NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: Contemporary Social Problems
Course prefix, number, and section number: SOCI 1306.340
Semester/Year of course: Spring 2023
Semester start and end dates: 1/17/23 – 5/13/23
Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Asynchronous online
Class meeting location, days, and times: Online
Lab meeting location, days, and times: N/A
Semester credit hours: 3
Course description: Application of sociological principles and theoretical perspectives to major social problems in contemporary society such as inequality, crime and violence, substance abuse, environmental issues, deviance, or family problems
Course prerequisites: None
Required course materials: Macionis, John J., Social Problems, 7th edition. Pearson. ISBN: 978-0134206325.
Name of instructor: Stacie Stoutmeyer
Office location: Corinth campus, Room 339
Telephone number: (940) 498-6467 (Canvas email is preferred.)
E-mail address: sstoutmeyer@nctc.edu (Canvas email is preferred.)
Office hours for students:
Monday/Wednesday: 10:30AM-12:30PM & 2:00-3:00PM
Tuesday/Thursday: 12:30PM-2:30PM
And by appointment
SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER
The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
List of graded assignments:
EXAMS: Students are required to take 3 (out of 4) exams. Each exam is worth 100 points, for a total of 300 points.
RESEARCH PROJECT: 100 points
DISCUSSION BOARDS: Students are required to submit 3 (out of 4) discussion boards, for a total of 60 points.
SOCI 1306 Pre-Test: 10 points
Final grade scale (470 points total):
470 -- 421 points = A
420 -- 374 points = B
373 -- 327 points = C
326 -- 280 points = D
279 -- 0 points = F
Late work policy: I do not accept late work, even if it’s “only a few minutes” late as that’s unfair to others. Please do not email me late work after an assignment closes in an attempt to bypass this policy. A zero will still be entered in the gradebook.
SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.
COURSE POLICIES
Academic Integrity Policy: 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, or project. At times, students fabricate stories of not being able to access Canvas, of having family illnesses, etc. Fabricating stories of any kind for personal gain is a form of scholastic dishonesty and will result in a zero for that assignment, quiz, or project.
Attendance Policy: 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)
Additional Instructor-specific Policy:
Students are expected to sign into Canvas at least three times a week to stay on top of all due dates, announcements, and emails.
Important Note:
- January 30th is NCTC's "official date of record." Instructors are required to report whether each student is "Attending," has "Stopped Attending," or has "Never Attended."
- Students marked as "Never Attended" are then DROPPED from that course by the Registrar's Office.
- For this online course, students will be marked as "Never Attended" if they have not done ALL of the following by the 30th:
- signed in at least THREE times,
- submitted the SOCI 1306: Pre-Test, -AND-
- read all pages in the "Important Class Info & Policies" module (which is documented in Canvas).
Withdrawal Policy
A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.
Per the NCTC webpage https://www.nctc.edu/drop-withdraw, "To withdraw from a course on or after the Official Date of Record, but before the withdrawal deadline stated in the Academic Calendar...Go to MyNCTC and submit the 'Course Withdrawal Request' on the 'Student Services' tab. Email registrar@nctc.edu if you are unable to access the online course withdrawal form through MyNCTC (include your full name, NCTC Student ID number, and course(s) name/section number)."
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is April 3rd.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
Describe how the sociological imagination can be used to explain the emergence and implications of contemporary social problems.
Explain the nature of social problems from at least on sociological perspective, e.g., critical, functional, interpretive, etc.
Identify multidimensional aspects of social problems including the global, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of social problems.
Discuss how “solutions” to social problems are often contentious due to diverse values in society.
Describe how the proposed “solutions” to a social problem, including social policies, may bring rise to other social problems.
Core Objectives:
Critical Thinking
Communication
Empirical and Quantitative
Social Responsibility
COLLEGE POLICIES
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
ADA STATEMENT
NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.
STUDENT SERVICES
NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.
Name of Chair: Charles Adams
Office location: Flower Mound campus, room 107
Telephone number: 972-899-8424
E-mail address: cadams@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean: Crystal Wright
Office location: Denton Exchange, room 204
Telephone number: 940-380-2504