PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY – ONLINE SPRING 2016
SYG 2000 – Section 022F
Instructor:
Cristina Ramos Solis
cristinaramos@ufl.edu
Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law
Office Hours:
I will host office hours via Canvas Chat every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00pm
to 3:30pm.
During these office hours you can contact me with questions or problems with the
course and expect near-immediate response. Outside office hours, you can email me,
but please expect up to one business day for my response.
Course Description and objectives:
This course will introduce you to basic concepts in Sociology and the way
sociologists carry out their work. Throughout this semester you will be encouraged
to use what American sociologist C. Wright Mills called the sociological imagination
to examine the world we live in and gain a broader understanding of social
problems. We will cover the most salient topics in sociological practice and research
today, such as gender, class, poverty or race, so that by the end of this course, you
will be able to:
- Identify the main concepts and theories used by sociologists
- Distinguish the different methods used for sociological research
- Recognize social institutions and processes, as well as the complexities of a
diverse society
- Understand how individual experiences are shaped by broader structures
and global forces
- Apply sociological concepts and ideas to your own experiences in order to
better interpret and analyze them in relation to broad social
- Expand your knowledge and understanding of current social issues in
America and the world
- Practice “being a sociologist” by examining real data (graphs, charts) and
analyzing it with sociological tools and concepts
Attendance Policy:
As this is an online course, your only “attendance” requirement is to submit your
assignments on time. Each week we will study a different topic and there will be a
number of practice and review activities that will help you better understand the
ideas studied. You should take your time to work on all of them before you move on
to the assignments. You can work on each module at your own pace, but always
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make sure that you finish the required assignments before the end of each week
(Sunday 11:59 pm)
Required text:
Dalton Conley. You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like A Sociologist.
4th Edition. W.W. Norton.
Weekly activities:
The first week, you will read the syllabus (and email me if you have any questions),
read the Writing and Research Guide, and take the pre-test. This pre-course test
includes four questions for me to assess your previous knowledge of Sociology.
There are no right or wrong answers for this quiz and you will receive 100 points if
you answer ALL four questions.
Every week you will have to:
- Read the instructions and summary of the chapter
- Read the learning objectives
- Read the whole chapter from the book
- Watch the paradox animation
- Practice with the different activities under “Practice and Review” (these are
not mandatory, but they will help you prepare for the quiz and the short question
exercise).
These activities will be different each week and they will all help you to better
understand the chapter and prepare for the assignments by reviewing the concepts
and putting them in practice. Additionally, at the end of the “Practice and Review”
section you will find the “vocabulary flashcards”, which include the most important
concepts included in the chapter. Make sure you understand them before taking the
weekly quiz and answering the short questions.
Once you have completed the study material, move on to the assignments area for
the week:
- Weekly 20 questions quiz (100 pts)
You have only 25 minutes to answer 20 multiple-choice questions. No make-up
quizzes will be given unless you have a written excuse from your health care
provider other approved excuse according to UF academic policies. The lowest quiz
scores of the semester will be dropped and will not affect your grade.
- Weekly short answer review exercise (50 pts)
You will have 20 minutes to answer two short questions related to the chapter. You
can answer these questions in one or two paragraphs. (Note: one or two lines do not
count as a paragraph. I expect complete answers that show your understanding of
the concepts we read about in the book).
- Community and Census Data exercise (100 pts)
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There will be 4 Community and Census Data exercises throughout the course (weeks
4, 7, 10 and 16). For these exercises, you will be asked to review a series of data
(charts, graphs) with real data from different sources that sociologists often use, and
then take a short quiz to test your ability to interpret the data. Each Community and
Census data exercise is worth 100 points.
The correct answers for each quiz will be available every Tuesday following the due
date. There will be an explanation of why each answer is the correct answer so you
can check back to see your answers.
ALWAYS SUMBIT YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ON TIME. All work must be submitted
through the appropriate assignment link on or before the due date. I will not accept
late assignments. Each week begins on a Monday and the assignments will be due
the following Sunday at 11:59 pm. The link to submit your assignments will be
open every Tuesday morning, so you will have all week to finish your work and
submit when it is more convenient for you before the due date. Please note that
there are NO make-ups for quizzes or assignments.
Grading policy:
Initial Pre-test (1)
100
100
4%
Weekly quiz (14)
100
each
1300 (the lowest
grade will be
dropped)
52%
Weekly short answer exercise (14)
50 each
700
28%
Community and Census Data
exercise (4 throughout the course)
100
each
400
16%
2,500
100%
TOTAL points
Grading scale
A = 93-100 %
A= 2325-2500
C = 73-76 %
C=1825-1924
A- = 90-92 %
A-=2250-2324
C- = 70-72 %
C=1750-1824
B+ = 87-89
B+=2175-2249
D+ = 67-69 %
D+=1675-1749
B = 83-86
B=2075-2174
D = 63-66 %
D=1575-1674
B- = 80-82
B-=2000-2074
D- = 60-62 %
D-=1500-1574
C+ = 77-79 %
C+=1925-1999
E = Below 60 %
E= Below1500
Extra credit:
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You will be given one opportunity for extra credit during this semester. During
week 13 (April 11-April 17), you will have the opportunity to earn 50 extra credit
points by writing a short essay (1 double-space typed page) reflecting on one of
the topics studied. For this exercise, you can choose any of the topics of the course
and write a short essay on how by studying it in depth made you use your
sociological imagination or make a familiar situation strange.
