A note to students: The syllabus is an important document that you will need to refer to several times during the semester. Please keep it in the front of your notebook for easy access.
Required Text: Sociology, 10th Edition, Rodney Stark.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course we will study the fundamental social concepts of organization, culture, socialization, social institutions, and social change.
No prerequisites.
CLASS PROCEDURE: I will lecture some, but I encourage participation in the form of questions, examples, anecdotes, etc. Be forewarned: I call on students by name every day without exception. If you have done your homework, you should know the answer to most of the questions. After the first day of class, I will make a seating chart so that I can call students by their names.
MOTIVATION: The key to success in the course is motivation. If you lack it, please come and see me after class or in my office during office hours or by appointment. Sometimes just talking a little to me one on one can help, even if only for a couple of minutes or as long as you need. You have the intelligence and skills necessary to complete the course and even make a high grade-- an A or a B if you just go what you are supposed to: come to class, do the homework, read the chapters, study for the tests.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is very important. I do grade on attendance. For every class missed your attendance grade will decrease. For every class missed, 5% of you attendance grade will be deducted. Thus, if you miss one class your grade will be 95, if you miss two your grade will be 90 and so on.
I will take attendance at each class meeting. Please sign your name on the roll sheet, which is passed around. If you miss more than FOUR classes during the first TWO weeks of the semester, you will be automatically withdrawn from the course. If you miss a class, it is imperative that you get the notes from a classmate. If you miss more than the equivalent of two weeks of classes I MAY drop you. Ultimately, it is the student’s responsibility to drop the course if they stop attending class.
WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSE: see schedule.
GRADES: Bring a #2 pencil for each exam. There will usually be 50 multiple-choice questions. You will be tested mostly, if not entirely, on the text.
Exams 40%: Each week you will be tested on the material that has been assigned. Study questions will be provided and you will be tested on the questions. The exams will be multiple choice and will cover the text
Final Exam 20%: The Final Exam will cover all of the material from the semester.
Attendance 10%: I will grade you on class participation and attendance. I don’t expect everyone to talk in equal amounts, but if I ask a study question to an individual, I expect an answer. Everyone will start out with an A and points will be subtracted for lack of participation and attendance. Participation will be graded as follows: A (questions answered and are usually correct, student offers answers to non-homework questions, raises hand to add pertinent and relevant comments) B (questions answered and are usually correct) C (questions answered and are sometimes correct) D (questions answered and are often wrong or just made up off the cuff) F (open hostility expressed toward class and to instructor).
Homework 30%: You will be given homework questions on each chapter.
- The answers must be typed. Unless it is typed, I will not accept it.
- There will be only two grades for the homework: 100% or 0%. To get full credit you must answer all of the questions. If you do not answer one or more questions, no credit is given for the homework. All the answers are in the text. If for some reason you cannot find the answer, make an honest attempt to answer it and you will get credit. The index is helpful for finding answers. If you get a wrong answer, I will not count off – as long as I detect an honest effort to get the right answer.
- If two students turn in identical homework papers, or papers that are roughly the same, say 90% similar, both students will receive a zero for the homework assignment.
Points will be taken if any of the following are not followed:
Label the paper at the top like below. The answers must be typed. Questions should be written in bold. No italics or underlining. Skip spaces between questions and answers. Follow this format exactly:
John Smith
Sociology 101, TR 10:30
August 26, 2009
Chapter 1 Title
1. What do rates of conventional church involvements and cult movement in Europe versus America tell us about the effects of extreme secularization?
They support the idea that such secularization leads to religious innovation rather than the rejection of religion altogether. Many European nations have extremely low rates of weekly church attendance compared to even those American states with the lowest rates. And even with high levels of acknowledged undercounting in Europe relative to America, the rates of cult movements per million people in Europe are much higher than in the United States.
2. What evidence is presented in the text on formerly communist countries relative to the thesis that severe repression of religion and aggressive promotion of atheism would lead to the dominance of the latter?
First, levels of atheism appear to be very low in these countries. Second, adherence to unconventional religious beliefs is relatively high, even among generally well-educated, urban people surveyed recently in Russia. Third, there are currently massive religious revivals under way in the nations of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, including an explosion of new mosques in some areas.
- Staple: TEN POINTS OFF FOR NO STAPLE.
- #11 or 12 font.
- Number the pages.
