Course Title:	Introduction to Sociology
Course Prefix & Number:		SOCI1301	Section Number:	343	Semester/Year:	Spring/2019
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	3	Lab Hours:	0
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): The scientific study of human society, including ways in which groups, social institutions, and individuals affect each other.  Causes of social stability and social change are explored through the application of various theoretical perspectives, key concepts, and related research methods of sociology.  Analysis of social issues in their institutional context may include topics such as social stratification, gender, race/ethnicity, and deviance
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required Course Materials: John J. Macionis. Society: The Basics. 14th edition.  Pearson.  ISBN 978-0-13-420632-5 Online students need to purchase/rent a textbook if you aim to do well in this course. Because I do not require a publisher's special key/code, students are encouraged to research bookstores and find the cheapest version which works for them. If a student wishes to buy/rent an older version of the textbook, I wouldn't go back more than one edition as you'll be tested on the most recent social statistics. I provide all Power Points, outlines, quizzes, and exams.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Stacie Stoutmeyer
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 339
Telephone Number:	940-498-6467 (Email is preferred as I'm not always in the physical office.)
E-mail Address:	sstoutmeyer@nctc.edu (Canvas email preferred.)

OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday/Thursday: 9:30AM-11:00AM; 2:00-2:30PM Corinth campus 339

Wednesday: 10:00AM-12:00PM, Corinth campus 339

Friday: 11:00AM-1:00PM Online

Sunday: 4:00PM-6:00PM Online

And by appointment

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

Compare and contrast the basic theoretical perspectives of sociology

Identify the various methodological approaches to the collection and analysis of data in sociology.

Describe key concepts in sociology.

Describe the empirical findings of various subfields of sociology.

Explain the complex links between individual experiences and broader institutional forces.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Point Values
9	Chapter Quizzes (20-30 pts each)	220 points total
1	Research Project	100 points total
4	Discussion Boards	40 points total
1	Optional Final Exam/Extra Credit	(Up to 20 points)

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

Course grades are based on nine quizzes over chapters, one Power Point research project, and four discussion boards. Total = 360 points  (A short answer/essay final exam is offered as the only extra credit opportunity.)

 

FIRST WEEK ASSIGNMENTS: 

Students should sign in the first day of the semester. Before students can access essential modules (e.g. chapter materials, videos, project info, etc.), students must submit 3 short assignments:

1) A "Syllabus Statement"

2) An "Introduce Yourself to Classmates" discussion board

3) A "Sociological Trends Pre-Test"

Upon submission, Canvas will then allow students to access all other necessary materials for the semester. These three assignments do not receive grades; however, students cannot fully access course materials I've provided without completing all three. All can found by clicking the Modules tab. A direct link is also provided on the class home page in Canvas the first week of the semester. 

  

QUIZZES (220 points total):

Students are required to take nine quizzes over chapter material. They are designed to track whether students have been reading chapter materials and to help students gauge their comprehension and readiness prior to exams.

Questions are multiple-choice. Most quizzes are 10 questions, though a few have more. All quizzes have set due dates. Students are allowed two attempts on each quiz. Quizzes are timed, and students are allowed between 20-30 minutes depending on the number of questions for that quiz. Students who are well prepared tend to finish quizzes in less than 10 minutes, so ample time is provided.

Due dates below are structured to allow more weeks of reading/study for heavier chapters and/or multiple chapters. Also, I do not cover every chapter or cover all chapters in order. The order below was determined, to some extent, based on which chapters fit well together.

Due Dates:

Quiz Chapter due Sunday, February 3rd

Quiz Chapter 2 due Sunday, February 10th

Quiz Chapter 3 due Sunday, February 17th

Quiz Chapter 16 due Sunday, February 24th

Quiz Chapter 7 due Sunday, March 3rd

*There's a notable break here to allow time for working on the research project and for Spring Break.

Quiz Chapters 8 & 10 due Sunday, March 31

Quiz Chapter 11 due Sunday, April 7th

Quiz Chapters 13 & 6 due Sunday, April 21st

Quiz Chapter 14 due Sunday, May 5th

 

RESEARCH PROJECT (100 points):

The research project is worth 100 points, a substantial part of your semester grade. Instead of writing a traditional paper, students will create a Power Point (or Prezi or Google Slides) showing their work.

