Course Title:	Introduction to Sociology
Course Prefix & Number:		SOCI1301	Section Number:	501	Semester/Year:	Fall/2020
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/Textbook: John J. Macionis. Society: The Basics. 14th edition.  Pearson.  ISBN 978-0-13-420632-5 Per the department, online students are expected to secure the above Macionis textbook for this course. Having said that, I support a student's right to try and find the cheapest version of the textbook. Today, there are often several formats from which to choose (ebook, rent, etc.) If a student wishes to rent/buy an older version of the textbook, I wouldn't go back more than two editions since this course includes recent social statistics. I don't use publisher access codes because that limits a student's ability to shop around for the cheapest version.  I provide all Power Points and supplemental materials, and I create all exams.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Stacie Stoutmeyer
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 339 (Not on campus this semester.)
Telephone Number:	Not on campus this semester. (Use Canvas email.)
E-mail Address:	sstoutmeyer@nctc.edu (Canvas email preferred.)

 

OFFICE HOURS

In light of the on-going pandemic, my office hours will be conducted online this semester. Just email me any time you have a question or need clarification! I can also schedule a Zoom or WebEx session for remote meetings if needed.

 

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
3 (out of 4)	Exams (100 points each)	300 points total
1	Research Project	100 points
5 (out of 6)	Concept Discussion Boards	75 points total
1	Introduce Yourself Discussion Board	5 points total

 

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

Course grades are based on the following requirements: three (out of four) exams (300 points total), one research project (100 points), five (out of six) discussion boards (75 points), and one Introduce Yourself discussion board (5 points). Total = 480 points

 

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 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 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.). 

 

EXAMS (300 points total; 62.5% of semester grade)

All students are required to take three (out of four) exams. I give four online exams, but students are only required to take three. Exams 1, 2, and 3 cover their associated modules. The fourth exam is a cumulative final. Most students aim to do well on Exams 1, 2, and 3 and not worry about the final (fourth exam).

The only students required to take the comprehensive final (Exam 4) are those who missed a previous exam and must replace that zero. If a student misses two exams, the final can only replace one zero; the other zero will still count in the gradebook. All students who take Exams 1, 2, and 3 are exempt from the final regardless of their overall letter grade heading into finals week. For example, if a student has taken Exams 1, 2, and 3 (i.e. has not missed any previous exam) and has an overall C average heading into finals week, that student is still exempt from taking the final. The exemption is not reserved solely for "A" students. Additionally, students who did not miss any previous exams (#1, 2, 3) but would like to try and replace a lower exam score are welcome to take the final and possibly replace their lowest test score.

All students who take Exams 1, 2, and 3 are exempt from the final regardless of their overall letter grade heading into finals week. For example, if a student has taken Exams 1, 2, and 3 (i.e. has not missed any previous exam) and has an overall C average heading into finals week, that student is still exempt from taking the final. The exemption is not reserved solely for "A" students.

 

TAKING ONLINE EXAMS

Online exams are not designed for students to casually flip through and copy off notes at their own pace. Exams are TIMED. Students have ONE ATTEMPT and 70 minutes to answer 45-55 questions.  I do not re-open exams for students who run out of time while taking exams. Doing so would be unfair to other students.

Once you begin an exam, you CANNOT save it and come back later. If you sign out of an exam, that counts as your one attempt, Canvas will score all unanswered questions as incorrect, and that will be your grade. Once you begin the exam, you must complete it in one sitting.

Exams are open for four days, giving students plenty of time to find a 70-minute block which works around their other obligations.

Exams are listed in the "Quizzes" tab when they are ready to open. Do not wait until the hour before an exam closes to start the exam as you may run out of time. Due dates are listed in the syllabus, the "Assignments" tab, and the "Quizzes" tab. I also put a direct link to the exam on the home page when the exam is set to open.

 

STUDYING: Be sure to read each assigned chapter AND all additional materials provided, such as Power Points, outlines, summaries, and videos. Pay close attention to any concept mentioned in multiple places (i.e. the textbook, AND the Power Point, AND a video) as that's a good indicator that concept has been deemed very important (thus, the repetition). I'll also provide a review sheet at least a week prior to an exam opening. If you have any questions or confusion about a concept, feel free to email me for further explanation.

 

COMPUTER ISSUES

Given that fabrication of issues is sometimes a problem in this area, students who experience a legitimate computer issue need to provide three forms of documentation before make-ups will be considered: 

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.

 

RESEARCH PROJECT (100 points; 20.8% of semester grade)

Students will select a sociological topic of interest to research further. Students can pick from a predetermined list of ideas or develop their own topic unique to their personal areas of interest (with approval). I highly encourage the latter as this allows students to construct topics more relevant to their intended careers, past experiences, or hobbies!

