Great Basin College
SOC 101 – Principles of Sociology
Fall 2015/3 credits
Section 1001, Online
Course Syllabus
Instructor:
Stephanie Davis
E-Mail:
stephanie.davis@gbcnv.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Wednesday 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Office:
EIT 123, Elko Campus
Phone:
Office: (775) 753-4858
Cell/Text: (775) 235-8002
Web Page:
http://www2.gbcnv.edu/profiles/davis_stephanie.html
Required Course Text
Henslin, James M. (2015). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-To-Earth Approach
(11th Edition). Allyn & Bacon Publishing
ISBN-13: 9780133810615 This is a loose-leaf, 3-hole punched version of the textbook. You will need to
buy a binder to put it in. It also contains an access code for the eBook version of the text, and for
MySocLab, an online study resource. You are required to have access to MySocLab, as we will be using
it for required discussion posts and homework assignments.
Alternate Option:
You can also buy an access code card to the eBook and MySocLab. This is the least expensive option. It
does not include a hardcopy of the text. You can purchase the access code at
http://www.mysoclab.com/ .
Software Required: Please note that you will need to have access to Microsoft Word 2007 or higher.
All assignments (except discussion posts) must be submitted in Word format.
Course Description
GBC Catalog Description: “This course surveys the field of sociology, which is the study of group life. It
includes the study of broad features of society such as family, religion, education, economic, and
political institutions. An important focus will be on understanding human behavior and its impact on
social structures.”
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to do the following:
1. Given the need to gain a knowledge base in Sociology, students will accurately define and
explain numerous sociological constructs.
2. Given information pertaining to sociological issues, students will critically evaluate
statistics, studies and research.
3. Given observable behavior, current events or personal situations that pertain to
sociology, students will apply the sociological perspective to explain these phenomena.
Measurements: Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) will be assessed using the following components:
1. Discussions – students will participate in weekly discussions by posting to the
discussions a minimum of 3 DAYS per week, with required posts on videos from
MySocLab (CLO #1, 2, 3)
2. Power Point Presentation – power point on a social problem (CLO #2, 3)
3. Bi-Weekly Exams – multiple choice questions (CLO #1)
4. Current Events Paper – short paper evaluating article or blog entry from MySocLab (CLO
#2, 3)
Specific Chapter Outcomes (SCOs)
The following are learning outcomes that correspond to each chapter in the textbook, and each week of
instruction:
1. Given a topic in sociology, students will be able to describe the sociological perspective,
apply the three theoretical perspectives used by sociologists, and describe the methods of
research with their associated pros and cons.
2. When experiencing or learning about other cultures, students will be able to identify basic
components of culture, appreciate cultural diversity, and understand how culture influences
their lives.
3. Given an observed behavior in an individual or group, students will be able to identify
possible sources of socialization that may have helped shape the behavior.
4. Given an example of a social interaction, students will be able to explain behavior using both
the macro and microsociological perspectives, and will describe five major social institutions and
at least four functions of each one.
5. When defining their role in society, students will identify various types of groups and
organizations, and will describe how their group affiliations affect their behavior.
6. Given an example of a deviant act, students will explain how sociologists define, study and
interpret deviant behavior.
7. Given an example of differences between cultures and countries, students will discuss how
global stratification occurs and is maintained.
8. Given an example of differences between groups of people within a society, students will
apply the concepts of social class to explain these inequalities.
9. Given examples of differences between racial and ethnic groups, students will apply
principles of sociology to interpret and understand these inequalities.
10. Given examples of differences between gender and age groups, students will apply the 3
sociological perspectives to interpret and explain these inequalities.
11. Given an example of a social behavior, students will identify how the social institutions of
Politics and the Economy affect the behavior.
12. Given an example of a social behavior, students will identify how the social institutions of
Marriage and Family affect the behavior.
13. Given an example of a social behavior, students will identify how the social institutions of
Education and Religion affect the behavior.
14. Given questions about population growth and urbanization, students will be able to analyze
current trends using a sociological perspective.
15. Given questions about technology, the environment and social change, students will
understand and explain the various aspects of these issues.
Corresponding Specific Chapter Outcomes (SCOs) are listed weekly on the schedule below.
General Education Objectives
This is a GBC general education course, and the goal of the college is that these courses provide the
opportunity to develop the following skills:
1. “Communication Skills – communicate clearly and effectively in written and oral form,
embracing discussion, reading, listening, and accessing.” This course requires participation in
weekly online discussions, short paper, completion of a power point presentation, and
watching and discussing pertinent videos through the MySocLab.
2. “Critical Thinking – integrate creativity, logic, quantitative reasoning, and the hierarchy of
inquiry and knowing in social scientific understanding.” This course encourages the
development of these qualities through in-class discussion, exams, and a power point
presentation.
3. “Personal/Cultural Awareness – understand the roles of individuals in society, the development
of human societies, and the significance of creativity in the human experience.” This course
focuses on how human societies are organized as groups. Awareness of one’s place in society
and the impact of culture will be generated through discussions, videos, readings, and virtual
field trips.
Method of Instruction
All course components will occur online through WebCampus. All exams, discussions and assignments
will be completed and submitted online through the WebCampus course, with the exception of the
Media Assignments; these will be completed and submitted through MySocLab. Students will be
expected to ‘attend’ class 3 days a week via discussions. This is primarily where class interaction and
instruction will occur. Finally, students will access supplementary material, including videos, flashcards,
and practice tests, through MySocLab.
STUDENT CONDUCT POLICY: Students are expected to interact with each other and their instructor
politely and respectfully. Please be courteous in discussions and in writing email; it is easy to misread
intent in electronic communication, so don’t over-analyze. Foul or hostile language is unacceptable as is
communication that is hostile to the instructor or other students. As well, “flaming” behavior (for
example, inciting discontent with the course, the instructor, or another student) is not tolerated. Such
misconduct will be reported to the Vice President of Student Services and/or the Director of Security,
and a student may be withdrawn from the course, fail the course, or be subject to other disciplinary
action. Please see the GBC catalog for information about student misconduct.
Course Schedule
Week, Learning
Outcomes, and Topics
Readings
Assignments
Week 1
SCO 1
Chapter 1
Graded Discussion 15 points
The Sociological
Perspective
Week 2
SCO 2
Chapter 2
