INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION ONLINE MENTOR INFORMATION

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1 Sociology of Marriage and Family SYG2430, Sections 2, 3, & 4 Spring 2015, Online Course website: Instructor: Skype ID: Mentor: Mentor: Mentor: INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Alex Raphael [email protected] araphael ONLINE MENTOR INFORMATION Kaley Boggs Michael Parrish Keith Richard Each student will be assigned an online mentor after the Drop/Add period. To find your specific mentor, look on Blackboard under your group. This person should be your first point of contact. *** Please Note*** Florida State University operates on Eastern Standard Time (EST) so this course will too. Therefore, all due dates and time windows will refer to EST. Also keep this time zone in mind when sending s. For example, if you send an at 10 p.m. from Portland, Oregon (on PST), that s 1 a.m. EST so you (most likely) will not receive an until the following day. Course Description: We tend to think of marriages and families as private entities composed of close, personal relationships. But they are not just collections of individual experiences and sites of private decisions. They are institutions performing socially valuable activities that are shaped by social, cultural, political, and economic forces. A sociological perspective will help us place our private, individual experiences in families within this broader context. The course focuses on marriage and family issues over the life course, including topics like dating and love, the formation of partnerships and marriages, choices about parenting, divorce and remarriage, the balance of work and family, and intergenerational relationships. Issues relating to diversity, including race, gender, social class, and sexual orientation, will be emphasized throughout the semester. Objectives: Describe the socio-historical development of the family as a social institution, including the changing roles of women, men, children, and elderly family members Analyze social, cultural, economic, and political forces that shape the institution of marriage Explain basic concepts, theories, and research methods used in the sociological study of marriage and family Identify and examine sociologically relevant issues within the contemporary family SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 1

2 Develop an appreciation and understanding for the diversity of family patterns that exist and an understanding of how family experience is shaped by gender, race and ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation Required Textbook and Readings: Cohen, Philip, N The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change. W.W. Norton & Company, First edition. ISBN: (paperback) *The loose leaf version is fine if you can find it.* The textbook is available at the FSU Bookstore, Bill s Bookstore, the Norton website, and online (e.g., Amazon). A copy of the textbook will also be available on course reserve at Strozier. Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard and denoted on the syllabus as BB. Software Requirements: You must be able to access the Internet, read PDF documents, view streaming audio and video, as well as use a basic word processer (e.g., Microsoft Word). If you do not have a high-speed Internet connection at home you need to set aside time in your schedule to access the online material from a computer with a sufficient connection speed. Slow connection speeds at home are not a valid excuse for failing to complete a course requirement on time. It is your responsibility to keep up with the information posted to the course website, including announcements, additional readings, handouts, grades, and assignment guidelines. COURSE FORMAT, REQUIREMENTS, AND EVALUATION Class Format: This course will be completed entirely online. However, you will still be interacting with others me, your online mentor, and other students throughout the semester. There are a variety of ways in which you will interact with others and engage with course content: readings, lectures notes, discussion boards, quizzes, writing assignments, and a final exam. After drop/add (on January 12), you will be placed into a group with about 25 other students with whom you will primarily interact through discussion boards. Each week, you will engage with material found in the Learning Unit folders. You can anticipate completing readings out of the textbook and/or readings from Blackboard. We will provide lecture slides that build upon the readings and unit topics. There may also be videos or links to external websites to complement the unit topics. You will then either need to complete a discussion board (including an initial post and two responses to peers) or a quiz. In addition, throughout the semester you will be required to complete three papers and a final exam. More details about these requirements can be found in the information below. Your online mentor and I will be available to you via . We are here to support your learning and success in this class. The online mentor assigned to your group should be your first point of contact. They will help evaluate your learning, provide feedback, and keep in contact with you. To keep you up-to-date with course happenings, you will receive weekly s from us providing details about the upcoming week s materials and assignments. SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 2

