Syllabus for SOC-315-OL
SOCIAL GERONTOLOGY
Description | Objectives | Materials | Structure | Assessment | Grading | Strategies
Social Gerontology provides an understanding of the processes of aging. It discusses the concept of old age as a stage of life, covering issues such as optimal quality of life, cross-cultural considerations, and access to resources. The course also deals with the impact of aging on society.
After completing Social Gerontology, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the college's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course.
Required Textbooks
Growing Old in a New Age Telecourse Study Guide, 5th ed. (for Hooyman and Kiyak Social Gerontology 8th ed.), by Kathryn L. Braun and Michael Cheang (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2005).
Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 8th ed., by Nancy R. Hooyman and H. Asuman Kiyak (Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon, 2008).
Note: SOC 315 has moved from the 7th edition of the text book Social Gerontology to the 8th edition. However, the supplement telecourse study guide, Growing Old in a New Age, will remain a 5th edition release. You should be aware that there are some minor references to text book pages directing one to those that correspond to the 7th edition release. To save you time we have identified the areas within the study guide that reference the seventh edition text book and provide the equivalent 8th edition pages.
*Open then print reference sheet (PDF)
Video Programs
Growing Old in a New Age, 13 one-hour programs on 7 VHS tapes produced by the Annenberg/CPB Project.
Note: The video programs are being offered via streaming video technology through this course site. Each reading and viewing assignment includes the necessary links for accessing the video stream.
Social Gerontology is a three-credit online course based on the telecourse Growing Old in a New Age. It consists of ten modules.
The course requires you to complete six written assignments and take two examinations: a proctored midterm and a proctored final. You are also required to participate in six graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum.
Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
You are required to participate in graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum, which occurs during the first week of the semester. There are six (6) written exercises and six (6) discussion forums.
Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Written Assignments
Social Gerontology has six (6) written assignments. For the assignment topics and questions, see the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.
The written assignments are the primary means for you to express yourself verbally, controlling content and meaning. Due dates for each assignment are listed in the Calendar 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 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.
Go to the Submit Assignments area of the course website to submit all written assignments.
See the Student Handbook for additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments located within the General Information section of the course website.
Online Discussion Forums
In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Social Gerontology requires you to participate in six graded class discussions.
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 subsequent comments on classmates' responses.
You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and ideas as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Meaningful participation in online discussions 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.
Deadlines for posting discussion threads on the class Discussion Board are given in the course Calendar.
For posting guidelines and additional help with discussion board assignments please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information section of the course website.
Examinations
You are required to take two (2) proctored examinations, a midterm and a final. Consult the course Calendar for the official dates of your midterm and final exam weeks.
Both exams require that you use the College's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. Online exams are administered in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course Web site.
About the Examinations
The midterm is a closed-book, online proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 1 through 5. It consists of essay questions that are similar but not identical to the ones found in the written assignments.
The final is also a closed-book, online proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments from Modules 6–10 of the course. It consists of essay questions.
A good way to test whether you are ready for an exam is to look over the objectives at the beginning of each Study Guide lesson. Then be sure you can answer the self-study questions and that you can support your answers with details.
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.
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, 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:
| A | = | 93-100 |
| A- | = | 90-92 |
| B+ | = | 88-89 |
| B | = | 83-87 |
| B- | = | 80-82 |
| C+ | = | 78-79 |
| C | = | 73-77 |
| C- | = | 70-72 |
| D | = | 60-69 |
| F | = | Below 60 |
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
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.