Sociology 361/Research Methods in Sociology
FALL 2014
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor
Course Meeting Times and Communication
Associate Professor Noelle Chesley
Department of Sociology
751 Bolton Hall
414-229-2398 (office)
chesley@uwm.edu
Classroom Times: Tues/Thurs 11-11:50 AM in Bolton
B84
LabTimes: Thurs. 12-12:50 in Bolton 293; 1-1:50 PM
in Lapham 271.
In-person drop in hours:
Tuesdays 1 - 2
Fridays 1 - 2
Teaching Assistant
Stephanie Baran
Department of Sociology
722 Bolton Hall
sbaran@uwm.edu
In-person drop in hours:
Wednesdays 10 - 12
In-person meeting times are a critical component of
this course. Unlike a regular lecture course, I am
utilizing a “flipped” classroom design. This means that
you will review lecture materials on your own time and
we will use our in-person meeting time to answer
questions, engage in in-class applications of course
material, and meet in small groups to prepare the
semester-long project. If you cannot commit to
being in class regularly at the scheduled times,
this is not the course for you.
To the left is information about contacting me (Prof.
Chesley) or the course TA (Stephanie Baran). Email is
the best way to contact us and will get you the quickest
response.
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Table of Contents
WHY STUDY SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS? ................................................................. 3
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES.............................................................................. 3
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED COURSE MATERIALS ......................................... 4
CLASS FORMAT: A “Flipped” Classroom .................................................................. 4
TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 5
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES .................................................................................. 7
Weekly “Module” Readings and PowerPoint Slides: .......................................................... 7
The Semester Long Consulting Project: ............................................................................... 8
Final Exam: ............................................................................................................................... 8
Grades: ...................................................................................................................................... 9
COURSE SCHEDULE .................................................................................................. 10
MY COURSE POLICIES AND REMINDERS ................................................................ 14
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WHY STUDY SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS?
How can we document the existence of discrimination? Are citizens in the United States happier
than residents of other countries? Is income inequality among Americans increasing or
decreasing? Are black criminals more likely to receive a death sentence than white criminals?
These are the sorts of questions that social scientists address every day using established
research methods.
Knowledge about and experience with developing and implementing research studies is a
highly-valued skill that is applied in a variety of environments, including universities, non-profit
organizations, government, and private-sector firms. In practical terms this course is designed
to prepare you for involvement in a range of independent research projects that you may
encounter in your roles as student, employee, or engaged citizen.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Development of Social Science Skills
Students completing this course will gain an understanding of:
 The theoretical and philosophical perspectives that underlie different approaches to
empirical investigations in sociology;
 The range of ethical issues that one might face in designing and implementing a research
project;
 Key issues in sampling and measurement;
 The specific techniques that scientists use to gather information about social phenomena;
 The various ways that sociologists analyze information from social research studies;
 How social scientists demonstrate cause-effect relationships in social research.
Development of Transferrable Skills
Completing the activities associated with this course should help you progress in your ability to:
 Think critically. Design/evaluate/analyze existing or proposed research studies;
 Create Knowledge. Synthesize and integrate information from a variety of sources
pertaining to a complex social problem, pose questions that follow from existing research,
link research questions and their potential solutions to course concepts;
 Solve Problems. Think about problems and their solutions in multiple ways; seek
information from a variety of sources;
 Formulate and Support Arguments. Distinguish evidence-based arguments from those
based on personal experience or morals. Apply these arguments in your own speaking and
writing to “make a case” for a particular interpretation or conclusion. Critique conclusions
from research through effective communication to classmates. Engage with other learners
through active listening and sharing ideas;
 Evaluate the work of peers. Constructively critique the arguments and conclusions of
others. Offer suggestions for improvement in research design or evidence-based writing;
engage with other learners through active listening and sharing ideas.
 Complete a central task in a team-based environment. Work with peers over the course
of the semester to plan, manage, and complete a client-based consulting project.
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REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED COURSE MATERIALS
1. Required: Investigating the Social World, 7th Edition, by Russell K. Schutt. Pine Forge
Press, Thousand Oaks, CA. This book is available in the UWM bookstores and on reserve in
the library. You need the 7th edition, earlier editions will not suffice.
This text is widely available in print from a variety of online vendors for $50-$55. I have also
seen online rental prices in the range of $30 for the semester.