3 You are responsible for being active online. In part, this means logging into the Blackboard course site regularly. While there are no requirements for how often you log in, logging in only once or twice a week is simply not enough to be engaged and successful in this course. Logging in regularly (e.g., four or five times a week) will best support your engagement and success. In addition, being active online also means checking your frequently. Along with the course site, this is the primary way we will communicate with you. is the way we will communicate with you individually (vs. announcements on Blackboard that the whole course receives). *Not checking your is not an excuse for missing crucial course information.* Reading Assignments: Readings come from the assigned textbook and additional readings posted on Blackboard. Lectures will highlight and/or build on the readings so I suggest you complete the readings BEFORE reviewing the lecture slides. I also STRONGLY recommend you break up the reading throughout the week (e.g., read 15 pages per day) so you do not end up needing to read a week s worth of readings in one night. You will need to complete the readings in order to be successful on quizzes and in discussion boards so remember to give yourself plenty of time to read them thoroughly. To help improve your understanding of the readings, try to answer these questions as you read and review the material: What is the point of this chapter or article? What are the main concepts this author is using? What are some of the explanations for the findings? How convincing is the argument? How does this reading relate to the others we have covered? Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn out of 200 possible points. Online Bio (5 points; 2.5% of grade): So that we can get to know a bit about one another, you will need to create a short bio to post on the website. This assignment will count as your first-day attendance. If you do not complete it by Thursday, January 8 th at 10 p.m., you will be dropped from the course. Syllabus Quiz (5 points; 2.5% of grade): You will be required to complete a quiz based on information from the syllabus. It is meant to ensure that you have read the syllabus and understand what is expected of you in this course. You will have unlimited attempts to complete this particular quiz. Note: As the FSU Academic Honor Policy is part of this syllabus and an important component of this course, you ll also need to review that document, found under Resources. This quiz is due by Sunday, January 11 th at 10pm. Quizzes (60 points possible; 30% of grade): There will be 6 quizzes (each worth 10 points; 5% of grade) which will cover material from the learning units. They will be available beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. and close on Sunday at 10 p.m. There will be 20 multiple-choice questions (worth.5 points) randomly pulled from a larger set of quiz questions. You will have a time limit of 20 minutes to complete these quizzes. Once you begin a quiz, you must complete it. You will have three attempts, though because questions are randomly pulled from a larger set, you will see different questions in the attempts. SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 3

4 Discussion Boards (50 points possible; 25% of grade): There will be 5 discussion boards that are each worth 10 points (5% of grade). These asynchronous discussions will require you to think deeply about a particular topic and engage with your peers. You will submit one initial post (due on Thursday at 10 p.m.) that addresses the prompt for that particular discussion. Then, you will also submit two responses to your peers (due on Sunday at 10 p.m.). Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric (posted on the Blackboard site under Assignments ) for more information about how these discussions will be graded. Papers (50 points possible; 25% of grade): You will be required to write three papers. The first paper is worth 10 points, the second is worth 15 points, and the third is worth 25 points. The papers are graded in this way because we expect that as the course progresses and with guidance from our feedback, your writing and understanding of sociological content will develop. Therefore, we expect improvements on each paper. I will discuss the details of these papers well before they are due and will post instructions on the Blackboard website for this course (under Assignments ). Grading rubrics will be made available prior to the due date. You must submit papers in Word (.doc) format via the Turnitin link on our Blackboard course site by 10 p.m. EST on the day they are due. Please ask me in advance if you are not sure how to submit a paper via the Turnitin link. Paper 1: February 8 Paper 2: March 29 Paper 3: April points/5% 15 points/7.5% 25 points/12.5% Exam (30 points possible; 15% of grade): There will be one final exam worth 30 points (15% of the grade). The format may be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The exam will be cumulative. It will be open-book/open-note but it is time-limited so it is important that you prepare ahead of time. You will have limited amount of time (TBA) to complete the exam. The exam will open on Wednesday, April 29 at noon and close on Thursday, April 30 at 10 p.m. Final Exam: Opens April 29 at noon, due by April 30 at 10 p.m. 30 points/15% Evaluation/Grading Details: Item Points Possible Percent of Total Score Online Bio (1) 5 points 2.5% Syllabus Quiz (1) 5 points 2.5% Quizzes (6) 60 points 30% Discussion Boards (5) 50 points 25% Paper #1 10 points 5% Paper #2 15 points 7.5% Paper #3 25 points 12.5% Final Exam 30 points 15% TOTAL 200 points 100% SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 4

