Course title: Minority Studies

Course prefix, number, and section number: SOCI2319 sec. 300

Semester/Year of course: Fall 2025

Semester start and end dates: August 25, 2025 to December 10, 2025

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

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online

Lab meeting location, days, and times: N/A

Semester credit hours: 3

Course description: 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 prerequisites: None

Required course materials: Healy, Joseph F., and Andi Stepnick.  Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender.  7th edition. Sage.  ISBN 978-1452275741

Name of instructor: Dr. Cherly Furdge

Office location: Online Webex. 

Telephone number: 940-498-6238

E-mail address: cfurdge@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:

Monday:  2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

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

Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.

Thursday: By Appointment only

Friday By Appointment Only

Note:  Webex meetings must be scheduled.  Due to other duties, I may not always be available during the times above. If you would like to on a day that states “By Appointment Only”, you must schedule this appointment 24 hours in advance. 

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:

Discussion Forums               15%

Quizzes                                  10%

Exams                                    15%

Final Paper                           20%

Mid-Term                             20%

Final Exam                           20%

Final grade scale:                

90-100 A

80-89   B

70-79   C

60-69   D

59- Below F

Late work policy:

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: November 3, 2025

Student Learning Outcomes:

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.

Core Objectives:

Critical Thinking

Communication

Empirical and Quantitative

Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICES

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.

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 HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all 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 Martinson       

Office location: Gainesville Campus

Telephone number: 940-6684209

E-mail address: mmartinson@nctc.edu