A Note About the Required Text. Several semesters ago, one of my students failed this
course. She told me later than one of the main reasons she did not do well is that she did not
purchase the text (she was able to pass in a subsequent semester). The readings in the text are
heavily emphasized in this course and will be used in lab materials, in-class applications, and
exams. In my experience, it is difficult to master the material we will cover this semester without
reading this text. You need the correct edition of the textbook in order to do well in this course!
2. Strongly recommended: A writing style guide of your choice. A popular and inexpensive
volume is William Strunk and E.B. White’s (1999) The Elements of Style, which is available
everywhere.
Other materials mentioned on the course schedule can be downloaded from the course website.
CLASS FORMAT: A “Flipped” Classroom
Many college courses use a lecture format. Students come to class and listen to an instructor
deliver a planned lecture on a particular topic. Discussion with the instructor, or time for
questions may or may not be part of that experience. Learning in these environments is
generally more passive, where students are expected to listen, take notes, and absorb (and
hopefully think critically about) the information presented.
In a flipped classroom, students use online tools to review lecture materials on their own time
(and to view them multiple times, if necessary). In-person meeting times with the instructor and
the rest of the class are reserved for answering questions or otherwise discussing the topic at
hand, applying new ideas through in-class exercises, and project work.
An important component of this course design is a very different role for the instructor. Rather
than acting as the “sage on the stage,” in a flipped classroom, the instructor works more
collaboratively and cooperatively with students. Expectations are different for students, as well.
The flipped model means that you, as a student have to be very actively engaged in this
process. You are more responsible for your own learning, but there should also be more room
to experiment, too.
In a nutshell, what this means is that our class meeting times are more critical than ever. This is
the time we will use to meet to go over course concepts, apply them in new ways, and work
together on the semester-long consulting project (which constitutes a large part of your course
grade). If you miss class, there is no way to make it up. Unlike a lecture course where you can
get notes from another student, or review the lecture slides, the class time is interactive and will
progress much more organically than in a planned lecture.
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You can plan to spend approximately 10 hours a week on this course. This will include
time spent online reading lectures or other course material, coming to class and lab, completing
assignments, and studying for quizzes and exams. You will also spend time completing the
course reading, creating posts for the discussions, and researching and writing for the research
proposal project and lab assignments.
For a bit more information about this classroom format, see “Seven Things you Should Know
About Flipped Classrooms” on the course website.
TECHNOLOGY
Course Site. The Learning Management System used at UW-Milwaukee is Desire to Learn,
sometimes called D2L, and is available at https://idp.uwm.edu/idp/Authn/UserPassword.
Need Help? Any problems with access to D2L, please contact help@uwm.edu or call (414) 2294040.The Help Desk can help you with your technical issues with the class.
For more information about how to use the latest version of D2L visit:
http://uwmltc.org/?p=8690.
Hardware. To successfully participate in learning environment that incorporates online
materials, you will need routine access to a computer that has a broadband connection. You
should have regular access to a desktop or laptop computer that is capable of accessing the
course site and course materials.
Software. On your computer, you will need to be able to view, edit, and create Word and
PowerPoint files. You will also need to be able to view Adobe PDF (portable document files,
.pdf) files.
Internet. UWM recommends the use of a broadband Internet connection in order to efficiently
and effectively download course materials
Email. Email will also be used. Make sure to put me and the TA in your address book. If you do
not use your UWM e-mail, you can find information on forwarding your e-mail at:
https://pantherlink.uwm.edu/. I will routinely use your UWM address, so please make sure you
can receive email sent to this address.
Tips for Email Use in this Class
Please place the phrase “Soc. 361:” followed by the specific subject of a question/email in the
subject line of all emails to me or the TA. We all get email from a variety of sources and placing
this information in the subject line of emails will allow all of us to more easily sort and locate
important course emails.
I also ask that students use greetings (e.g., Dear Professor Chesley) and closings (e.g.,
Sincerely, Cordially) in their emails, as well as avoiding the use of acronyms (e.g. OMG, LOL). I
would like you to use this class as an opportunity to polish your professional online
communication skills.
Here is an example of the email format I would like to see you use in this course
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From: "Noelle Chesley" <chesley@uwm.edu>
To: "Student X" <studentX@uwm.edu>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2012 1:51:32 PM
Subject: Soc. 361: Question
Dear Student X:
Thank you for your email. You asked about further resources for pursuing your research project
for 361. I suggest you search SocAbstracts using the following search terms “income inequality”
and “stratification.”
