Soc 231 is really your first course in the science of sociology. It is a one semester course that should prepare you for every other higher course that you will take in sociology. Each chapter of your book  Sociology In Our Time by Diana Kendall is a separate subdiscipline within the field of sociology. As with any science, sociology has terms and specialized "catch" phrases which you need to be conversant within the field.

There will be between three-seven miniquizzes in the course accounting for 60% of the student’s final grade. Twenty percent will also be assigned to the student based on class attendance and participation during class discussions of the films shown in class. An additional twenty percent will be based on three short papers that will be handed in during the course of the semester. These three papers will be added together and treated as an extra exam. Each quiz will cover both the chapters to be read (in Kendall) and the lecture material about equally. During the lecture part of the course, I plan to cover much more material than is presented in your book. Each quiz will consist of approximately 10-20 multiple choice questions (except the final exam). Also, student attendance is expected at each class (except, of course, for health reasons or other emergencies).

Now, for the serious part of the syllabus--grades. After the first exam, I will set the curve (for every test of the same format) for the rest of the course. If we have an exam with a different number of questions--I will have to reset the curve for the class. I will then "overlook" the exam with the lowest score. I prefer the word "overlook" to the word "drop" because I really look at all the scores to see how you are doing in the class. But for the sake of a final grade I will not count as heavily the exam which is the lowest. However, all paper and tests must be written or taken. I have a strict policy that papers written on films shown in class are due one week after the film is presented. I try to adhere to this rule because otherwise students are turning in a raft of back due papers a week or two before the class ends. Our course outline below is rather ambitious, so I will try to cover all the topics but covering any one of these areas adequately is more important than completing the book or finishing the syllabus. I urge students not to miss or postpone an exam. In my experience students who do so usually score lower on exams when they are postponed. I will give make-ups only within ten calendar days of the classroom examination if there are extreme extenuating circumstances.

C. Apply the scientific process and related techniques, as employed by science in general and the social sciences in particular. ADO 6

D. Understand at least three competing theories of human behavior in general and sociology in particular. ADO 10

E. Understand individual and group differences, and show appreciation for the traditions and values of various groups in the United States. ADO 14

II. At some point near the end of the term you might get a series of assessment tests--showing how much (or how little) you have learned in this course. The board of trustees of JCC requires this information.

III. Two pet peeves: (1) People who talk all the time (especially during films) and (2) students who pick and choose what they wish to learn by attending class selectively. DON’T.