Course title: Social Problems
Course prefix, number, and section number: SOCI 1306.300
Semester/Year of course: SPRING 2026
Semester start and end date: 1/12/2025-5/9/2025
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.
ISBN-13: 9780138102708 (eTextbook); ISBN-13:978-0-13-810103-9 (Print).
Barnes and Noble Lion Book Bundle gives immediate access to the textbooks from the first day
of class by adding charge to your initial tuition was applied to cover this expense.
While the Lion Book Bundle is designed to help NCTC students easily obtain their course materials
at a discounted price it may not fit every student. If you do not wish to participate in the program,
you must opt out each semester. You can change your program status 30 days before the
semester begins.
SPRING 2026 opt-out window:
Opens December 15th, 2025
Closes January 16th, 2026 (10:59 pm CST)
Name of instructor: Vineeta Malhotra
Office location: Corinth campus, room 313
Telephone number: 972-899-8344 (office) (Email preferred)
E-mail address: vmalhotra@nctc.edu
Office hours for students: Wednesday 12 pm-2 pm (WebEx)
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 x 10 points each = 90
5 Exams x 30 points each = 150
2 Discussion Boards x 20 points each = 40
2 Short essay writing assignments x 20 points each = 40
2 Orientation Activities =10
1 Analysis Paper=50
Final grade scale:
A = 342– 380
B = 304–341
C = 266– 303
D = 228–265
F = < 227 (227-0)
A 90%-100%
B 80%-89%
C 70%-79%
D 60%-69%
F 59% and Below
Late work policy: Your grade will be based on the above-listed graded elements. Ample notice is given to the students regarding the due dates. Late assignments, makeup, and retake may not be given or accepted. You must read your syllabus due dates to ensure you are submitting your assignments on time. For students who miss a test for non-medical reasons, exam 6 is offered as a makeup option. If you miss a test for a documented approved medical reason, you can take a makeup test, quiz or submit a missed assignment. Students with medical notes must submit the missed work and take the makeup exam soon after their recovery.
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. Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:
1) The student will receive a failing grade of "O" on the assignment.
2) A "Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form" will be submitted regarding the incident.
3) Students may be dropped from the course with a failing grade (letter grade of “F”).
Attendance Policy: Students should log onto Canvas a minimum of 3 times a week to stay on top of assignments, announcements, etc. There will be nothing new on some days, and you can log right out. On other days, I will send important announcements. Although you do not receive a separate attendance grade in this course, I monitor attendance by viewing sign-in logs.
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. Under certain circumstances, I may initiate the withdrawal process by submitting a withdrawal request with the college.
Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: March 30, 2026.
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
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 defines 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 HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all the rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.
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: Mary D. Martinson
Office location: Gainesville Campus, Room 1409
Telephone number: 940-668-4209 ext. 4377
E-mail address: mmartinson@nctc.edu