Best,
Prof. Chesley
I typically check my email twice per day (morning, afternoon) Monday through Friday unless I
am out of town or scheduled in all-day meetings. I do not routinely check email on
weekends. In general, I will get back to you within 24 hours (often much sooner) M – F, but will
not respond to email sent after Friday afternoon until Monday morning.
Getting the Technology Right. Not having access to technology or the appropriate technology
to complete course requirements is not a valid excuse for incomplete work. You must be willing
to obtain access to the needed hardware, software, and Internet. You must be willing to check
your e-mail Monday through Friday and access the course site as much as needed. If you are
not willing to do these things, then you should consider dropping this class..
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REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES
You will participate in a number of different course activities designed to help you learn and
apply social research methods. These include: carefully reading course materials devoted to
a topic prior to classroom time, participating in class discussions and in-class applications,
completing quizzes to assess your understanding of module materials, working in teams on a
semester-long consulting project, and taking a comprehensive final exam. More detail about
these course activities is provided below.
Weekly “Module” Readings and PowerPoint Slides:
Because we are no longer bound to the traditional 50 or 75 minute lecture to deliver necessary
information, the course is organized around a series of topics that build on one another rather
than what can be covered neatly during a prescribed lecture slot. Each of these topics is called
a “module” and we will complete 12 different modules related to research methods this
semester.
We spend roughly one week on each module. Readings will be available via your text and
online. The reading material is intended to provide you with foundational knowledge of social
research methods that can be used as a springboard for other activities in the course.
PowerPoint slides and notes are used to emphasize, supplement, and clarify key material from
the reading. You should also review these outside of class. Please note that the current
PowerPoint view in D2L shows slides, but not the notes section that goes with each
slide. I often have detailed notes that accompany a slide. I recommend downloading the
slides and viewing them in notes view on your computer.
My plan is that we will use our Tuesday meeting time to go over any questions students may
have about that weeks’ topic. This means you need to complete the course reading and review
of PowerPoint slides before we meet at 11 am on Tuesdays. We will also use that Tuesday
meeting time to engage in a hands-on application of the week’s topic. While these will be
graded, they are low-stakes assignments designed to help you see how well you grasp some of
the key points from that week’s module.
Lab time on Thursday will be used, in part, to complete a quiz (typically 5 – 10 questions) on the
week’s topic. This quiz structure allows you to get regular, early feedback on how well you grasp
a particular topic.
In-class work on Tuesdays will be graded and will be worth up to 5 points. Weekly quizzes
(administered in lab on Thursdays) are worth 10 points. Lowest grades on both will be dropped
when computing your final grade.
My Philosophy Regarding PowerPoint Slides. PowerPoint slides are provided as
supplements to (not replacements for) the required text. Previous students have recommended
that I incorporate voice-over PowerPoints into this course, however, I have made the decision
not to do this. The central reason for this decision is that providing a verbal recording to
accompany the slides is incredibly time-consuming (think about how many tries you can take to
get your phone greeting the way you want it) and this time commitment impedes me from
making corrections and updates to the slides on an as-needed basis. With the current
slide/notes format, I can easily make corrections or additions to the slides at a moment’s notice,
which I see as a critical element of making this course work as effectively as possible. I can’t
tell you how many times students let me know about mistakes on slides, or that something
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wasn’t clear enough. I always try to fix those problems right away and addressing them is made
much more difficult if I have to re-record the voice material every time.
The Semester Long Consulting Project:
To make this course as true to life as possible, I have designed it to include a consulting project,
complete with client (me!). You will work weekly, in small groups in class, to help me specify the
problem I am facing, identify a research design that will provide further information about this
problem, collect and analyze data using the methods we discuss in class, and make
recommendations on the basis of your research.
While you will work in teams to collectively formulate a series of research questions and select
an appropriate design, collect data, and analyze it to address these questions, each student will
write an individual report to showcase his/her understanding of the research process. You will
complete the report in stages, with a final report due at the end of the semester.
