Principles of Sociology

Instructor / Aisha Coulson-Walters / Course / SOC 231.01 (Monday)
SOC 231.41(Tuesday/Thursday)
Phone / 562-713-4670 / Credits / 3 credit hours
Office Hours / By appointment /

Email

/ or

Text:Sociology in Our Times, Kendall, Diane Wadsworth 10th Edition

The text is available from the JCC Bookstore or can be purchased through Textbook.com (Thee-book is 50% cheaper), Amazon or Barnes and Nobles. Purchasing the text is required for this class. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PURCHASED THE CORRECT TEXTBOOK!!

Course Description:

What is Sociology: Sociology is a discipline that helps us gain a better understanding society, our social environment and ourselves. Ultimately it is the fundamental process for understanding not only social interactions but how these interactions have influenced our roles within our families; what groups we are members of (race, class, or gender); institutions we associate with (education, and religious institutions) and how they impact our behavior.

Goals and Course Objectives:

This is an introductory course however it is through this course that we will start dissecting our social realities, our learned worldviews and the process for applying curious questioning through the“Sociological Imagination”.

This will be achieved through the following objectives.

1.To Examine how sociological principles can be applied to all social interactions and social issues through critical thinking techniques.

2.Comprehend and use information, including written, oral and electronic forms.

3.Understand and apply core sociological theories and their perspectives to human behavior topics.

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of individual and group dynamics among subgroups within the United States.

This class will stress the following essential skills: critical thinking, knowledge exploration and concept development, which are expected of college level students

General Education Outcomes- course goals and objectives incorporate specific General Education Outcomes (GEOs) established by the JC Board of Trustees, administration, and faculty. These goals are in concert with four-year colleges and universities and reflect input from the professional communities we serve. GEOs guarantee students achieve goals necessary for graduation credit, transferability, and professional skills needed in many certification programs. The GEOs and course objectives addressed in this class include the following:

GEO 5 (Core Competence): Understand human behavior and social systems. and the principles which govern them.

Students will: Identify and articulate sources of influence on human behavior, the dynamics of interactions of individuals and groups, and the evolution and functions of social systems
Essential Competency (EC) / Students Will:
EC 1: Think Critically and act responsibly / Demonstrate skills and practices that result in informed and responsible decisions in career, civic, financial and domestic arenas
EC 2: Work productively with others, recognizing individual contributions to group success / Demonstrate, through practice, the ability to work collaboratively with others, exemplifying the values of service and leadership
EC 3: Exhibit technological literacy / Demonstrate use of technological applications, concepts, systems and operations, to communicate and function effectively and ethically as a digital citizen.

Course Expectations (Class Attendance and Participation):

Principles of Sociology meets two days per week therefore:

  1. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO SHOW UP TO CLASS ON TIME AND PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE. You are also expected to spend 1-2 hours on coursework outside of schedule class meeting time.
  2. Only two (2) absences are permitted for the semester. If you are going to be absent you are expected to email the professor. After your second absence, your participation grade will be marked down.
  3. Time management is crucial to be successful in this course, therefore keep this in mind:
  4. Regular class attendance and keeping up on the reading and assignments is strongly correlated with survival in not only college but this course.
  5. LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED, WHICH INCLUDES QUIZZES.
  • Course readings – Students are expected to complete and be prepared to participate in class discussion assignments or that will be based off the assigned readings. Students are accountable forALL assigned material not covered in class, which may appear and be reflected on in class quizzes, assignments or the final exam.
  • Respectful interactions – Students are expected to respond in a respectful manner that honors differenceswhen interacting with the instructor and classmates whether in class or on online platforms (e.g. active listening in class, use of non-discriminatory language, use of constructive debate and feedback, appropriate and professional use of email).
  • Timely completion of written assignments – Students are expected to complete written assignments in a timely manner. Late assignments will only be accepted with prior approval from the instructor.
  • Professional quality of written assignments – Students are expected to produce quality work. This includes using non-sexist and inclusive language, not engaging in plagiarism (intended or unintended), giving credit to original author(s) for concepts and ideas that are not the student’s own, and using scholarly references to support one’s ideas in APA format.
  • An excellent online resource for APA style is available through the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University: .
  • Academic Integrity and Honesty-Any student found cheating and/or plagiarizing will receive a grade of 0.0 for the assignment. A second offense will result in a grade of 0.0 for the course. ALL INCIDENTS WILL BE REPORTED TO THE ACADEMIC DEAN. Faculty members who suspect a student of academic dishonesty may penalize the student by taking appropriate action up to and including assigning a failing grade for the paper, project, report, exam, or the course itself.
  • Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:
  • Submitting other's work as your own
  • Using data, quotations, or paraphrases from other sources without adequate documentation
  • Self-plagiarism – is the reuse of significant, identical or nearly identical portions of one’s own work without acknowledging that one is doing so or without citing this original work
  • Cheating: Is defined as obtaining answers/material from an outside source without authorization. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
  • Plagiarizing in any form
  • Using notes/books without authorization
  • Copying
  • Submitting others' work as your own or submitting your work for others
  • Altering graded work
  • Falsifying data
  • Exhibiting other behaviors generally considered unethical (

Jackson College Policies and Other Important Procedures

Attendance will be taken weekly in addition to participation throughout the course. The school has a vested interested in making sure that you are attending classes regularly whether online or through attending a face to face class. As the instructor for this course, I am required to report your participation throughout the term. You will be reported as a V for Verified (meaning you are attending, participating and in addition passing), as an H for Help (meaning you are attending and participating, but not passing), or as Q for Quit (meaning you are no longer attending and/or participating in class). There are several reasons you may be listed as a Q but it is important to note that once you have been dropped from a class by an instructor you cannot be put back into the class without the instructor’s signature.

Reasons for Being Assigned a Q

• Failure to participate in class within the first week without contacting the instructor.

• Failure of participating in class for greater than three (3) weeks without contacting the instructor.

• Failure to take 3 quizzes or failure of completing required MINDTAP activities

These conditions will result in an automatic Q during the next HQV reporting period and your dismissal from the course. If you fail to participate after the final HQV reporting period (1 week after midterm) you will not be automatically dropped from the course but will receive a grade of 0.0 (E) for failing to participate in the course.

Important Reminders:

Any student needing accommodations must contact the Center for Student Success,

If more information, please look at

Please look at the following link to review dates related to class withdrawal/ drop

It is critical that you keep these dates in mind when deciding whether to drop the course. Note that if you do not withdrawal or drop the course within the stated timeframe may result in a grade of 0.0 or based on the grades you have earned.

Other options:

“I” INCOMPLETE GRADE- A student may request an “I” grade from an instructor. The request for the “I” grade may be granted if, in the opinion of the instructor, the course work is sufficient in quality and quantity to meet course objectives. All make-up exams must be taken within the prescribed time unless extended by the instructor. A grade of an “I” will be considered carefully and is not guaranteed option and will not be given based on not being fully prepared for the course and the specific requirements, scheduling a vacation during course meeting and etc.

A grade of “I” may be removed by satisfactory meeting the course objectives during either of the next full-length semesters (winter/spring) or at an earlier date specified by the instructor.