Culture
Week 3
SCO 3
Chapter 3
Socialization
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #1 30 pts Chapter 1
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #2 60 points Chapters 2-3
Week 4
SCO 4
Social Structure and
Social Interaction
Chapter 4
Graded Discussion 15 points
Week 5
SCO 5
Chapter 5
Social Groups and
Formal Organizations
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #3 60 points Chapters 4-5
Week 6
SCO 6
Chapter 6
Graded Discussion 15 points
Deviance and Social
Control
Week 7
SCO 7
Chapter 7
Global Stratification
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #4 60 points Chapters 6-7
Week 8
SCO 8
Chapter 8
Social Class in the United
States
Week 9
SCO 9
Chapter 9
Race and Ethnicity
Week 10
SCO 10
Chapter 10
Gender and Age
Week 11
SCO 11
Chapter 11
Politics and the Economy
Graded Discussion 15 points
Current Events Paper Due 100 pts
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #5 60 points Chapters 8-9
Graded Discussion 15 points
(Monday – Official Course Drop Deadline)
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #6 60 points Chapters 10-11
Week 12
SCO 12
Chapter 12
Graded Discussion 15 points
Marriage and Family
Week 13
SCO 13
Chapter 13
Education and Religion
Graded Discussion 15 points
Exam #7 60 points Chapters 12-13
Week 14
Graded Discussion 15 points
SCO 14
Population and
Urbanization
Chapter 14
Power Point Presentation Due 195 pts
Week 15
Chapter 15
SCO 15
Graded Discussion 15 points
Social Change and the
Environment
Exam #8 90 points Chapters 14-15
Week 16
No Final Exam
Please Note: Weeks begin on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. P.S.T., and end the following Sunday at 11:59
p.m. ALL ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS ARE DUE BY SUNDAY NIGHT.
Course Requirements and Grading Criteria
The maximum score in this class is 1000 points. The breakdown of points and weighting of assignments
is as follows:
Assignment
Points
Weighting
225
22.5%
Power Point Presentation
195
19.5%
Current Events Paper
100
10%
Exams
480
48%
1000
100%
Discussions
(15 weeks x 15 pts)
(8 Exams x 60 pts)
Total Points
All course components are graded using points. At the end of the course, points will be converted to a
letter grade as shown:
Letter Grade
Points
Percentage
A
940 - 1000
94% to 100%
A-
900 - 939
90% to 93%
B+
870 - 899
87% to 89%
B
830 - 869
83% to 86%
B-
800 - 829
80% to 82%
C+
770 - 799
77% to 79%
C
730 - 769
73% to 76%
C-
700 - 729
70% to 72%
D+
670 - 699
67% to 69%
D
630 - 669
63% to 66%
D-
600 - 629
60% to 62%
F
599 and below
Below 60%
Incomplete (“I”) grades will be assigned when the following conditions are met:
1.
2.
3.
Student has completed ¾ of the course with a C grade or above.
Student cannot complete the remainder of the course due to death of a family member or
hospitalization/illness.
Student makes arrangements with instructor.
The missing work must be made up by the middle of the following semester (October 15th or March
15th), or the “I” on the student’s record will revert to an “F.”
Withdrawal (“W”) grades will be assigned when the following conditions are met:
1.
Student notifies instructor regarding their intent to withdraw.
2.
Student notifies Student Services and officially withdraws from the class.
Students must notify of their intent to withdraw by the Monday of Week 10; otherwise they will
receive a letter grade. Withdrawals will not be permitted after the Monday of Week 10. In
addition, the instructor reserves the right to withdraw any student who has missed 3 or more
consecutive weeks of class.
Grade Appeals or Professional Conduct
GBC has a standard procedure for dealing with grade appeals or concerns about professional
conduct. Information is given in detail in the GBC General Catalog. Please note that there are deadlines
and steps to take in this procedure, and that the first step is to contact your instructor.
Late Assignment Policy
Late work will be accepted under the following conditions:
1. Discussions cannot be made up. No exceptions.
2. 10% will be deducted per day for the first 7 days after an assignment is due
3. Late points are deducted from the total points for the assignment (i.e. if the assignment is worth
100 points, 10 points per day will be deducted)
4. After 7 days, the assignment will not be accepted
5. Students can make up one missed exam per semester. The above guidelines apply.
Please Note: Technical problems are not excuses for late assignments in this class. Please back up your
work in several places: your system, a jump drive, dropbox or google docs, email the file to yourself at
another e-mail account, etc. There is nothing worse than losing hard work to a computer crash, and
such an issue will not constitute a valid excuse for late work in this class. Students are expected to take
the necessary steps to ensure the timeliness of their work. Also, make sure you have a back-up plan in
case your computer or internet connection does not work! Access a friend’s computer, go to the
Library, a McDonald’s, or go to your Campus Computer Lab.
Also, make sure to take exams early in the week, in case you encounter technical problems. If you wait
until Sunday night, it is difficult for me or the helpdesk to help resolve problems, and you may end up
with a “0” for the exam. Better to take it early in the week when there is still time before the deadline
to resolve the problem.
Academic Honesty Policy
GBC subscribes to the traditional policy of academic integrity: students are expected to be honest. That
means that students are expected to do their own work. In work that utilizes sources written by others,
those sources must be given credit for exact words and ideas. Students who plagiarize (copy the work of
others and pass it off as their own) are violating the standards of academic integrity and are subject to
punishments ranging from failing the assignment to dismissal from the institution. See GBC General
Catalog. For additional information, please go to the GBC Student Conduct Policy at
http://www2.gbcnv.edu/rights_responsibilities/conduct.html
APA Format
The power point needs to be in APA format. If you are unfamiliar with this format, please check out the
following web sites for information. The first is a great reference showing how to cite various types of
resources, from web sites to journals:
http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/citation/apa/
The second offers a tutorial on the basics of APA:
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
The third is the most updated web site on APA style, and has a lot of specific information:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Here is a great little tool. You can plug in an ISBN and it spits out the reference in either MLA or APA
format, as well as the in-text citation:
http://citationmachine.net/index2.php
Finally, for more information on the basics of APA, go to the GBC Academic Success Center link and click
on the APA link on the left:
http://www.gbcnv.edu/asc/
CAMPUS SECURITY: GBC is committed to the safety of our students and has a duty to promote
awareness and prevention programs for violence on campus under the Jeanne Clery Act as well as the
Campus SaVE (Sexual Violence Elimination Act) and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), which are
amendments to Clery. Acts of violence include, but are not limited to, sexual assault, domestic violence,
dating violence, and stalking. Acts of violence can occur on the physical campus or centers of GBC in
addition to field placement sites, clinical practice settings, and other places where college or class
activities occur. As well, the online environment at GBC is considered a GBC site. If you experience any
incidence where your safety has been threatened or violated, or if you feel threatened or harassed,
immediately report this to me, any center director, faculty, or staff member, or directly to the Director
of Environmental Health, Safety & Security(775.753.2115) or the Vice President for Student
Services(775.753.2282).
Frequently Asked Questions
When are grades calculated, and how can I view my grades?

