Syllabus for SOC-101-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Welcome to Introduction to Sociology. The brief comments that follow present the course requirements and indicate what you need to do to complete the course successfully. These introductory comments contain important information that you may want to review from time to time. Please read them carefully.

Introduction to Sociology introduces you to the academic discipline and principles of sociology. Our systematic investigation takes an in-depth look at culture, socialization, social institutions, social inequality, and social change. Specific topics include the impact of television on children, problems faced by the aging population, the current status of minorities, life in small town America and sports as a mirror of American society.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

The major goal of Introduction to Sociology is to provide you with new lenses through which to view both society and yourself. To accomplish this, you must develop an understanding of the meaning of culture, social systems, social stratifications, social institutions, and societal change.

The basic point of departure is C. Wright Mills's concept of the sociological imagination. Your work in the course should allow you to:

• Examine the intersection of history and individuality and the distinctions between private problems and social issues.
• Raise questions that generate sociological insights.
• Explain the meaning of culture and identify aspects of your own culture.
• Employ your sociological imagination as an intellectual tool when facing value dilemmas and making the critical decisions that affect your life and your society.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. These materials are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

• Sociology, 12th ed. by Richard T. Schaefer (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2010).
  
  ISBN-13: 978-0-07-340433-2

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Introduction to Sociology is a 3-credit online course. You are required to complete readings and prepare four (4) reaction papers, as well as to take tow online examinations: a proctored midterm and a proctored final. You are also required to take part in online discussions. The course requirements have been designed to encourage maximum learning. All aspects of this course, including content covered, type of learning experiences, number of learning activities, and demand on a student's time are equivalent to an on-campus course.

For the course's assignments (reading assignments, discussions, and reaction papers), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the Calendar.)

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to posting an introduction to the class, you are required to participate in five graded online discussions, each focusing on a different subject.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

The written assignments in this course consist of four (4) reaction papers. Every several weeks you will submit a short reaction paper (consisting of a minimum total of four typewritten pages) in response to two sets of questions. These reaction papers are your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the material in specific parts of the course. When writing these papers, make sure you check your spelling and grammar, underline (or italicize) and define all sociological concepts that you use, provide examples and illustrations when required, and edit your responses to ensure they make sense to the reader. Your grade is based on your ability to use, define, illustrate, and give examples of relevant sociological concepts with regard to the questions.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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EXAMINATIONS

You are required to take two proctored examinations: a midterm and a final. See the Calendar for the official dates of your midterm and final exam weeks.

For the both of these online examinations you are required to use the College’s Online Proctor Service. Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see the General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to make your scheduling arrangements for both exams within the first week of the semester.

Online exams are administered in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course Web site.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored, online exam. It is two hours long and covers Chapters 1 through 11 in the textbook. It is two hours long and consists of multiple choice questions and short essay questions.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, proctored, online exam. It is two hours long and covers material from Chapters 12 through 23 in the textbook. It consists of multiple choice questions and short essay questions.

Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.