabus, as well as the Institutional Syllabus Addendum, which is located on the students’ Blackboard Site for this course. For further information regarding Library resources, accommodations, and more, please refer to the addendum on Bb.

Instructor Availability Office hours: Tuesdays, Noon – 2 PM by appointment Home telephone: 1-208-376-7515, no calls after 9 PM. emails will be returned within 48 hours Telephone calls and email are not returned on weekends or holidays.

Course DescriptionThis course presents the basic concepts, principles, and processes in sociology along with an introduction to material relating to culture, social interaction, institutions, and social change.

General Education Competency This course fulfills the Idaho State General Education competency area of: Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.

Academic Affairs Objectives: Learn to Learn. Students learn that as important as content knowledge is, shaping

one’s future requires the development of skill in discerning, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating knowledge in diverse contexts. The educational experience at CWI prepares students for a world in which they are likely to change occupations and face unpredictable life events. We strive to develop courses and learning experiences that give students the tools to confidently thrive in a complex, information-saturated, diverse, and dynamic world.

Make Connections. Students learn success in today’s interconnected world requires deliberate engagement and comfort with multiple perspectives, cultures, and contexts. In navigating difference and diversity in the natural and social worlds, students connect ideas, forms of knowledge, and practices to create a richer understanding of themselves as personally and socially responsible citizens.

Revision date: 4/18/23 1

Solve Problems. Students identify problems, analyze and implement solutions, and interpret and reflect on outcomes to develop skills to individually and collaboratively face challenges and create opportunities.

Course Schedule This is a regular 15-week session course. This course is an online course. No face-to-face classes are scheduled.

Course FocusThis course focuses on how students impact sociology and how they are impacted by sociology. Current issues are discussed. Students are encouraged to draw upon personal experiences and relate them to the sociological concepts explored in the course.

Course Objectives and Outcomes General Education Objectives: Demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of a particular

Social Science discipline. Develop an understanding of self and the world by examining the dynamic

interaction of individuals, groups, and societies as they shape and are shaped by history, culture, institutions, and ideas.

Utilize Social Sciences approaches, such as research methods, inquiry, or problem-solving, to examine the variety of perspectives about human experience.

Evaluate how reasoning, history, or culture informs and guides individual, civic, or global decisions.

Understand and interpret similarities and differences among and between individuals, cultures, or societies across space and time.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes: Identify and discuss key sociological concepts.

o Define core concepts of sociology, such as society, social institutions, social norms, and social roles.

o Define concepts related to culture and the function of cultural practices in American society and globally.

o Define concepts related to the socialization process and the transmission of culture.

o Discuss how groups, such as family, peers, or colleagues, shape our identities and actions.

o Define and critically evaluate social structures, such as family, economy, education, politics, or religion.

o Evaluate social beliefs, values, and norms, and how they are produced and reproduced over time and space.

o Identify practices related to deviance in society that define and enforce social norms.

o Define and differentiate between concepts related to methodology such as validity, measurement, correlation, causation, or data collection.

o Define various systems of inequality, such as race, gender, social class, age, sexual orientation, or ethnicity which shape individual opportunities in society.

Use sociological theories and perspectives to explain social phenomena.o Define major sociological perspectives in functionalism, structuralism, critical

theory, constructionism, and feminism.


o Compare and contrast various specific major theories in the canons of sociology, such as Weber, Marx, Durkheim, Simmel, or Comté.

o Connect theoretical understandings with empirical methodologies that represent the historical development of sociology as a discipline.

o Define sociological phenomena and issues related to explaining them.o Identify current explanations in the scientific literature related to a variety of

topics, such as inequality, work and family, race/ethnicity, globalization, or sexuality.

Differentiate ways of thinking sociologically about everyday life.o Define and illustrate critical thinking as applied to social science.o Compare and contrast various ways of knowing reality, such as common

sense, cultural relativism, scientific reasoning, or sociological theory.o Evaluate competing sociological theories to understand competing ways of

understanding reality.o Judge appropriateness of the application of various theoretical explanations

and solutions to everyday issues. Design expressions of sociological scholarship.

o Create a summary of sociological knowledge, through written, oral, or rich content media that conforms to widely accepted sociological practices.

o Evaluate completing claims of knowledge about social reality in academic and cultural sources.

o Formulate a sociological imagination within the global community.o Construct a sociological perspective to inform a deeper understanding of

social reality. Synthesize a perspective that connects individuals to larger group processes.

o Define levels of analysis micro, meso, and macro, that shape our understanding of reality

o Differentiate between personal, societal, historical, and cultural forces of social reality.

o Evaluate the impact of larger social processes in everyday life.o Illustrate processes that shape our individual lives in society.o Identify pathways of social change in individual and group actions, as well as

structural shifts.

Outcomes AssessmentSociology is a multifaceted discipline that utilizes a variety of techniques, as such the SOC 101 course should use multiple indicators of course mastery. The elements below are the potential assessments that are used to ensure demonstration of competency.

A. Formal written papers in a widely accepted style in sociology (e.g.: APA Style) may be used for formative or summative assessments.

