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Objectives
Academic integrity
Attendance
Due dates/late assignments
Internet access
Contacting me
Students with disabilities
Course objectives
- understand the role of theory in the social sciences.
- understand how theories are constructed, and the importance of logic and evidence in this process.
- understand how theory can be applied to help explain or predict social phenomena.
- be able to use a theory to help explain the current U.S. war in Iraq and to help predict future developments in that situation (and be able to present it in a public forum).
Means of assessment
You will take a midterm exam, be responsible for weekly in-class discussion assignments to be done in small groups, complete an end-of-term project where you will ask a question/choose an issue and discuss theoretical attempts to answer it, and present as a public forum a discussion of the Iraq war and how theory can be applied to gain useful insights and explanatory and predictive power.
Requirements
- You can’t afford to miss class. This is the most difficult class we offer in terms of material covered;
- You’ll be expected to prepare for and participate in class discussions based on assigned readings;
- You’ll have various assignments to complete (listed above and below);
- You’ll need access to a computer and the Internet—outside of class I’ll communicate when possible via e-mail. Courses tend to be dynamic in ways to which a syllabus cannot do justice. The course Web site (www.eou.edu/soctheory) will include various pages describing assignments, providing schedules for readings, giving class-related announcements, policies, etc. Please let me know if Internet access presents a logistical problem.
- You’ll need to gain access to these required texts (in addition to several other assigned readings available on Pierce Library’s electronic reserve):
- Peter Kivisto. 2004. Key Ideas in Sociology (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
- Peter Kivisto. 2003. Social theory: Roots and branches. Los Angeles: Roxbury.
Class format
The class will be a combination of lecture, discussion and small group collaborative activity. I will emphasize discussion—we will discuss readings, points in lecture, and assignments in class, the latter both before and after. I do reserve the right to revert to lecture when I need to make certain that important concepts and ideas are being conveyed.
Academic
integrity
The
university's official position: Eastern Oregon University places
a high value upon the integrity of its student scholars. Any student
found guilty of academic misconduct (including, but not limited
to, cheating, plagiarism, or theft of an examination or supplies)
may be subject to having his or her grade reduced in the course
in question, being placed on probation or suspended from the university,
or being expelled from the university--or a combination of these.
(see section II of the 2002-03 Student Handbook, p. 32ff, and
p. 41 ff).
My
interpretation: Plagiarism is taking credit for work, ideas, papers,
that are not yours. Universities make lots of literature available
for a nominal fee, the bargain being that if you use the ideas
of others, you'll credit them. So it isn't just wholesale theft,
but as the above says, deception, misrepresentation, etc. Be sure
you're familiar with what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it.
The Penn State University Library has a good Web page on citing
your sources. I recommend you look at it before you turn in
papers in this class or others. If you're caught plagiarizing,
you'll receive an 'F' on the assignment and possibly for the course.
Doing your own work turns out to be more rewarding in the long
term . . .
Attendance
You
are not required to attend class. However, there are participation components to your grade (group presentations and small group assignments), to which you should pay attention. Chronic
absence in general won't gain my sympathies-it isn't fair to those
who make the effort to show up for class prepared. If you miss
any class, it is your responsibility to find out what has been
covered, get notes from other students, and find out whether there
were any announcements-don't depend on the announcements
page to be up-to-the-minute, or lecture material online to
be comprehensive. While for parts of the course there will be
online lecture material, that material won't reflect the actual
discussions we had in class. You might look at it as the difference
between watching a movie, and reading a review of it.
If you know
you will be missing class, especially if it might happen on a
scheduled exam day, let me know in advance. However, don't
send me an email and assume I've read it if I didn't reply.
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Due dates
and late assignments
Assignments
are expected in class on the day they're due. Late assignments
will be assessed a penalty (one letter grade for each day, increasing
with lateness). You can turn in assignments
electronically by attaching them to e-mail and sending
them to me. I will send back a confirmation e-mail that I
received and was able to open the attached document. Please don't
blame anything I never receive on technology--as Italians say,
chi non a la testa, a le gambe (essentially, forgetful
people do a lot more locomoting). If you have extenuating circumstances
for being late, I'm always willing to listen, and I can keep a
straight face. But in fairness to others who've managed to get
them in on time, it'll have to be good . . .
Posted
due dates are pretty firm. They may change over the course of
the semester, but they'll be the same for everyone. Turning in
an assignment late will lead to a deduction. If you notify me
on the due date that it will be late, and get it in the next day,
the deduction is one letter grade (the total number of points
you can get is 10% less than the total possible). Later notifications
or assignments turned in will be dealt with on a case-by-case
basis. Printer/server/computer problems are your responsibility--the
university is full of computers and printers, you can carry around
a file on a floppy--I'm not very sympathetic to computer excuses,
or last-minute excuses of any kind for that matter. If you're
having trouble for whatever reason, you need to plan for it and
let me know in advance (which will hopefully give you time to
. . . not have trouble).
As
for exams, if you're going to have a problem making the exam date
you need to let me know in advance. If I don't hear from you prior
to the exam, you can still make it up but you'll receive a one
letter-grade deduction for each day you don't contact me.
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Internet
access
You
will need access to the Internet for this course. The course Web
page contains a great deal of information on the course itself,
course-related topics, and more general topics. Things happen,
and assignments and due dates may be subject to change, so check
the announcements page regularly. If Internet access is a problem,
you need to let me know at the beginning of the course (there
are multiple computer labs on campus (see
a list), and not having a computer or Internet access from
home won't be a valid excuse. I put this stuff up so that it's
available to you anytime you're on a computer, not just during
office hours, class time, or the regular school day.
Contacting
me
My
office number is 962-3591 (just push 23591 if you're on campus).
You have my email address (bgrigsby@eou.edu).
I have three office hours during the week:
Tuesday
(11:00 - 12:00)
Wednesday (11:30 - 12:30)
Thursday (3:00 - 4:00)
or
by appointment. I also teach M & W from 2-4, Th from 2-3, and use time prior to class to prepare
material, so drop by if you have something quick to say,
but this is not a good time to pop in for a chat.
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Students
with disabilities
Any
student requiring assistance or accommodation from me in performing
course-related work should make his/her needs known to me in a
timely manner. If you have a documented disability or suspect
that you have a learning problem, and require reasonable accommodations,
please contact the Disability Services Program in Loso Hall 230
(phone 962-3081).
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