Students may work alone on the project or in groups of two people (maximum). Students who work in pairs will turn in the same project, and they'll receive the exact same grade as I have no way of proving who did what work. Students who opt to work together must both email me at least one month prior to the due date. Additional instructions are posted in the module.

I've provided a list of topics from which to choose; however, students may also opt to create their own topic (with my approval). It is important to follow all instructions. Click on the Modules tab. At the top, you will see a Research Project module. There, you will find the "Topics List" from which to choose, the detailed "Instructions for the Project," a "FAQ" page with additional info, the grading rubric so you can see what you'll be graded on, and two student examples. I've provided lot of info in that Research Project Module so students know exactly what's required and can get started early.   

The completed Power Point is due in the “Submit Your Completed Project Here” Canvas dropbox before 11:59PM Sunday, March 24th. This allows me to grade all projects prior to the last date in which students can withdraw with a "W." Feel free to email me any questions. However, I do not answer questions within 24hrs of the due date. Ask questions early.

Do not wait until the last minute to try and submit work. It takes time to navigate through Canvas and upload your work. Once the deadline arrives, Canvas automatically closes access to the dropbox. If you email me your project within one hour after the deadline, you will automatically lose 30 points and the highest grade you can earn is a 70C, not including any additional points lost. Anything that comes in after that is clearly late and, thus, a zero.

If you fail to submit the research project, no--an exam cannot take the place of the missed project. Exams and the research project are not interchangeable. They require different degrees of work and gauge different skill sets. 

 

DISCUSSION BOARDS (40 points):

In addition to the "Introduce Yourself" board, four discussion boards are required this semester. Boards have set due dates. Click on the Discussion tab and each board will also display its due date. Students are required to submit their initial post before they can see what others have written. For most boards, students must also respond to the post of another student.

Boards are graded as "Complete/Incomplete" and worth 10 points each, though on occasion, some students earn extra points for exceptional responses. Students who do not fully and correctly answer the board will be given an "Incomplete/0" and will have one opportunity to amend their post for full credit. That correction will be due within three days. Students who miss a board earn an "Incomplete/0" regardless and do not receive a second chance for late work.

 

FINAL EXAM AS EXTRA CREDIT:

The final exam is optional for every student but serves as the only extra credit opportunity in this course. At the end of the semester, I'll provide a list of short answer/essay questions. Students may choose to answer up to three questions and can earn up to 30 points total depending on the accuracy and depth of their answers. Twenty points might not sound like a lot, but in a class where you only have 360 points offered, it's actually substantial.

 

MAKE-UP POLICY: 

I have a strict make-up policy. Make-ups are only offered to students who experience a formally documented medical emergency or military service requirement. Make-ups are not offered due to missing class for celebrations, extracurricular activities, changes in work schedules, relationship problems, arrests, or undocumented medical issues. 

Medical Emergencies: Students who experience a medical emergency (e.g. ER visit, unexpected surgery, delivery, etc.) which interferes with an assignment must contact me within five days of that documented emergency so we can determine how to proceed. Students need to attach an image of the hospital documentation along with their initial email. I do not need to know the specifics of any diagnosis, so an image of the hospital bracelet showing the student's/patient's name and date of admission will usually suffice. A portion of the discharge instructions sheet hospitals must provide patients--the section showing the name of the patient and date(s) of service--will also usually suffice. Having worked in a hospital myself for nearly a decade, if anything appears sketchy, I may request additional information or documentation.

Funerals: Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for students to fabricate stories of a death in the family. As such, I require original funerary documentation if you miss an assignment/exam and seek a make-up for this reason. As above, students must contact me within five days of the death so we can determine exactly how to proceed. Death is a serious matter and to protect students who sadly do experience such an event, I do not tolerate fabrications in this area. I consider fabricating a family sickness/death for personal gain to be a form of scholastic dishonesty. As such, the student will receive an automatic zero for the work in question.

