NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Course title: Contemporary Social Problems
Course prefix, number, and section number: SOCI 1306.400
Semester/Year of course: Fall/2023
Semester start and end dates: 8/28/2023 – 12/16/2023
Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Face to face
Class meeting location, days, and times: Corinth campus, Room 364, M/W, 12:30p.m. -1:50p.m.
Lab meeting location, days, and times: NA
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
Textbook: Macionis, John J. Social Problems. 7th edition. Pearson. ISBN 978-0134206325
Name of instructor: Stacie Stoutmeyer
Office location: Corinth, 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
11:30a.m –12:30p.m. (Corinth)
Tuesday/Thursday
11:00a.m. – 2:00p.m. (Corinth)
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: 410 points total
EXAMS: 3 (out of 4) in-class exams -- 100 points each (300 points total)
ASSIGNMENTS: 4 assignments – 25 points each (100 points total
COURSE ASSESSMENT Pre-Test/Post-Test: 10 points total
Final grade scale:
367 – 410 points = A
326 – 366 points = B
285 – 325 points = C
244 – 284 points = D
0 – 243 points = F
Late work policy: Late work will not be accepted. Do not ask the instructor to make an exception after the deadline has passed. Seeking or expecting preferential treatment over other students is not appropriate student conduct. For additional guidance on specific extenuating circumstances, such as medical emergencies or military service requirements, refer to the detailed "Late/Missed Work & Make-Up Policies" page in Canvas.
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, collusion, and of any type of falsification/misrepresentation/fabrication will result in a zero for that course work. I may also submit a Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form to our department and the college depending on the nature of the event.
Falsification: At times, students fabricate stories of computer issues, submission of course work, illness, death in the family, etc. Fabricating stories of any kind for personal gain is a code of conduct issue, and NCTC identifies two forms: academic (p. 55) and non-academic (p. 57).
In NCTC’s 2023-2024 Student Handbook, read everything contained within the “Student Conduct” section as it is packed with important definitions and additional details.
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 Absence Policy:
Lecture Attendance: I take attendance each day. However, students do not receive a separate attendance grade in this class. Since exams overwhelmingly come from our class lectures, attendance is key to do well in this course.
Arriving Late/Leaving Early: Late arrivals and early exits are generally disruptive to the flow of lecture. If you need to leave early one day for an appointment, just be courteous and let me know at that start of class. In that case, it's not a problem.
Arriving Late on Standard Lecture Days: Arriving to class late on lecture days should be a rare occurrence. Five or more incidents of late entry/early exit will be classified as a behavioral issue and an NCTC Early Alert form will be submitted. Additional responses/penalties will be determined based on the specifics of the situation.
Arriving Late on Exam Days: Arriving to class late on exams days IS a MAJOR issue since late entry can disturb/distract others already in the process of taking their exam. As such, an automatic -20% grade penalty is applied to the exams of students who arrive in the first 15-minute late window. However, students will NOT be allowed to take the exam if they arrive AFTER that 15-minute window, and they will receive a ZERO on that exam.
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.
Last day to withdraw from this course with a “W” is Monday, November 6th.
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:
- 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/Coordinator: 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: FSB Exchange/Denton Campus, Room 204
Telephone number: 940-380-2504
E-mail address: cwright@nctc.edu