Course Title:	Minority Studies
Course Prefix & Number:		SOCI2319	Section Number:	340	Semester/Year:	Spring/2020
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	3	Lab Hours:	0
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): This course studies minority-majority group relations, addressing their historical, cultural, social, economic, and institutional development in the United States. Both sociological and social psychological levels of analysis will be employed to discuss issues including experiences of minority groups within the context of their cultural heritage and tradition, as well as that of the dominant culture. Core concepts to be examined include (but are not limited to) social inequality, dominance/subordination, prejudice, and discrimination. Particular minority groups discussed may include those based on poverty, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or religion.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required Course Materials: Diversity and Society, 5th edition by Joseph F. Healey and Andi Stepnick. Sage Publishing.  ISBN 978-1-452275741 Online students need to rent/purchase the textbook. Having said that, I support a student's right to find the cheapest version of the book.  I provide all Power Points and outlines from the publisher, and I create all quizzes, discussion boards, and assignments.  If you select an older edition, I wouldn't go back more than one edition. A Positive of this Textbook: I've chosen a textbook that's cheaper than most. While many textbooks have a list price of over $200, the "used - rental" charge through NCTC is ~$30. I've also seen rentals listed for as low as $15-17 via Amazon. A Challenge: The chapters in this textbook are relatively heavy, especially in terms of history and policy. However, the latter are important in order to understand the nature of our social structure today. I've taken that into consideration by offering two attempts per quiz and by making quizzes worth 55% of your total grade instead of weighted more heavily.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Stacie Stoutmeyer
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 339
Telephone Number:	940-498-6467 (Email is preferred as I'm not always in the physical office.)
E-mail Address:	sstoutmeyer@nctc.edu (Canvas email preferred.)

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday:  8:30-9:30AM  &  12:30-1:30PM

Tuesday & Thursday:  10:00AM-1:00PM

Wednesday:  8:30-9:30AM

Friday & Saturday: No Hours

Sunday:  7:00-8:00PM (Online only)

*And by appointment

 

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:

Explain how the concept of social inequality pertains to minority group status defined in terms of identities that may include social class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or religion.

Differentiate between important concepts and theories of prejudice and discrimination including the effects of prejudice and discrimination on the everyday lives of minority group members in the context of social institutions.

Analyze the history of culture, experiences of inequality, and current life opportunities of various minority groups in the United States with contrasting reference to other countries.

Analyze minority group interactions in the United States focusing on immigration and migration patterns, assimilation processes, and adjustments to American life.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Point Values
9 (out of 10)	Chapter Quizzes (20 points each)	180 points total
4 (out of 5)	Graded Discussion Boards	60 points
1	Research Project on "Othering" or "Privilege"	75 points
1	Quiz Over Key Themes Pages	12 points

 

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

Course grades are based nine (out of ten) chapter quizzes, four (out of five) discussion boards, one research project, and one Quiz over Key Themes. Total = 327 points.

 

FIRST WEEK OF THE SEMESTER (12 points): 

Two assignments must be completed the first week of the semester:

1) An "Introduce Yourself to Classmates" discussion board (ungraded but required to open modules)

2) A "Quiz Over Key Themes Pages" (required, worth 12 points) - Information needed for this quiz is provided via two content pages in Canvas, which are open the first day of the semester. Students do not need the textbook for this particular quiz. It's simply a quiz over two pages I wrote which introduce students to core themes in sociology and minority studies in general.

 

MODULES:

Read all materials in the module.They serve as your lectures in the absence of a face-to-face instructor. If you have any questions on the material, feel free to email me as soon as a question arises.

 

CHAPTER QUIZZES (180 points total; ~55% of grade):

Ten chapter quizzes are given this semester, but students are only required to complete/submit nine. Most students opt to take all ten chapter quizzes, which allows Canvas to automatically drop the lowest quiz score. However, due to the foundational nature of Chapter 1, the Chapter 1 - Quiz #1 score cannot be dropped. If students only take nine chapter quizzes, those nine will all count towards the semester grade.

