Course title: Social Problems

Course prefix, number, and section number: SOCI 1306. Sec. 300

Semester/Year of course: Spring 2025

Semester start and end date: January 21, 2025, and ends May 14, 2025, at 11:59 P.M.

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid): Asynchronous online

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online

Lab meeting location, days, and times: None

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: Social Problems: John J. Macionis. 9th edition.  Pearson.

Name of instructor: Dr. Cherly Furdge

Office location: Online

Telephone number: 940-498-6238

E-mail address: cfurdge@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:   All office hours are held online.  To make sure I am not in a meeting or attending another event, please schedule your appointment at least 24 hours in advance.  If you need me immediately during my office hours, please call the number listed above.  If you need to have a face-to-face meeting, I am only on campus on Tuesdays.  You may schedule meeting with me during the hours listed below on Tuesdays.

Monday-By Appointment Only

Tuesday: 12:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 9:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Thursday: 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Friday By Appointment Only

Should these offices hours need to be adjusted, you will be notified a head of time and given an alternative time.

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

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to change this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced in person and/or in writing as soon as possible.

 SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments:       

9 Chapter Quizzes                10%

4 Exams                                    15%

4 Discussion Forums               15%

Mid-Term                                20%

Final Exam                              20%

Concept Paper                         20%

Final grade scale:                   90-100 A

                                                 80-89   B

                                                 70-79   C

                                                 60-69   D

                                                 59 and Below F

Late work policy: No assignments will be accepted late.  You must read your syllabus to ensure you are submitting your assignments on time.  All assignments will not be reflected on the to-do-list.  To see all assignments, you must click on module and go to the weekly modules to see all assignments

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: Cheating or collusion is prohibited.  There are no group assignments in this course.  Each student is responsible for their own assignment.  In the event you are caught cheating, the first time, you will receive a warning and a zero for the assignment.  Should you get caught cheating again, you will be dropped from the course and receive an F.

 Attendance Policy:  Attendance is taking by your participation in the discussion forums, meeting with the instructor and completing other assignments. Simply logging in does not constitute attendance.  If a student has not completed any assignments in four (4) consecutive weeks, he/she will be dropped from the class.

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 the course with a “W” is: April 7, 2025

 Student Learning Outcomes:

• 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 one 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 the 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 accommodation.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

AI STATEMENT

Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other similar technologies shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person, agency, or entity. In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam is not permitted. Students should acknowledge the use of generative AI (other than incidental use) and default to disclosing such assistance when in doubt.

When students use generative AI to replace the rigorous demands of personal engagement with their coursework, it runs counter to the educational mission of the college and undermines the heart of education itself. Artificial Intelligence, large language models, and other such technologies hold promise for deploying knowledge in service to others and accelerating the discovery of new knowledge. However, such technology poses new challenges to pedagogy and to integrity. Within the context of the teaching mission of the college and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, the authority to define the appropriate use, study, and deployment of these technologies’ rests with the faculty.

Individual course instructors, in coordination with their divisions, set policies regulating the use of generative AI tools in their courses, including allowing or disallowing some or all uses of such tools. Course instructors will set such policies in their course syllabi and clearly communicate such policies to students. Students who are unsure of policies regarding generative AI tools are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification.

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 107B

Telephone number: 972-899-8361

E-mail address: cadams@nctc.edu

Name of Instructional Dean: Crystal Wright

Office location: Denton Exchange, room 204

Telephone number: 940-380-2504

E-mail address: cwright@nctc.edu