5 A A B B B C C C D D D F Extra Credit: There will be at least one extra credit opportunity offered during the semester a midterm evaluation available on Blackboard. I will provide more details about this opportunity as we get closer to the mid-point of the semester. There may be additional extra credit opportunities but do not rely on extra credit to boost your grade. If you are active on Blackboard, complete the readings, study for the exam, and put time and effort into discussion boards, quizzes, and papers, you will not need extra credit to help you pass this course. Completing Missed Work: Students will be permitted to make up coursework without penalty (including the exam) due to the following reasons: documented illnesses, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. Appropriate documentation (e.g., police report, doctor s note) must be provided. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness. Please contact your mentor or me as soon as possible if you miss an assignment due to one of the reasons listed above. In some cases, you may know of a conflict with an assignment deadline due to, for example, observation of a religious holiday or representing FSU at an official function. If you know you cannot complete an assignment ahead of time, please let your mentor or me know as soon as you know. Even if you miss an assignment for one of the reasons listed above, you are still responsible for completing make-up work in a timely fashion. In general, I expect that you will do all the following within a week of a missed due date: 1) let me or your mentor know you are unable to complete the work, 2) provide necessary documentation, and 3) make arrangements to make up the missed work. Late Papers: Please contact your mentor and/or me ASAP if you are unable to submit a paper on time. If you miss the due date for one of the three papers for any other reason besides those listed above (under Completing Missed Work ), I will allow you to submit papers with a penalty. Papers that are submitted 12 hours late (10 a.m. on Monday) will be subject to a 10% penalty (e.g., 1 point off a paper worth 10 points). After the first 12 hours, papers that are submitted late will be subject to a 20% penalty per each late day (e.g., paper submitted by Tuesday at 10pm = 40% penalty). This means that papers submitted five (5) days late (i.e. after Friday at 10pm) will receive a zero. Late papers should be ed directly to me or your mentor. After this late-day window, papers will not be accepted and will result in a zero, unless prior arrangements have been made with me. Note: This late policy applies ONLY to papers. All other work (quizzes, discussion boards, and the final exam) must be submitted by their scheduled due date or else they will receive a zero. SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 5

6 A Note on Blackboard: Sometimes Blackboard works in mysterious ways. If Blackboard (or Turnitin) are not working before a deadline, it is your responsibility to me or your mentor ASAP. If you are not able to submit your paper to Turnitin, you should me or your mentor your paper this will count as your submission and we will be able to see that you have completed it prior to the deadline. Therefore, if you us after the deadline and explain you couldn t complete your work because of Blackboard, there is little we will be able to do and your assignment will either result in a zero or, in the case of a paper, will receive a late penalty. Also, please double- and triple-check that your work has been submitted. When you submit a DB post, you ll be able to see it in the DB thread. When you submit a (non-multiple choice) quiz, exam, or a paper, you ll be able to see a gold/yellow! in your grade center. This symbol indicates that your work has been successfully submitted and needs to be graded. If this symbol does not show up in the grade center, it means your submission did not go through. It is your responsibility to ensure your work has been successfully submitted. COURSE POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS Participation/Dialogue in Discussion Boards: This class will require you to interact and participate in online discussion forums. Though these discussions are often informal, I still expect you to draw on material and information from class. In sociology classes, I often find that students like to share anecdotes and personal experiences. This is great! However, sociology is also about structural influences and larger trends. I expect you to use your sociological imagination and incorporate the bigger picture into discussions. In the discussion boards, we may discuss topics that are controversial, challenging, and polarizing. I expect you to be open to the possibility that there are other valid opinions besides your own. I expect you to be respectful of other s opinions and perspectives. You may also find concepts that are difficult to understand or that challenge your worldview. It s okay to disagree, but be prepared to support any claims with evidence and sociological concepts. Blackboard: This course is entirely online through the Blackboard course site so it is of the utmost importance that you become familiar with the site and log in regularly (should be about 4-5 days of the week). Through this site, I will post announcements, assignments, grades, lectures, and other important things. Please review My Grades often to make sure your grades are accurate and up-to-date. Inquire about missing and/or inaccurate grades within a week following any announcement that your grades have been posted. Please note that inquiries about grades posted the last week of class must be made immediately. Guidelines: It is my expectation that you check your frequently as this is the primary way that your mentors and I will communicate with you. We will often post important class info as announcements on Blackboard (which are then sent via ) but we will also send students s with individualized information like how to make-up missed work, inquiries SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 6

7 about participation, etc. **Not checking your is not an excuse for missing important course information.** When ing me and/or your mentor, please be sure to construct a professional that 1) has an appropriate subject title that includes either SYG2430 or Marriage & Family, 2) includes the name of who you re ing (e.g., Hello Alex and Kaley ), 3) has been proofread for clarity (grammar and spell check), 4) gives specifics (e.g., dates, page numbers, assignments) pertaining to your message, and 5) is signed with your name. We will try to respond to s ASAP but it may take up to 48 hours to respond. It is strongly recommended that all communication be sent from your official FSU account, especially when attaching any documents. Contacting Me with Problems: If you are struggling to complete the course requirements due to a personal issue, please do not hesitate to contact me or your mentor via . I know that college can be a challenging time, particularly as family, personal, and health issues arise. I can help connect you to campus resources and work with you to successfully complete the course, but I cannot help you unless you reach out to us. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Academic Honor Policy: The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University s expectations for the integrity of students academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to... be honest and truthful and... [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University. (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at Any form of academic dishonesty will result in a zero for that particular assignment or an F for the course, at the instructor s discretion in accordance with the Academic Honor Policy. Americans With Disabilities Act: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in an alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact: Student Disability Resource Center 874 Traditions Way 108 Student Services Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 7

