Course Syllabus

Here is your syllabus       Syllabus Social Problems.pdf 

 

Social Problems  Soc 105

Rivier University

 

Professor          Yvonne Vissing, PhD

Email                 yvissing@rivier.edu

Phone               603 498 5985

Office Hours    by appointment, please email or call to set up a time to talk.

Course Description   Soc 105  Social Problems (3 Credits)

This course critically examines contemporary social problems by applying national and global sociological perspectives to the issues of poverty, racial and ethnic inequalities, sexuality, crime, and the environment. Students explore the systemic causes of social problems. How does a social problem become defined? What are the causes of various social problems? What can be done about them? Students may be expected to participate in service-learning projects in order to apply course materials to real world efforts to solve social problems.

Textbook

You do not need to buy a book for this class but it is fine if you do.  You will be given materials that come from Title: Revel for Social Problems -- Access Card, 16th Edition 2020, Pearson Publishing by Author: Seccombe & Kornblum.   Isbn10: 0135212529   Isbn13: 9780135212523   Item id: PGM2865237

I know that money is tight for people so I have constructed a class that is rich with materials for you, and the power points from the text. 

There are online resources, films, and other materials for you to access.  If you have any difficulty accessing them, please let me know.

If you are interested in learning about other types of social problems other than that which I have posted, please let me know and I am happy to create learning materials just for you that will help you to achieve your educational goals.

Office Hours

I do not have an office at Riv and work remotely.  I am happy to have virtual office hours with you.  Let me know that you want to meet and we can set up a zoom or phone consult.

Topics of Inquiry

In this class, the following topics will be explored:

1. Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
   2. Problems of Health and Health Care
   3. Problems of Mental Illness and Treatment
   4. Alcohol and Other Drugs
   5. Crime and Violence
   6. Poverty amid Affluence
   7. Racism, Prejudice, and Discrimination
   8. Sex and Gender
   9. An Aging Society
   10. Changing Families
   11. Problems of Education
   12. Problems of Work and the Economy
   13. Population and Immigration
   14. The Environment
   15. War and Global Insecurity

 

Assignments

All assignments are posted on CANVAS in modules that are themed to the topics of inquiry.

There are readings, power points, youtubes, and materials to review for each module.  Here is what you need to do:

Review each reading/powerpoint/youtube.  After you review each one, you are to create a Word document that looks like this:

Title of Module

Put the link, then write a short paragraph about what it was about and what you learned from it.

Do this for EACH link.  This way you show that you went to it and what you learned from it.

After you have done EACH link, then you are to write a summary paragraph about what all together you learned from the module.   When you do this, you are thinking about all the different things you learned from each link and how they gel together in your mind.   This final paragraph is your “take-away” of what will stick with you from this module.  

Studies on how students learn show that this is a really good way of embedding knowledge into our brains.  We read, think about what we read, write pieces, and then sew all the pieces together in our mind.  

I am giving you about 2 weeks to review each module and to then write a good essay.

Research Paper

You are to pick a topic of your choice on a social problem and conduct research on it.  It could be library research (literature review) or you could construct a research question and go out and conduct research on it.  Please talk to your professor for guidance on how you can do your paper well.  I am glad to help you.  This project should be a lot of fun and a good learning opportunity for you.  Additional guidelines are posted on Canvas.

Final Exam

You will note that you do not have weekly quizzes; but you will have a final exam.  The Final exam will be essay format and you will be asked to write about what you learned in the class.  The exam will be posted a week before the end of the term for your review.

Learning how to be a good writer is important, so when you write your essays, write with detail and developed sentences.  Usually writing more is better than writing less, as when you write more it shows you learn more.  When you write your first assignment, I will give you feedback that will help you to craft future essays.  Please know that you are welcome to copy and paste an assignment into the body of an email to me and you can ask for feedback before you submit it so you can know if you are on target, as I will give you advice on whether it is good or if you should do more.  You do not have to email me first before you submit, it is merely an option for you.

In summary, for each module, create a word document, put your reviews of each link into it as you do them.  Then save the document so you can come back to it and add more information to it later.  Link. Review. Link. Review.  Link.  Review.  Then a summary paragraph. When you have finished, it’s time to submit it for grading.

Grading

Each module will be graded on a 100 point scale.

95-100 is an A

90-94 is an A-

87- 89 is a B+

83-86  is a B

80-82 is a B-

77-79 is a C+

74-76 is a C

70-73 is a C-

60-70 is a D

Below 60 is a F

 

Due Dates

There are dates that are recommended for you to submit materials.  I know that most students work and have family obligations so sometimes it is hard to get materials submitted at a particular date.  This is especially true during COVID.   If you are late turning in your materials, you will not be penalized unless you are more than 3 weeks late.  ALL materials must be in a week before the end of the term to give me time to grade them. 

If you submit your work regularly, you will receive feedback that will help you to perform better in future assignments.  Submitting regularly shows that you are engaged and care about your work.  If you do not submit regularly and wait until the last minute, you will not be able to get feedback that will help you to score better.  Not submitting until the end also shows that you may not have been working on the materials all term and am hurrying to just get through them at the last minute.  Your goal and mine should be the same – for you to learn well and receive a good grade as a result.

Honor

Your honor is something that must be earned.  Don’t give it away.  This means do your own work.  Don’t plagiarize. Be respectful when you interact with others in the class, and to your professor.  Be respectful to yourself by adjusting your schedule to make time to enrich your knowledge and benefit yourself.  Do not trash-talk or be disparaging to others. Try to understand where they are coming from, even if you don’t agree with them.  Becoming a critical thinker is an important part of being a scholar. 

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and cheating are serious breaches of academic honesty. In general, plagiarism is defined as the presentation of someone else’s work in whatever form: copyrighted

material, notes, film, art work, reports, statistics, bibliographies, and the like, as one’s own, and failing to acknowledge the true source. Quoting word-for-word, or almost so, or using the argumentation of another source without acknowledging this dependence also constitutes plagiarism. Cheating is defined as the giving or attempting to give or to receive unauthorized information or assistance during an examination or in completing an assigned project. Submission of a single work for two separate courses without the permission of the instructors involved is also a form of cheating. Rivier expects and encourages all students to contribute to a learning environment of integrity and honesty.  If students are unsure whether a specific course of action would constitute plagiarism or cheating, they should consult with their instructor in advance and check their course syllabus.

Penalties for plagiarism and cheating vary with the degree of the offense and may take the form of the following academic sanctions:

• The grade of F for the work in question;
• The grade of F for the course;
• Notification of the division Dean and/or Associate Vice President for Learning Effectiveness of the misconduct of the student;
• The recommendation that the student be suspended or dismissed from the University.