Rev 082007 SYLLABUS Tulsa Community College . Fall 2012 . Course: Aging and Behavior PSY/SOC 2713 Section #: 290 Day(s) and Time(s): N/A Start and end dates: Oct 15 – Dec. 16 Course Delivery Method: Internet Course format: Discussions and Papers Instructor: Kari Cooper Email: KWise@snu.edu Room 2389 Liberal Arts and Community Services Division 918-595-7494 Associate Dean: Doug Price For Problems with Blackboard or your Online Courses Contact the Distance Learning Office Room 129, Metro Campus Phone #595-7143 COURSE PREREQUISITES: PSY 1113 or SOC 1113 or consent of instructor COURSE DESCRIPTION: In the later adult years, we recognize age related sequential changes. These are physiological, psychological, and sociological. This course attempts to describe those changes with an emphasis on optimal and satisfactory adaptations to them by the individual and by society. Lecture 3 hours. No lab. NEXT COURSE(S) IN SEQUENCE: Non-sequential TEXTBOOKS, SUPPLIES, & OTHER RESOURCES: Title:Aging and the Life Course Author:Quadagno Publisher:McGrawHill Textbooks and supplies may be purchased at: TCC Northeast Campus Store COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course has multiple objectives, appropriate to a sophomore-level social science course. First, it will relate theories, concepts and methods to which the student has already been introduced (PSY/SOC 1113) to the field of social gerontology. In doing this, it should deepen students’ comprehension of both sociology and psychology, thereby increasing students’ abilities to appropriately use the insights these social sciences have to offer. Since one of the primary Page 1 Rev 082007 objectives of the course is application of theories and concepts, the course should also be useful to students both professionally and personally. Students should come to realize that virtually every society is age-graded in one way or another and that both social policies and personal beliefs and attitudes about aging and old people will determine the nature of that age-grading. Those micro and macro level variables are, in turn, strongly influenced by demographic trends, medical innovations, and economic conditions. With increased awareness of the many dimensions of aging, students can take greater responsibility for their personal, political, and financial choices and can attain greater understanding of the beliefs and behaviors of others both within the U.S. and crossculturally. The primary objectives of the course, then, are comprehension and application of theories, concepts, research methods, and available data. These will be assessed through discussions and papers. Secondary objectives include tolerance, appreciation of diversity, improved abilities of personal planning for the future, and greater self-awareness. You can consider these fringe benefits, because they will not be assessed! TEACHING METHODS: This course relies on class discussion and individual research. It has been carefully designed to be learning-centered and to put the student in charge of the learning process. The paper assignments ask students to synthesize theories and concepts from the text and apply them to a variety of aging-related issues. The discussion boards ask students to critically reflect on the assigned chapters, and be able to summarize material as well as analyze and evaluate it. The professor will take part in discussions to 1) correct misconceptions, 2) add information, and 3) prod students to think about different sides of issues and new theoretical perspectives. EVALUATION TECHNIQUES: Your grade for this course will be based on: Four 100-point Assignments /Papers -and- participation in Ten Discussion Board Forums, worth a maximum of 50 points apiece. DISCUSSION BOARDS There will be a wide variety of different discussion board topics posted during the course of the semester. Since there are seven boards for each half of the class, you will be able to skip two in each half. However, in the first half of the class, the discussion for Chapter 4 is required. Due dates for the chapters and the discussion boards and assignments/papers related to them are listed in the course outline. You must participate at least at the minimum level required (four posts in a board: three replies to classmates and one starting a new thread) in ten boards by December 13th. Furthermore, you must have completed postings in at least five by November 9th. If you have not completed work on five discussion boards and turned in two papers on their respective due dates by November 9th, you may be dropped from the course. To count toward any points on a particular discussion topic, you must post at least one original, thread-starting comment on the subject involving theories or concepts from the relevant chapter in the text or other assigned reading and three responses to others’ original comments. All original posts and response posts must be added by 10:00pm on the due date to be counted for credit. Page 2 Rev 082007 These response postings should be at least three sentences in length. Remember, this is the minimum to get any points; three 3-sentence postings would be worth at most 10 to 15 points. (Please pay attention to this when viewing your grades) If you do not meet the minimum requirement of One Original Post and 3 Response Posts with acceptable length, you will not earn a grade for that Chapter. People who post early will have an advantage in the original comments area. If your “original” posting is a rehash of a theory or concept applied in someone else’s earlier posting, yours won’t earn many points. Posting early also gives you a chance to enter into discussions with classmates; this