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Flagler College, Fall 2012, SOC 470, Senior Research Project
Instructor: Dr. Casey Welch
Credit Hours: 3
Location: 210 Library
Meeting Times: Tu Th 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Office Hours: Wed 1-5 p.m. and Fri 1-5 p.m.; by appointment; or, drop in anytime
Office Location: 22 Thompson Hall (9 Carrera)
Email: [email protected]
 Please clearly identify the course and subject in the subject line of every email.
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Soc470, Theme of Email, Your Last Name
I receive hundreds of emails, and this format will help me organize and prioritize emails from students. I may
accidently delete or not respond to emails that are ambiguously identified.
 Please be sure to use proper grammar in all email messages. It is difficult to read and decipher messages that disregard
proper punctuation, capitalization, spelling, syntax, and organization. I may not respond to sloppy messages.
 Please do not send attachments because many don't open on my computer or have viruses.
Phone and Voicemail: (904) 826-8544
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Course Readings
Recommended Books
Edwards, Mark. 2012. Writing in Sociology. Los Angeles: Sage.
Galvin, Jose L. 2009. Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 4th edition. Glendale,
CA: Pyrczak.
Harris, Robert A. 2005. Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding
Plagiarism, 2nd edition. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
All course "handouts" will be posted on LMS.
Assignments and Points
(I may change assignments and exam dates in response institutional, weather, or course issues.)
Keeping track of your grades
Participation and Attendance
50 points
Paper and Presentations
200 points
Total
_____/250
I calculate your final grade based on the total raw points earned on all of your assignments, divided by the total points possible. I do
not average your percentage scores or weight the scores in any way, nor do I curve grades.
The grading scale, in terms of raw points, is as follows:
F: 0-147
D: 148-165
D+: 166-172
C-: 173-180
C: 181-190
C+: 191-197
B-: 198-205
B: 206-215
B+: 216-222
A-: 223-230
A: 231-250
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Points Deducted
This course is designed to invigorate your desire to learn the material. However, sometimes external motivations are necessary to
direct our behaviors. Some common external motivations include exams, deadlines, and extra credit. In addition to these, another
external motivator is loss of points. There are several ways that your conduct can result in points being deducted from your overall
grade. In each case, these indicate the number of raw points that will be deducted. This list may seem menacing out of context.
However, these mechanisms are intended to keep the entire class on track, and historically the large majority of students don't lose any
points for the entire semester.
5 pts
More than 2 absences (the first two are non penalized)
3 pts
More than 2 tardies (the first two are non penalized)
5 pts
Cell phone rings, text messaging, using computer for non-course activities
5 pts
Non participation in study pairs and group activities, including failure to bring book
5 pts
Substantially disturb the instructor or the class, including packing up early
Course Theme and Learning Outcomes
The Sociology Program culminates with the senior capstone course – Senior Seminar. The purpose of this course is for the student to
articulate a working understanding of a core area of sociology. The major component in this course is the completion of a theoryframed literature review or research proposal and presentation of the work in progress and final paper. Final projects require
execution of the topics/sections enumerated below.
Upon successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
1. Display knowledge of core course material.
2. Select a topic for exploration, develop a clear research question, and conduct a comprehensive literature review.
3. Summarize, analyze, critique, and synthesize the extant research and literature.
4. Provide the appropriate theoretical and methodological framework for the topic of study.
5. Develop a comprehensive research proposal defensible for execution before faculty committee. (if applicable)
6. Critique the ideas and proposals of peers.
7. Exhibit knowledge of ASA guidelines and write a research proposal or theoretical paper in the form of a scholarly paper.
8. Give an oral presentation on the work in progress and final paper to an audience of peers and faculty.
Students will also attend MFT review sessions and take the MFT.
Attendance
Attendance and punctuality are required and will be part of your grade, because 1) I have found a strong statistical correlation
between attendance and academic performance, 2) I want members in this class to develop a rapport with one another and participate
in the group projects, 3) being part of discourse increases learning, and 4) so much of this course revolves around participating in
discussions that your classmates are leading.
Everyone will start off with a set number of attendance points. From that score I will deduct points for days you are
absent and tardy. This means that simply attending class regularly and being on time will earn you points toward your final grade.
You can miss the equivalent of one week of classes without having to provide an excuse and without losing points. These
two days can be used for illness, sports events, or whatever personal reasons you choose. You do not need to provide any excuse or
documentation for these absences. After that, I will deduct approximately 2% from your final course grade (5 raw points) for
every non-excused absence.
