What happens in SA502 STAYS in SA502!

Instructor:    Dr. Sharon Squires         Office:  FH 310

Phone:          573-681-5152                 E-mail: squiress@lincolnu.edu        

Office Hrs:    Online Anytime            Classroom: Online 

                                            

 

Course Syllabus Overview 

Policies, Requirements, Learning Objectives 

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This course provides an overview of classical sociological theory and theorists.  We will also explore the underlying domain assumptions of several theories and how those theories apply to real life.  

 

Course Prerequisites: Graduate Standing                       

 

Learning Objectives:  By the end of this course you will be able to...

    1. Describe and define concepts used in Sociological theory discourse.

    2. Explain and discuss major sociological theorist and paradigms.

    3. Explain and describe the difference between the major sociological theories.

    4. Apply the sociological theories to daily life and social behaviors. 

    5. Describe and apply the scientific methods to the study of human social behavior.

 

Personal Statement: 

I encourage you to contact me at anytime during the course.  This is an online class and often it is possible to feel lost, please contact me at any time if you have questions about the course.  I am here to help you and I would like to have as much interaction with you as possible during the course of this class. Some of the topics explored in class may be controversial however it is my commitment to you that this class will be a safe environment for learning including the expression of new ideas and comments.   The only prerequisite for the class is an "Open Mind" and the agreement to show respect for others during discussions.  

 

Class Policies: 

• Log in participation in class is required – This is a 4 week class and you are required to log in at least 2-3 times a week. Canvas records your login’s. 

• All listed class assignments are required 

• Netiquette is important, so rude or disruptive posting behavior will result in dismissal from the course. Everyone has their own beliefs and this is a place to explore different and unique ideas so we may not all agree on everything. Also if you don’t hear it from me it is not happening when it comes to class information.

• All coursework is due by the assignment due date. Excessively late work will result in loss of points. You have one week to complete the given assignments. This is. small online class so I will give you some flexibility but in the dates but everything will eventually have a cut off date.

 

 Required Class Materials and Readings: Additional readings will be provided and placed on Canvas.

1. Wallace and Wolf.  Online Text– This is the main text and it is posted as a PDF to Canvas, and on the Course Resources page.  (You may also purchase the hard copy of the book. Its very cheap. I included the page numbers for both the hard copy and the online version of the book. The pages are slightly different. 

2. Other readings are posted as links or Pdf files. 

3. I am working on finding a free site for the movies I want you to watch; “The 13th Floor.” (This is the one I prefer you watch and alternative virtual realities.) If you have Netflix or Kodi you can watch it there. Or it may cost about $3.00 to watch it online. It used to be free on YouTube but they have taken the free movie down.  “The Matrix”, “The Truman Show” and “What the Bleep Do we Know? These movies may be found for free. They all allude to the fact that reality may be an illusion or just a social construction.

4. I have posted a free Intro to Sociology book to Canvas. This book will help you with terms and background information and I encourage you to take a look at it.  The more sociological terms you use in your papers the better. It will also give you basic info related to the discipline. 

5. I’ve also posted a brief Sociology dictionary of selected terms that you may encounter during the course. There are also great sociology dictionaries free online.   

 

General Course Information

Office Hours:  SQUIRESS@LincolnU.Edu. I generally check my e-mail everyday or every other day so I will respond as soon as I get your message.

 

Attendance Policy: You should generally log in at least 2-3 times a week and respond to each week’s discussion post. The zoom sessions are a good idea, but they are optional.  

 

Academic Honesty: "The University has specific academic honesty administrative procedures. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion.  When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting or collaboration, consult the course instructor. To be on the safe side always cite and credit your sources of information. See the student handbook for the full policy. The papers for this class are submitted to “Turn IT In” to check for plagiarism. As graduate students it is important for you to cite your sources. It is always better to have too many citations than too few.

 

ADA Statement: If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and need special arrangements for this class, please inform me. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate your needs. 

 

Group Work: I encourage you to form work/study groups. You can use the discussion board to get and give information to your colleagues. However, each student must turn in his or her own individual assignments, unless otherwise stated. 

 

Papers and Assignments 

 

Late Assignment Policy: As a rule, assignments should not be turned in late. Since this is an online class I’m a little flexible but remember all assignments are assigned early enough to give you plenty of time to complete them.    

 

Copies: Keep copies of all of your original work. I recommend that you start a policy of e-mailing your work to yourself so you have a record of all of your work in your in and out box. Make a theory folder on your computer and keep all of your work there. 

 

Canvas:  You must learn how to use canvas to participate in this class. Contact the Center for Teaching and Learning or IT if you have any problems.  All grades are updated regularly on Canvas. Check Canvas regularly and please let me know if you have any technical problems. Do not wait until the last minute to claim problems with canvas and posting papers. Canvas as it is configured does not work correctly with all smart phones. If you only check the course via your phone you may miss important course instructions and information. It is important to check on computer/laptop or desk top at least once weekly. 

 

Revisions:  Remember Murphy’s Law. For every Vision there is an equal and opposite Revision. Start your papers and projects early. I accept the early submission of papers or outlines for review and suggestions. 

