Glendale Community College Sociology 101 Syllabus Course # 20634 Instructor: Scott Thompson BA, MAT, MPA E-mail: [email protected] Message: Social Science Secretary; Brigida Banfelder @ (623) 845-3685 Class Meeting Days and Time: T: 7:10-9:55 P.M. Room Number: CL-12 Required Book(s): Macionis, John J. Society: The Basics. 13th Edition. Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Course Objectives: This course is designed to examine the fundamental concepts of social organization, culture, socialization, social institutions and social change. The goal of this class is to help students learn about social issues beyond the scope of popular culture and mass media reporting with the aim of achieving deeper personal understanding regarding today’s world and what the future might hold. My expectation is that you will be able to develop and utilize critical thinking skills which challenge common assumptions and be able to demonstrate sound reasoning for your conclusions. For more information regarding the goals and content of this class go to http://www.dist.maricopa.edu/cgi-bin/cpr.pl?trm=20036&crs=soc101&inst=99 . Course Requirements: Attendance is mandatory. I do not teach or test solely from the textbook. Therefore, attendance is vital to your ability to achieve success in this course. The instructor therefore reserves the right to withdraw a student from the course at my discretion after four absences. It is vital that your attendance remains in good standing in order to pass the course My policy regarding attendance requires that you miss no more than four classes without an official excuse (such as school athletic events or a medical excuse; see the current GCC student handbook) Note that the instructor in most cases is the judge of what is a valid and legitimate excuse; personal, family and/or work problems are not a valid excuse. In a nutshell, if you miss four classes you will need to see me. You will also need to see me if you miss two consecutive weeks of class. Failure to see me regarding excessive absences will result in the grade of an F for the course. It is also the responsibility of the student to withdraw from the course. Please refer to your current GCC student handbook concerning withdraw dates. Your assignments for the semester are listed on the next page. Assignments: Points 3 midterm tests 200 pts(lowest test score will be dropped) (100 pts each) 5 Quizzes 50 pts (10 points per quiz.) Critical Writing Assignment 50 pts Ethnic Timeline Presentation (We will discuss this in detail later) 100 pts Mandatory Cumulative Final Exam 200 pts Total Points Possible: 600 pts Grade scale: 89.5 - 100% A 79.5 - 89.4% B 69.5 - 79.4% C 59.5 - 69.4% D 59.4% or Below F Class Format: The class will be mostly a mix of lecture material and group discussions regarding social issues. My hope is that you all are eager to participate in class discussions. Many of the issues we will be discussing will challenge common perspectives and should arouse a great deal of interest. Course Expectations: You are responsible for all course material. Anything being discussed in the course can be used for testing purposes. This includes lectures, class discussions, and student presentations. As previously mentioned, I do not teach just from the textbook. It is my expectation you will attend a vast majority, if not all classes during this course. It is mandatory that you be present for the tests. I will not give a make up test without an extremely valid explanation for not being able to take the test when scheduled. (A doctors written order is such an example). If you have a time conflict with the tests please let me know in advance so the matter can be dealt with. Late Assignment Policy: My policy is to grade any late work down one letter grade per class period from the grade that would normally receive. I generally will not accept late work after one week when it was normally due without valid mitigating circumstances. Note: the instructor reserves the right to refuse any late work on a case by case basis. Exceptions to this policy require a written statement from a doctor or a very valid exception. Do not E-mail me assignments late or not. Assignments are due in paper form at the beginning of class on the date due unless otherwise stated. Students will also be penalized one letter grade if papers are not stapled or held together by a paper clip. Cheating and Plagiarism: In a nutshell; DON’T DO IT. I will spend some time defining plagiarism and how do avoid it. Regarding my policy for cheating and plagiarism; any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive an “F” for the course, be expelled from the class, and will be referred to the Dean of Students. Cell Phones: Please turn cell phones off to minimize disruptions. Repeated violations willresult in removal from the class. Audio Taping: Please ask permission to audio tape class lectures and discussions. No video taping is allowed. All students must agree in order to audio taping the lectures. Text Messaging: Do not text message during class. Students who text messaging in class will be reminded not to text message. Failure to stop text messaging and more than one reminder of this rule will result in removal from the class. Ipods and Music Devices: Do not listen to music or wear headphones during class. violations will result in removal from the class. Students who are listening to these devices in class will be reminded that this is inappropriate for a the class. Failure to stop listening to these devices and more