Legitimate, or excused, absences are limited to ones that result from documented medical or family emergencies, religious
holidays, or college-related sporting activities, or are otherwise excused by the Dean. Campaigning for student government office,
club activities, conflicts with work, and traffic or parking problems are not considered excused absences. If you plan on missing a
class for religious or sporting reasons, you must notify me at least one week prior. If you have an illness that is so severe as to make
you miss more than the maximum of allotted absences, please communicate with me or the Dean so we can make appropriate
arrangements.
Flagler College's attendance policy is as follows: A student who is absent, for any reason, (excused or unexcused), more
than 20% of the scheduled class meetings for the academic semester will not receive credit for the course. Students must
request all excused absences through the Office of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or through the College Nurse and
must provide appropriate documentation to obtain an excused absence.
Please also strive to be punctual. I will not penalize you for being tardy the first two times. After that, I will deduct
approximately 1% (4 raw points) for every tardy. IF YOU ARE LATE, YOU MUST NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY AFTER
CLASS SO THAT I CAN MARK YOU AS PRESENT. IF YOU DO NOT NOTIFY ME AFTER CLASS, YOU WILL BE
MARKED AS ABSENT. I cannot retrospectively change the attendance sheet simply because there is no way for me to
remember who was present and absent on a particular day in the past. This is entirely your responsibility.
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My Expectations of You, Including Academic Honesty
My goal is to create a meaningful learning environment. To that end please note the following parameters.
Respect other people in the class. Please keep in mind that your behaviors affect other people. Just like you, everyone else pays for
this education. I therefore cannot allow conduct that may distract others or detract from their education. This includes cell pones
ringing, side conversations, text messaging, and using a computer for non-class purposes. Please, before entering our class, turn
off or leave at home cell phones, beepers, and watch alarms. Do not talk while other people are talking. If you disturb the class, I will
ask you to quiet down. The second time I may ask you to leave the class so that the rest of us may continue our learning endeavors. If
you are disturbing the class and I have to ask you to leave, I will deduct 2% from your final grade. Also, do not leave and
return during class, leave early, or even pack up early to leave. Such conduct is rude and disturbs me and others around you, and
may result in my deducting 2% from your final grade.
I do understand that computers are a great tool. However, during class you must use it only in a manner that compliments the
class. I will actually ask people with computers to do research during class. In order to facilitate this arrangement, please sit in
the front two rows if you are using a computer. If you use it for non-course activities, such as gaming, emailing, watching movies,
or web surfing, it can disturb people around you and you may have 2% deducted from your final grade and/or lose the computer
privilege for the remainder of the semester.
In each case of immature conduct--talking while others are talking, text messaging, using the cell phone or allowing it to ring,
using the computer for non-course activities, or otherwise disturbing class--there is a good chance you will become my new best
friend. As a new best friend, you will for the remainder of the semester sit in the front row so that we can readily engage each other.
Use the bathroom before class begins.
Attend class regularly. This will increase your comprehension of the readings, better prepare you for the exams, expose you to
dialogue surrounding the subject, and keep you abreast of housekeeping issues in the course. I will strive to hand out papers and make
announcements on multiple days. However, I am not responsible for things you miss in class because of your absence or
inattentiveness. If you don't get a hand out or hear an announcement, please get them from other students or me during office hours.
As Woody Allen once said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up."
Complete all readings and assignments before you arrive for class so that you understand the topics about which I am lecturing and so
we can have active and informed discussions. The learning process you have paid to be part of requires that you actively engage the
material and others in the class.
Do not engage in academic misconduct. I hope we can all respect the integrity of educational norms, and to that end I ask that you
please do not dishonestly misrepresent your work. The primary examples of academic dishonesty includes plagiarism (failing to
quote and cite work you copy from another source or copying someone else's work but presenting it as your own work, even if the
other person is a classmate), looking at another person's exam during exams, talking during an exam, using cheat sheets, failing
to submit the exam questions with your scan tron or answers, and complicity in academic dishonesty (allowing others to cheat
without reporting it, concealing someone else's misconduct, or assisting others in their misconduct). Discipline for cheating ranges
from a zero on the assignment to failure in the class. The offense will also be reported to the Dean. This may destroy your academic
pursuits, so please, maintain firm standards of academic integrity. I recommend you consult the Academic Integrity Code in the
University Catalog, which states:
Cheating, plagiarism, violation of test conditions, complicity in dishonest behavior, or other falsification of academic work is a
serious breach of College expectations and is subject to immediate disciplinary action.