Quizzes consist of 15-30 multiple-choice questions and are worth 20 points each. Students are allowed two attempts and 30-45 minutes per quiz depending on the number of questions. Once you begin a quiz, you cannot CANNOT attempt to save it and come back later. If you sign out of a quiz, that counts as one attempt. Once you begin a quiz, you must complete it in one sitting.

Be sure to read each assigned chapter AND all additional materials provided, such as Power Points, outlines, articles, and videos. Quiz questions primarily come from the textbook in this online class; however, questions can come from any of additional sources I provide. Pay close attention to any concept that is mentioned in multiple places (such as the textbook, AND the Power Point, AND a video clip).

Due Dates for Quizzes: All quizzes are open the first day of the semester so students can work at varying paces; however, each also has a set deadline by which the quiz must be completed. Deadlines are designed to keep students progressing through the course at a reasonable college pace. Click on the "Quizzes" tab and due dates are listed on each quiz.

There are no midterms or finals in this class--only chapter quizzes.

 

SEMESTER PROJECT - SELECT ONE OF TWO OPTIONS (75 points; ~23% of grade):

Research projects are a valuable component of college courses. In this class, students are required to select one of two options.

1) Students may construct a Power Point (or Google Slides) or video on the concept and practice of "othering" members of a minority group.

2) Students may construct a Power Point (or Google Slides) or video on the concept of and practices associated with "social privilege."

This is not a group project. Each student will submit their own, unique project. Additional instructions are posted in the module. This project is due in the Canvas dropbox before 11:59PM Sunday, April 26th.

 

DISCUSSION BOARDS (60 points; ~18% of grade):

Five graded discussion boards are given this semester, but students are only required to complete/submit four. (This is excluding the ungraded Introduce Yourself board). Students are welcome to complete all five graded boards (DBs #1-5), and that fifth board will be counted as extra credit. Boards have set due dates. Click on the Discussion tab and each board will also display its due date. Students are required to submit their initial post before they can see what others have written. For all boards, students must also respond to the post of another student. Click on the "Discussions" tab in Canvas to view the topics and due dates of each board.

 

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 class for celebrations, extracurricular activities, changes in work schedules, relationship problems, undocumented medical issues, etc. 

Medical Emergencies: Students who experience a medical emergency (e.g. ER visit, unexpected surgery, delivery, etc.) which interferes with an assignment must contact me within five days of that documented emergency so we can determine how to proceed. Students need to attach an image of the hospital documentation along with their initial email. I do not need to know the specifics of any diagnosis, so an image of the hospital bracelet showing the student's/patient's name and date of admission will usually suffice. A portion of the discharge instructions sheet hospitals must provide patients--the section showing the name of the patient and date(s) of service--will also usually suffice. Having worked in a hospital myself for nearly a decade, if anything appears sketchy, I may request additional information or documentation.

Funerals: Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for students to fabricate stories of a death in the family. As such, I require original funerary documentation if you miss an assignment/exam and seek a make-up for this reason. As above, students must contact me within five days of the death 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 is only offered to the military personnel himself/herself since their 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 to assist with a crisis/disaster (e.g. as occurred during Hurricane Harvey a few years ago), please notify me via email as soon as the word comes down so I can anticipate any necessary adjustments. Feel free to email me any questions on this matter.

 

COMPUTER ISSUES: 

It is well known among professors that many “computer issue" excuses are fabrications versus legitimate issues. If a student contacts me on the premise that he/she/they experienced a "computer issue" and I find info which suggest otherwise, I consider that scholastic dishonesty and the student will earn a zero. If a student experiences a legitimate computer issue, I require THREE forms of documentation before considering options: 

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 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

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.

