FA 14/CSE E221/Period 3
Race & The Transition to Adulthood
INSTRUCTOR: Julia Arroyo
OFFICE HOURS: Mon & Fri 10:30-12:30, and by appointment
OFFICE: Turlington 3355
EMAIL: arroyo@ufl.edu
“Studying sociology should be a liberating experience: The field enlarges our sympathies and
imagination, opens up new perspectives on the sources of our own behavior, and creates an
awareness of cultural settings different from our own. Insofar as sociological ideas challenge
dogma, teach appreciation of cultural variety and allow us insight into the working of social
institutions, the practice of sociology enhances the possibilities of human freedom.”
–Duneier et al. The Essentials of Sociology.
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
This course is a collaborative, student-led effort to understand race as it patterns experiences,
identities, and opportunities of youth as they transition into adulthood. While we aim to highlight
the role of disparate young adulthood transitions in perpetuating inequalities, we treat transitions
to adulthood and issues of race each as deserving of study in their own right. Throughout the
semester, we will often turn toward media and toward our own lived experience to supplement
our exploration.
Through participation in this course, students will:

understand concepts, theoretical perspectives, and methods used in research on race and
the transition to adulthood.

identify and analyze social processes and social structures, reflecting on how lives and
relationships are shaped by social forces in childhood and beyond.

apply concepts in order to identify and critique racial ideology found in speech,
interactions, media, and entertainment targeted at youth or situated in young adulthood.

better articulate and interpret their experiences, and become empowered agents of
personal and social change.
II. REQUIRED TEXT:
In addition to various multimedia resources, articles, and book chapters, we will use the
following text, available free of cost through the UF Libraries website.
Early Adulthood in a Family Context. Edited by Alan Booth and Susan McHale
Please note that there will be some weeks in which I will require you to read articles (or view
and use resources) that are made available on the course website and/or resources you find and
choose.
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III. COURSE POLICIES
A) ATTENDANCE POLICY (See also COURSEWORK):
In a student-led and collaborative course, interacting with peers and completing group and
individual assignments on time is how you “show up.” As communication and common ground
are key to any successful collaboration, it is the student’s responsibility to keep in contact with
peers and to regularly monitor the course website for instructions, assignments and updates.
In addition to being graded on the quality of your interactions with your peers (a.k.a. showing up,
contributing) you will be graded for class attendance on 10 haphazardly selected days.

Because you will be completing collaborative and individual assignments throughout the
week, you will likely find yourself completing course-related tasks most days of the
week.
o
If your life is such that you cannot complete course-related tasks to the same
extent on some days of the week as others, you are still expected to participate
fully in the course, including group assignments.
o
This may require that you plan your days/weeks in advance, making sure to work
ahead during times when you expect decreased availability.
o
This WILL require that you communicate early and often with your group
members about your expectations and availability. (Even when your life is
relatively simple, you will need to negotiate with your group members regarding
the timeline, content, division of labor, and final delivery of your group
assignment each week.)
B) EXAM POLICY:
There is no mid-term or final exam for this course. Student knowledge will be assessed using inclass activities, group work, and take-home assignments.
C) SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS:
•Submit on time. All work must be submitted through the appropriate assignment link on the
course website on or before the due date. I do not accept late assignments. Please note that there
are NO make-ups for in-class activities and take-home assignments.
• Submit college-level work. You are expected to use academic language and college-level
vocabulary and include and cite text whenever necessary, using MLA or APA citation format.
Please PROOFREAD work before submitting it to ensure that it is free of grammatical and
structural errors. Once you have submitted your assignments, you cannot resubmit them.
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For quick, online guides to using MLA and APA citation formats, please visit:
http://library.osu.edu/help/research-strategies/cite-references/apa
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
To learn more about writing sociologically, visit:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/sociology/
For a variety of resources and tips on writing, visit:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/
For help with writing at UF, visit:
http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-center/for-students/
• Follow assignment descriptions carefully. It sounds simple enough, but students often lose
valuable points on assignments because they do not read and follow directions carefully. You
will be graded on how well you fulfill assignment criteria and follow directions. Familiarize
yourself with the rubric for each assignment before completing it, and check your work against
the rubric once you complete the assignment.
• Save and format your work. Always create your work in a word document or some other
savable format prior to posting it to the assignment links. I cannot give credit for work that is lost
or not submitted.
D) CONDUCT POLICY:

Please treat this course, your colleagues and your instructor with professionalism and
respect.
o
You are not required to agree with everything you encounter in this course, but
you are required to know the material and confront it academically.
o
Pay special attention to the way in which you interact with your colleagues and
instructor.
o
Express your views in a way that does not insult, blame or put others down.