 

Internet usage: You cannot use Blogs, Facebook post, or other opinion sites like BillOriley.com. You must use legitimate academic sites. This rule will be strictly enforced.  

 

Citing Sources:  All sources, including images, must be cited in your papers and presentations. For information on citing according to the American Sociological Association check out the following PDF file. http://lib.trinity.edu/research/citing/ASA_Style_Citations_4.pdf  To cite photos, identify the photo (you can assign a number to each photos) and list the URL link. If you use your own photos or images you have to cite that also. You can use APA format also. You can not get an "A" on an assignment if outside information is used and not cited. 

 

Readings, Videos & Power Points: You have to read the course material to be successful in this class. If you don't understand an idea or concept you can ask me or post your questions to the discussion board. Some of the readings may be a little challenging but that is the nature of Sociological theory. The videos posted represent some of the best videos that illustrate or explain the various theories and theorist. Since we have no required lectures the Power Points are designed to give you some background information and help you understand the topics.  So some of the ppts will be very long. 

 

Everything in this class is posted on the first day. This means that it is ok for you to work ahead.  You have a week to complete the assignments/discussions assigned each week.  After this time you will begin to lose points for late.  

 

Discussion Post and Logging In: You must reply to 1 other student’s discussion post for each topic. I will log in a few times a week and monitor the discussion post. I may also add additional questions and things for you to consider. You must post thoughtful ideas to the discussion board. Simply saying “good post” or “I agree” is not enough for full discussion credit. The discussion board is where you get to really talk to each other and think about the topics. You can also suggest resources (like articles and videos) for your fellow students. You are expected to log in at least 2-3 times per week. The discussions will be evaluated weekly and closed.  It is your responsibility to keep up. It is unacceptable to post to the discussion board at the last minute or weeks late; you will not receive full credit for the post because you didn’t actually participate in the discussion.  Remember the discussion board is not TWITTER, so short tweet like post will not be graded.  My role in the discussion board is to sometimes play devil’s advocate so I may challenge some of your statements. Keep in mind that it is not personal. The goal is to help develop your critical thinking skills. Remember you do not have to agree with each other’s ideas but you must be open to differing perspectives and be civil in your responses. You also have to be factual and not rely on fallacies of just personal opinions. Always keep the theories in mind when you answer the questions.  

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Course Set Up: The website outlines the topics for the class. The website also lists the assignments, videos, and readings for the course. The course is set up in modules on canvas and all the resources for a specific topic are grouped under that topic in course modules as well. You do not have to hunt for course information everything is posted together, either in canvas or on the course website. . 

 

Resources: It is important that you use the resources provided and not go to nonacademic websites for information. I have done an extensive web search and there is lot of erroneous information online. People seem to be making things up and attributing wrong statements to the various theorists. Sociological terms have specific meanings in the discipline and there are several people online using the terms incorrectly. For example, simply because Durkheim talked about religious symbols does not mean he is a symbolic interactionist.  And just because symbolic interactionists talk about conflict between actors doesn’t make them conflict theorist. Any external resources used in class must be appropriate & from legitimate Sociology sites. (No Blogs, personal WebPages or polemic political sites.) Whenever possible I have used readings from the original theorist so you can see what they actually said. 

 

Assignments: Many of the assignments in this class are fun and reasonable. They are designed to reinforce the course material, and increase your PowerPoint skills, writing skills, visual presentation skills and critical thinking skills. The full instructions for all assignments are posted in Canvas. Please read the full assignment instructions before doing the assignments.  All assignments are worth 100 points.

 

Copyright: I have pulled many things from the web to facilitate this class. This information is used for educational purposes only and no ownership is claimed or expressed on my part. I am pulling together the best information from multiple sources to explain the topics. No material should be reproduced or posted online without permission, or citation. In addition, no course material should be posted to social media sites like Facebook or web study sites like Course Hero without permission.

 

Social Media: I do not add my active students to my social media sites like Facebook or Linked In.  It is just too many people to keep up with. 

 

Canvas Calendar: Please see the Canvas Calendar for the actual Due Dates

 

• I’ve listed when you should begin the different topics on Wednesdays. We have 4 weeks to complete the class so we will cover 2 general topics per week.  You also have approximate 2 chapters +online readings per week. All readings are posted or links provided in the syllabus. 

• The exams will be posted prior to the due dates on the calendar. They must be completed by the listed due date. 

• Assignment due dates are listed on the calendar. The assignments should be posted on or before this date.

• In order not to fall behind you should post to the discussion board within the week we are talking about the topic. The discussion boards will close after one week from the initial post date. Don't wait until the last minute to post to the discussion board. 

• I will introduce the topic in the discussion board the beginning of the session and sum up the topic when it is time to move on to the next topic. 

 

Your Right to Privacy:

Once again as with my Power Points or other course material, it is also against class policy to post information from the class discussion board post to any form of social media without written permission of the poster. You have the right to interact freely in the class and post your ideas to the discussion board and have that information remain within the confines of the class space. I know we live in a “share” generation but we are here for “learning” and everyone is entitled to a comfortable space.