SYLLABUS
SOC 101-210 Introduction to Sociology
Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.
--Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.
--C. Wright Mills
Course Information
Meeting Dates: Summer 2013 (Session I), 05/07/2013-06/18/2013
Meeting Type: Online Class
Instructor: Fayin Xu
E-mail:
Course Description
Introduction to Sociology provides a fresh perspective to see the world we live in by studying human behaviors as they are affected by social organizations and institutions. The starting point of sociology is the fact that society and social environment shape how human beings would feel, think and act. For example, the salesman’s smiling and the celebrity’s waving are trained and practiced to decently present them to others. From this basic assumption, the key sociological questions could be distinguished:
· What is society?
· Why are there different societies?
· How does society influence individuals’ behavior?
· What behaviors could society influence?
· How has and would society change?
Course objectives
This is an online course. To access this course, visit http://elearning.uky.edu and login to Blackboard (BB) with your LINK BLUE username and password. You can also login to http://myuk.uky.edu and click on the Blackboard link at the top. Please refer to the section “Minimum Technology Requirements” (Sec. VIII.a.) for technical information regarding online courses and minimum computer and software requirements.
A. Overall Objectives:
Overall objectives of this course are to introduce students to the field of sociology as well as to the practices of sociological inquiry and analysis. Therefore, in this course students will be:
1. Provided the fundamental tools (i.e., theories, concepts, methods) necessary to examine sociological phenomena, especially as related to individuals, groups and societies.
2. Provided opportunities to critically analyze sociological phenomena through reading, writing assignments, and class discussion.
B. Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of how key sociological issues facing our planet today are related to human society and culture
2. Demonstrate an understanding of key theoretical paradigms used by sociologists
3. Develop an ability to explain the relationship between sociology and other fields of inquiry, including the historical and cultural contexts in which the field of sociology emerged
4. Apply key concepts covered in this course to the analysis of sociological issues or topics
5. Demonstrate an understanding of how local social issues are related to larger sociological issues elsewhere in our nation and globally
6. Demonstrate an understanding of how the distribution of political and economic resources are influenced by race/ethnicity, class, region, and nation of origin
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and cultural context of U.S. society
8. Demonstrate an ability to debate and discuss controversial issues collegially from a variety of perspectives; and deliberate collectively and effectively on issues of common concern
Textbook
Macionis, John J. 2010. Sociology, 13th or 14th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Course requirements
1. Assigned readings and participation.
All course materials are online and it is YOUR responsibility to access material in a timely manner. To help keep you on track we have provided a Course Schedule that you should follow. The schedule is at the end of this syllabus and also in the <Syllabus and Course Schedule> tab on Blackboard.
Since this is an accelerated, six (6) week summer course, you are expected to spend a MINIMUM of 4 hours per day (5 days a week) working with the course material (including reading, writing, interacting with other students in the course, etc). Please be sure to set aside the necessary time for you to successfully complete your assignments, exams, and other requirements.
2. Exams:
There will be 6 exams and the final exam will NOT be cumulative;
The format of the exams will be 50 questions multiple choice questions worth two (2) points each (100 points total)
The exams are corresponding to six parts of this course: sociology, group life, social inequality, social operation, social institutions and social change; There will be an exam in each week (on Friday), because each week will focus on one part of this course.
All exams will be completed between 8AM-11: 59PM on the specified day. You will have NINETY (90) minutes to complete the exam and once you start the exam you must finish in the allotted 90-minute time slot.
3. Essay-Writing and Discussion on Discussion Board
You will be required to post an essay on Discussion Board each week. The essay is about a certain topic related to the knowledge which you will learn in that week. Each essay should be no less than 500 words. Each essay should be posted before Thursday in each week. Each essay is worth twenty (20) points.
Before next Monday of each week, you are required to read some others’ essays and write responses to two of them (with at least 50 words for each and 2 points each).
4. Due dates.
The dates for assignments and exams are fixed. If you miss class with a documented excused absence (e.g., physician’s note, obituary, etc.) on the day of an exam, you will be allowed to make-up the exam. Those with an unexcused absence will not be allowed an opportunity to make-up the missed exam.
5. Final grade
Text Grade / PercentageA / 90% and above
B / 89-80%
C / 79-70%
D / 69-60%
E / 59% and below
Other information
A. Academic Dishonesty.
Any student found to be academically dishonest will earn an “E” grade for the course and a letter, which will be a permanent part of the record, will be sent to their Dean and the Advisor detailing the circumstances. The UK Student Handbook states: “Students shall not plagiarize, cheat, or falsify or misuse academic records.” [US: 3/7/88; 3/20/89]
Plagiarism and cheating are serious academic offenses. For additional guidelines about what constitutes plagiarism, see the Academic Ombudsman’s statement on plagiarism. Charges of an academic offense will be made against any student who cheats or commits plagiarism. Penalties for such an offense will be assessed according to University Regulations regarding Academic Offenses. Please review these policies. The full document can be found at http://www.uky.edu/Ombud/Plagiarism.pdf.
B. Minimum technology requirements
Complete the following steps to make sure your computer is correctly configured and the necessary software is installed. Note: You will not be able to access course material if you fail to complete these steps.
1. Go to this site to check the minimum hardware, software and browser requirements:http://wiki.uky.edu/blackboard/Wiki%20Pages/Bb9%20Hardware%20and%20Software%20Requirements.aspx;
2. Internet Explorer is NOT recommended for Blackboard. Firefox is the recommended Internet browser for the course. Go to https://download.uky.edu/ to download a free version of Firefox. Log in with your LINK BLUE id and password and search for Firefox.
