This introduction to sociology course introduces students to the three main sociological perspectives, the sociological imagination, social construction, and how to think like a sociologist. Topics such as deviance, social control, culture, stratification, socialization, social movements, and other social issues that society faces are explored and discussed. This course will require students to think critically about human actions and interactions. Students will gain an understanding on how people’s lives are shaped by society.
Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.
There are 7 assignments and a final paper in this course.
Requirements:
Final Paper: The only difference for this paper is it should be a minimum of 3 full pages, not including cover page and reference page. The final paper is worth 20% of your final grade.
Student Introductions
Student Introductions is the first discussion item. Since we may never have the opportunity to meet face to face, please introduce yourselves to your peers. Be sure to respond to 2 other students.
There are 8 discussions in this course. Requirements for discussions:
For detailed grading criteria, refer to the Discussion Rubric. Discussions are worth 15% of your final grade, this discussion is worth 1.75% of your final grade.
This course includes 7 quizzes; all quizzes are timed and include multiple choice and True/False questions. Quizzes are worth 14% of your final grade, each quiz is worth 2% of your final grade.
The Final Exam is cumulative, timed, includes multiple choice and True/False questions. It is required that the Final Exam is proctored. The Final Exam is worth 20% of your final grade. This Final Exam must be taken though ProctorU. See UNE’s ProctorU page for information about signing up and scheduling your exam. The official UNE webcam is required. Proctored exams are closed for review. You will not be able to review them at any time. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignment Category | Grade |
---|---|
Discussions (8) | 15% |
Introduction discussion | 2% |
Quizzes (7) | 14% |
Assignments (7) | 14% |
Project | 15% |
Final Exam | 20% |
Final Paper | 20% |
Total | 100% |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Week |
Topic |
Readings/Resources |
Assignments |
1 |
An Introduction to Sociology & Sociological Research |
Chapters 1 & 2 |
Discussion 1initial post Introduction discussion and replies Syllabus Acknowledgement Assignment 1 |
2 |
Culture & Society and Social Interaction |
Chapters 3, 4 |
Discussion 1 replies Quiz 1 Project Assigned |
3 |
Socialization |
Chapter 5 |
Discussion 2 initial post Assignment 2 |
4 |
Groups and Organizations & Deviance, Crime, and Social Control |
Chapters 6,7 |
Discussion 2 replies Quiz 2 |
5 |
Media and Technology |
Chapter 8 |
Discussion 3 initial post Assignment 3 |
6 |
Social Stratification in the United States |
Chapter 9 |
Discussion 3 replies Quiz 3 Project check in |
7 |
Global Inequality |
Chapter 10 |
Discussion 4 initial post Assignment 4 |
8 |
Race and Ethnicity |
Chapter 11 |
Discussion 4 replies Quiz 4 |
9 |
Gender, Sex, and Sexuality |
Chapter 12 |
Discussion 5 initial post Assignment 5 |
10 |
Aging and the Elderly & Marriage and Family |
Chapters 13, 14 |
Discussion 5 replies Quiz 5 |
11 |
Religion & Education |
Chapters 15 & 16 |
Discussion 6 initial post Assignment 6 Project check – in |
12 |
Government and Politics |
Chapter 17 |
Discussion 6 replies Quiz 6 |
13 |
Work and Economy |
Chapter 18 |
Discussion 7 initial post Assignment 7 |
14 |
Health and Medicine |
Chapter 19 |
Discussion 7 replies Quiz 7 Project due |
15 |
Population, Urbanization, and the Environment |
Chapter 20 |
Discussion 8 Final Paper |
16 |
Social Movements and Social Change |
Chapter 21 |
Discussion 8 replies Final Exam |
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Science Prerequisites page
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
Your student service advisor monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.
The Student Lounge Discussion Board is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE’s Academic Integrity Policy.
Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.
The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.
Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU’s services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded the ProctorU Chrome or Firefox extension and are using the most current version of Chrome or Firefox. They must also be sure their testing site’s connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU’s “Test It Out” utility.
Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on “exams”. After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU’s web site, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.
Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited.
Proctored exams are not available for review at any time. You will not be able to see the questions, nor the answers you’ve given, after completing the exams. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.
Discussion board assignments cover interesting current events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each assignment may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video prior to writing a response following the specific guidelines in the assignment.
To earn full credit: you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You will need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. Please keep in mind that only this initial response is included in your assignment grade, so make sure you have followed all of the guidelines and written a complete response prior to submitting the post. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.
Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each assignment. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.
Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion board assignment is worth.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.
Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.
Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.
To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:
To request your official UNE student transcript:
Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.
After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar’s Office.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.