UNIVERSITY OF GREAT FALLS

SYLLABUS

COURSE         SOC 101D/DC  INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY

TERM                          SPRING SEMESTER, 2008

TIME                           5:00pm to 5:50pm WEDNESDAY

CREDITS                    3

 

 

CINDY MATTHEWS             HUMAN SERVICES

HOME PHONE:          727-7668         OFFICE SULLIVAN HALL 201-B  791-5368

 E-MAIL:                                             cmatthews@ugf.edu

OFFICE HOURS:                               TR       8:30AM TO  9:45AM

                                                            W        1:00PM TO 3:45PM

                                                            F          1:30PM TO 2:30PM EVEN

                                                            Other times by appointment

THE DISTANT STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THE NAME OF A PROCTOR FOR TESTING BEFORE THE SECOND WEEK OF THE SEMESTER.  THIS NAME IS TO BE GIVEN TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT WHO DEALS WITH DISTANCE LEARNING, PHONE 406-791-5334 AND THE PROPER FORM FILLED OUT.  Any student not attending in the on-line room must have a microphone on their computer.

 

A.  COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to address the study of human kind and their relationships in groups and institutions; human societies; their development and change; and the effect of social patterns on the behavior of individuals and groups.  We will also explore theory and methods of research.  The Behavioral Sciences will be the Mode of Inquiry used to explore social diversity as it relates to the topic of Sociology.

The primary means of presentation will be lecture-discussion, group discussions, and videos, emphasizing written communication, critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility, shared cultures, and global and multicultural understanding.

This course fulfills the core, Major or Minor in Sociology.  There are no prerequisites for the course.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The following objectives will be met at the conclusion of this course.

In the area of competencies the student will be able to:

 

1.      Explain various aspects of the study of society.

This will be demonstrated by:

·        Reading assigned topics and viewing assigned tape lectures

·        Participating in classroom discussions  (on-line sessions)

·        Submitting four (4) article opinion summaries

 

2.      Write about the sociological concepts covered in the text.

This will be demonstrated by:

·        Reading assigned topics and viewing assigned taped lectures

·        Participating in classroom discussions (on-line sessions)

·        Submitting 10 Sociology related articles

 

3.      Explain and identify the major concepts, themes, and theories in the study of Sociology.

This will be demonstrated by:

·        Reading assigned topics and viewing assigned taped lectures

·        Participating in classroom discussions (on-line sessions)

·        Writing two (2) examinations over the course of the semester

 

C.  TEXT:

REQUIRED: "Sociology in a Changing World" by William Kornblum, (7th ed.)

                        “Sociology, Annual Editions” 2007/2008

                        Taped lectures to be purchased from the UGF bookstore.  These must be

ordered with the textbook.  They will not be sent automatically.

 

RECOMMENDED:  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.)  Washington.  (2001).

 

D.  TYPING/STYLE:

All assignments must be 12 point font, double spaced, APA style, upper left corner stapled, no report covers.  Margins will be 1” on all sides.

 

E.  COPIES:

The student is responsible to keep duplicates (paper or electronic) of assignments.

 

F.  INCOMPLETE:

If it becomes necessary for the student to request an incomplete, it must be requested in writing (incomplete form) two weeks prior to the final examination and all work to date must be current—NO EXCEPTIONS.  The student is required to give the instructor the signed form.  If the incomplete reverts to the alternate grade and the student wishes to finish the course, the final course grade will be lowered by one letter grade.  Course work must be 80% complete for an incomplete to be considered.  Students must request the incomplete no later than April 25, 2008.

 

Please see the complete Incomplete Policy located in the current UGF catalog

 

G.  READING:

Students are expected to read all assigned reading and watch all assigned videotape lectures prior to class and come prepared to discuss the material.

 

 

 

H.  GRADING:

90-100             A                                 Project                         20%

80-89               B                                  News Articles               15%

70-79               C                                 Exams                          50%

60-69               D                                 Attendance                   10%

59 and below   F                                  Tape assignments          05%

 

I.  ATTENDANCE:

Since the course material will not be confined to the textbook, the student will be accountable for all the material covered in the discussions, videos and reading assignments.  Attendance and class participation is at the student’s discretion but will play a part in the determination of a final grade, if the average is near the dividing point between two letter grades.  The instructor reserves the right to raise or lower the final grade by considering attendance and class participation. Attendance below 80% could be considered cause to lower the grade.

