Download SOC 2013 (01) (02): Introduction to Sociology Spring 2017 3 Credit

SOC 2013 (01) (02): Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2017
3 Credit Hours
Instructor: Jackson Murray, M.S.
Phone: Office: (870) 391-3295
Google: (501) 570-6053
E-Mail: [email protected]
Office: 154 M (in the Learning Commons)
Office Hours: MWTR: 11AM – 12:30 PM; 1:30 –
2:30 PM; 4 – 5PM
F: By Appointment
Course Texts
The Sociology Project: Introducing the Sociological Imagination (1st Edition) by Manza et al. ISBN: 978-0-20509382-3 Textbook only (the code for MySocLab is not required for this class).
Supplemental materials (available on the classroom portal).
Catalog Course Description
This course studies the major physical, cultural, and psychological factors in the origin, growth, structure, and
functioning of group life. Broad subdivisions to be emphasized include the scientific approach to society, culture,
human nature and socialization, human organization, collective behavior, and social institutions.
Prerequisites for the Course
None.
Rationale for the Course
All human beings live and work in societies. Every student can benefit from knowledge of basic social process and
how they influence human behavior. Sociology 2013 also satisfies part of the social science requirement for the
Associate of Arts degree.
Northark General Learning Outcomes
The learning outcomes of general education will be common to all students regardless of major. When students have
completed the general education component of their studies, they should be able to:
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Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills across disciplines.
Apply life skills in areas such as teamwork, interpersonal relationships, ethics, and
Communicate clearly in written or oral formats.
Use technology appropriate for learning.
Discuss issues of a diverse global society.
Demonstrate math and/or statistical skills.
study habits.
Course Outcomes / Objectives
Upon completion of SOC 2013, students will be able to:
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Define and identify social institutions.
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Describe research methods used by sociologists and identify problems of reactivity and objectivity as well
as ethical issues in research.
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
Syllabus
Page 2 of 9
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Identify the major subject areas studied by sociologists.
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Identify values and roles in different cultures and the process of socialization into a culture.
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Identify social issues and problems arising from diversity--ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status,
etc.
Resources Necessary for the Course
Textbooks
Pen/Pencil or other note taking material
Instructional Methods and Course Structure
The basic format of this course will consist of lectures, class discussions, and analysis of media (audio and visual).
The impact and influence of one’s society, culture, subculture, or social group is of key importance in understanding
not only where we come from as a people, but also in understanding how we think and feel about ourselves and our
actions. An action or behavior that is common place in one culture may be taboo or insulting in another. Words have
different connotations across cultures. Humans have a tendency to believe that their internal dispositions, or
personalities, are the primary instigator of their actions; however, our surroundings, the situation, and the other
people around us influence us much more than you (and I) are probably aware. My intent with this course is to
introduce you to the basic concept of culture, cultural influence, and cultural transmission as well as the basic
research methodology used by social scientists to study these areas. Through this process, it is my hope that you
will become more aware of the impact of the group on the individual (you) and how the individual can influence the
group.
I strongly encourage you to actively participate in discussions, please feel free to ask any questions that you might
have at any time. If you have a question concerning the course material, it is quite likely that many other students
have exactly the same question. Such student-initiated discussions often make the class more interesting. Please feel
free to approach me before or after class, make an appointment, or stop by my office during office hours if you have
any questions about course material, study strategies, test preparation, advising issues, etc. I will attempt to be in or
near the classroom at least 10 minutes before and after class. You may also e-mail me with any questions or
problems you may have. I check my e-mail often and will make every attempt to reply promptly.
Reading assignments should be completed before the lectures (with the exception being the first day of class
obviously). This will allow you to better understand the terminology that is being used to pick out the important
points and major concepts of the lecture, and to see how the new material fits with other topics and issues that have
previously been considered. Quizzes will cover material from the readings assigned in the textbook, material
discussed in class, films watched in class and lecture material. This material may not always overlap: some material
in the text will not be covered in class lectures and some material presented in lectures and films will not be in the
text, therefore it is to your benefit to attend every class and read the assigned readings.
Course Portal (http://portal.northark.edu)
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Major changes to the course schedule and other important information will be posted in the news and
events section on the main page – check the portal regularly.
Additional materials for the course, such as outlines for each chapter are available under the Resources
section of the portal.
Attendance and grades will be regularly updated through the portal.
Some course work, such as short answer quizzes and paper assignments will be submitted through the
portal under the Coursework section.
