Course Syllabus

 Syllabus

Soc 101 - N1 & N2

 Introduction to Sociology

St. Charles Community College

 

Spring 2016

Online

 

Instructor: Professor D. Van Mierlo

 

 

Office Location:   SSB 1104 G

Office Hours: M/W: 9:00 - 9:50 am and 1:00 pm to 3:50 pm; T/R:9:00 - 11;20 am and 1 to  3:50 pm.

Office Phone:  636.922.8253

Email:    Use Canvas to communicate with me regarding this class

Required Text:  Andersen, Margaret L. and Taylor, Howard F., Sociology, The Essentials, Eighth edition, Cengage, 2015.

Final Exam: Although the final is given online for this course, if you plan to attend a four year college or university be aware some of them will only give you credit for this course upon transfer if you take the final proctored on site.  I do offer this option if you let me know two weeks in advance of the online scheduled date.

 

Course Description: Sociology is the scientific study of group human behavior. What would your life be like if there were no others around you? What would happen to your identity if you took away all the memberships you have acquired, such as: family, co-workers, church groups, neighbors, peers, or your sports team? How do these groups’ function or dysfunction (as the case may be)? How would you define yourself without those key identifiers? We will examine patterns of social interaction and how we, as individuals, are influenced by these interactions. We will also explore some of the methods used to study society and theories used to explain societies and their cultures.

Course Learning Objectives: These are department-wide objectives for all Introductions to Sociology sections to fulfill. Upon the successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• Apply and demonstrate the sociological perspective to everyday life situations. This will include being able to illustrate the principle theoretical perspectives and the concept of sociological imagination.

• Explain and assess how sociologists obtain and analyze information.

• Explain and give examples of how humans are cultural beings and social beings and how the two are related.

• Explain how social institutions create relationships among individuals and groups in society.

• Describe how the self emerges within the process of social interaction.

• Examine and discuss social change.

 

Technology related questions: call (636) 922-8555, the Tech Hotline.  (I teach Sociology, not Computer Science.)  Note:  Late work will not be accepted due to technology issues.  Please plan your work so that if you encounter technology problems you still have time to get to another computer to get your work in on time.

All work submitted in this course must open on my SCC computer.

This is not a self-paced course. You are required to keep up with the current assignments each and every day and take the quizzes as scheduled.

Standard grammar and spelling is required in all communications, assignments and quizzes, even in your emails to me. The ACE Center is a free and valuable resource housing a computer lab and writing tutors to assist you.

Study the syllabus thoroughly for answers to questions you may have before consulting me, please.

Plagiarism and Cheating: These practices are against College policy. If you turn in work that is not your own or have helped others produce work that is not their own you are guilty of cheating and may fail the class. Please see your SCC Student Handbook for more information.

Special Needs:

We have various channels through which we learn best. The College has an Office of Disability Support Services that guides, counsels, and assists students with disabilities. It is located in Room 133 of the Student Center. It is your responsibility to discuss with the instructor during the first week of class anything needed to help you succeed. If you have special needs, please call Paige George (922-8247) in the Office of Disability Support Services so that your eligibility for services can be determined.

Attendance Policy: 

Per Student Handbook: http://stchas.edu/home/search-results-google-cse.html, for distance learning classes, "attendance" will be defined as active participation in the course as described in the individual course syllabus.

For this distance learning course, active participation entails completion on a timely basis of all assignments. If you miss two assignments in a row, you will be considered to have stopped attending. Missing two assignments more than permitted in the course shall constitute as a basis for failing the course.

An administrative withdrawal will be available through the last date to drop for a term and will be allowed under one of the following conditions:

1. A student who misses 50% of the course meetings during the first 25% of the course may be administratively withdrawn unless documentation and contact with the faculty is provided.

A student who fails to participate in a course during the following timelines:

14 consecutive calendar days in a 16-week course.  (Please note, this is a 16 week course.)

Please familiarize yourself with the above policy.

Late Work and Assignments Make-Up Policy: 

Late work is not accepted in this course. This includes but is not limited to quizzes, essays, and the final. Missed quizzes and Q and A responses count as zero. 

Word of caution: No technical difficulty will be accepted as an excuse for not turning in you assignment on time. Make sure you begin you work soon enough so that if you experience a technical difficulty you can get to another computer and submit your work on time.

Extra or Substitute Credit:

Please put your time and effort into the scheduled quizzes and assignments. I do not provide substitute or extra credit opportunities.

Discussions regarding your academic progress: Generally, in order for grades/course progress to be discussed with anyone other than the student him or herself, written consent must be given by the student (if over 18 years of age).

Basic To Do List for passing this course:

I.    Read closely and fully familiarize yourself with this syllabus.

      Complete the Syllabus Quiz. 25 pts. These are bonus points.  I strongly recommend you do them.

 

II.   Read and study the content in the book as well as watch the videos. Read and respond to the Question and Answer (Q & A) Forum. You need to participate in 10 of the 13 lesson forums. In these forums I will ask a question or post a prompt to which you are to respond. There is one question and one response due each week.  100 pts.