 

  1. LATE WORK:

                        Project 1                                                                      Maximum points 25

            DUE ON JAN 30 @  4:00PM                                     NO DEDUCTION

            JAN 30 @ 4:01PM TO FEB 04 @ 4:00PM                MINUS 10 POINTS

            FEB 04 @ 4:01PM TO FEB 08 @ 4:00PM                MINUS 20 POINTS

            AFTER FEB 08 @ 4:01PM                                         NO POINTS

 

            Project 2                                                                      Maximum points 25

            DUE ON FEB 20 @ 4:00PM                                      NO DEDUCTION

            FEB 20 @ 4:01PM TO FEB 25 @ 4:00PM                MINUS 10 POINTS

            FEB 25 @ 4:01PM TO FEB 29 @ 4:00PM                MINUS 20 POINTS

            AFTER FEB 29 @ 4:01PM                                         NO POINTS

 

            Late policy for Exam #1

            DUE ON MAR 12 @ 4:00PM                                    NO DEDUCTION

                        CAMPUS

                        DISTANCE

            DUE NO LATER THAN MAR 10

            MAR 10 TO Mar 13                                                    MINUS 30 POINTS

            MAR 14 TO MAR 16                                                 MINUS 60 POINTS

            MAR 17 TO MAR 20                                                 MINUS 80 POINTS

            AFTER MAR 21                                                         NO POINTS

 

POLICY FOR NEWS ARTICLES---MAXIMUM POINTS = 100

            DUE ON MAR 19 BY 4:00PM                                   NO DEDUCTION

            MAR 19 @ 4:01PM TO MAR 23 @ 4:00PM MINUS 40 POINTS

            MAR 23 @ 4:01PM TO MAR 30 @ 4:00PM MINUS 60 POINTS

            AFTER MAR 30 @ 4:01PM                                       NO POINTS

 

 

            Project 3                                                                      Maximum points 25

            DUE ONAPR 09 BY 4:00PM                         NO DEDUCTION

            APR 09 @ 4:01PM TO APR 13 @ 4:00PM               MINUS 10 POINTS

            APR 13 @ 4:01PM TO APR 17 @ 4:00PM               MINUS 20 POINTS

            AFTER APR 17 @ 4:01PM                                        NO POINTS

 

            Project 4                                                                      Maximum points 25

            DUE ON APR 23 BY 4:00PM                                    NO DEDUCTION

            APR 23 @ 4:01PM TO APR 25 @ 4:00PM               MINUS 10 POINTS

            APR 25 @ 4:01PM TO APR 27 @ 4:00PM               MINUS 20 POINTS

            AFTER APR 27 @ 4:01PM                                        NO POINTS

 

POLICY FOR FINAL EXAM

            DUE ON APR 30 BY 4:00PM                                    NO DEDUCTION

                        CAMPUS

                        DISTANCE

            DUE NO LATER THAN APR 24

            APR 24 TO APR 26                                                    MINUS 30 POINTS

            APR 27 TO APR 29                                                    MINUS 60 POINTS

            APR 30 TO MAY 01                                                  MINUS 80 POINTS

            AFTER MAY 02                                                         NO POINTS

 

There is no make up work allowed for this course.

 

K.  COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 1).   PROJECT(20%)

The student will submit four (4) article summaries from the annual editions book.  One article will be chosen from each of the six (6) units and the student will summarize the article and include their opinion about the topic.  Each report should be at least three (3) pages in length but not more then five (5) pages. References to the textbook will be expected.

 

2).  NEWS ARTICLES (15%)

The student will collect 10 news articles concerning any of the topics of Sociology.  Each article will be mounted neatly on a paper 8 ½ by 11 inch, one article per sheet.  The student will write a full one-page discussion about the article and how it relates to the topic of Sociology.  References to the textbook will be expected.

 

3).  EXAMINATIONS (50%)

The student will write two (2) examinations throughout the course of the semester.  These will be open note exams and will cover the text material as well as class discussion.  Only notes taken by the student are acceptable, no photocopies of the textbook will be allowed.  Your proctor’s signature will determine the lateness for exams.  Be sure they sign it accurately.

 

L.  ACADEMIC CONDUCT:

Policy approved March 1989 by UGF (CGF) faculty.