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
Syllabus
Page 3 of 9
Course Evaluation and Grading Policy
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Quizzes – There will be 3 quizzes during the semester. Each quiz will be worth 50 points and will consist of
multiple choice and short answer questions (about a 60/40 split). The multiple choice portion of the quiz
will be taken in class with a provided answer sheet. Short answer questions will be revealed on the quiz
review sheets. These questions will be answered through the class portal page. Short answer portions will
open during quiz time and will remain open for 1 week.
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Midterm / Final (Responses) – Instead of a traditional midterm and final, I’ve scheduled times for
“Reactions.” The analysis of contemporary media is a big part of this class and there are certain “Media
Days/Presentations” scheduled throughout the class. Please see the “Reactions” section of the syllabus for
descriptions of these assignments. These reactions will be worth 50 points.
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Papers – There will be 2 papers during the semester. These papers will be worth 50 points. Please refer to
the “Papers” handout for further details.
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Extra Credit – I will provide opportunities to earn extra credit points throughout the semester, such as
giving presentations on media or preparing a PowerPoint presentation. Please refer to the “audio-video
presentation” section of the syllabus for further details. A total of 50 extra points will be available. This is
enough points to cancel out a bad quiz or paper score.
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Grading – The above breakdown yields a total of 350 points available in the class, not counting extra
credit. Grades will be assigned according to the following “percentage of total point” and “total points
earned” cutoffs:
A:
B:
C:
D:
F:
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90% and above
80 to 89%
70 to 79%
60 to 69%
below 60%
over 315 points
280 – 314 points
245 – 279 points
210 – 244 points
fewer than 210 points
Incomplete Grades: As a general rule, I will not assign a grade of Incomplete (“I”) unless you have
completed approximately 80% of the course but have not been able, because of illness or other reason
beyond your control, to finish the work assigned in the course. You must contact me to request an
Incomplete (“I”) and make arrangements for completing the course. An incomplete grade not made up
within one semester automatically becomes an “F.”
Responses
 Media Week Response (Midterm) – About halfway through the class, I will present 7 movie options (as
trailers). The class will vote on which movie to watch and the majority vote wins. We will then watch the
movie in class.
o Your task will be to pick a character from that movie and write a sociological sketch about that
character. Talk about the social and environmental influences in that character’s life that have
brought him/her to this point, or that are causing him/her to act the way they do. Examples of
social and environmental influences can include, but are not limited to: poverty, wealth, drug
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
Syllabus
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use/abuse, political beliefs, religious beliefs, sexuality, family structure, race/ethnicity,
health/disease, social activism, gender, etc.
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This does not have to be a professional grade analysis, I’m looking for your opinions and why you
think these things have had a large impact on your character’s life. However, do make sure that
you can root your explanations in real life phenomena. For example, it is not enough to say that
“Character A is impacted because of poverty.” Tell me why you think poverty has been a major
impact on this character’s life. What is it about the life of poverty that has led this character to this
point in life? What evidence shown in the film can you point to demonstrate that the character has
been impacted by poverty? Why should people watching this film care about the “plight of
poverty?” etc. Feel free to bring in other sources and your own personal experiences, but this is
not required for this assignment.
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DO NOT simply retell the movie. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, we all know the story of what
happened. We’re looking into why it happened. Focus on the analysis of the social factors and use
details from the movie to support your conclusions – don’t just list things that happen.
REMEMBER: the concept of “the sociological imagination” from chapter 1 – try to put yourself
in the world, time, personal history, circumstances and events of your character to help you
understand their social and environmental experiences.
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Length / Type Requirement: 2 pages, double-spaced in a 12-pt. font.
Presentation Response (Final) – this will be a short answer quiz based on media presentations presented
the last few weeks in class. Some of this material will be from the last chapter (Media and Social Change),
as we will not be using the text for that chapter. Other presentations will be from the extra credit
opportunities (see the “Audio/Visual Presentations” section of the syllabus. If no one wants to present (or if
too few wish to present), I will have other presentations prepared. There is no formal review session for this
quiz. As we watch each presentation and discuss it, I will give you the question that will be on the quiz at
that time, so you will have time to prepare. Your attendance during these presentations is important.
Attendance
 Students are expected to attend all class meetings and officially withdraw from courses they are no longer
attending. I WILL NOT WITHDRAW YOU FROM THIS COURSE.
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I will take attendance for every session that we meet. In general, daily attendance does not impact your
overall grade; however, students who attend class regularly do tend to end up with better grades. At the end
of the semester, good attendance can help you out: if you are within 1% of a letter grade cutoff (59%, 69%,
79%, 89%), I will check your attendance record. If your attendance rate is 80% or higher, I will bump you
the 2 points needed to reach the cutoff.
