Syllabus for SOC-322-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Cultural Diversity in the United States examines racial, ethnic, sexual, religious, and other minority groups in American society. The course explores the impact of law and policy on these groups and promotes an understanding of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

[Return to Top]

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing Cultural Diversity in the United States, you should be able to:

• Analyze issues surrounding race, ethnicity, dominant/subordinate groups, intergroup hostility, immigration, prejudice, and discrimination.
• Examine the global implications of race, ethnicity, and diversity.
• Compare the historical and contemporary experiences of various minority groups in the United States.
• Evaluate the impact of laws and public policies in the United States on dominant group/subordinate group relations.
• Evaluate strategies to promote intercultural awareness and respect for diversity.
• Assess arguments on controversial issues relating to minority groups.

[Return to Top]

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.

Textbooks

• Racial and Ethnic Groups, 12th ed., by Richard T. Schaefer. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2010).
  ISBN-13: 978-0-205-68366-6


• Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Race and Ethnicity, 7th ed., by Raymond D'Angelo and Herbert Douglas (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009).
  ISBN-13: 978-0-07-351537-3


• Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (New York: New American Library, 2003; originally published in 1961).
  ISBN-13: 978-0-451-20864-4

[Return to Top]

COURSE STRUCTURE

Cultural Diversity in the United States is a 3-credit online. The course consists of seven modules. The student is required to complete seven (7) written assignments and take seven (7) quizzes as well as to participate in ten (10) online discussions. Students are also required to take two examinations: a proctored midterm exam and an unproctored online final.

For the course's six assignment modules, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. See also the course Calendar.)

[Return to Top]

ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to posting an introduction to the class in Module 1, you are required to participate in ten (10) 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.

[Return to Top]

QUIZZES

Cultural Diversity in the United States has seven graded quizzes. Taken together they are worth 12 percent of your grade. These quizzes are closed-book and will be completed online. Go to the Tests & Quizzes area of course site and click on the link when you are ready to take the quiz.

You have 20 minutes to complete each quiz. You may enter each quiz only once, so be sure you are ready to take the quiz before clicking the link. After you take the quiz, you will be able to see your score.

[Return to Top]

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Cultural Diversity in the United States has seven (7) writing assignments, including a book review. Pay attention each set of directions and to the general directions for assignments. Many students find it helpful to read over the assignment questions for a module before beginning the reading for the module.

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.

[Return to Top]

EXAMINATIONS

This course requires you to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material from Modules 1 through 3. It consists of identification questions and short essay questions. The identification questions require you to write definitions for terms. If you have concerns about the format and/or content of the examination, please contact your mentor at least a week in advance of the scheduled test.

You may take the midterm 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 exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 4 through 7. Like the midterm, it consists of both identification and short essay questions. In the identification section of the final exam, however, you will be asked to supply the proper term that fits a particular definition.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the start of Week 12. 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.

Sample Examination
You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:

• The content of your exam will match the content of your course; the sample exam has some generic questions on art history, world history, and environmental science.
• Your exam includes only identification and essay questions. The sample exam includes all the types that you might encounter in an online assessment at Thomas Edison State College.
• You will be able to enter and take your exam just once—once you have entered the exam you must complete it. The sample exam may be taken as often as you like.
• There will be a penalty for exceeding the time limit in your actual midterm and final exams (see the "Statement about Cheating" below), whereas there is no corresponding penalty with this sample 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.

[Return to Top]

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.

[Return to Top]

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 your midterm exam 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. As often as possible, give examples from your own experience to elaborate on topics in the written assignments and on the examinations. Doing this helps you internalize the material and demonstrate mastery of the content. However, be sure to connect your examples from everyday life to specific material you have read.



5. 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.



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

[Return to Top]