I will not curve the final grades. Therefore, your grade will depend on your own
performance, not your performance compared to the other students of the course.
Due dates:
Note: The book includes 18 chapters but the course only has 14 weeks. Make sure you
read the assigned chapter for each week, as we will skip some of them (Chapters 12,
13, 17 and 18 will not be included).
Module / Week
Practice and Review Activities
Assignments
Date Due
Drop- Add Week
This Intro week is meant for you
to familiarize with the course,
understand the learning
objectives and determine any
previous knowledge you have
regarding Sociology on general
and using the Internet as a
research tool
1. Read the
syllabus!
January 10
Week 1
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 1
- Paradox Animation
The Sociological
Imagination
- Sociology Family Tree
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Introduction to
the Course
Begins January 5
Begins January 11
2. Take the pretest
3. Review the
Writing and
Research Video
Guide
January 17
- Sociology and its Social Science
Cousins
- Drag and Drop Theory Table
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 2
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 2
- Correlation vs. Causation
Methods
- Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Research Methods
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins January 18
January 24
- Concept Workshop
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 3
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 3
- Dominant vs. sub vs.
counterculture changes
2. Short Answer
Exercise
4
January 31
Culture and the
Media
- Drag and Drop Table
Begins January 25
- Vocabulary Flashcards
- Concept Workshop
Week 4
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 4
- Nature vs. Nurture Debate
Socialization and
the Construction
of Reality
- Agents of Socialization
2. Short Answer
Exercise
- Vocabulary Flashcards
3. Community and
Census Data
Exercise
Week 5
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 5
- Dyads, Triads and More
Groups and
Networks
- Milgram Experiment
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins February 1
Begins February 8
- Concept Workshop
February 7
February 14
- Concept Workshop
- Activity Quiz
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 6
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 6
- Merton’s Typology of Deviance
Social Control and
Deviance
- Concept Workshop
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins February 15
- Activity Quiz
February 21
- Drag and Drop Table
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 7
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 7
- Social Class
Stratification
- Concept Workshop
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins February 22
- Drag and Drop Table
- Activity Quiz
February 28
3. Community and
Census Data
Exercise
- Vocabulary Flashcards
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
March 6
Begins February 29
Week 8
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 8
- Three waves of Women’s
Movements
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Sex and Gender
March 7
- Gender roles socialization
- Concept Workshop
- Drag and Drop Table
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March 13
- Activity Quiz
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 9
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 9
- US Population By Race
Race
- Concept Workshop
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins March 14
- Drag and Drop Table
March 20
- Activity Quiz
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 10
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 10
- Pandemic vs Endemic
Poverty
- Concept Workshop
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins March 21
- Drag and Drop Table
- Activity Quiz
March 27
3. Community and
Census Data
Exercise
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 11
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 11
- What is Family?
Health
- Concept Workshop
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins March 28
- Drag and Drop Table
April 3
- Activity Quiz
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 12
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 14
- Alienation
Capitalism and
the Economy
- Concept Workshop
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins April 4
- Activity Quiz
April 10
- Drag and Drop Table
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 13
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 15
- Concept Workshop
Authority and the
State
- Drag and Drop Table
2. Short Answer
Exercise
Begins April 11
- Vocabulary Flashcards
Week 14
- Watch Interview
1. Quiz
Chapter 16
- Drag and Drop Table
Religion
- Activity Quiz
2. Short Answer
Exercise
April 17
- Activity Quiz
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April 24
Begins April 18
- Vocabulary Flashcards
3. Community and
Census Data
Exercise
Notes on Taking On-line Tests:
Proceed with WIFI connections at your own risk. UF recommends that students use
a computer with a cable modem connection when taking on-line tests and quizzes,
as a flicker in your WIFI modem can result in your being disconnected from an inprogress quiz or to page loading errors. Flickers can occur for many reasons. It
could be that your roommate just downloaded a movie, too many users trying to
get online at the library, café, or at your apartment at the same time, etc. The
problem is less likely to occur if you are the only user of your modem. So, we really
recommend against using WIFI in a public space. There are many possible causes
related to using a WIFI modem to take an online test. If you chose to use a WIFI
connection and have a problem, I will not be able to reset the quiz for you.
If you have never experienced this issue before, it could happen anytime.
Reporting Technical Problems: If you experience a technical issue during a quiz
that you believe is UF system related, report it right away (within 24 hours) to the
UF Help Desk at 352-293-HELP. Even if the issue is not UF-system related, the
Help Desk can trouble shoot the issue for you, (e.g., suggest you clear your cache
and cookies or use a preferred browser, etc.). If the problem is UF-system related,
you have 24 hours to send your instructor your Help Desk ticket number.
As a totally online course, federal law requires the publishing of the following link
to UF’s student complaints page: http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaintprocess
Incomplete grades:
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has a specific policy and proceed
regarding incomplete grades. Please see the following documents:
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/forms/incomplete-grade-policy-clas.pdf
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/forms/incomplete-grade-contract.pdf
University Policies and Services:
Academic Honesty: On all work submitted for credit by students at the University
of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have
neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”
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Accommodation for students with disabilities: Students requesting classroom
accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of
Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide
this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
UF Counseling Services: Resources are available on-campus for students having
personal problems or lacking a clear career and academic goals which interfere
with their academic performance. These resources include:
1. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career
counseling; 2. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171,
personal counseling;
3. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161,
sexual counseling;
4. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance
and counseling.
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