B. Informal writing, such as reflective writing, may be used for formative assessment.C. Both formal (e.g., in-class presentation) and informal (e.g., discussions or small group

work) oral presentations may be used for formative or summative assessmentD. Rich media presentation, such as videos, picture presentations, or poster, may be used for

formative and summative assessment.E. Exams and quizzes, with objective measures (MC or T/F) or subjective measures (essay

questions or short answer) may be used for formative or summative assessments.F. Short term or long term group projects may be used for formative or summative

assessments.

Signature Assignments


This section is required for General Education Courses.Explain the signature assignment process for your course here.

Grading Policy Grading scale: A=90-100% of available points; B=80-89% of available points;

C=70-79% of available points; D=60-69% of available points; and F=59% or less of available points.

Methods used to evaluate student performance include assignments, quizzes, group work, participation, presentations, exams, essays, discussion questions, etc.

Textbooks and Required Materials

Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Appelbaum, R.P., Carr, D. (2013) Introduction to sociology. Seagull 9th Edition. W.W. Norton.

Other supplemental readings, videos and rich content material are included in Bb.

Course CalendarThe course schedule is posted as a separate document in Bb.

Course ExpectationsThis section may include:

Assessments and assignments will be graded and returned to students within 7 days from the due date.

The average student can expect to spend approximately 9 to 12 hours per week preparing for class and doing assignments.

Late work is accepted if prior approval is made with the professor. All late work has 10% of the grade deducted if handed in within 3 days of the

assignment’s due date. No late work is accepted after 3 days of the assignment’s due date. Complete end of course evaluations

Computer Proficiency Expectations:Students in this course are expected to be proficient in use of Bb, Word and programs needed to complete and submit assignments. How to use Bb, Microsoft products and other software programs will not be taught in this course.

Online students are expected to be proficient in using a computer. This online class will not teach you how to use the computer, use Blackboard, navigate the web, or manage your electronic files. If you are having difficulties, you may contact your instructor, IT helpdesk (208-562-3444), and/or tutoring services (see student resources of Blackboard for information regarding tutoring services). For those participants who fear they may not be able to navigate the technical skills of this course, please use CWI services and/or see the instructor before dropping the course. We want you to succeed.

You will need to possess the ability (or be able to quickly acquire) the following minimum technology skills: Navigate, browse, and use the Internet and Blackboard. Download/upload/create/save/edit/open Word or PDF documents, video, and audio Download/upload and listen to or view audio and video files

You may not be able to view all course content through mobile devices and therefore may miss important information. Therefore, you must have daily access to a computer that has:


Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows XP, or equivalent Internet browser equivalent to Explorer 7.0 or higher (for example, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, or Safari). Dependable High-Speed Internet access with at least 1.5 Mbps download and .5 Mbps upload. You can

use speedtest.net to check your speed. Microsoft Word or equivalent Word Processing Software (e.g., OpenOffice suite). A link for

downloading OpenOffice software for free is available under the “CWI Student Resources” button. Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, iTunes, QuickTime Player or equivalent software. You will find

these links under the “CWI Student Resources” button. A backup option must be available for all of the above items, should your primary access fail for any

reason. Access to hardwired internet access (as opposed to wifi or cell phones) to submit documents, quizzes,

and test.

Text-based communication is especially prone to misinterpretation. It is important that you consider this in course communication. Use academic language: please use complete sentences, appropriate punctuation, standard spelling, and capitalization. Communication should conform to academic standards of courtesy. For example, flaming, profanity, and ad hominem (personal) attacks are unacceptable. Failure to adhere to these standards will result in a zero for the assignment and may result in an immediate failure in the course. Students should be aware that the use of sarcasm is particularly prone to misinterpretation. With that in mind, do not use sarcasm. The use of emotion icons (emoticons - , , etc.) may help convey some of the important nonverbal elements of communication.

Behavioral Expectations:Every student has the right to a respectful learning environment. In order to provide this right to all students, students must take individual responsibility to conduct themselves in a mature and appropriate manner and will be held accountable for their behavior. Students who disrupt the class or behave inappropriately or disrespectfully, as determined by the instructor, may be asked to withdraw. If conduct continues to be an issue, students may be referred to Student Conduct for judicial action.

It is the student’s responsibility to check their email and Bb announcement to receive notification of any scheduled appointments, assignment changes or other urgent communications.

Any student who has witnessed or experienced a violation of the student code may contact Student Conduct at extension 22305, or email: [email protected]

Academic Honesty: All work submitted by a student must represent his or her own ideas, concepts, and current understanding.

All material found during research must be correctly documented to avoid plagiarism. Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and violations may result in disciplinary action ranging from failure of the assignment to failure of the course. Repeated acts of academic dishonesty may have more severe institutional ramifications. The consequences for cheating in this class are listed below:

The student will receive a failing grade for the assignment. If plagiarism continues the student will receive a failing grade for the course.


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.speedtest.net/

Suggestions for SuccessStudents are encouraged to:

have a specific place to study where there will be no interruptions; set a specific schedule to do assignments for the online course; practice good time management; and contact the instructor about any questions or confusion about course content or

assignments.

Affidavit of Syllabus as ContractStudents are required to receive a 100% grade on the syllabus quiz before proceeding with course content.