Military Service: The military service stipulation is only offered to the military personnel himself/herself since their access to a computer may be temporarily disrupted. It does not extend to significant others who, albeit a stressful time, still have home/school access to computers. Students who need to meet a military service requirement during the semester should contact me in advance of leaving for service so we can determine how to proceed with schoolwork. If a student is unexpectedly called into service to assist with a crisis/disaster (e.g. as occurred during Hurricane Harvey a few years ago), please notify me via email as soon as the word comes down so I can anticipate any necessary adjustments. Feel free to email me any questions on this matter.

 

COMPUTER ISSUES: 

It is well known among professors that many “computer issue" excuses are fabrications versus legitimate issues. If you contact me on the premise that you experienced a "computer issue" and I find info which suggest otherwise, I will consider that scholastic dishonesty and you will earn a zero. If you do experience a legitimate computer issue, I require THREE forms of documentation before I will even consider options: 

1) First, immediately take a snapshot IMAGE of the ERROR MESSAGE so you have something to show our IT department and me. You can either take an image using your smart phone or by hitting the "PrtSc" (Print Screen) key on a your PC. If you have a Mac, Google the process now so you are ready should something happen in the future. Without VISUAL proof of an issue, I do not consider options.

2) Second, immediately contact the NCTC eCampus HelpDesk by sending a request TICKET for assistance. Click on the word "Help" in the upper right hand corner of Canvas, near "LogOut," and follow the instructions. The phone number is (940) 668-3335, and the direct website to submit a request for technical assistance is https://ecampushelpdesk.nctc.edu/hc/en-us/requests/new.

3) Third, you may then send me an email but you MUST include the snapshot IMAGE *and* the TICKET NUMBER (found in parenthesis in the automatic email response generated from the HelpDesk upon submission of your ticket and sent to your email address on file; make sure your email is up-to-date) once you submit. The only reason to then email me is to give me a heads up that the Help Desk is working on your issue. However, if there is no image and no ticket number to provide proof of your issue, I do not offer any special consideration.

  

GRADES:

Grades are always posted in Canvas. Keep track of your grades as the semester progresses. If you have a question about your grade, check Canvas first. Once you have viewed Canvas, you are welcome to contact me via email in Canvas.

 

EXTRA CREDIT:

Leeway is already built into this course, primarily by way of the two attempts offered for each quiz and the final exam option. On occasion, some students may earn extra points for exceptional work on discussion boards, though that's relatively rare and never guaranteed.

I do not answer emails at the end of the semester asking for more points to raise a grade. The vast majority of students understand this to be an inappropriate request as they are essentially asking teachers to give some students special favors over others. An instructor cannot do so per NCTC policies regarding class integrity, nor should students reduce their own integrity via unfair requests.

 

VIDEO REVIEWS:

I provide video reviews for every chapter. Each semester, students report the videos were beneficial and helped them adequately prepare for quizzes. I design my video reviews to focus on concepts I know I'll be emphasizing on quizzes and exams.

 

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

Chapter 1: Sociology Perspective/Theory/Methods

Chapter 2: Culture

Chapter 3: Socialization

Chapter 16: Social Change--Modern and Postmodern Societies

Chapter 7: Deviance

Spring Break March 11-15th

Chapter 8: Social Stratification

Chapter 10: Gender Stratification (selected pages)

Chapter 11: Race & Ethnicity

Chapter 13: Family & Religion

Chapter 6: Sexuality in Society (selected pages)

Chapter 14: Education, Health & Medicine

 

Quizzes: See quiz due dates above and in Canvas in the Quizzes tab.

Discussion Boards: See all board due dates in Canvas in the Discussions tab.

Project: Research Project is due before 11:59PM Sunday, March 24th

Final Exam (Optional): Opens Sunday, May 12th & closes at 11:59PM Tuesday, May 14th. *See aforementioned exam policy regarding the final exam.

 

I do not expect schedule changes in online classes. However, should one occur, students will be notified via a class announcement and email in Canvas.

  

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Statement Prepared By the College:

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL).

The Instructor-Specific Policy:

In this online course, students should log into Canvas at least three times a week to stay on top of assignments, announcements, etc. On some days, there will be nothing new and you can log right out. I do not send extra announcements or emails reminding students of every single due date.

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is April 4th.

 

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION________________________________________________

 

EMAILS, CANVAS, NOTIFICATIONS, and DUE DATES: 

Use Canvas to download lecture materials, take chapter quizzes, submit the research project, read class announcements, track due dates and grades, and email me.

