Discussion Board Forums Grading Outline:Class Schedule:SOCI 2105: SOCIAL ISSUES: PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIOLOGYKennesaw State UniversityFall 2010Online course--no class meetingsCredit Hours: 2Instructor: Dr. Samuel R. Brown 750 Chase ParkwayWaterbury, CT 06708Phone: (203) 575-8022Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Course Content Description: This is one of four disciplinary options (Anthropology 2105, Sociology 2105, Geography 2105, Psychology 2105) that can be taken to satisfy the Social Issues requirement in the general education curriculum. A common set of world social issues is critically examined from one of four social science perspectives. The discipline of sociology focuses on how culture and social structure combine to shape the way human beings live their lives and define and solve their problems.Required Text:Kornblum, William and Julian, Joseph. (2009) Social Problems, 13th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Course Learning Objectives:*Students will engage and interpret the course chapters and themes by participating in discussion forums for each chapter, focusing on separating myths from facts and making distinctions between personal and social problems.*Students will apply sociological perspectives to social issues and translate the primary Sociological theories, methods and themes into their real life by expressing how these relate to themselves in the discussion threads.*Students will analyze, interpret, and articulate facts and ideas in writing and develop their communication skills by actively participating in discussion forums for each chapter and practicing responsible and civil engagement of complex, varied and sometimes controversial issues. *Students will reflect on each chapter, concentrating on the varied social structural factors that facilitate and help perpetuate social issues. They will determine what they need to understand better, what they do or do not agree with, and what questions they wish to ask. These will all be reflected in the discussion forums.Weekly Learning Objectives:Week 1--Develop a sociological perspective on social problems, addressing the differential impact of social problems on certain segments of society, the role of the media in shaping public perception of social problems, and the side-effects of social policies that cause social problems.Week 2-- Become familiar with the policy implications of drug use and abuse and with strategies to combat these social problems.Week 3--Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of crime and violence in our society and of various strategies for controlling crime and criminals.Week 4--Provide a definition of poverty and myths associated with it. Discuss social policies that are meant to combat poverty.Week 5--Discuss how various racial and ethnic groups have dealt with racism, prejudice, and discrimination.Week 6--Become familiar with how gender and sexuality have become important issues in the workplace.Week 7--Demonstrate an understanding of key issues facing older Americans today and social policies that wereput into place to address their concerns.Week 8--Discuss the problems of work and the economy as they relate to workers and their place in society.Week 9--Become familiar with the impact of technology on the environment and with how technology affects society.Week 10--Demonstrate an understanding terrorism and war in society, including the direct and indirect effects of war and how technology affects the ways in which wars are waged.Meeting Learning Objectives:In order to meet the Course and Weekly Learning Objectives students should read the relevant chapters each week, read the journal articles available through GALILEO, and participate in the Lecture Question (LQ) and Discussion Question (DQ) Discussion Boards.Prerequisites:While there are no official prerequisites for this course there are some considerations that each student must make. The online method of course delivery is different from the classroom environment and requires the following minimum student preparation: Self Discipline With Internet courses the instructor remains a valuable resource; however, the day-to-day instruction is not thereand requires the student to become proactive in their learning. The student must be self-disciplined in order to be successful. Time management and organizational skills are a must in order to excel. Critical Reading A characteristic of online course delivery is the amount of reading required. Students have become accustomed to instructors explaining the text. This has resulted in students' not reading as much or not paying as much attention to what they read. In an online course, students must keep up with reading assignments and comprehend what they read. Computer Skills To do well in this course it is necessary that students have certain computer and Internet skills, such as being familiar with email (including attaching documents), searching databases, netiquette, and reading large amountsof text on screen. ADA Considerations:If you are a student who is disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act and require assistance or support services, please seek assistance through the disAbled Student Support Services. Carol Pope, the Assistant Director, will gladly assist you. You may contact her at 770-423-6443 or [email protected]. Course Components:The purpose of the course is to give students a better understanding of the place of social problems in our society and of the various strategies to address them. The course consists of the following components-- ParticipationIt is expected that students will participate in the class each week by contributing to the threaded discussion questions, completing assignments in a timely fashion, and asking questions of your classmates and the facilitator. Participation will be monitored.Discussion BoardsThere are two discussion board forums for the class—Lecture Questions (LQ)—based on the text and Discussion Questions (DQ) based on the discussion articles available through the Academic Search Premier database. This database is available at the following link: http://www.kennesaw.edu/library/libres/libres.htm Choose Off-campus access to GALILEO through either of the two options. For help in accessing this database or general searching techniques please go to http://galileo.usg.edu . For additional help please contact the KSU Reference Desk at (770) 423-6325.You