Makeup Policy
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Papers - Paper due dates are generally non-negotiable, barring unforeseen circumstances. Papers will be
turned in electronically through the classroom portal on e-learning. Therefore, missing class on a day that a
paper is due is no excuse for not having the paper turned in on time. Papers turned in after the due date
without prior approval from me will result in losing 5 points for everyday the paper is late.
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
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Syllabus
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Quizzes (Multiple Choice) – If you must miss a quiz, you must notify me as soon as possible, preferably
before the exam (email is acceptable). Makeup quizzes for the multiple choice portion of the quiz will be in
similar format to the regular quiz, but in a different form.
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You will have 1 week from the exam date to makeup the quiz. After this period, the score on the
quiz will become a 0.
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Makeup quizzes will be taken in the testing center; however, the makeup exams do not get sent to
the testing center automatically. You must email me and request a makeup exam before the end of
the 1-week makeup period.
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Before going to the testing center, you must also make an appointment for testing with the testing
center.
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Quizzes (Short Answer) – The short answer portion of the quizzes are completed on the portal and are open
for 1 week. Once this week long period passes, the short answer quiz will close. Short answer quizzes will
not be reopened after the close date and thus must be completed during this time.
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All work must be submitted by 10 P.M on the last day of the last week of class. No work will be accepted
after this time.
Academic Integrity (See Northark Student Handbook, page 15)
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North Arkansas College’s commitment to academic achievement is supported by a strict but fair policy to
protect academic integrity. This policy regards academic fraud and dishonesty as offenses requiring
disciplinary action.
Academic fraud and dishonesty are defined as follows:
o Cheating – Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study
aids in any academic exercise.
o Facilitating Academic Dishonesty – Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help
another commit an act of academic dishonesty.
o Test Tampering – Intentionally gaining access to restricted test booklets, banks, questions, or
answers before a test is given; or tampering with questions or answers after a test is taken.
o Plagiarism – Intentionally or knowingly representing the words and ideas of another as one’s own
in any academic exercise. A great and thorough definition of plagiarism can be found here:
http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-plagiarism Examples of common types of
plagiarism can be found here: http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/types-of-plagiarism/
Please familiarize yourself with these definitions and examples as your work will be held to this
standard.
Cases of cheating and plagiarism at Northark are considered to be serious offenses and are subject to one or
more of the following alternatives:
o No credit for the assignment or opportunity for makeup.
o Loss of credit and student will be immediately dropped from the course.
o Permanent suspension from Northark.
Students may resolve disciplinary action by following this chain of appeal:
o Instructor
o Department/Program Chair or Dean
o Executive Vice President of Learning
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
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Syllabus
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Institutional Standards and Appeals Committee.
Audio-Video Presentations (Optional for Extra Credit)
The final lecture days of the semester are designed to let all of you show me, as well as your fellow
classmates how well you’ve been able to identify and pinpoint sociological phenomena in the media (television,
radio, music, newspapers, movies).
What I Need From You: I’m asking you to bring with you any of the following: music CDs, music tapes,
recorded commercials, movie segments, TV clips, newspaper/magazine articles, comic strips, etc. that you find
to be relevant to some sociological phenomena we have discussed in class. I ask that you be respectful of your
classmates, so please do not bring anything that is obviously inappropriate for class (nudity, etc.); however, I
will allow some foul language (just because shows like “The Simpsons and South Park are full of great
material). Just use your best judgment, or ask me before. Multiple examples are ok, but do try to keep clips
fairly short so we’ll have time to view and discuss everyone’s materials.
Be prepared to give a short intro to your materials and be prepared for a short discussion of the
phenomenon/example after we view it. This is meant to be a fun exercise, so don’t feel that you have to have
anything written down to present. Throughout the course, I will be trying to convince you that we are all
sociologists to some extent, and this exercise is an excellent (and hopefully entertaining) way to prove to you
just how relevant this material is to our daily lives.
We cannot do this without your input. If there is little or no interest during this week, I will be prepared
to lecture on NEW material that you WILL be tested on. If you choose to participate, please schedule a time
slot with before the last week of class. All students presenting will be awarded with 30 extra credit points.
If you do not wish to present media in class, you also have the opportunity of preparing a PowerPoint
presentation that you would submit through the classroom portal. This PowerPoint would need to include all
the information about the media that you would present to the class and thus should include: 1)An introduction
to your media piece 2) A link to the media (embedded video and audio files inside the PowerPoint will not
upload to the portal, please link to these materials – pictures in the PowerPoint are fine and do not require
external links) 3) Discussion questions or prompts that you would have used to start the class discussion about
your material. The PowerPoint option is worth 20 extra credit points.