- Make two copies of the homework assignment. One of the copies will be turned in at the beginning of class. This copy will not be returned. The other copy is for you to take notes on (if you want) and to study from for the exam.
- No late homework is accepted for any reason. EACH HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON THE DAY THE CHAPTER IS LISTED ABOVE. (Please see me if you have questions about this).
- COPYING: If two assignments are identical, or close identical, both students will receive a zero for the assignment.
MAKE-UPS: I discourage make-ups. YOU WILL BE ALLOWED ONLY TWO MAKE-UPS.
OFFICE HOURS: Office hours are for students who need extra help, informal advice concerning the course, moral support, and whatever else the student may wonder about but does not want to ask during class. If you are making a bad grade, come to see me. I may be able to help and there are tutors available. You are welcome to come by anytime, but I cannot guarantee I’ll be there. I arrive at 9:30 AM or so and often stay late into the afternoon.
EMAIL: Please do not hesitate to email me. Sometimes it is the best way to communicate. Again my email address is: gary.lemons@sccmail.maricopa.edu
WITHDRAWAL POLICY
- Student may initiate an official withdrawal from any course by submitting a withdrawal form with required signatures to the A&R office within published deadlines.
- Failure to attend any classes is not a guarantee for a refund or an excuse of debt incurred through registration.
- Official date of withdrawal is last date of attendance as determined by student’s withdrawal or as reported by the instructor.
- The official date of withdrawal will determine degree of refund, if any.
- Failure to file official withdrawal form within published deadlines can result in a failing grade and may effect refund of course tuition and fees.
- Additional information on Withdrawals can be found in the 2007/08 College Catalog http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/catalog/ on page 31.
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TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE: For help on Blackboard, My Maricopa., student Gmail, My SCC, and campus network access, etc. SCC Technology website
EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR STUDENTS: All students now have Maricopa Community Colleges email addresses. You must use it instead of your personal email address for important emails from the school and from me! However, if you email me from you personal email address, I will respond to it.
SCC General Education Statement
General Education enhances students’ abilities in critically analyzing and effectively communicating in Written, Oral, Visual, and Numerical form. General Education is WOVeN through the curriculum and co-curricular experiences at Scottsdale Community College.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES
A variety of student services can be accessed online. Please refer to the SCC Student Home Page at: http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/students/ . Services are free of charge to all registered SCC students.
Check the following web sites for information and operating hours:
- Social/Behavior Sciences Learning Center, Room SB158, http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/sb_pages/sb_isl.html
- Writing Center, Room LC379, http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/writingcenter/
- Open Computer Lab, Room BU133W, http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/its/Services/Labs.html
- Counseling Center, Room SC108, http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/counseling/
- Advisement Center, Room SC118, http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/advisement/
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SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
If you have a specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disability and require academic accommodations, please contact Disability Resources & Services office located in SC-144. You will need to provide appropriate documentation of your disability. 480-423-6517 http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/disabled/ |
ACADEMIC HONESTY
- Every student in this class is expected to produce his/her own original work.
- Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
- Plagiarism will result in being dropped from the course with a failing grade.
- Plagiarism will result in a letter to the Dean of Students for further action.
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CODE OF CIVILITY
Instructors are expected to be professional, courteous, respectful and empathic to students. They will:
- Begin and end class on time
- Be prepared for each class session
- Provide academic feedback and grade assignments in a timely manner
- Be available for individual consultation
- Clarify assignments and inform students of any adjustments to the class schedule
Students are expected to be reflective, courteous, respectful and emphatic to classmates, instructor and other college staff assisting in their learning. Students are expected to arrive on time for class and remain until class has ended. The instructor should be notified in advance if there is a need to leave early. Students will be expected to:
- Turn off cell phones before entering classroom.
- Be in class and be on time.
- Be prepared for class sessions.
- Participate in class activities.
- Follow instructions and complete assignments.
- Keep up with and turn in assignments by due dates
- Put forth their best efforts. Exchange phone numbers with two classmates in order to keep current.
- Ask questions when they don’t understand.
- Maintain knowledge of their grade status.
- Contact instructor right away about concerns or situations that interfere with their success in class.
- Comply with policies found in the SCC Catalog and SCC Student Handbook.
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Syllabus DISCLAIMER: Students will be notified by the instructor of any changes in course requirements or policies.” |