Professor Pamela Gaiter

CollinCollege Syllabus

Introduction to Sociology

Course Credit Hours: 3- Lecture Hrs: 3; Lab Hrs: 0; Cln/Rec Hrs: 0

Prerequisite: Reading assessment at College Level & Writing assessment English 1301

Fall2011

Professor:Pam Gaiter, Professor of Sociology

Email address:

Office Hours: On campus office hours: Mon & Weds 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Tues & Thurs 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Online office hours: Fridays 9:30 AM – 10:30AM

*Other times by appointment

Office location: I207, Spring Creek Campus, Plano, TX 75074

Office phone: 972-548-6705

Office fax: 972-881-5700

In case of emergency contact the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division Office, B240, Spring Creek Campus, Plano, 972-881-5800.

*The professor reserves the right to amend items on this syllabus based on the professor’s discretion.Students will receive written notification of any changes made to the syllabus.

Course Description

Introduction to the scientific study of social factors that influence human behavior.Includes analysis of culture and socialization processes, social interaction, deviance, social stratification/inequality, race relations, global interdependence, and gender.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to do the following:

Apply the three main sociological perspectives to the analysis of everyday social life.
Demonstrate the use of the sociological imagination to understand everyday social life.
Describe the impact of social stratification (gender, race, class) on individual life chances.
Demonstrate an understanding of the reality of cultural diversity and the various effects it has for individuals, groups, and society-at-large.
Explain the impact that social structure has on social behavior.
Demonstrate an understanding of the process of socialization throughout the life cycle.
Judge what are considered to be reasonable criteria for the acceptability of social scientific research.

For generic syllabus for SOCI 1301, see

Class Presentation

Students will achieve stated course objectives by reading assigned materials, consistently attending class and participating in various class activities, including collaborative learning assignments and individual assignments. Other methods of class presentation are lectures, group discussions, multi-media presentations, and experiential learning opportunities.

Student Code of Behavior

You are expected to behave as respectful adults during class time. This includes respect for others opinions and ideas. Please refrain from sleeping in class, passing personal notes, reading material not relevant to topic, inappropriate sounds or other disruptive behavior during class time. Excessive tardiness and walking out during class presentations are disruptive to the learning environment and will be initially addressed by the professor. If it continues a student incident report will be submitted to the Dean of Students.

According to Section 7-2.4 of the Student Handbook, engaging in the use of media or telecommunication devices during class is in violation of student code of behavior and may warrant disciplinary proceedings by the Dean of Students. This includes cellphones and laptops. These devices must be turned off during class.

If personal circumstances (as approved and discussed with your professor PRIOR to class) require you to have your phone on (but silenced) during class time and you must leave to answer an emergency call, please sit near the door and leave quietly.Again, notify the professor PRIOR to class.

If you have medically documentation indicating that you need a laptop for class, firstseek approval from the professor. If approval is given, you must comply with the seating placement and conditions stated by the professor.If permission is granted for you to use a laptop but you fail to comply with the conditions stated you will not be allowed to use your laptop in class again.

If any of these inappropriate behaviors are observed and addressed by the professor but continues, a student incident report will be submitted to the Dean of Student for disciplinary actions. In addition, such behavior will impact your final grade in this class.

Prior to an exam, students will be asked to place their personal items, including turned off cell phones in the front of the classroom against the wall.

Reminder: texting and walking in and out of class are disruptive to the learning environment and will impact your attendance and participate score.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to be prepared and in attendance at each class. Excessive absences and/tardiness will impact students’ final grade.Four or more absences/ tardiness are considered excessive.

If you have a documented medical or family emergency that impacts your attendance and/or class assignments, you should notify me ASAP. These absences will be reviewed by the professor regarding approval for missed assignments. In class quizzes and class activities will not be granted approval for a makeup, however students will be encouraged to complete extra credit assignments to make up the points.

Note: Weddings and out of town planned trips are not considered an emergency, rather a choice of personal priority. Please plan your work, doctor’s appointments, and class schedule around this class time, not during it.

It is the student’s responsibility to get information from peers regarding missed materials. I will not give out copies of my video presentations, power points or lecture notes.

Required Materials

Please note that students are expected to read assigned material prior to class.

