Syllabus for SOC-210-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Marriage and the Family is an introductory course in the sociology of the family. The course takes an in-depth look at the history of the family, mate selection, love, social class characteristics and marriage, marital crises, alternative marriage forms, and human sexuality. An important thread throughout the course is the diversity expressed in modern marriage and family experiences. From this smorgasbord of possibilities you may choose or reject components with respect to your own relationships. Keep in mind, however, that these alternatives are working satisfactorily for various groups of people around the world.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

The major goal of the course is to provide you with new lenses through which to view marriage and family systems. Subsidiary goals of Marriage and the Family are to allow you to:

• Develop an understanding of the family life cycle, relevant sociological perspectives, and the significant variations that occur within the family system from culture to culture and even within our own culture.



• Explore the stages that the family goes through and analyze the tasks that family members must accomplish at each stage.



• Utilize conflict theory, family systems theory, and developmental theories to investigate all aspects of marriage and the family.



• Examine the diverse families presented in this course to gain information that will be useful in your own relationships.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course.

Textbook

The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society, 10th ed., by Bryan Strong, Christine DeVault, and Theodore F. Cohen (Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008)

Study Guide

Study Guide for Strong, DeVault, and Cohen's The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society, 10th ed., by Cynthia K. Shinabarger Reed (Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008)

Note: The study guide is designed to help you organize your assignments. It also tests you on your knowledge of course material. Use the corresponding chapter in the study guide for each chapter of the textbook. The study guide occasionally includes additional information about chapter subjects and always provides useful Internet sites and activities. These activities are supplemental; they are not required for the course.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Marriage and the Family is a three-credit online course, consisting of five modules. You are required to submit five reaction reports, participate in five online discussion forums, and take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination.

Each of the course's five assignment modules includes a study assignment, an online discussion forum, and a writing assignment (reaction report). Study assignments, in turn, comprise one or more chapters in the textbook together with their associated study guide readings.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to an ungraded introduction forum in module 1, Marriage and the Family requires you to participate in five graded online discussion forums.

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 posted question (discussion thread) 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 writing assignments in this course comprise five (5) reaction reports (maximum two typewritten pages, double-spaced) in which you analyze specific issues using information from the course. These reaction reports are your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the reading material. For the specific issues and questions addressed in each reaction report, as well as an explanation of how they will be graded, see the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the report, 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

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments through module 3 of the course. The exam consists of eighty (80) multiple-choice questions.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments from modules 4 and 5 of the course. The exam also reviews material from chapter 2 of the textbook. Like the midterm, the final consists of eighty (80) multiple-choice questions.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you at the start of final exam week. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. 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.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

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, reports, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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

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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 arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. 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.



5. 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.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Each week, follow closely the study outline listed below:
   
   
   1. Determine the study requirements each week by referring to the course Calendar.
   2. Read the "Chapter Focus" and "Key Learning Objectives"
   in the study guide.
   3. Study the assigned chapter(s) from the textbook, taking notes on important concepts.
   4. Complete the writing assignments, as required (consisting of five reaction reports).
   5. Participate in all online discussion forums.
   6. Review and study all relevant materials. The chapter outlines and sample questions in the study guide will help with this step.



3. Try to construct a schedule for yourself that you can follow on a regular basis. Success in this course requires self-discipline, self-motivation, and organization. Your mentor is available to you as a resource, but unlike in a traditional college course, the mentor won't be monitoring you to make sure you are keeping up with the required work. Your mentor is there to answer questions, to help explain material that is unclear, and to provide feedback on the quality of the work you submit. It is your responsibility, however, to seek her or his assistance as it is needed.



4. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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