I reserve the right to temporarily remove any student who participates in harmful or
disrespectful behavior from the classroom until matters are resolved with said student.

Making sure that your postings follow the guidelines laid out in the Netiquette Guide will
ensure that your participation in this course is working for you rather than against you.
o
All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all
in-person interactions, e-mail messages, threaded discussions and chats.
o
Threads of discussion should continue to the end and students should maintain
professional language in posts and responses.
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o

No personal criticism is permitted and no inappropriate language is permitted.
AGAIN: When in doubt, follow UF's "Netiquette Guide for Online Courses".
E) COURSE EXPECTATIONS
1. Students are expected to read (or otherwise gain adequate knowledge of the content of) all
required resources.
2. Students will complete group and individual assignments.
3. When conducting group work, students will regularly and actively monitor and provide
substantive responses to questions and prompts on discussion forums.

This includes replying, replying to replies and continuation of discussions to the end on
posts by peers.
F) OFFICE HOURS:

I will host in-person office hours every Monday and Friday from 10:30-12:30 AM in
Turlington 3355.

Students wishing to visit me outside these hours should email me at arroyo@ufl.edu to
arrange an appointment.

Students who do not wish to visit (or cannot visit), but have questions may post their
questions to the "General Course Questions" discussion on the course website. I will
monitor the discussion board at least once daily, including weekends.
IV. COURSE WORK:
Due dates/times for the assignments below are located in the Syllabus Schedule. Familiarize
yourself early, and remind yourself often.
1. Introduction Post and Survey (25 points):
Please complete the introductory survey and post an introduction of yourself under the
discussion thread entitled “Introductions” in the Getting Started module. Follow all instructions
and complete the survey and your post by 5 pm on Sunday, August 31st for credit.
2. Rotating Assignments (10 for 15 points each, 150 points total):
Beginning the second full week of classes (September 8-12), students will have weekly group
assignments. These assignments are intended to allow students to take ownership of their
learning, better connect with their peers, and learn the material deeply.
o
These will be due at 11pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, September 9th
through November 14th.
o
There are eight groups of five students, and each week there are eight
assignments.
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o
Groups will rotate assignments, completing a different assignment each week
according to the published schedule.
Because the assignments are completed in groups, timeliness and communication are required.
o
Students are encouraged to contact each other as needed via the technology that
best suits them, and are welcome to divide the work and collaborate in a way that
best suits them.
o
However, students must use the provided group space on the course website to
document the development of their final product. This includes documentation of:
o