8 (850) (voice) (850) (TDD) Religious Holidays: Students will be allowed to miss class due to observance of religious holidays but they are still responsible for all materials assigned outside and covered in class on the day(s) missed. You must talk with me in advance of missing a class for religious holiday observance reasons. Resources: Free Tutoring from FSU: On-campus tutoring and writing assistance is available for many courses at Florida State University. For more information, visit the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Tutoring Services comprehensive list of on-campus tutoring options - see or contact [email protected]. High-quality tutoring is available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. These services are offered by tutors trained to encourage the highest level of individual academic success while upholding personal academic integrity. Information Technology Services: For help with IT issues such as your FSUID, login help, or , please contact (850) 644-HELP (4357). Blackboard User Support: If you have problems with Blackboard that are not related to Secure Apps, webmail, or logging in, please contact (850) Various Student Resources: FSU provides students with a variety of resources. This site lists links to frequently used resources. Changes: Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice. COURSE SCHEDULE TB = The Family textbook; BB = Blackboard readings Readings Quizzes Discussion Boards Other Assignments January 7 January 11 // Unit 1: Brief Introduction into Sociology Get your textbook! Syllabus Quiz due Sunday, Jan. 11 at 10 p.m. Online Bio due Thursday, Jan. 8 at 10 p.m. *Counts as your 1 st Day Attendance* SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 8

9 January 12 January 18 // Unit 2: A Sociology of Family TB: Chapter 1 BB: Bates & DeMaio (2013) Measuring Same-Sex Relationships Quiz #1 January 19 January 25 // Unit 3: The Family in History TB: Chapter 2 BB: Coontz (2011) When We Hated Mom DB #1 Note: Due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you are not required to be active in the course on Monday, January 19. January 26 February 1 // Unit 4: Gender & the Family TB: Chapter 5 BB: Lang & Risman (2010) A Stalled Revolution or a Still Unfolding One? Quiz #2 February 2 February 8 // Unit 5: Race, Ethnicity, & Immigration TB: Chapter 3 BB: Steinbugler (2014) Loving Across Racial Lines Paper 1 due Sunday, February 8 at 10 p.m. February 9 February 15 // Unit 6: Families & Social Class TB: Chapter 4 BB: Roy & Cabrera (2010) Not Just Provide and Reside: Low Income Fathers DB #2 TB: Chapter 6 Quiz #3 February 16 February 22 // Unit 7: Sexuality February 23 March 1 // Unit 8: An Intersectional Approach to Family BB: Acosta (2014) We Are Family DB #3 March 2 March 8 // Unit 9: Love & Romantic Relationships TB: Chapter 7 BB: Harrison & Shortall (2011) Women & Men in Love: Who Really Feels It and Says It First Quiz #4 Note: Daylight Savings Time begins on March 8. Make sure you ve fixed your clocks! SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 9

10 March 9 March 13 // SPRING BREAK! Relax and take time for yourself March 16 March 22 // Unit 10: Marriage & Cohabitation TB: Chapter 8 BB: Brown (2006) How Cohabitation is Reshaping American Families BB: Gerstel & Sarkisian (2006) Marriage: The Good, the Bad, and the Greedy DB #4 March 23 March 29 // Unit 11: Families & Children TB: Chapter 9 BB: Umberson (2006) Parents, Adult Children, and Immortality Paper 2 due Sunday, March 29 at 10 p.m. March 30 April 5 // Unit 12: Divorce, Remarriage, & Blended Families TB: Chapter 10 BB: Rutter (2010) The Case for Divorce Quiz #5 April 6 April 12 // Unit 13: Work & Families TB: Chapter 11 BB: Moore (2010) Independent Women: Equality in African- American Lesbian Relationships BB: Gerson & Jacobs (2004) The Work-Home Crunch DB #5 April 13 April 19 // Unit 14: Family Violence & Abuse TB: Chapter 12 Paper 3 due Sunday, April 19 at 10 p.m. April 20 April 26 // Unit 15: Future of the Family TB: Chapter 13 Quiz #6 April 27 May 1 // Finals Week Final Exam: Available on Wednesday, April 29 at noon, due by Thursday, April 30 at 10 p.m. Congratulations! You re done with the course SYG2430, Spring 2015, Syllabus pg. 10