The research project is worth 100 points, making it a substantial part of your semester grade. It will be submitted in the form of a Power Point, Prezi, or Google Slides project. Students will not be publicly presenting their work to the class. Only I will see your entire project. However, I will have a discussion board where students can discuss their findings. (Note: If a student would like to write an essay paper or create a video project instead--still meeting all requirements--email me within the first three weeks of class, and we'll discuss the specifics. I've only had two students ever take me up on this offer, but the offer still stands if you receive approval.)

Students may work alone -OR- in groups of two (maximum).

For Students Who Want to Work In Pairs Only: If two students wish to work together and submit one shared project, both of those students must email me directly in Canvas by Sunday, September 20th. In the email, students must tell me their partner's name. Given the potential for problems in groups and the personal nature of some of the projects, most students in my courses opt to work alone on the project. Students working in pairs will receive the same grade on their shared project as I have no way of knowing who did what work.

INSTRUCTIONS/RESOURCES: I've provided very specific instructions on required slides and more, a detailed FAQ page, a rubric, a checklist, past examples, and topics from which to choose in a module dedicated solely to the project. It's essential to read everything in that module. 

The completed Power Point is due in the “Submit Your Completed Project Here” Canvas dropbox before 11:59PM Sunday, November 15th. Feel free to email me any questions. However, please send final questions at least 24hrs before the due date so I have time to respond. The best practice is to ask questions early.

LATE PROJECTS: The Canvas drop box for this assignment closes promptly at 11:59PM per the Canvas clock. Anything not in the assignment box by that time is considered late work and will incur late penalties. To avoid late penalties, allow plenty of time to log in and upload your project. Students who submit their project late will see the following minimum point deductions:

If the project is submitted less than two hours after the dropbox closing deadline (i.e. less than two hours late), the student will lose a letter grade (-10 points). Given that the dropbox will be closed by that time, the student will have to email me the project via Canvas. If the project is submitted 2-4 hours past the deadline, the student will lose two letter grades (-20 points).  If the project is submitted 4-6 hours late, the student will lose three letter grades (-30 points). If the project is submitted 6-8 hours late, the student will lose four letter grades (-40 points), meaning the highest possible grade is a D. No late work is accepted after eight hours, and those students earn an automatic F/zero regardless of any slides submitted.

Blocked from Related Discussion Board (DB#7): Students who do not earn a C or above on the project will also receive an automatic zero on the project-findings discussion board. Students who earn Ds and Fs on the project usually submit incomplete projects and, thus, cannot fully complete a discussion board which asks what was learned/concluded from one's research.

If a student receives a failing grade or does not submit a project, no--the final exam cannot take the place of the research project. The final exam and the research project gauge different skills and are not interchangeable.

  

DISCUSSION BOARDS (80 points total; 16.7% of semester grade)

There are a total of seven discussion boards this semester. The first is an easy "DB#1: Introduce Yourself" board worth 5 points. That's required and cannot be dropped. Then, there are six additional discussion boards over course concepts (DBs #2-7); however, students are only required to complete five of those six. This allows a bit of leeway should you miss or score low on one board. In that case, that one board could be dropped without hurting your grade as long as you complete the others. (Again, this option of skipping/dropping one board does not extend to the Introduce Yourself board.) If you'd like to complete all boards, the final board would count as extra credit.

Instructions are listed within each board. For most boards, students will not be able to see the posts of others until they post their initial response. Students are also required to respond to one other student's post in most boards. Full credit is not guaranteed. Posts must show college-level comprehension and add something of substance to the conversation for full credit. 

To see the due dates, click on the "Discussions" tab and look under the title of each board.

 

MISSED ASSIGNMENTS & 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 assignments for celebrations, extracurricular activities, changes in work schedules, undocumented medical issues, etc. 

Medical Emergencies: Students who experience a medical emergency (e.g. ER visit, unexpected surgery, etc.) which interferes with an assignment should contact me within a week of that emergency so we can determine how to proceed. Original documentation from the medical provider will be required; however, that document does not need to disclose any private info about your actual diagnosis, only that you were treated.

Funerals: Unfortunately, some students fabricate stories of a death in the family. As such, I may ask for documentation if a student misses an assignment/exam and seeks a make-up for this reason. As above, students should contact me within a week 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 for late work is only offered to the military personnel himself/herself/themself since that student's 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 (e.g. as some of my students were for the coronavirus or recent hurricanes), please notify me via email as soon as the word comes down so I can anticipate any necessary adjustments. Usually, there is not a problem making adjustments, so don't worry. However, feel free to email me any questions on this matter.