We will typically devote class time on Thursdays to the consulting project. This means there will
be built-in time to meet in your teams to plan and manage your projects and do your data
collection. Each group will also be able to consult with me each week to ask questions or get
feedback on the teams’ approach. I also expect that some lab time will be available for teams to
make progress on the consulting project. You will be assessed by your team members on
your group contributions beginning in week 2 through week 12. Each group member will
rate each other group member on the quality of his/her overall contribution to the team
on a weekly basis (you won’t rate yourself). Ratings are averaged and earning a total of
50 points is possible over the course of the semester.
NOTE: Another thing I am hoping we can experiment with this semester is having some teams
do modules 4 – 9 out of the order I have listed in the class schedule. It may be that some teams
will know fairly early on that they will want to field a survey. In that case, they should start
learning the survey material as soon as possible. Another team may want to try an experimental
approach, in which case they would need to access and learn the material on experiments
sooner rather than later. I plan to work individually with teams to help each group assess what
the best approach might be as soon as possible and map out a plan for working through the
course materials to best fit the needs of that group.
Final Exam:
Social research methodology is a knowledge area with specific terminology and techniques.
Future employers (or graduate programs) will expect that you have developed a basic familiarity
with a number of subtopics in this area, including sampling, measurement, experimental and
survey design, qualitative methods, and a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques for
data analysis. The comprehensive final exam is designed to assess your basic understanding of
all of these subtopics, regardless of the focus of your own research for the class and final report.
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Grades:
You can track your grades for all of your assignments on D2L.
Summary of Assignments and Point Values:
Assignment
Development of Final Client Report
Group Charter
Statement of Problem Memo
Peer Review of Statement of Problem Memo
Client Report; Draft 1
Client Report; Draft 2
Final Client Report
Team Semester-based Assessment
Topic Quizzes (11 @ 10 points each; lowest score
dropped)
Topic In-Class work on Tuesdays (11 @ 5 points
each; lowest score dropped)
Comprehensive Final Exam
TOTAL
Points for
Assignment
10
20
10
35
35
45
50
100
50
100
455
Grading Structure for Final Grade:
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
% of Total Points
93
90
87
83
80
77
73
70
67
63
Below 63
**** IMPORTANT: You must turn in a final report in order to pass the course ****
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Week
Assignments and Due Dates:
Before Tuesday
Tuesday Class
Week 1
9/2 – 9/5
Before Thursday
Course Introduction
1) Goals and Structure of
the Course
2) The Flipped Classroom
3) Creation of Media
Policy
Week 2
9/8 – 9/11
Topic 1
Overview of the
Research Process;
1) Read Ch. 1 & 2
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course
Material
Week 3
9/15 – 9/19
Topic 2
Research Ethics and
Philosophies;
1) Read Ch. 3;
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course
Material
10
Thursday Class
Thursday Lab
Read:
1) Overview of
Client Project
Handout;
2) The Team
Charter
Assignment;
3) Difference
Matters, Ch. 1
Overview of Client
Project
1) Meet the client
2) Team Building
Exercise
3) Brainstorming
session to target
your individual and
group research
efforts
Establish Team
Processes
Read:
Statement of
Problem Memo
Assignment
instructions.
Client Project:
1) Start formulating
research questions
that will be
addressed by
members of the
group.
QUIZ 1: The Research
Process
Client Project:
Institutional Review
Boards and Your
Responsibilities as
a Student
Researcher
QUIZ 2: Research
Ethics and
Philosophies
DUE: Group Charter
(upload to D2L by end
of LAB).
Week
Week 4
9/22 – 9/26
Assignments and Due Dates:
Before Tuesday
Tuesday Class
Topic 3
1) Questions about
Overview of Sampling
Course Material
Methods;
2) In-Class Exercise
1) Read Ch. 5;
Applying Course
2) Review Slides
Material
Before Thursday
Read:
Statement of
Problem
Memo: Peer
Review
Assignment
instructions.
DUE: Statement of
Problem memo
(2 copies; in class)
Week 5
9/29 – 10/3
Week 6
10/6 – 10/10
Week 7
10/13 – 10/17
Topic 4
Qualitative Methods
1) Read Ch. 9 and the
Nathan Readings;
2) Review Slides
Topic 5
Conceptualization and
Measurement in
Quantitative Research
1) Read Ch. 4;
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course
Material
Thursday Class
Client Project:
Identify a sampling
strategy for your
team
Thursday Lab
QUIZ 3:
Sampling
Client Project:
QUIZ 4:
Qualitative Methods
Establishing research
design and data
collection plan
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course
Material
Read:
Client Report:
Assignment
instructions.
