Introduction to Sociology (Sociology 201A) Online
Frank Ha, PhD
Fall 2010, First Nine Weeks

Phone: (805) 546-3100 ext. 2679
Email: fha@cuesta.edu
Web page: academic.cuesta.edu/fha
Office: Building 6200, Room 6213
Office hours: MW 11:00 am  to 12:30 pm, TR 9:30 am to 10:30 am, and by appointment

Logging on to your Blackboard account

Though you may be able to log on to Blackboard before the first day of the semester, the course will not be ready until August 16, 2010 .

In order to log on to your Blackboard account, follow these instructions:

1. Go to the Blackboard site at blackboard.cuesta.edu.

2. Click on the login button. Your login ID is your My.Cuesta login ID (firstname_lastname -- lowercase).

3. Your initial password, which you will have to change the first time you login is STUDENT

( ALL IN CAPS).

 
Mandatory meetings
The first nine weeks course, section 70490, has three mandatory face-to-face meetings at the SLO Campus on the following Monday dates: 8/30, 9/20, and 10/11 in room 6304. All meetings will be from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. There is no orientation meeting this semester. We will be taking our first exam on 8/30.

The second nine weeks course, section 72246, has three mandatory face-to-face meetings at the SLO Campus on the following Monday dates: 11/1, 11/22, and 12/13 in room 6304. All meetings will be from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. There is no orientation meeting this semester. We will be taking our first exam on 11/1.

Required materials
There are three texts required for this course. 

Giddens, Anthony et al. 2009. Introduction to Sociology. 7^th ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Massey, Garth, ed. 2009. Readings for Sociology. 6^th ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Anderson, Elijah. 1999. Code of the Street. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

The texts are available at the campus bookstore. All three books are required. Here is a link to the package at the bookstore: http://bookstore.cuesta.org/buy_book_detail.asp?mscssid=226DFB7B1986442ABD6B52734C200926&pf_id=10304204.

Course description
This course is meant to introduce sociology to those new to the discipline. Sociological concepts and theories will be presented. A variety of classical and contemporary sociological works representative of the discipline will be examined.

Outcomes and objectives:
Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:
1. Define the terms basic to understanding sociological writing.
2. Compare the Functionalist Perspective with the Conflict Perspective.
3. Analyze past or present social events and situations in light of the
   two above-mentioned perspectives.
4. Apply the knowledge learned in the class to the ongoing events and
   experiences of their lives.
5. Develop the ability to view their lives in sociological rather than
   simply personal terms.

Course requirements
There are 100 points possible in this course. Ninety-five points come from exams and five points are from participation in discussion and other activities. The three exams (two midterms and a final) are valued as follows:

Midterm 1 = 17 points
Midterm 2 = 37
Final = 41

Discussion = 5

Total points possible in course = 100

Grading
At the end of the semester, after weighting your exam scores (for example, if there are 50 points possible on midterm 1, your score is divided by 50 and multiplied by 17 to get a weighted score), adding them together and including class participation points, the scale below will be used to compute your final course grade.

A         93 and above
B         80 to 92
C         67 to 79
D         55 to 66
F         54 and below

A correction factor may be added to an exam to account for its level of difficulty. Also, I reserve the right to modify the grade scale when computing final letter grades to account for the level of difficulty of the course. I will not modify the scale to your disadvantage.

Exams
Most exams will be a combination of multiple choice and essay (either take-home or in-class). The final is not cumulative. Questions will be based primarily on the Giddens et al. textbook, articles in the Massey reader, articles on the internet (see schedule below), Code of the Street, and lectures. You will need a half-sheet Scantron form (Scantron Form 882) for all exams, and a blue book if there is an in-class essay. You can make up one exam with a reasonable excuse (e.g., sickness, personal problems, work related, family related). You cannot make up the final exam or more than one exam except under truly exceptional circumstances. You must make up the missed exam as soon as you are able.

Take-home assignments
All take-home essays must be turned in through Turnitin.com. Here are the instructions:

Step 1. Go to Turnitin.com

Step 2. Read the Student Quickstart Guide

Step 3. Follow the instructions and submit your paper.

For the first nine-weeks course, your class id is 3371563 (for the second nine-weeks course, the class id is 3371566) and your password is fall2010. Your paper must be typed and double-spaced.

Discussion
Participation on our discussion board as well as other activities is worth five points with the possibility of up to five extra credit points to students that post substantially and regularly. Students are encouraged to respond to my comments or comments made by other students. Please pay attention to the syllabus so that you will know what readings we are discussing. The discussion board is divided up by topic. I will embed discussion questions into my online lectures, link discussion questions to the syllabus, as well as post discussion questions on the discussion board. You are not limited to responding to the questions that I ask; you are encouraged to post any comment or question related to the particular topic.

Etiquette
Please display respect and tolerance for everyone in this class. Insulting, disrespectful, or impolite comments on the discussion board are prohibited. If someone makes a comment that you disagree with, attack the argument, not the person making the argument. As your instructor, I will make every effort to make this class a safe environment for all students.

Academic integrity
Cheating is absolutely not tolerated. You are encouraged to study together for the exams. You are encouraged to discuss take-home essays with others, but you cannot work on the essay together. Take-home essays should be written completely independently. Also, asking someone who has taken an exam before you have about the content of the exam, for example, if there is an essay on the exam or not, or receiving information about an exam that you have not yet taken is prohibited. For more information on the college's policy regarding cheating refer to the Cuesta College Catalog.

Students with disabilities
Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) or the instructor as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. The DSPS phone number is 546-3148, and they are located in the Academic Support Center, Building 3300.

 
Course Schedule
(see syllabus, part 2)