Carl, John D., Think Sociology, 2011, Pearson Education, Inc., published as Prentice Hall, 1 Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. ISBN-10:0-205-77718-XISBN-13: 978-0-205-77718-1

**A copy of the textbook is on reserve in the library

Access to Blackboard (through Cougar Web). You will need your Cougar Web ID and password which should have been emailed to you after you applied to college. If you do not have that information you may call 972-377-1777 for assistance. You will be able to access the college’s online library and Blackboard system for copies of your syllabus. You may need to access and read various articles located electronically on the college’s ERreserve system (which is found in the College’s Online Library). A separate handout of how to access EReserve will be distributed in class.
Other articles assigned by the professor throughout the semester.

Method of Evaluation:

Experiential learning assignments (worth 50 points): Students will select lab assignments (located on a separate sheet) to complete and submit typed reports, according to the instructions for each lab assignment. Except for service-learning, labs are worth 25 points. Service-learning is worth 50 points. Students should select labs that total 50 points towards your final grade. These assignments will be accepted at specific times during the semester. These dates are noted in class schedule and on your Blackboard calendar. Failure to submit in a timely manner will impact grade for the assignment. If you do not attend class the day an assignment is due, please email it by the beginning of class time on the deadline date, to avoid penalty.
Labs are accepted – Week 6 and Week 12
Only Service-Learning is accepted Week 15

Class Assignments & Chapter Quizzes (worth 150 points): Throughout the semester, students will participate in various class activities during class time as well as outside of class. Class activities may include sociology bingo, in-class quizzes, and collaborative projects. Students will not be allowed to makeup activities that occur during class time, such as chapter quizzes.

Class Exams (worth 100 points each): There willbe two exams during the semester. Each exam will consist of multiple choice questions based on class readings, lecture, and other material presented in class. If a student is absent for the midterm due to extenuating circumstances, they may be allowed to complete a makeup, if approved by the professor. However, the makeup must be completed within the time frame established by the professor and if the professor received the requested documentation within a certain time frame (as determined by the professor). The Final Exam is scheduled during the Final Exam Week. There will be NO makeup exam for the final exam.

Students will receive a final grade based on the following:

Experiential Lab assignments 50points

Class Assignments & Quizzes150 points

Two Exams200 points

Total possible points 400 points

A = 400 – 360

B = 359 - 320

C = 319 - 280

D = 279 - 240

F = 239 or less

Occasionally, there will be opportunities for you to enhance your grade by completing extra credit assignments. You must submit extra credit assignments within established deadline. However, there will be no extra credit opportunities available after the Tuesday during Week 15.You may not receive more than 20 extra credit points.

Late Work

Assignments submitted fifteen minutes after class begins will be counted as late. The professor reserves the right to accept late work under certain conditions. If approved (with certain documentation), five points will be deducted for EACH calendar date, (including the deadline date). Do not leave assignments under my office door. Instead, you may email the assignment as a Word document attached to an email sent in Cougar Web or Blackboard, leave it in the Instructional Office (B240) or fax it to me at 972-881-5700, if you are unable to attend class the day an assignment is due. Please include your name, section number and my name on the fax cover.

Withdrawing from the Course

Official drop date for fall2011 is October 14th. If you continue enrollment in the course without completing assignments but do not officially withdraw, you will receive a grade of F. A student may repeat this course only once after receiving a grade, including “W”. Courses taken Fall 2002 and later can be repeated only once to replace the grade. As stated in the Collin catalog (p.26) "a course in which a grade (including W) has been received can be repeated only one time to replace the grade."

Please note college withdrawal policy:

Texas Education Code 51.907 Course Drop Limit Provisions
Students who enroll as an entering freshman or a first-time college student in undergraduate courses at any Texas public community college, technical institute, health sciences institution, or any public university offering undergraduate courses must comply with the legislation of TEC51.907.
TEC51.907 states that students who enroll for the first time during the fall 2007 semester or any subsequent semester are subject to the course drop limit of six course drops. This includes any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution.
CollinCollegewill not begin to count dropped courses until the fall 2008 semester.

NOTE: You will not be allowed to withdraw from classes at Collin if your official transcripts (required for admission) are not on file.
Any course that a student withdraws from is counted toward the six course limit if:
1.Individual course withdrawal is done after the census date and,
2.The students transcript indicated or will indicate that the student enrolled in the course and,
3.The student is not withdrawing from the course in order to withdraw from the institution
4.Courses dropped at another Texas public institution of higher education,unless it qualifies as an exception.

Drops after the term census dateof September 6th are considered withdrawals and appear as a "W" on the transcript.

Religious Days

Refer to the current Collin Student Handbook.