Discussion of Terms

Collaboration Agreement

Divided Labor

Final Product
Students will be required to submit the documentation along with the final
product (1) on-time, (2) as an integrated and polished whole, (3) through the
course website.
Rotating assignments:
o
Teach (Te): Together with your group, create a 25-30 minute teaching module
which covers the week’s readings and resources. First, identify the important
concepts and a multimedia resource that illustrates these. Then, develop a lesson
plan that incorporates this resource. Finally, present the lesson to us on
Wednesday. Your lecture materials are due by Tuesday at 11 pm.
o
Provoke (Pr): In the week that your group is scheduled to Discuss, create four to
ten discussion prompts based on the week’s readings and resources. Then, carry
out a discussion with your peers online. The discussion prompts should require
your peers to critically evaluate the readings and resources and to form opinions
based on and in reaction to the readings and resources. Your prompts are due by
Tuesday at 11 pm.
o
Question (Qu): Together with your group, create a 25-question quiz which covers
the week’s readings and lectures. These 25 questions should be formatted as a mix
of multiple choice, check all that apply, true or false, and/or fill in the blank. In
the week that your group is scheduled to complete the Question assignment, the
25 questions must be submitted through the course website in a single Word
Document by Tuesday at 11 pm.
o
Design (De): Together with your group, create a set of five short response
prompts. The prompts should require peers to apply and analyze class content by
relating it to everyday life. In the week that your group is scheduled to complete
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the Design assignment, the five prompts must be submitted in a single Word
Document through the course website by Tuesday at 11 pm.
o
Answer (An): In the week that your group is scheduled to complete the Answer
assignment, each group member is required to access and complete the quiz
individually by Thursday at 11 pm. The quiz will be 60 minutes-timed, available
on the course website on Wednesday at 8 am, and will consist of twenty five
questions chosen by your peers. Although the quiz will be completed individually,
you are encouraged to consult with your group members throughout the week in
order to ensure that you all understand the material and perform well.
o
Dialogue (Di): In the week that your group is scheduled to Dialogue, you will
respond to discussion prompts online, carrying out a dialogue with your peers. For
each discussion prompt (available online Wednesday at 8 am), you will choose
one group member to be the Integrator. The remaining group members are
Responders. Responders must post a first response by Wednesday at 11 pm.
Integrators must comment on responses, summarizing viewpoints and making
further insights by Friday at 11 pm.
o
Do: Together with your group, complete the short response prompts designed by
your peers. Short response prompts will be available on the course website
Wednesday at 8 am. Your group should submit one answer for each of the
prompts. In the week that your group is scheduled to complete the Do assignment,
responses must be submitted through the course website in a single Word
document by Friday at 11 pm.
o
Evaluate (Ev): Together with your group, after viewing the quiz questions,
discussion prompts, and short response prompts created by your peers, evaluate
them. Pay special attention to (1) coverage, (2) relevance, (3) clarity, (4)
difficulty, and (5) appeal of quiz questions and short response prompts. Be sure to
suggest improvements and alternatives. Combine your group members’ insights
into a single write-up using complete sentences in paragraph or bullet point
format. In the week that your group is scheduled to complete the Evaluate
assignment, the evaluation must be submitted in a single Word document through
the course website by Friday at 11 pm.
As you will note, it is necessary to be engaged, active, and in communication with your peers
and instructor from the very first day of class. The schedule is as follows:
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Rotating Assignment Schedule
(Published 27 Aug 2014)
Week
of:
AAA
BBB
CCC
DDD
EEE
9/8-9/12
Qu
De
An
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
Di
9/159/19
Di
Qu
De
An
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
9/229/26
Pr
Di
Qu
De
An
Do
Ev
Te
9/2910/3
Te
Pr
Di
Qu
De
An
Do
Ev
10/610/10
Ev
Te
Pr
Di
Qu
De
An
Do
10/1310/17
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
Di
Qu
De
An
10/2010/24
An
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
Di
Qu
De
10/2710/31
De
An
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
Di
Qu
11/311/7
Qu
De
An
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
Di
11/1011/14
Di
Qu
De
An
Do
Ev
Te
Pr
FFF
GGG
3. Attendance (10 for 4 points each, 40 points total):
Between September 9th and November 10th, groups who are working on the Answer, Do,
Discuss, and Evaluate assignments for that same week are not required to attend class on
Monday.
All semester, all groups are required to attend class on Wednesday.
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Between September 9th and November 10th, groups who are working on the Teach, Quiz, Design,
and Discuss assignments for that same week are not required to attend class on Friday.
Between November 14th and December 10th, all groups will be required to attend every class
session. Many of the “haphazardly chosen” attendance days are at-risk of being chosen from this
portion of the semester.
4 Portfolio Installments (15 for 10 points each, 150 points total): Between weeks two and
sixteen, you will be required to complete one installment for your portfolio each week. These
will be completed individually, but will become the basis for the final group presentation.
5. Final Presentation (35 points): In groups, based on the cumulative portfolio installments, you
will be required to lead an entire class session on a topic of your choice, so that you can gain
insight from (and lend insight to) peers’ experiences, viewpoints, and understandings of classrelated material. Presentations are schedule for November 14-December 10.
V. GRADING
You will receive a percentage grade which is calculated based on the amount of points you earn
out of the 400 points possible for the semester. For example, if you earn 382/400 points, your
grade will be 95.5% A. Throughout the semester, you may view your most up to date grade in
the gradebook on our course website.
Percentage breakdowns for grades are as follows:
A 95 % and above
A- 91 to 94 %
B+ 88 to 90 %
B 83 to 87 %
B- 79 to 82 %
C+ 76 to 78 %
C 73 to 76 %
C- 70 to 72 %
VI. A FINAL NOTE ON SUCCEEDING IN THIS COURSE:
Your learning experience in this course will depend on you keeping up with the readings and
assignments. I recommend reading and working daily on individual and group assignments. For
group assignments, you will need to coordinate your availability with your peers.
Getting to know your peers and working things out early will help you to establish an
enthusiastic and growth-friendly group dynamic for the semester. Take advantage of the
relatively open format of the course—make your interactions and efforts work for you and
your group!
Another way to enhance your learning experience throughout this course is to log into the course
website often and participate in the "General Course Questions" discussion threads (Located in
the Getting Started module) to ask any questions or discuss the material for this course.
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Lastly, please let me know if you have any disability-related learning needs so the appropriate
arrangements can be made to support your learning.
VII. UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Disability Services: The Disability Resource Center in the Dean of Students Office provides
students and faculty with information and support regarding accommodations for students with
disabilities in the classroom. It is your responsibility to contact the school administration
regarding any disability you may have, and to inform me so we can make any necessary
arrangements. For more information, see: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/
Academic Honesty: Honor Code. “We, the members of the University of Florida community,
pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.” This
oath represents UF’s commitment to academic honesty and integrity. “Cheating, plagiarism,
bribery, misrepresentation, conspiracy and fabrication” are violations of the Honor Code.
Violators will suffer the consequences. For more information about academic honesty, including
definitions of plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration, see:
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/honorcode.php
Harassment: UF provides an educational and working environment for its students, faculty, and
staff free from sex discrimination and sexual harassment. For more about UF policies regarding
harassment, see:
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/studentguide/studentconductcode.php#s4041
VIII. SYLLABUS DISCLAIMER
This syllabus represents our current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those
plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes,
communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.
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APPENDIX A. SUGGESTED OUTLINE FOR COMPLETING ROTATING
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Pick a group leader for each week.

