SYG 2010: Social Problems

Section 01FE Summer 2015 Online

Instructor: Heidi Steinour Email: [email protected] * Email is the best way to contact me. I usually respond within 24 hours unless otherwise indicated.

Course Overview

This course is about social problems that affect you and your daily life. While this class focuses mainly on issues within the USA we will also discuss outside countries and their influence on the world through a series of assigned chapters or articles. Although I may spend time lecturing to you from the front of the class this class will require participation. During this class we will discuss current social p45roblems, what attributes to those problems, what methods are used to study these problems and how sociology can help you discover ways to understand, explore and make a difference in the world around you.

Course Objectives

* Examine how macro and micro level structures influence social issues from a sociological perspective. * Be able to articulate the complex nature of gender, race, families and sexuality and how individuals interactions with society shape these concepts. * Identify and interpret the different approaches to studying social problems with a specific concentration on identity, the environment, politics and institutions. * Connect how overarching ideologies create and sustain the culture of America. * Develop ways you can help create resolutions to social problems and become better informed citizens and teachers.

Course Layout

This class is entirely online. It will be administrated through Canvas. Students are expected to have the necessary experience with this technology and are encouraged to seek help with Student Services if needed.

Students are expected to read each assigned chapter carefully and then complete a weekly quiz, weekly activity, and participate in our class discussion thread. Each chapter will be accompanied by an online lecture in the form of power point and written notes. Please be sure to read through both the chapter and the online lecture. Lectures can be found under the modules section and will be provided two weeks in advance. Grades will be posted biweekly. The assigned chapters will be grouped together and online quizzes must be completed by Sunday at 5:00 p.m. the week of the readings. Weekly activities are due each week by Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Please note that since this is a summer course we will be covering multiple chapters and topics a week. Please plan accordingly to ensure that you are able to read and complete each task before the deadline. You may also keep track of deadlines on the course website by checking the due date of each individual assignment.

I will provide updates and announcements to all students via email. Students are welcome to contact me with any questions they have. I will respond within 48 hours to an inquiry that is sent to my UF email.

Course Policies

2) Check Email: You will need to check your email regularly as I will be sending out information about the class, changes in the syllabus, class cancellations, make up times or a change in meeting rooms via email.

3) Respect in The Discussion Thread: This applies to all class material, the teacher, and to opinions or questions from your fellow students. You also must maintain a high level respect for the opinion of others while discussing social issues in the group thread. Some of the topics we are going to be discussing will be considered controversial and many of you may have differing opinions which is excellent. However, everyone must foster a safe environment for anyone who wants to speak their opinions about a subject matter. I have always found that learning from the opinions of others, even if we do not agree, is an excellent way to broaden your mind and develop the ability to understand other's points of views.

UF Policies

Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Students requesting accommodation must first register themselves with the Dean of Students Office at www.dso.ufl.edu/drc. The Dean of Students Office will provide you with documentation that you must give to the instructor before any assignments, quizzes or tests are administered. Accommodations are not retroactive.

Academic Dishonesty: In order to abide by the university standard for academic honesty please familiarize yourself with the UF Academic Honor Code. This can be found online at www.dso.ufl.edu/students.php. Academic Dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) plagiarism in any form (internet, book, student etc.) as well as sharing answers on any take home assignments, tests, exercises or any other class work. You are not allowed to use cellphones or computers during tests, quizzes or assignments.

Getting Help

If you are having technical issues with E-learning or your email please contact the UF Helpdesk or visit them next to the Starbucks in the Hub.

*[email protected]  352-392-Help, option 2

**Any requests for make-up due to technical issues must be submitted to me within 24 hours of experiencing difficulty. This request must be accompanied by an ISS ticket number so that timing of when the problem was reported can be verified.

Required text: Macionis, John J. (2010). Social Problems (4th ed.) Pearson. * You may purchase a used copy online.

Additional articles and reading materials will be provided under the files sections of the course.

Weekly Quizzes (30% of your grade or a possible 140 points)

Each week students will be required to complete a 10-question quiz on the assigned chapters and readings. Each question will be worth 1 point. Quizzes will cover materials from your chapters as well as the lectures that are provided each week. Quizzes will be due by Sunday at 5:00 p.m. All the deadlines are provided on the course website.

Quizzes will be composed of multiple choices, true/false, and fill in the blank questions. Quizzes are formatted in this manner to assess the overall understanding of major concepts throughout the course as well as test student’s ability to evaluate and apply these concepts. There will be no make-up quizzes except in the case of university excused absences. You will need to work directly with me on excused work and notify me as soon as possible if there is a conflict with completing tasks.