I encourage students to have NCTC emails and Canvas notifications automatically forwarded to the email account they check most regularly. Click on the Canvas "Account" icon, then scroll through both the "Settings" and "Notifications" options.

I do not send reminders for every item of graded work. Students need to keep track of all due dates and ask questions early. As mentioned above, I recommend signing into Canvas at least three times a week to stay on top of everything. Students also need to check class announcements regularly.

 

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR:

Canvas email is my preferred method of contact because it clearly identifies students/sections. Click on your Inbox tab in Canvas, choose this class and instructor. I check email twice a day at random times during weekdays, but I do not tend to check email after 5PM on weekdays or on Saturdays. On Sundays, I check email during online office hours. Please allow 24 hours for return emails during the week. If you email me outside of Canvas, please identify yourself using your full name and class section (e.g. 340, 400, etc.). 

 

A NOTE ABOUT WORK SCHEDULES/FAMILIES:

The majority of students work while going to college. Many students also juggle caregiver duties. This, of course, can be quite tough at times. However, to be fair to all students, I do not offer special favors/consideration due to work schedules or family issues.

 

DUAL CREDIT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:

The vast majority of dual credit students are mature and come ready to work. However, dual credit students should be mindful of a few key areas of concern. First, in order to earn three hours of college credit, dual credit students are expected to complete the same work as other college students. I do not provide extra quizlets, more extra credit opportunities, etc. Second, if you have any questions about this course or related materials at any point in the semester, email me immediately! This is true for any college course. Email the instructor directly with any questions or concerns as soon as they arise. Do not wait as it can be easy to fall behind in a college course.  Third, please read the above policy regarding make-up work carefully. Students must email me within five days of any emergency which interferes with schoolwork so we can determine how to proceed.

 

BEHAVIOR:

I have never had a behavioral issue; however, so we’re on the same page, I expect students to be respectful to all. In online courses, students are expected to remain civil in all forms of communications, such as emails and discussion boards. Specific action taken during and following a disruptive incident will depend on the nature of the incident, but it is possible to be removed from this course for scholastic dishonesty or behavioral issues.

 

DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (e.g. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

OSD Students: Please email me in Canvas me the first week of the semester, so I can make sure all accommodations are met. You do not have to disclose your disability/diagnosis; that's confidential. Instructors only need to know your allowed accommodations. 

 

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)_______     

X       Social and Behavioral Sciences

 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core) 

X   Critical Thinking

X   Communication

X   Empirical and Quantitative

o   Teamwork

o   Personal Responsibility

X   Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

X   Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online. http://www.nctc.edu/catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook/nctc-student-handbook.html

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)].” 

Instructor-specific Academic Dishonesty Policy: Plagiarism, cheating, and/or collusion of any type will result in a zero for that assignment, quiz, exam, or project. Also, in the past few semesters, a few online students fabricated stories about not being able to access Canvas in the first weeks and wanted make-up work for their missed assignments. Upon quick investigation, Canvas logs showed they, in fact, had access and signed in. Be aware that Canvas allows instructors to track student log-in's, work, etc. Fabricating stories of any kind for personal gain is a form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a zero, and may be reported to upper admin at NCTC.

 

LIONALERT SYSTEM:

Sign up to receive text messages on campus closings due to inclement weather or other campus-related emergencies via the LionAlert system. Info on LionAlert: https://my.nctc.edu/ICS/Need_Help/LionAlert.jnz

 

TRANSCRIPTS:

At the end of the semester, transferring students occasionally ask teachers when grades will be updated on their official transcript. Instructors enter final grades into the MyNCTC system but are not responsible for and do not have access to college transcripts. Students should go to https://www.nctc.edu/current-students/transcript-request.html for more info.

 

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS AFTER SPEAKING WITH INSTRUCTOR FIRST

Name of Department Chair:	Crystal R.M. Wright
Office Location:	Gainesville Campus, Room 24
Telephone Number:	940-668-7731, ext. 4320
E-mail Address:	cwright@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean:	Dr. Bruce King
Office Location:	Gainesville Campus
Telephone Number:	940-668-4267
E-mail Address:	bking@nctc.edu