You must complete all assignments and exams, and/or post them to the assignment box by
Sunday, 11:59 p.m.

All grades will be completed by Wednesday morning, at the latest. I will post an announcement
letting you know when grades are completed.
What should I do if a discrepancy is found with my grade?

Double-check the error and try to determine what caused it.

Send me an email explaining your findings.

Trust that any error in grading will be corrected quickly.
What should I do if I have a technical problem?

Notify me immediately via e-mail or phone.

Contact the GBC helpdesk at http://www.gbcnv.edu/computing/helpdesk.html, or call them at
775.753.2167, Monday-Saturday 8 am- 5 pm
What should I do if I have a disability that requires accommodation?

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully
demonstrating his or her abilities should contact the instructor personally as soon as possible so
we can discuss accommodations necessary.

ADA STATEMENT: GBC supports providing equal access for students with disabilities.

Please contact the ADA Officer (Julie Byrnes) in Elko at 775.753.2271 at your earliest
convenience to request appropriate accommodations.
Where can I go if I need help with writing or with college life in general?

For tutoring assistance, GBC offers help through the Academic Success Center:
o http://www.gbcnv.edu/asc/

For help with any questions or difficulties with any aspect of student life, GBC offers a great
peer mentor program, for both students or parents of students:
o http://www.gbcnv.edu/retention/
How can I get extra credit?

Extra credit is not permitted in this course.