 

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 & EMAILS SEEKING A HIGHER GRADE:

Leeway is already built into this course, primarily by way of the two attempts offered for each quiz and the ability to drop a low quiz grade if students take all ten chapter quizzes. (However, Quiz #1 cannot be dropped.) If students complete all five graded discussion boards (DBs #1-5), the fifth can also count as extra credit. I do not offer additional work or points to raise an individual student's grade, regardless of circumstance (e.g. graduation requirements at NCTC or another college/university, etc.) as that would be unfair to others.

 

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

Chapter 1: Diversity in the U.S.: Questions and Concepts (Quiz #1 due Sunday, Feb. 2nd)

Chapter 2: Assimilation and Pluralism: From Immigrants to White Ethnics (Quiz #2 due Sunday, Feb. 9th)

Chapter 3: Dominant-Minority Group Relations in Preindustrial America: Origins of Slavery (Quiz #3 due Sunday, Feb. 16th)

Chapter 4: Industrialization and Dominant-Minority Relations: From Slavery to Segregation (Quiz #4 due Sunday, March 1st)

Chapter 5: African Americans (Quiz #5 due Sunday, March 15th)

Chapter 6: American Indians (Quiz #6 due Sunday, March 29th)

Chapter 7: Hispanic Americans (Quiz #7 due Sunday, April 12th)

Chapter 8: Asian Americans (Quiz #8 due Sunday, April 26th)

Chapter 9: New Americans, Assimilation, and Old Challenges (Quiz #9 due Sunday, May 3rd)

Chapter 10: Minority Groups and U.S. Society: Themes, Patterns, and the Future (Quiz #10 due Wednesday, May 13th)

 

I do not expect schedule changes. However, should one occur, students will be notified via a class announcement and email in Canvas.

  

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Statement Prepared By the College:

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).

The Instructor-Specific Policy:

In this online course, students should log into Canvas at least three times a week to stay on top of assignments, announcements, etc. On some days, there will be nothing new and you can log right out. I do not send extra announcements or emails reminding students of every single due date.

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Friday, April 3rd.

 

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION________________________________________________

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 online classes, all assignments, quizzes, exams, and discussion boards are submitted in Canvas.

You can set NCTC emails and Canvas notifications to be forwarded to the email account you check most regularly.

Since most due dates are listed on the syllabus and/or are listed alongside the assignments title in Canvas, I do not send reminders for every item of graded work. Students need to 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:

I expect students to be respectful to all. 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 removed from this course for scholastic dishonesty or behavioral issues.

Please be mindful that, in an online setting, it's easy to misconstrue words on a screen without the benefits of other communicative cues. If you disagree with a student's post in this course, the best practice is to ASK further questions in that board first, thus allowing that student the opportunity to CLARIFY his/her/their statements instead of jumping to offense or personally emailing that student with your displeasure. If there is a deeper concern, email the instructor and I'll address it.

 

INCLEMENT WEATHER:

Sign up to receive text messages on campus closings due to inclement weather or a campus emergency via the LionAlert system. Info on LionAlert: https://my.nctc.edu/ICS/Need_Help/LionAlert.jnz

 

TRANSCRIPTS:

At the end of the semester, transferring students occasionally ask teachers when grades will be updated on their official transcript. Instructors enter final grades into the MyNCTC system but are not responsible for and do not have access to college transcripts. Students should go to https://www.nctc.edu/current-students/transcript-request.html for more info.

 

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.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

OSD Students: Please email me in Canvas me the first week of the semester, 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 (For classes in the Core)_______     

X       Social and Behavioral Sciences

 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core) 

X   Critical Thinking

X   Communication

X   Empirical and Quantitative

X   Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

X   Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

 

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: Canvas allows instructors to track student movements. If you email me on the premise you attempted work but experienced a “computer issue” and I find no evidence to support your claim, I will consider that scholastic dishonesty.

Students can be reported to NCTC admin and dropped from this course, with no refund, for scholastic dishonesty.

  

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS AFTER SPEAKING WITH INSTRUCTOR FIRST:

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
Instructional Dean:	Dr. Bruce King
Office Location:	Gainesville Campus
Telephone Number:	940-668-4267
E-mail Address:	bking@nctc.edu