Consider withdrawing from the class if you stop attending or are unable to keep up with the work--there's no sense in lowering your
GPA. I will support you in this decision and sign any necessary paperwork. But you are the one who must initiate the process and file
the paperwork. If you stop attending class but do not officially withdraw, you will unfortunately receive an F. Before withdrawing
from any class, be sure you know how it will affect your financial aid.
Because of uncertainties with copyrighted material, please do NOT record any of my lectures or our discussions.
What You Can Expect from Me
Legibility with regards to the course, lesson plans, assignments, and exams. This includes specifying the learning objectives, content,
structure, and criteria for each. I understand that most students are pursuing a good grade, and I will respect your goal by striving at
all times to be clear on requirements and grading standards.
Enthusiasm for the discipline and course.
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Fairness and consistency. This includes giving voice to multiple opinions, taking into account student concerns regarding the class,
exams, and the like, and working with individual students. It also means I will avoid capricious grading, which includes making
exceptions for single students or offering personalized extra credit.
Emphasis on knowledge and analysis. In particular, we will learn discipline-specific vocabulary, research, and theories. We will
integrate the readings and lectures, as well as link the material to the world around us.
Reasonable Accommodations, Inclement Weather, and Safety
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a disability. Please notify me if there is anything I can do to mitigate
problems that may hinder your learning endeavors. I want all of us to be able to focus on the learning process rather than distractions
that we can eliminate. If you have any further questions or concerns, we can contact the Office of Services for Students with
Disabilities (OSSD). You must first register with OSSD to receive their services. This is a great office that is versed in the American
with Disabilities Act and will partner with you to determine special accommodations.
As stated in the Catalog:
Flagler College offers special academic accommodations to students with documented disabilities. Services include
alternative test administration and/or services of interpreters, note-takers, and readers. In order to receive special academic
accommodations, a student must register with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSSD) located on the 2 nd
floor of Proctor Library and provide the required documentation of disability. Contact Ms. Lynn Francisco at (904) 819-6460,
or, [email protected] .
To find if campus is closed because of acts of Nature, please call the Campus Operator or Campus Security, or check flagler.edu.
In the event of a fire alarm, please exit safely and go at least 50 feet from the building. In the event on a tornado alarm, please follow
instructions.
Methods of Instruction
Discussion is the primary means of instructing students in this course. Students are encouraged to be active classroom participants.
Learning Objectives
Be in the habit of learning. I believe that if I expect intelligence, you will perform intelligently. This class is structured around this
broad principle.
This course introduces you to many of the basic ideas and terminology of sociology. Education, however, is so much more than
merely a fun and exciting process of acquiring knowledge. It involves developing and tuning the ways by which we perceive and
explain the world. In addition to learning the rudiments of sociology, I hope all of us will enhance our ability to communicate
intelligibly both in writing and conversation, better understand why we behave the way we do and why others behave the ways they
do, and think through ideas. These echo the Colleges core competencies.
When I write that I want us to think through ideas, I am trumpeting the ideal of critical thinking. This is a mainstay of our
course. Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate carefully a topic, to consider alternative interpretations, and to view these competing
explanations in the light of empirical evidence, as well as propose solutions when needed. This skill cannot be taught without doing it.
I cannot have a single assignment or lecture that will give you the skills. We must immerse ourselves in reading and dialogue. We
must critique our own ideas, critique everything we read, consider alternative explanations, debate, and shun complacency.
I have designed this course to build toward critical thinking. The lectures, quiz, and exams focus largely on objective
information (definitions) and interpretation. The observations encourage us to apply abstract ideas to real world experiences in order
to better and more completely understand events. The summaries and critiques will improve our ability to identify and communicate
critical ideas in readings, and then evaluate the clarity and usefulness of those readings. In our discussions we will interrogate, extend,
and synthesize these ideas while teaching and learning from each other.
Your fellow students can be a great resource in your learning endeavors. I recommend that you develop study groups which meet
outside of class. These could be on-going groups that allow you to study more effectively for exams, collaborate on assignments, and
work through any course problems you may encounter throughout the term. Group organization and communication skills will also
assist you throughout life.
I hope that both the content of this course and our methods of analyzing topics will strengthen your commitment to learning
and your involvement in our communities.