All students are expected to observe high standards of academic conduct.  All acts of dishonesty in academic work constitute academic misconduct.  Such acts include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

1) Cheating:  the use or attempted use of unauthorized material of the work of another student in any academic assignment, paper or examination.

2) Plagiarism:  The intentional representing of another's work as one's own.  Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the unauthorized and unacknowledged use of: the words, sentences, paragraphs or ideas of another; the illustrations, drawings, photographs or computer programs of another; the work of another prepared in draft or final form (e.g., purchased research papers).

3) Aiding or Abetting Academic Misconduct: the intentional helping of another in any act of academic dishonesty. Academic misconduct is a serious offense.  The minimum penalty of any act of academic misconduct shall be a grade of "F"  (failure) on the paper, assignment or examination involved.  Individual instructors may enforce more severe penalties, provided that such penalties are specified in the course syllabus.  The maximum penalty is a grade of "F" (failure) for the course.

The course instructor is the initial judge of whether or not a student has been guilty of academic misconduct. Should a student disagree with an instructor's judgement, the student may appeal the instructor's decision by following the "Procedure for Student Appeal in Academic Matters" found in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

 

M.  ACCOMMODATIONS:  REASONABLE accommodations will be afforded students with documented disabilities as verified and determined by the Center for Academic Excellence.

 

 

N  CLASS SCHEDULE: 

Subject to change. It is important to maintain flexibility to allow for the fluctuating of student needs.

DATE             CHAPTERS                           TAPES                        TOPICS

 

Jan 09             Course Introduction

 

Jan 16              1                                              1                      Sociology:  An Introduction

 

Jan 23              2 and 3                                     2                      Tools and Culture

 

Jan 30             4 and 5                                     3                      Societies and Nations

Socialization

                        PROJECT ONE DUE FROM ANNUAL EDITIONS

 

Feb 06                         6 and 7                         4                      Interaction in Groups

                                                                                    Deviance and Social Control

 

Feb 13                         8                                  5                      Collective Behavior, Social

Movements and Mass Publics

Feb 20                         9                                  5                      Population, Urbanization, and

Community

PROJECT 2 DUE—ANNUAL EDITIONS

 

Feb 27                         10                                6                      Global Social Change

                                    11                                                        Stratification and Social Mobility

 

Mar 05            SPRING BREAK  NO CLASSES

 

Mar 12            EXAM #1 Chapters 1-11, Tapes 1-6 and class discussion

To be taken between Feb 29 and Mar 07—MUST be back to me by Mar 10

           

Mar 19                        12                                7                      Inequalities of Social Class

                                    13                                8                      Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity

 

                        NEWS ARTICLES DUE

 

Mar 26                         14                                9                      Inequalities of Gender

 

Apr 02                         15                                10                    Inequalities of Youth and Age

16                                                        The Family

 

Apr 09                         17                                11                    Religion

18                                                        Education

 

                        PROJECT 3 DUE—ANNUAL EDITIONS

 

Apr 16                         19                                12                    Economic Institutions

20                                                                                                                Politics and Political Institutions

 

 

Apr 23                         21                                13                    Technology, Environment and

Health

PROJECT 4 DUE—ANNUAL EDITIONS

 

Apr 30             EXAM #2 Chapters 12-21, Tapes 7-13 and class discussion

 

Exam is to be taken between April 24 and Apr 28 and MUST BE BACK TO ME BY APR 30.  NO EXCEPTIONS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goals for Undergraduate Degree at UGF

 

                All students will acquire fundamental knowledge, skills, and dispositions during their careers at the University of Great Falls.  The following overriding goals shape curricular decisions to ensure breadth and depth of content an experience and to encourage independent learning.  They help create the context of a value-based liberal education and reinforce the university’s Mission Statement (UGF Catalog, page vi) including the Catholic University Identity Statement (UGF Catalog, page vi) and the Providence Leadership Covenant (UGF Catalog, page vii).

 

UGF graduates ENGAGE THE QUESTIONS

 

What does it mean to be human?  The university encourages students to

 

What does it mean to participate in intellectual inquiry?  The university encourages students to

 

What does it mean to “make a living” and to live as a productive human being?  The university encourages students to

 

What does it mean to participate in the spiritual and religious dimensions of life?  The university encourages students to