 

GRADES

Grades are always posted in Canvas. 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 via the "3 out of 4" exam policy and the "5 out of 6" concept discussion boards policy. At times, I may also include an extra credit question or two on an exam; however, that's not guaranteed or determined at this time. Additional opportunities for single individuals is not fair to others and is, thus, not an option.

 

VIDEO REVIEWS

I upload, as well as create, various videos for each chapter, and they're posted in the Canvas modules. I've also created a YouTube channel to house videos, and I'm in the process of uploading various videos in case there's an issue (such as slow buffering) with the Canvas platform. Direct link & click on "PLAYLISTS" to select your class: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwrjUf1FNzL2pnfYYarQNKQ

 

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

*The chapter number may vary by textbook edition. As such, pay attention to the TITLE of the chapter listed below versus a numeric number.

 

MODULE ONE

Chapter 1: Sociology Perspective/Theory/Method

Chapter: Culture

Chapter: Socialization (You will not be tested on Freud, Piaget, and Gilligan)

Chapter: Social Interaction (Only the info on  status and roles [everything], the Thomas theorum, Goffman & dramaturgical analysis and presentation of self, idealization; Pp. ~101-111 in the 14th edition of textbook.)

Chapter: Groups (Only the info on primary/secondary groups, reference groups, leadership, conformity, and in-groups/out-groups; Pp. ~124-130 in the 14th edition of the textbook.)

EXAM 1 - Opens Thursday, Sept. 24th & closes at 11:59PM Sunday, Sept. 27th

 

MODULE TWO (Chapter Order Does Not Follow the Textbook)

Chapter: Deviance

Chapter: Race & Ethnicity

Chapter: Sexuality in Society

Chapter: Social Stratification

Chapter: Gender Stratification

EXAM 2 - Opens Thursday, Oct. 22nd & closes at 11:59PM Sunday, Oct. 25th

 

MODULE THREE

Chapter: Family and Religion

Chapter: Education and Health/Medicine

RESEARCH PROJECT DUE before 11:59PM Sunday, November 15th

Chapter: Social Change (Only the info on collective behavior, crowds, riots, protests, social mvmts, and disasters; Pp. ~490-495 in the 14th edition of the textbook.)

Chapter: Sociology of Disasters (Special lecture not in textbook.)

EXAM 3  - Opens Thursday, Dec. 3rd & closes at 11:59PM Sunday, Dec. 6th

 

Final Exam--The college is still finalizing changes to our final exam policy/schedule. Once they finalize the exam schedule, I'll update this section. However, tentatively, I expect the final to open Monday, Dec. 7th, and students will have three days to take the online exam. *The only students required to take the cumulative final exam in this class are those who need to make-up a previously missed exam. See aforementioned exam policy.

 

SUMMARY OF TENTATIVE DUE DATES

  

ATTENDANCE POLICY

The Instructor-Specific Policy

In this online course, students should sign in at least three times a week to stay on top of assignments, announcements, etc. On many days, there will be nothing new and you can log right out.

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Monday, November 2nd.

 

EMAILS, CANVAS, NOTIFICATIONS, and DUE DATES

Use Canvas to download lecture materials, read class announcements, track due dates and grades, and email the instructor. For this online class, all assignments, exams, and discussion boards are submitted in Canvas.

Students are encouraged to set NCTC emails and Canvas notifications to be forwarded to the email account they check most frequently. Click on your profile icon to add info/change settings, and you'll see the word "Notifications."

Since most due dates are listed on the syllabus and/or are listed alongside the assignments/exams title in Canvas, I do not send reminders for every item of graded work. Please keep track of all due dates and ask questions early. 

Students also need to check class announcements regularly. If a student has not been signing in frequently, he/she/they should click on the "Announcements" tab to catch up.

 

BEHAVIOR

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 reported for behavioral issues.

 

NCTC's COVID-19 POLICY

Coming. Administrators are drafting a formal statement to add to our syllabi, so that will be added as soon as it's given to us as instructors. In the meantime, our general COVID info page is http://www.nctc.edu/coronavirus/index.html.

 

LIONALERT & COMMUNICATIONS FROM NCTC

Info on LionAlert: https://my.nctc.edu/ICS/Need_Help/LionAlert.jnz

  

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. 

OSD Students: Please email me asap 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    

X   Social and Behavioral Sciences

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES

X   Critical Thinking

X   Communication

X   Empirical and Quantitative

X   Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

X   Academic NCTC Core Curriculum

 

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, exam, or project. Also, a few students have fabricated stories about not being able to access Canvas and wanted make-up work for missed assignments. Be aware that Canvas allows instructors to track student log-in's, work, etc. Fabricating stories of any kind for personal gain is also a form of scholastic dishonesty. Any form of scholastic dishonesty will result in a zero and may be reported to administrators at NCTC.

  

QUESTION OR 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