Social Problems - Continuity and Change OER
Overview
This is the entire syllabus for a Social Problems course. Please edit sections to align with your campus dates and resources.
Course Description and Learning Outcomes
Course description
This is an online, synchronous introductory Sociology course. We will have the opportunity to have face to face interactions but all sessions will be recorded and stored on our Blackboard site.
This course examines the major issues confronting society: economic and political change, nationalism, racial and ethnic relations, sexism, socioeconomic class, crime and justice, health and education, and family life. It discusses causes, effects, possible solutions and future trends. Students will examine the interrelationship of social problems and their roots in fundamental social institutions.
Learning Outcomes
General Education Program Level Outcomes:
Students taking this course will engage identity and equity by:
- Engaging issues of identity – race and gender, sexuality, belief systems and religion, nationality, class and others – both in self and in others
- Using theory to inform life experiences and vice-versa
- Examining constructs of identity with rigor and emotional intelligence, all in the context of understanding and achieving equity.
Sociology Department Learning Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will demonstrate mastery of these skills and competencies through the various course assignments, using appropriate examples in clear, concise, and grammatical English:
Objective #1: Sociology graduates will be able to explain the application of the sociological perspective to human behavior.
Objective #2: Sociology graduates will be able to identify the role of theory in sociology.
Objective #3: Sociology graduates will be able to exhibit the effects of social, cultural, political, and economic factors on societies and cultures around the world.
Objective #4: Sociology graduates will be able to explain diversity and continuing sources of social inequality.
Society and Culture Thematic-Area Learning Outcomes:
Students completing this course should be able to:
- Communicate effectively about the social world
- Understand peoples, social relations, and politics within a global context
- Analyze social problems using social science theories and methodologies
- Interpret social inequity as it relates to race, gender, class, sexuality, nationality, and/or other forms of difference
Course Aims and Objectives
Students taking this course will learn to:
- Learn to analyze social problems from a sociological perspective.
- Explain and identify how social problems are socially constructed.
- Analyze the interrelationship between social problems and the major social institutions in society.
- Analyze how social problems are reinforced and preserved by social groups who maintain wealth and power.
- Analyze how attitudes towards human differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, age, and disabilities) are interrelated to the problems of inequality.
- Formulate potential solutions for social problems using a systematic and empirical approach.
- Use concepts discussed in class to create cohesive arguments in classroom discussion and written/digital assignments.
Course Policies and Expectations
Course Policies and Expectations
Course Requirements:
A syllabus is not a contract between instructor and student, but rather a guide to course procedures. The instructor reserves the right to amend the syllabus when conflicts, emergencies or circumstances dictate. Students will be duly notified.
Class Participation:
Participation “officially” counts for 15% of your grade. You are expected to actively participate in every class session. We will meet via the Zoom platform. Specifically, you should pay attention, take careful notes, and ask and answer questions. To ask questions in class about any topics or concepts that you do not understand is essential for your mastery of the material and also helps me, as your instructor, to recognize when topics or concepts are unclear. You will have many opportunities to participate in class activities, both online and on the Blackboard course site. During our class sessions, it is preferred that you turn your cameras on. If you are unable to for any reason, please communicate that to me via email or the remind text app. It is in your best interest to be an active participant as many of these activities will count towards your participation grade. Regular attendance is essential to doing well in this course. Students are expected to attend class during our meeting times.
Assignments:
There will be six online assignments throughout the semester that will comprise 30% of your course grade. These will rely heavily on your keeping up with the readings.
Quizzes, Midterm and Final Exams:
There will be five quizzes over the course of the semester. Each is worth 5% of your grade, totaling 25%. The quizzes will consist of multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, and true/false questions. The final, constituting 30% of your grade, will also be cumulative. Exam information will be announced in class. Be mindful that I do not accept late final exams.
In sum your course grade will be calculated according to the following rubric,
Class Participation | 15% |
Assignments | 30% |
Quizzes | 25% |
Final | 30% |
Grading Scale:
90-100 = A, 85-89 = B+, 80-84 = B, 75-79 = C+, 70-74 = C, 60-69 = D, Below 60 = F
Course Policies:
Late Policy:
All assignments are due ET. Each day that your work is late results in the deduction of one full letter grade. Assignments turned into my office, placed in my box or under my door; by snail mail or emails are considered late. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete the assignments. Only assignments turned into me on their due dates are considered on time. This late policy does not count or your final project/exam. Personal illness and family emergencies are valid excuses but must have proper documentation. I will utilize my own judgment in determining what a valid excuse is but typically, oversleeping, traveling out of town, interviews, car trouble, and work-related absences are not valid excuses. If you know that you have conflict with a scheduled date on the syllabus, please see me so that we can make other arrangements prior to the exam or assignment due date.
Class Conduct:
We will establish our online rules during our first week of class. Students will be expected to be muted unless they are recognized (by raising their hands) or some other rules that we establish as a part of our course expectations. Each class lecture will be recorded and posted to our BlackBoard site.
Procedure for disputing a grade:
If you disagree with a grade you’ve received, you may submit a written request for a review of the test question or assignment. Written requests must include your argument for why you think you should have received a different grade. These requests must be made within 3-days of receiving the grade. I reserve the right to agree or disagree with your dispute.
In the event of inclement weather, the College will announce any closures via the emergency notification system and/or through local news outlets. Absent an official closure, students are not excused from attending class due to weather and any absences will be considered unexcused.
Academic Integrity
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Tutoring:
Brainfuse:
Writing Center:
Materials and Access and Course Schedule
- Social Problems: Continuity and Change, by Steve Barkan, 2016 university of Minnesota Libraries, https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/social-problems-continuity-and-change
- Course Blackboard Site
Week | Assigned Reading / Topics | Assignments Due |
February 1 | Introduction Week and Chapter 1: What is a Social Problem? | None |
February 8 | Chapter 2: Poverty | Assignment #1 (February 14, 11:59pm) |
February 15 | Chapter 2: Poverty (cont.) | Quiz #1 (February 21, 11:59pm) |
February 22 | Chapter 3: Racial and Ethnic Inequality | Assignment 2: Discussion Post (February 28, 11:59pm) |
March 1 | Chapter 4: Gender Inequality | Assignment #3 (March 7, 11:59pm) |
March 8 | Chapter 5: Sexual Orientation and Inequality and Chapter 9: Sexual Behavior | Quiz #2 (March 14, 11:59pm) |
March 15 | Chapter 6: Aging and Ageism |
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March 22 | Chapter 7: Alcohol and Other Drugs |
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March 29 | Chapter 8: Crime and Criminal Justice | (No class on Wednesday, March 31 or Friday April 2) |
April 5 | Chapter 8: Crime and Criminal Justice (cont.) Chapter 10: The Changing Family | Assignment #4 and Quiz #3 (April 11, 11:59pm) |
April 12 | Chapter 11: Schools and Education | Quiz #4 (April 18, 11:59pm) |
April 19 | Chapter 12: Work and the Economy | Assignment #5 and Assignment #6 (April 25, 11:59pm) |
April 26 | Chapter 13: Health and Healthcare | Quiz #5 (May 3, 11:59pm) |
April 30 May 5 | Final Exam | April 30 (senior exams due) May 5 (non-senior exams due) |