Course Requirements

Assignments / Assignment Objectives/GEO Outcomes / Assignment Description/Total Points
Weekly Class Quizzes- There will be a total of (4) quizzes conducted during the semester. To receive full credit for the quiz you must be in class on time. If you are late you will only be given partial credit. Each quiz is worth (50) points / EC 1: Think Critically and act responsibly / Week of Quiz
February 12, 2018 Quiz #1 = 50pts
February26, 2018 Quiz #2 = 50pts
April 2, 2018 Quiz #3= 50pts
April 23, 2018 Quiz #4 =50pts
200 PTS
Class Participation/ Attendance and Mini Discussion Assignments / EC 1: Think Critically and act responsibly
EC 3: Exhibit technological literacy / Weekly Class Participation/ Mini Assignments
600 PTS
Group Assignment:
Through the group process, you will demonstrate your understanding of sociological ideasand concepts through the exploration of a current event. / EC 2: Work productively with others, recognizing individual contributions to group success /
  • Research a social issue that we covered in class this term that may need further exploration or a new topic that interest you.
  • Create a lesson exploring this topic, which can be presented through a PowerPoint presentation, mini video, or other creative means that draws out the collective skills of all group members.
  • In your presentation you will need to explore two (2) valid journals/articles in addition to your text book to support your topic.
  • Your group will submit a 3-5 page (excluding title page and works cited page) paper summarizing your topic. All external resources will need to be cited in APA format
200 PTS

Course Schedule:

Week / Topic / Required Reading / Assignments/Activities
January 15th / Introductions / Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective and Research / What is the Sociological Imagination
Assignment due January 21st by 11:59 PM- 100 pts
January 22nd and 28th / What is the Culture Thing? / Chapter 2: Culture / What is American Culture; What do we mean by Cultural Appropriations
Cultural Genocide Video
Assignment dueFebruary 4th by 11:59 PM- 100 pts
February 5th / Impact of Socialization / Chapter 3: Socialization / Genie Wiley Video
February 12th / Understanding Social Structure / Chapter 4: Social Structure and Interaction / Quiz#1 (Chapters 1-3)- 50pts
Mon Class- 2/12
Tues/Thurs Class- 2/13
February 19th / Groups and Organizations / Chapter 5: Groups and Organizations / Select Groups of Presentations
February 26th and March 5th / Assessing Deviant Behavior / Chapter 6: Deviance / Quiz #2 (Chapters 4-5)- 50pts
Mon Class- 2/26
Tues/Thurs- 2/27
Assignment Due March 11thby 11:59 PM-100 pts
Mach 19th / Is Race Real? / Chapter 9: Race / GROUP PRESENTATION
Monday (Second Half of class)
Thursday (T/R Class)
March 26th / What does it mean to be a Feminist? / Chapter 10:
Sex, Gender and Sexuality / GROUP PRESENTATION
April 2nd / Our Relationships / Chapter 11- Families and Intimate Relationships / Quiz #3 (Chapters 9-10)- 50 pts
Mon Class- 4/2
Tues/Thurs- 4/3
April 9th / Our Education System / Chapter 12.1: Education / Assignment due April 15th by 11:59 PM- 100pts
April 16th / The Meaning of Life / Chapter 12.2 Religion (p.380-397) / Assignment due April 22nd by 11:59 PM- 100 pts
April 23rd / Health and Society / Chapter 14: Health, Health Care and Disability / Quiz #4 (Chapter 12)-
Monday Class- 4/23
Tues/Thurs Class – 4/24
Assignment due April 29th by 11:59 PM- 100 pts
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
(Monday class only)
April 30th / Final Week / GROUP PRESENTATIONS
Monday Class- April 30th
Tues/Thurs Class – May 1st

Grading Scale

920-1000

/

4.0

860-919

/

3.5

800-859

/

3.0

760-799

/

2.5

700-759

/

2.0

660-699

/

1.5

Below 600

/

0.0

Extra Credit- There no opportunities available for extra credit.

Student/ Instructor contract and classroom guidelines

  • The instructor can change the schedule/format of the course at any time to assist the learning involvement.
  • I am here to support your educational development. Please seek me out if you need further clarification and/or need to meet to discuss your individual learning objectives.
  • Please do not hesitate to contact me with concerns to avoid end of term problems.
  • The instructor reserves the right to manage a positive learning environment. Therefore, I will not accept inappropriate conduct within this course.

Page 1