won’t be possible if you do all of your posting in the hour before the board is due. Also, it is not fair to your classmates if you do not post early because they cannot respond to your posts. Multiple postings at different times, i.e., a real discussion will be worth more. (Please pay attention to this when viewing your grades) Some of the topics on the discussion board will be controversial; some may conjure painful memories of parents or grandparents. It is crucial for people to feel comfortable about openly sharing their views, if this discussion board is going to be an effective learning tool. I will respond to some of your comments, but I expect YOU to do most of the communications. I also expect people to be civil and respectful in their discourse. You are free to ask one another questions; you are not free to condemn or name-call. If you do, I will give you one warning; if you do it again, I will remove you from the discussion board and drop you from the course. ASSIGNMENTS / PAPERS There will also be a variety of possible Assignment/Paper topics for the course, covering all the different subject areas. These are listed under “Assignments” in Blackboard for different chapters. You must choose two from the first half of the course and two from the second half. (You will actually be able to chose one from the first ½ of the course because Ch4 is Required) I will be happy to look at rough drafts that are submitted early and give you feedback for improvement prior to the due dates. (You will need to indicate, in your subject line and in the body of your email, that you are requesting feedback) Assignments/Papers must be submitted by email as Word doc attachments. When you e-mail an assignment, be sure not to delete the “sent” file from your e-mail account. If for some reason I do not receive the project, you will have proof that you sent it on time. Assignments should be 3-4 pages (not including Cover Page or Reference Page) 12 Font, Double-Spaced, Times New Roman. GENERAL INFORMATION Due dates for discussion topics and paper topics are posted in the course outline. When there are two assignment options or discussion board options for a particular date, you may do either, both or neither. If you do “extra” assignments or discussions, the highest two assignments and five discussion board grades for each half of the class will be the ones counted toward your grade. No late submissions will be accepted or count toward your grade. Project Assignments must be turned in by NOON and Discussion Board postings must be made by 10 p.m. on the due date for their chapters. You can submit work before the due date/time (I accept work that is submitted several weeks before the due date, but I do not accept late work). Page 3 Rev 082007 When submitting assignments via email, be sure to have your name on the Assignment, as I make hard copies for grading. I will not grade papers with no name. Also, when you submit via e-mail, note who you are, which class you are taking, and what you’re sending in the “subject” line of the e-mail (e.g., “Jana Jones- Chapter 7 Assignment Aging and Behavior”). These actions will reduce the likelihood of your assignments being lost or accidentally mistaken for spam and deleted! Grading Scale: 900 – 810 A 809 – 720 B 719 – 630 C 629 – 540 D Below 540 F ATTENDANCE: In this class, “attendance” translates into participation on the discussion boards. While meeting the minimum discussion requirement will get you points, you will not get full points unless you have been a “regular” in the discussion, i.e., you have posted on several different days and been truly involved in several threads on the board. Of course, even then, if you don’t show knowledge and comprehension of text material, you won’t earn full points. Participation does not eliminate the need to read the assignments! LATE ASSIGNMENTS AND MAKE-UP WORK: Since you have quite a few choices of discussions and paper assignments, no late work will be accepted. Course Withdrawal: The deadline to withdraw from a course shall not exceed 3/4 the duration of any class. Contact the Counseling Office at any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal from a course ('W' grade) or to change from Credit to Audit. Check the TCC Academic Calendar for deadlines. Students who stop participating in the course and fail to withdraw may receive a course grade of “F,” which may have financial aid consequences for the student. COMMUNICATIONS: Email: All TCC students receive a designated “MyTCC” email address (ex: jane.doe@mail.tulsacc.edu). All communications to you about TCC and course assignments will be sent to your MyTCC email address; and you must use MyTCC email to send email to, and receive email from, the instructor regarding this course. Inclement Weather: TCC rarely closes. If extreme weather conditions or emergency situations arise, TCC always gives cancellation notices to radio and television stations. This information is also posted on the TCC website (www.tulsacc.edu). GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS: General Education courses at TCC ensure that our graduates gain skills, knowledge, and abilities that comprise a common foundation for their higher education Page 4 Rev 082007 and a backdrop for their work and personal lives. TCC’s General Education goals are: Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency. CLASSROOM/ONLINE ETIQUETTE: Open and mutually respectful communication of varied opinions, beliefs, and perspectives during classroom or online discussion encourages the free exchange of ideas that is essential to higher learning and to the ability to learn from each other. SYLLABUS CHANGES: Occasionally, changes to the syllabus may be necessary. Students will be notified of any changes to the syllabus in writing. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: TCC provides accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For information, students may contact the disabled Student Resource Center, 918-595-7115, or the Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 918-595-7428V, 918-595-7434TTY. DISABILITY RESOURCES: It is the policy and practice of Tulsa Community College to create inclusive learning environments. Accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are available. To request accommodations, contact the Education Access Center (EAC) at eac@tulsacc.edu or call (918) 595-7115 (Voice). Deaf and hard of hearing students may text (918) 809-1864. Tobacco Free College: Tulsa Community College is a Tobacco Free college in accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order 2012-01 and Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes, Section 1-1523 which prohibits smoking or the use of any tobacco products in all public places, in any indoor workplace, and all vehicles owned by the State of Oklahoma and all of its agencies and instrumentalities. This Order includes property leased, rented, or owned by TCC including, but not limited to, all grounds, buildings, facilities, and parking lots. Tulsa Community College’s policy includes a tobacco free environment on all campus and off-campus locations conducting TCC credit or non-credit classes. The TCC Campus Police is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Tobacco-Free Environment Policy. Violations of the policy may be addressed through issuance of campus or state citations. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty (cheating) is defined as the deception of others about one’s own work or about the work of another. Academic dishonesty or misconduct is not condoned or tolerated at campuses within the Tulsa Community College system. Tulsa Community College adopts a policy delegating certain forms of authority for disciplinary action to the faculty. Such disciplinary actions delegated to the faculty include, but are not limited to, the dismissal of disrespectful or disorderly students from classes. In the case of academic dishonesty a faculty member may: Require the student to redo an assignment or test, or require the student to complete a substitute assignment or test; Record a "zero" for the assignment or test in question; Recommend to the student that the student withdraw from the class, or administratively withdraw the student from the class; Record a grade of "F" for the student at the end of the semester. Faculty may request that disciplinary action be taken against a student at the administrative level by submitting such a request to the Dean of Student Services. Page 5 Rev 082007 Plagiarism The penalty for plagiarism in this class is an “F” for the assignment. If it occurs again, I will withdraw you from the class and report the incident to the Dean of Student Services for possible action by the college. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity. If you have any uncertainties as to what might be considered plagiarism, refer to the Student Handbook. It is available both online and at various locations on-campus. INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT: Each student is responsible for being aware of the information contained in the TCC Catalog, the TCC Student Policies & Resources Handbook, and semester information listed in the class schedule. All information may be viewed on the TCC website: www.tulsacc.edu TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR: Topic, Reading, Discussion, and Paper Assignments (DATE DUE) 1… Overview of Theory and Research Discussion Boards for Chaps. 1, 2, and 3 October 19 2… Demographic Changes Discussion Board for Chapter 4 REQUIRED DISCUSSION & ASSIGNMENT - Chapter 4 October 26 3. Health and Biological Changes Discussion Boards for Chapters 5, 6, and 11 November 2 (If you choose the First Paper Option, it is due October 19th at noon) (The Second Paper Option is REQUIRED and is due October 26th at noon) 4… Psychological Perspectives Discussion Board for Chap. 7 November 9 (If you choose the Third Paper Option, it is due November 9th at noon) Two paper assignments and participation in five Discussion Boards must be completed on the appropriate due dates by November 9th or you may be administratively withdrawn from the course. 5… Family Relationships Discussion Board for Chapter 8 November 16 (If you choose the Fourth Paper Option, it is due November 16th at noon) No Assignments or Discussion Boards due November 23rd – HAPPY THANKSGIVING Enjoy some time off!! Page 6 Rev 082007 6… Living Arrangements Discussion Boards for Chapters 9 and 12 November 30 (If you choose the Fifth Paper Option, it is due November 30th at noon) 7…Heal Economics of Aging Discussion Boards for Chapters 10, 14, and 15 December 7 (If you choose the Sixth Paper Option, it is due December 6th at noon) 8…Dying Discussion Board for Chapter 13 THURSDAY, December 13 REMEMBER: No late submissions will be accepted or count toward your grade. Project Assignments must be turned in by NOON and Discussion Board postings must be made by 10 p.m. on the due date for their chapters. Grading Scale for the Semester 900 – 810 A 809 – 720 B 719 – 630 C 629 – 540 D below 540 F Other Online Courses to Consider Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1113) Social Problems (SOC 2113) Human Sexuality (PSY/SOC 2813) Introduction to Philosophy (PHI 1113) – humanities credit Medical Ethics (PHI 2153) – humanities credit Page 7