Quizzes will be open book. However, each quiz is timed. Therefore, it will be necessary to prepare for quizzes carefully as there will not be enough time to look up answers as you go. .

Weekly Activities (400 possible points or 40% of your grade)

For each chapter we cover you will be required to write a 1-3 page response to the prompt that I provide. Detailed instructions will be provided to you as the semester progresses under the modules section of the canvas website. Response papers are intended to get students thinking outside the box. A good response paper will demonstrate the ability to evaluate concepts and ideas presented in class and apply them effectively to the activity.

Each paper should be typed and double-spaced. You are allowed to miss one thought paper of your choosing. There will be no make-ups for all other papers without an excused absence. To be considered for make-ups you must email me within 24 hours of the class period and provide documentation.

Weekly activities are due Saturday night by 5:00 p.m. of the week that you are required to cover that chapter. Once this time has past the ability to submit an assignment will no longer be open.

The following rubric will be used to grade your weekly papers

1. Degree and quality of analytic effort (MOST IMPORTANT)

 do you develop a convincing argument that addresses the prompt you were given  how insightful is your analysis, i.e., does it go beyond a superficial treatment of the subject and get at underlying themes and patterns  does your paper integrate key ideas from the course in meaningful ways  do you present your ideas in a linear and logical way  do you support your response with information from the text and lectures

2. Organizational structure and writing style

 is your paper easy to read, are your sentences clear, concise, and without grammatical errors  is your paper well organized with topic sentences and logical transitions between paragraphs  is there a sense of continuity from the beginning to the end  have you included a strong opening and conclusion  have you included accurate citations throughout your paper (if necessary)

3. Creativity of thought and originality

 does your paper provide a fresh and original approach to the topic  do you include thought provoking ideas or broad questions that demonstrate original and critical thinking  does your paper demonstrate a thorough understanding of all the class materials

Online Discussion (30% of course grade or a possible 120 points) Students are required to participate in the Discussion Thread (which can be found under discussion). Instructions will be found at the top of the Discussion Thread, and this will take the place of the typical in-class discussions. Students are expected to participate in the discussion threads for each chapter as we proceed through the syllabus Students are required to post one discussion comment and respond to one other student once a week (for a total of 12 threads) and more encouraged. This is the best way for you to ask questions, make comments, and to demonstrate that you have read and understood the chapters. It is important to note that you must either respond to one of my weekly prompts or create and original post and reply to at least one thread from another student each week in order to get credit for your weekly post. I will post a discussion question(s) for each chapter/topic. The discussions will be multi-directional and each post is required to be at least 250 words. I will evaluate your discussion based on the following criteria:

Deadline: Did you meet the required deadlines and did you post at least 6 original entries and respond to at least six of your fellow students?

Grammar: Are your posts free of grammatical errors? Do you use complete and correct sentences?

Content: Does your post dive deeply into the course materials and integrate key concepts effectively?

Outside Resources: Do you provide outside resources (media, news, literature, events) to illustrate the points you are making?

Evidence of Reading: Does your post demonstrate that you have completed the readings and have a strong understanding of the course materials?

Weekly Readings MODULE ONE

CHAPTER 1: Sociology & The Study of Social Problems

May 11th, Pages 1-24

CHAPTER 2: Poverty & Class

CHAPTER 3: Race & Ethnicity

CHAPTER 4: Gender Inequalities

May 18th, Pages 86-112 The Social Construction of Gender & Masculinities Readings

CHAPTER 7: Sexuality

May 20th, Pages 176-204 Steven Seidman’s The Social Construction of Sexuality

MODULE TWO

CHAPTER 12: Family Life

May 22nd, Pages 316-338

CHAPTER 11: Work & the Workplace

CHAPTER 13: Education

CHAPTER 16: The Environment

May 29th, Pages 418-348 CHAPTER 6: Crime

June 1st, Pages 140-174

MODULE THREE

CHAPTER 9: Health & Healthcare

June 3rd, Pages 234-260

CHAPTER 5: Aging Inequalities

June 5th, Pages 114-138

No Chapter: Disabilities (NO QUIZ ON THIS READING)

June 8th, Online Lecture

CHAPTER 14: City & Urban Life

CHAPTER 15: Population & Global Inequality

FINAL MODULE

No Chapter: Media (NO QUIZ ON THIS READING)

June 15th, Online Readings Denzin, Cinematic Society Reality TV Chapter

Assigned Readings: Solutions

June 17th, Online Readings NO QUIZ ON THIS READING