Client Project:
Establishing research
design and data
collection plan
QUIZ 5:
Conceptualization and
Measurement
DUE: Peer Review of
Statement of
Problem memo (in
class).
Topic 6
Research Design and
Causation
1) Read Ch. 6;
2) Review Slides
Client Project:
Data Collection
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QUIZ 6:
Research Design and
Causation
Week
Week 8
10/20 – 10/24
Week 9
10/27 – 10/31
Assignments and Due Dates:
Before Tuesday
Tuesday Class
Topic 7
1) Questions about
Experiments
Course Material
1) Read Ch. 7
2) In-Class Exercise
2) Review Slides
Applying Course
Material
Before Thursday
Thursday Class
Client Project:
Data Collection
Thursday Lab
QUIZ 7:
Experiments
QUIZ 8:
Survey Research
Topic 8
Survey Research
1) Read Ch. 8
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course Material
Client Project:
Data Collection
Week 10
11/3 – 11/7
Topic 9
Secondary Data Analysis
and Content Analysis
1) Read Ch. 13
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course Material
3) Questions about Client
Report: Draft 2
Client Project:
Data
Collection/Analysis
QUIZ 9:
Secondary Data
Analysis and Content
Analysis
Week 11
11/10 – 11/14
Topic 10
Data Analysis:
Quantitative Approaches
1) Read Ch. 14
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course Material
Client Project:
Data Analysis
QUIZ 10:
Quantitative Data
Analysis
Topic 11
Data Analysis:
Qualitative Approaches
1) Read Ch. 10
2) Review Slides
1) Questions about
Course Material
2) In-Class Exercise
Applying Course Material
Week 12
11/17 – 11/21
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DUE: Client Report,
Draft 1 (D2L by 10
AM)
DUE: Client Report,
Draft 2 (D2L by 10
AM)
Re-Read:
Client Report:
Assignment
instructions.
Client Project:
Data Analysis
QUIZ 11: Qualitative
Data Analysis
Week
Week 13
11/24 – 11/2
Week 14
12/1 – 12/5
Week 15
12/8 – 12/11
Assignments and Due Dates:
Before Tuesday
Tuesday Class
Topic 12
Discussion of Prof.
Evaluation and Policy
Chesley’s evaluation
Research
project with Racine
1) Read Ch. 11
County YMCA
Review Slides
Class Debrief: What
worked? What needs
improvement? Exam or
Report questions?
Before Thursday
Thursday Class
Thursday Lab
THANKSGIVING RECESS
NO CLASS
DUE: Final Reports
(D2L by 5 PM)
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Clarifying Material for
final
exam/consultations
about final reports
Lab Time reserved for
team or individual
meetings, as
needed.
Optional Class: Last
minute exam
questions?
Online Final Exam
Administered in LAB
MY COURSE POLICIES AND REMINDERS
How to Do Well in This Class
This is a class in which ideas and concepts build on one another. This means that mastery of
material covered early in the course is necessary to fully grasp ideas and concepts that come
later in the course. It is very important that you:
• Actively read the course materials (take notes while you read);
• Make the material relevant by using course assignments to explore questions you are
interested in or care deeply about;
• Participate—engage with others in group discussions and activities.
Academic Misconduct
• By becoming a student at UWM, you have agreed to abide by the University’s code of
conduct, including its provisions on academic misconduct. I take this obligation very
seriously. In cases of academic misconduct, I will award a grade of F (zero points) for
the entire assignment AND usually for the entire course, as well as pursuing
disciplinary action.
• The University defines academic misconduct as “an act in which a student seeks to claim
credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation, uses unauthorized
materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise, forges or falsifies academic
documents or records, intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others,
engages in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student's academic
performance, or assists other students in any of these acts.” We will discuss plagiarism in
class, but check with me if you are unsure about proper citation and use of others’
work. If you are not familiar with UWM’s policies on academic misconduct, I encourage you
to review them at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Acad_Aff/policy/academicmisconduct.html.
Late Assignments, Make-ups, and Incompletes
• Each assignment must be turned in, as noted in the course calendar, by the date and time
noted in order to receive full credit. Unless otherwise stated in a specific assignment,
assignments will be penalized a letter grade for each 24 hour period they are late.