3. Go to http://java.com/en/ and click on the Free Java Download button. Run the installer to get the latest version.
4. You will also need Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader and QuickTime movie player. Go to http://wiki.uky.edu/blackboard/Wiki%20Pages/Browser%20Check.aspx then click BbGO! If you do not have these installed, you can download them from this site.
5. To download Windows Media Player, click this link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/10/default.aspx
6. Students and faculty can download Microsoft Office Suite (including Word and PowerPoint) from this site: https://download.uky.edu/.
If you experience technical difficulties contact the Customer Service Center at 859-218-HELP (4357) or by e-mail at . Please also inform the course instructor when you are having technical difficulties. The Teaching and Academic Support Center (TASC) website (http://www.uky.edu/TASC/) offers additional information and resources that can promote a successful “online course” learning experience. They may also be reached at 859-257-8272.
C. Blackboard 101 for first-time online students
1. This is a brief introduction for students using Blackboard for the first time.
2. Go to http://elearning.uky.edu and log in with your Link Blue ID.
3. Click on the Courses link near the top left of the page (to the right of My Bb and under the Library tab).
4. In the Course Search line, type Bb9-101 (exactly as you see it there, including the hyphen). Find the Course ID (first column) Bb9-101-OnLine-Stu, and click the down arrow next to the Course ID. Click Enroll then Submit.
D. Communication and decorum
I will generally respond to emails within 48 hours. I will let the class know if there will be any interruption in that pattern, ahead of time.
Students are expected to maintain decorum that includes respect for other students and the instructor, to regularly log in to the course, and to display an attitude that seeks to take full advantage of the educational opportunity. All students are expected to be prepared to work and actively participate in class activities.
Virtual communication and discussion "in cyberspace" occur in a social environment where normal rules of social interaction apply. The remoteness of the recipients is no excuse to behave in an anti-social manner and post unacceptable messages.
Unacceptable messages include those that harass, intimidate, threaten, belittle, ridicule, expressed hatred for, or aggression toward others. Let us be mindful to avoid words that imply that some groups of people are less worthy than others (e.g., avoid racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, ageist, and homophobic language).
Discussion board and other electronic communication for this course should relate only to the course subject matter, generally respond to the instructor threads, and always seek to further the aims of that particular discussion forum or chat session (e.g., stay on topic). Contributions to discussion boards and synchronous chat are the intellectual property of the authors. Students who quote another person in class projects, publications or even in remarks made on the discussion board should always acknowledge the source of that quote (e.g., do not plagiarize your classmates).
Personal comments about other users and their views should not be placed in any of our Blackboard course areas that are viewable by other users. Do not copy private messages to another person without the author's explicit permission. Consult the UK Student Rights and Responsibilities regarding the steps for addressing unresolved academic issues at http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/part2.html. Violation of these standards may result in a point reduction commensurate with the significance of the offense.
E. Contact information
If you have an issue requiring our attention (e.g., error in a grade, makeup assignment, missed exam, etc.), please contact your me via Blackboard mail (or by the email address: ). PLEASE DO NOT contact your instructor unless it is matter of extreme importance or a personal matter you would rather direct to the instructor. Remember: missed work (e.g., handouts, assignments, etc.) is not the responsibility of the instructor or the TA – they are YOUR responsibility and you should contact another person (e.g., another person in your assigned group) in the course for such materials.
In such case in which you need to contact your instructor, the preferred option is through Blackboard mail (not my email). To insure that I receive your message, please insert “SOC 101-229” in the subject line of the message. This way I can filter these messages into the appropriate mailbox and thereby insure that I will read your message and respond promptly (I get some 50-60 messages a day, so if SOC 101-229 does not appear in the subject line, the message may get lost in the shuffle).
Course Schedule
Below is the course schedule. The instructor reserves the right to change any portion of the syllabus to accommodate special events, guest speakers, etc.
Date / Topic / Text / AssignmentsWeek One What is Sociology
Tuesday, May 07
—Thursday, May 09, 2013 / Overview
Theoretical perspectives
Research methodology / Chapter 1
Chapter 2 / Essay-writing activity on discussion board before Thursday
Responses before next Monday
Friday, May 10, 2013 / Exam 1
Week Two Group Life
Monday, May 13—Thursday, May 16 / Social interaction
Primary group
Secondary group
Sexuality and society / Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 / Essay-writing activity on discussion board before Thursday
Responses before next Monday
Friday, May 17, 2013 / Exam 2
Week Three Social Inequality
Monday, May 20
—Thursday, May 23 / Social stratification
Social class
Gender stratification
Race and ethnicity / Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 13
Chapter 14 / Essay-writing activity on discussion board before Thursday
Responses before next Monday
Friday, May 24, 2013 / Exam 3
Week Four Social Operation
Monday, May 27
—Thursday, May 30 / Culture
Socialization
Deviance / Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 9 / Essay-writing activity on discussion board before Thursday
Responses before next Monday
Friday, May 31, 2013 / Exam 4
Week Five Social Institutions
Monday, June 03
—Thursday, June 06 / Economy and work
Politics and government
Families
Religions
Education / Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20 / Essay-writing activity on discussion board before Thursday
Responses before next Monday
Friday, June 07, 2013 / Exam 5
Week Six Social Change
Monday, June 10—Thursday, June 13 / Population, urbanization and environment
Collective behavior and social movements
Social change / Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter / Essay-writing activity on discussion board before Thursday
Responses before next Monday
Friday, June 14, 2013 / Final Exam
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