The group leader is responsible for submitting the assignment.
o
You may also decide to assign other duties to group leaders.
2. Make a plan for dividing the work, collaborating.

How will you communicate?

What tool will you use to build your document?

Will you divide the readings up between group members?

o
If so, how?
o
If so, what will each member provide to the group after reading?
o
By what time?
Will you divide the final product into sections, and assign them to members?
o
If so, how?
o
If so, when will sections be due? to whom will they be due?
o
If so, how will you check each other's work for quality and accuracy, if at all?
o
How will you build your final product into one whole?
3. Know and understand the material.

Everyone does not have to read every sentence, paragraph, or reading.

However everyone is responsible for understanding, remembering, and being able to
apply ALL

o
main ideas,
o
key points, and
o
important concepts.
You may decide to divide the readings up between group members.
o
This strategy requires

that you trust your group members and check for yourself when in doubt,
and

that you share with each other ALL ideas, points, and concepts.
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4. Identify main idea, key points and important concepts.

No matter which assignment you are completing, this step is necessary.

You will need to know what's important in order to
o
"ask" questions,
o
"answer" questions,
o
"design" short answer prompts,
o
"do" prompts,
o
and "evaluate" the quality of the week's Ask and Design assessments.
5. Draft, revise, and submit your assignment.

Follow your plan from step 2.

Use your knowledge from steps 3 and 4.

Always double check your work against the instructions in the "Course Policies: Course
Work" page.
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APPENDIX B. SUGGESTED STRATEGY FOR READING FOR ROTATING
ASSIGNMENTS
STEP 1: READ

As I read, I often take notes. Sometimes these notes:
o
o
o
o
summarize the point of the last few sentences, paragraph, or passage. This:

helps me keep track of all the places a reading goes before it finishes.

helps me notice the purpose and relevance of certain parts compared to
others.

gives me a shorter version of the reading to use as a reference for later
work.
identify key ideas, main point(s), or a thesis statement

helps me identify or guess at the author's worldview.

gives me a clear set of points to argue with or agree with.

gives me a clear set of points to use to compare this reading to other
resources.

helps me to identify support and contradictions to this reading in everyday
life or in other resources.
document my reaction to a passage or idea. These are:

feelings, thoughts, exclamations.

links to other readings or ideas.

implications of the reading for some other reading or research.

implications of the ideas in the reading for some group of people.
document ideas that occur to me as I read. Ideas for:

entire courses I might build and teach.

research questions I might ask.

lesson plans, assignments that I might pair with the material.
STEP 2: THINK

After reading (whether I have taken notes or not), I think:
o
about the main idea(s) and key points.
o
about new concepts.
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FA 14/CSE E221/Period 3
o
about how these matter to me, students, and others.
o
about which of these are most important .
o
about the best way to help students understand these.
STEP 3: OUTLINE the material

After reading and thinking, I then draft a list or outline of the material.
STEP 4: CREATE the assessment

After reading, thinking, and outlining the material, I create the assessment.
STEP 5: MARINATE and REVISIT.

I then step away from my work and do other things: let it marinate.

Upon returning to the work, I check
o
that the assessment is clearly worded.
o
that it is free of grammatical and spelling errors.
o
that it emphasizes the same points as my outline of the material.
o
that these emphases are truly important and meaningful.
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