Michigan State University SOC 131: SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Section 730 (May 13-­‐June 27, 2013) Summer Online Course Syllabus Instructor: Cameron T. Whitley Office: 6E Berkey Hall Email: Through Angel Only Virtual Angel Office Hours: Wed 10a.m.-­‐12p.m. (EST) (Or by appointment) ________________________________________________________________________________________________ COURSE DESCRIPTION: Examples of contemporary social problems include: binge drinking, affirmative action, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, environmental pollution, domestic violence, animal cruelty, cloning, child labor, homelessness, home foreclosures, global hunger, identity theft, mass murder, the legalization of marijuana, poverty, the sex trade, racial profiling, sweat shops, the cost of education, terrorism, health care disparities, pornography and cloning just to name a few. So, how does an issue become a social problem? How do communities respond to and address social problems? This course will use a visual sociological approach to examine how various conditions considered to be harmful to society become known as “social problems.” We will analyze art, photography and videos to identify the social processes by which society comes to understand certain conditions as harmful and decides to remedy these conditions. REQUIRED TEXT: The required text is listed below. There is also a Kindle version available on Amazon. A copy of the text is on reserve at the Michigan State University library for a two (2) hour checkout period for those who are unable to purchase the book. Eitzen, D.S., M. Baca Zinn and K. Eitzen Smith. 2012. Social Problems 12th Edition.
New York: Allyn & Bacon 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1) Be able to define and recognize social problems 2) Be able to summarize how social processes contribute to how social problems are defined and acted upon 3) Be able to apply knowledge gained through course materials to better understand specific social problems 4) Be able to analyze the relationship between the ways in which social problems are defined and how these variations impact groups and outcomes 5) Be able to critically evaluate social problems and the processes that contribute to them 6) Be able to effectively apply course materials to analyze and evaluate a social problem through the creation of a short video. COURSE EXPECTATIONS: Readings/Possible Short Videos: Assigned reading from the textbook. All short videos are posted on Angel. Surveys: You will be required to complete a survey during Week One (1) and Week Seven (7). Surveys will not be graded for content. You will receive 75 points for completing each survey. If you complete the survey you will receive full credit. The surveys will be used to assess learning objectives and to improve course material. Personal Meaning Map (PMM): You will be required to complete a PMM during Week One (1) and Week Seven (7). PMMs will not be graded for content. You will receive 75 points for completing each PMM. If you complete the PMM you will receive full credit. The PMM will be used to assess learning, improve course material and as a reflexive exercise to visually demonstrate what you have learned in the course. Quizzes: A total of 5 short quizzes will be given. Each quiz is worth 40 points. The quizzes are located in the lessons folder and you will have until 11:30 p.m. (EST) Saturday night after the week’s lesson to complete the quiz (Week 1 is 20 questions (40 minutes), all additional weeks are 10 questions (20 minutes)). The quiz will be open all week long for you to complete. You are not allowed to use class materials to answer quiz questions. You may not leave the quiz once it has begun. WARNING: Do not open another window to access Angel or the lessons folder while you are taking the quiz. This behavior can be tracked on Angel and you will receive zero points (0) for the quiz and possibly the course, as it will be assumed that you were deliberately cheating. NO MAKE-­‐UP QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN since you have a full week to access and complete the quiz. The quiz is designed to assess your comprehension of class materials. Discussion Boards: A total of 5 discussion board posts will be required. Each assignment will relate to your final video project. Each week (one (1) post and two (2) response posts) is worth 40 points. Explicit directions for these assignments are located in the assignment folder for each week. You are required to complete the 2 weekly assignment and post it to the discussion board. After completing the assignment, you are required to review assignments from two (2) of your peers and make response posts. LATE POSTS WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT Final Short Video: All assignments relate to the production of a final short video. Your short video (3-­‐5 minutes) will explore a particular social problem from a sociological perspective. This final short video is worth 300 points. Once all short videos have been uploaded during week 6, I will edit and combine the videos to produce a full-­‐length film showcasing what your fellow classmates explored during the summer semester. I will email this film to everyone sometime during the summer. Explicit directions for this assignment are located on Angel. LATE VIDEOS WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: Email: Students are required to send ALL correspondence through the ANGEL email system. All messages for this course MUST be sent by logging into ANGEL and accessing the email system located in the communicate tab. The Instructor WILL NOT respond to email sent outside of the ANGEL system. The Instructor WILL NOT respond to emails on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) or after 5:00 p.m. on weeknights (EST). The following technical requirements are necessary to successfully complete this course: 1) Have a computer and access to internet/email/ANGEL (broadband access preferred) 2) Have and know the basics of WORD, EXCEL and POWERPOINT 3) Have access to a video camera (phone, digital camera or computer cameras are perfectly acceptable) 4) Have a YouTube account or have access to another video uploading system 5) Have FLASH software installed and operating correctly 6) Have RealMedia software installed and operating correctly 7) Know the ANGEL course management software system. You MUST contact the ANGEL help desk toll free at (800) 500-­‐1554 or locally at (517) 355-­‐
2345 for assistance or troubleshooting. For information on computer technology requirements, see the Help Guide located on the ANGEL homepage or view the MSU virtual University website at http//:www.vu.msu.edu. Ensure that you run the online software “check list” on the class ANGEL site. 3 GUIDELINES FOR COURSE GRADES: 4.0 90-­‐100% 900-­‐1000 points 3.5 85-­‐89.99% 850-­‐899.9 points 3.0 80-­‐84.99% 800-­‐849.9 points 2.5 75-­‐79.99% 750-­‐799.9 points 2.0 70-­‐74.99% 700-­‐749.9 points 1.5 65-­‐69.99% 650-­‐699.9 points 1.0 60-­‐64.99% 600-­‐649.9 points 0 Below 59.99% 0-­‐599.9 points Final Project Video (1 x 300 pts.) 300 points 30% of grade Quizzes (5 x 40 pts.) 200 points 20% of grade Discussion Board Posts (5 x 40 pts.) 200 points 20% of grade Introduction Post (Week 1) Social Problem Post (Week 2) Video Critique Post (Week 3) Video Script Post (Week 4) Video Progress Report (Week 5) Survey (2 x 75 pts.) 150 points 15% of grade Personal Meaning Maps (2 x 75 pts.) 150 points 15% of grade TOTAL POINTS: 1000 points 100% of grade ACADEMIC HONESTY: Michigan State University adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.00, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the All-­‐University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide: http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/default.pdf. Students found guilty of academic dishonesty will receive a 0.0 in the course. PLAGIRISM: Plagiarism is defined as presenting another’s work or ideas as one’s own. You are expected to do your own work on all assignments. Students who plagiarize (even on discussion board posts) will receive a 0.0 in the course. Please cite all sources. The lessons tab has a link on how to cite material, including images and videos. ACCOMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES: Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-­‐884-­‐RCPD or on the web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued a verified individual services accommodation (“VISA”) form. Please present this form to me at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc.). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible. 4 LIMITS TO CONFIDENTIALITY: Discussion board posts, assignments, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University’s student record policies. However, students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues based on external legal obligations or that relate to the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must report the following information to other University offices if you share it with me: • Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you
were a child, • Allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU
students, faculty, or staff, and • Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others. These reports will trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center. DROPPING THIS COURSE: The last day to drop this course to receive a tuition refund and no grade reported is June 14, 2013. The last day to drop this course with no tuition refund and no grade reported is June 27, 2013. 5