• Incomplete coursework is a major inconvenience for both students and instructors. I expect
you to do everything in your power to complete all coursework by the time it is due. A
notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who has routinely
completed course requirements but who is unable to take or complete the final examination
or to complete some limited amount of term work because of circumstances beyond the
student’s control. An incomplete is not given unless the student can document an illness or
other emergency beyond the student's control.
Grading Grievance Process
It is always possible for a test to be scored incorrectly by the computer (although rare, it does
happen), for an exam question to have two or more equally good answers, or for me or the TA
to miss a point you are trying to make in an essay or paper. If you believe that a test or
assignment was incorrectly graded, please follow this procedure:
Within one week of receiving a graded test or assignment, submit a written
"appeal" describing the basis for your opinion (e.g., citing a passage from the
text that supports your choice of an answer) to Professor Chesley or the TA.
This appeal need not be lengthy - a short paragraph will often do. In appealing a
grade, it is not sufficient to argue that your answer was reasonable given your implicit
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assumptions. You must convince Professor Chesley and the TA that the answer you
chose was as good as or superior to the one identified as correct.
Feedback, Getting Help, and Course Recommendations
• You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course at the end of the semester. I also
typically do a mid-course evaluation. In the meantime, I am eager to hear from you
during and after class. Feel free to contact me with questions, worries, or other
constructive feedback.
• I have high standards for my students. Grades of “A” are reserved for work that
illustrates mastery of course concepts and also engages course materials with creativity
and care. At the same time, I do not want students to feel overwhelmed or lost in the
course. Contact me or your TA if you want to discuss your class performance.
• For help with writing – a key part of this course – I strongly recommend consulting the
UWM Writing Center (http://www4.uwm.edu/writingcenter/) @ 229-4339, or by email:
writing@uwm.edu
• Many of you will require recommendations for graduate programs & scholarships,
or references for a résumé. As an added incentive for doing well in this class, I will
write graduate school recommendation letters for any student who receives an Aor better in the course with regular course participation. I will serve as a reference
on a résumé for students who earn a B or better in the course.
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UNIVERSITY AND SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT POLICIES
The Secretary of the University maintains a web page that contains university policies that affect the instructor
and the students in this course, as well as essential information specific to conduct of the course. The link to
that web page is: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf
Students with Disabilities. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of alternate
material and test accommodations can be found at the following:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/SACltr.pdf
Religious Observances. Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to religious observance are
found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S1.5.htm
Students called to active Military Duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active
military duty are found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/current_students/military_call_up.cfm
Incompletes. You may be given an incomplete if you have carried a course successfully until near the end of
the semester but, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond your control,
have been unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of
course work. An incomplete is not given unless you prove to the instructor that you were prevented
from completing the course for just cause as indicated above. The conditions for awarding an
incomplete to graduate and undergraduate students can be found at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S31.pdf
Discriminatory Conduct (such as sexual harassment). Discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated by the
University. It poisons the work and learning environment of the University and threatens the careers,
educational experience and well-being of students, faculty and staff. Policies regarding discriminatory
conduct can be found at: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S47.pdf
Academic Misconduct. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work,
for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others' academic endeavors. Policies for
addressing students cheating on exams or plagiarism can be found at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/dos/conduct/academic-misconduct.cfm
Complaint Procedures. Students may direct complaints to the Sociology Department Chair or the Associate
Dean for Social Sciences in the College of Letters & Sciences. If the complaint allegedly violates a
specific university policy, it may be directed to the Sociology Department Chair, the Associate Dean for
Social Sciences in the College of Letters & Sciences, or to the appropriate university office responsible
for enforcing the policy. Policies may be found at:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S49.7.htm
Grade Appeal Procedures. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or
arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures
adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course resides or in the case of graduate
students, the Graduate School. These procedures are available in writing from the respective
department chairperson or the Academic Dean of the College of Letters & Science. Procedures for
undergraduate student grade appeal can be found at
http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/upload/grievance_procedure.pdf
Procedures for graduate student grade appeal can be found at
http://www.graduateschool.uwm.edu/students/policies/
Final Examination Policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S22.htm
Book Royalties. In accord with Department of Sociology policy, the royalties from the sale of facultyauthored books to students in their classes are donated to a UWM Foundation/Sociology Account to
support future awards and activities for UWM students in Sociology.
Update 08/2014
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