Resources Available:

Group and online tutoring services are available to students free of charge. In order to request tutoring, call 971-881-5898.
The WritingCenter provides one-one assistance for students, free of charge. They also make several presentations to assist with your writing skills, citation, and other grammatical needs throughout the semester. These centers are on all campuses and provided on line. You may contact the writing center at SCC by calling 972-881-5843, regarding their hours and an appointment.
Student Life will assist with photo ID and student organizations for each campus, contact them at 972-881-5788.
Personal and career counseling services are available to Collin students free of charge. You may contact these services at 972-881-5126.
Student technical support is now provided 24/7 for students at (972) 377-1777 or .

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

It is the policy of CollinCountyCommunity College to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. This college will adhere to all applicable Federal and state laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required affording equal educational opportunity. It’s the student’s responsibility to provide documentation of disability to the ACCESS office at Spring Creek Campus, Room G200, 972-881-5898 or TDD 972-881-5950 in a timely manner if he/ she desire to arrange for accommodations.

Scholastic Dishonesty:

Every member of the Collin College community is expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Collin College may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission of one’s own work material that is not one’s own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not limited to, one or more of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of annotated texts or teacher’s editions, use of information about exams posted on the Internet or electronic medium, and/or falsifying academic records. While specific examples are listed below, this is not an exhaustive list and scholastic dishonesty may encompass other conduct, including any conduct through electronic or computerized means:

Plagiarism is the use of an author’s words or ideas as if they were one’s own without giving credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct quotation.

Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an unauthorized manner during an examination; collaborating with another student during an examination without authority; using, buying, selling, soliciting, stealing, or otherwise obtaining course assignments and/or examination questions in advance, copying computer or Internet files, using someone else’s work for assignments as if it were one’s own; or any other dishonest means of attempting to fulfill the requirements of a course.

Collusion is intentionally or unintentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to, failing to secure academic work; providing a paper or project to another student; providing an inappropriate level of assistance; communicating answers to a classmate about an examination or any other course assignment; removing tests or answer sheets from a test site, and allowing a classmate to copy answers.

See the current Collin Student Handbook for additional information.

Students found guilty of scholastic dishonesty will receive an authorized disciplinary penalty from the Dean of Students Office, a zero on the assignment from the professor and they must schedule an appointment with the professor to discuss further penalties that may impact their final grade in the course.

*Students may NOT submit the same assignment completed for another class or a different semester of this same class as an original work.

Tentative Course Content & Reading Schedule:

This schedule is tentative and subject to change, however, students will receive written and oral notification of any changes to this class schedule. Be attentive during class regarding announcements of any updates to this schedule and other class issues. Most announcements are made at the beginning of class so being prompt to class is important.

Week 1 (Aug 22nd)Overview of the course and assignments.

Read Chapter 1 in text

Week 2 (Aug 29th) Continue Discussion of Chapter 1

(Groups established for group project)

Week 3 (Sept 6th) Read Chapter 2

September 5th, Labor Day Holiday –All Campuses Closed

September 6th Census Date

Week 4 (Sept 12th)Read Chapter 3

September 16-18, Plano Balloon Festival, SCC Campus closes @ 3pm on the 16th and reopens September 19th

Week 5 (Sept 19th)Read Chapter 4

Week 6 (Sept 26th)Read Chapter 5 & 6

#1 lab due (everyone must submit, including service learners)

Week 7 (Oct 3rd)Group presentations due

Week 8 (Oct 10th)Mid-term exam (Chapters 1-6)

October 14h Last day to withdraw from course

Week 9 (Oct 17th)Read Chapter 7

Week 10 (Oct 24th)Read Chapter 8& 9

Week 11 (Oct 31st)Read Chapter 10

Week 12 (Nov 7th)Read Chapter 11

#2 Lab due (except service-learners)

Week 13 (Nov 14th)Read Chapter 12

Week 14 (Nov 21st)Read Chapter 13

Nov 23-27th Thanksgiving Break –All Campuses Closed

Week 15 (Nov 28th)Read Chapter 14

Service-Learning presentations due

*Absolutely NO extra credit available after the first class of this week. THERE are no exceptions to this policy.

Week 16 (Dec 5th)Final Exam Week (Chapters 7-14)

S14 Final exam - Tuesday, Dec. 6th @ 10AM

S16 Final exam – Tuesday, Dec. 6th @ 1PM

S11 Final exam – Thursday, Dec. 8th @ 8:30AM

*Failure to read this syllabus is not an excuse for not complying with noted expectations and deadlines.