 

III. Quizzes: There is one quiz per chapter. We will cover 13 chapters. You may miss two quizzes or if you take all 13 quizzes, the lowest three scores of the 13 quizzes will be dropped. Each quiz is worth 10 points towards your course grade. These quizzes are made up of multiple-choice and true/false questions. I tend not to reuse questions on the Final but they are good examples of the questions that will be used on the Final.  100 pts. 

 

IV. Short essays: do two of the three. 50 points each. 100 pts.

 

V. Online Final Exam: 150 multiple choice, true/false questions, 1 pt. for each question = 150 pts; Essay: 50 pts. Final Exam: 200 pts. total.

 

Total possible positive points for the course = 500.

 

Generally, all work will be graded by the end of one week from when it was due. 

 

Grading Scale:

100 – 90% = A

89 – 80% = B

79 – 70% = C

69 – 60% = D

59% and below = F

 

Disclaimer: All contents of this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

 

   

 

Syllabus Addendum

 

Spring 2016

 

Last day to change from credit to audit or audit to credit: February 16

 

Last day to drop and receive a “W”:  April 4

 

Attendance:  You should attend all class meetings for classes in which you are enrolled.

The college has no plan of recognized class ‘cuts’ or absences. You should attend all class meetings in which you are enrolled. Excessive absence may be sufficient cause to fail the course.  For distance classes, “attendance” will be defined as active participation in the course as described in the individual course syllabus. The final decision as to what constitutes excessive absence from a class is left to the instructor and will be outlined in the course syllabus. Students should discuss any absences with their instructor.

 

Campus Closings: For up-to-date information on closings due to inclement weather or other emergencies, call 636-922-8000, log on to www.stchas.edu, Twitter, receive a text (if you signed up), or http://www.facebook.com/stchas. 

 

Graded Papers and Exams: Graded papers and exams will be returned to students as soon as is

reasonably practical.  Normally this will be within one week, but could be longer in unusual circumstances.

 

Instructional Goals: This class will provide an environment where the College’s goals for students in the areas of Critical Thinking, Writing Across the Curriculum, and Computer Literacy are practiced. These will be utilized in a variety of ways throughout the course.

 

Special Needs Accommodations:

We all have various channels through which we learn best. The Office of Disability Services is available to guide, counsel, and assist students with disabilities. Please contact the Accessibility Services Manager, Paige George, at (636-922-8247) so that eligibility for services can be determined. Additionally, the Accessibility Services Manager will provide a one-stop-shop to address 2-year plans for degree completion and registration all in one place. Location is in Room 133 of the Student Center.

 

Safety Consideration after Night Classes:  It is highly recommended that students park in the same designated lot, to be agreed upon the first night class, and walk out together as a group when class is over.  Although any students who wish to contact campus security to walk them to their car may do so.

 

Mental Health

St. Charles Community College offers free on-campus mental health counseling to full-time and part-time credit students. Counseling is short-term, solution-focused and confidential. To make an appointment with Christie Jackson, the campus counselor, call 636-922-8571 or 636-922-8536. Sessions are held in her office, Administration Building, Room 1123 F. For after-hours emergency counseling, call Behavioral Health Response at 314-469-6644 or 1-800-811-4760. See https://www.stchas.edu/mentalhealth/  for additional information.

 

Addendum

Mental Health Counseling: The college years can be a time of growth and development as well as a time of challenges and stress. Students may experience that stress in many different ways.

St. Charles Community College offers the opportunity to address your concerns with a FREE mental health counselor on campus. SCC has a well-trained professional to help with a wide range of concerns common to college students including anxiety, eating concerns, alcohol/drug issues, relationship concerns, academic stress, suicidal thoughts, sexual and LGBT concerns.

We are committed to providing high quality care guided by the SCC mission of serving our community by focusing on academic excellence, student success, workforce advancement, and life-long learning within a global society. We celebrate diversity and we enrich the economic and cultural vitality of the region by providing an accessible, comprehensive, and supportive environment for teaching and learning.

Our mental health counselor will offer short-term counseling, community support and referrals. Sometimes a student may require care beyond the scope of our counseling center and in these situations students will be assisted with establishing care off campus.

Length of counseling varies. Some problems are resolved within one or two sessions. Other problems may require meeting more often. This will be determined by you and your counselor.

Please contact the mental health counselor, Christy Jackson at 636-922-8571 or cjackson@stchas.edu to set an appointment. The office location is ADM 1242. Appointments may also be made by calling Teresa Drury at 636-922-8536 or tdrury@stchas.edu.

 

Any faculty, staff, or student may submit a report to the Behavioral Intervention Team at http://publicdocs.maxient.com/incidentreport.php?StCharlesCC or by calling 636-922-8111. Any serious concerns of immediate response please direct to the SCC Department of Public Safety at 922-8545.