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Requirements for In-Class Presentation
o A piece of media that exemplifies some topic area we have discussed: a video clip, picture,
audio clip, etc.
o A short introduction to the media: why are you showing it to us and what do you think it
shows/says about society?
o A short discussion with the class – either asking/answering questions, discussion prompts
etc.
o If you wish to present in class – please email me with your general topic area and an idea of
how much time you think you will need to present by the deadline listed in the class schedule.
Requirements for Upload Option
o Your PowerPoint file should include the following at minimum:
 1 Slide: An introduction to the media – why are you showing this and what do you
think it shows/says about society
 1 Slide: A link to the media (if it’s audio/video as you can’t embed and upload to
the portal – please link to the location), or the media itself if it’s a picture
 1 Slide: Questions or discussion prompts you would have asked/used if you were
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
Syllabus
Page 7 of 9
presenting to the class.
ADA Statement
North Arkansas College complies with Section 504 of the rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should make their requests in
the following way: (1) talk to the instructor after class or during office hours about their disability or special need
related to classroom work, and/or (2) contact Student Support Services in Room M154H and ask to speak to Kim
Brecklein (391 -3388; TDD: 391-3111 email: [email protected]
Syllabus Change
I reserve the right to change the syllabus during the semester and will announce any changes during class and on the
classroom portal page.
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
Syllabus
Page 8 of 9
Schedule (subject to change)
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Break
Week 11
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
01/09
Course Introduction /
Expectations
01/11
01/16
MLK HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
01/18
Chapter 1: The Sociological
Imagination
01/23
01/25 Chapter 2: Studying the Social
World
01/30
02/01
Chapter 3: Social Interaction
02/06
Quiz 1 Review
02/08
Quiz 1 (Short Answer Due: 02/15 @ 11:55 PM
02/13
Chapter 6: Power and Politics
02/15
02/20 Chapter 16: Crime, Deviance
Paper 1 Due @ 11:55 PM
and Social Control
02/22
02/27 Chapter 9: Social Stratification,
Inequality and Poverty
03/01
Quiz 2 Review
03/06
Quiz 2 (Short Answer Due 03/13 @ 11:55 PM)
03/08
03/13
MEDIA WEEK
03/15
03/20
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
03/22
03/27
Chapter 10: Race and Ethnicity
Media Response Due 11:55
W 03/29
PM
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
Week 16
W
04/03
04/05
04/10
04/12
04/17
04/19
04/24
04/26
05/01
05/03
Chapter 11: Gender and
Sexuality
Chapter 13: Family and Family
Paper 2 Due @ 11:55 PM
Life
Quiz 3 Review
Quiz 3 (Short Answer Due 04/24 @ 11:55 PM)
Last Day to Drop 04/21
Chapter 15: Education
Chapter 17: The Media
Media Presentations (Extra
Credit)
Extra Credit PowerPoint
Option Due: 11:55 PM
Presentation Response Due
F 05/05 @ 10 PM
Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
North Arkansas College
Instructor: Jackson Murray
Syllabus
Page 9 of 9
Syllabus Acknowledgment
Course: Sociology 2013: Introduction to Sociology
Semester: Spring 2017
I acknowledge by signing below that I have received the syllabus for the course indicated above. I have
reviewed the syllabus and understand the objectives of this course. Further, I understand how my
performance will be evaluated and how my final grade will be determined. I am aware of my instructor’s
attendance policy and office hours, and I know how to contact him or her for help with and/or clarification
of course contents or procedures.
________________________________________
(Print Name)
________________________________________ _________________________
(Student Signature)
(date)
Please initial the following to indicate your understanding:
_____ I understand that the instructor will not withdraw me from the class. If I want to officially withdraw, I
must do so myself in the Registrar’s office by April 21, 2017.
_____ I understand the makeup policy of this class. I will have 1 week after the quiz date to make up the
multiple choice quiz in the testing center. I must contact the instructor (preferably before quiz time)
to arrange a makeup quiz and the testing center to make an appointment. I also understand that
there are no makeups are available for the short answer quizzes; they must be completed during
the week that they are open on the portal.
_____ I understand that some components of this class will be submitted through the portal (Course
Papers, Media Week Response, and the Final Response). I understand that late papers and
Media Day Responses will incur a 5 point penalty for every day they are late, and that this penalty
will apply as soon as the due date and time have passed. I also understand that the Final
Response MUST be submitted by the due date and time and that no late submissions will be
allowed.
_____ I understand that the last day of class is Wednesday May 3rd, 2017 and that all late work still
eligible for credit must be submitted by Friday, May 5th, @ 10 PM and that no work will be
accepted after this cutoff.