Note to Students:  The revised edition of the text book and study guide is not yet available.  This syllabus will be updated once the new edition arrives.
 
 

Required Course Materials:

1. Text (TBA)
2. Study Guide (TBA)
3. Video Cassettes which are needed to record from your VCR the televised programs on PBS on Wednesdays from 3am - 4am. (Please note:this early morning airing requires most persons to program the VCR on Tuesday evening.)

Course Instructor:

Brina Friedman, M.Ed,CAC,ICADC,CCJS
Office #: (215) 643-4835

I can be reached directly or you can leave a message and I will return you call shortly on Mondays - Thursdays. This is the best number for contact. Please do not leave messages on my voice mail at MC3.  If I am unavailable to speak with you at the time of your call, please leave a message on the tape machine or with the person who answers your call. Your call will be returned promptly.

Mailing Address:

Brina Friedman
Parkhouse Hall
Montgomery County Community College
340 DeKalb Pike
Blue Bell, PA 19422-0796

Important: Make certain all correspondence is addressed to my attention. Postage paid envelopes will be available during orientation or I can forward them to you upon request.

Fax: (215) 643-4823 Assignments may be faxed and must be received by Wednesdays 12 p.m. (two days after the required postmark date). Mailing a hard copy is not necessary. If you choose to do so please mark COPY at the top of the paper. Assignments may also be hand delivered to my mailbox in Parkhouse Hall and must arrive by Wednesday am.

Orientation: Orientation for the course will be held at the main campus on a date TBA. The orientation will introduce the student to the study of Sociology and the design of telecourses. Postage paid envelopes will be distributed during the orientation or can be provided for you upon request.

Course Requirements:

1. Weekly assignments serve to integrate the course materials. The 26 lessons in the Telecourse Guide correspond directly to the 13 televised programs. The textbook chapters provide additional information. Thus, it is suggested that for each lesson the student should:

a. Read the Telecourse Guide concentrating on the Learning Objectives and the video viewing questions.
b. Read the textbook material.
c. View the video cassette taking notes where necessary for the written assignment.
d. Scan the self-test checking your answers in the answer key at the end of each unit of the study guide.

2. Important instructions for your weekly assignments are as follows:

a. All assignments must be typed (double-spaced) or done on a word processor.
b. All assignments must include your name and lesson number.
c. All assignments should be brief (a page or two) and focused.
d. All assignments should reflect examples from the course materials to support your viewpoints. You may interject personal experiences when they are relevant to the topic and material. Independent and critical analysis may help your assignment grade.
e. Keep copies of all your work in the event that a paper is lost in the mail or misplaced. In the event I do not receive a student's paper, the student is responsible for sending me a duplicate copy.
f. All written assignments must be post-marked no later than the Monday after the week in which they are assigned. All late papers will be penalized one letter grade per week. If assignments are dropped off at my mailbox in Parkhouse Hall, they must arrive by Wednesday AM or may be faxed by Wednesday 12pm.
g.Please allow a two week turn around time for the return of all assignments. It is not unusual for mail to arrive at the college over a week after mailing. In order to assure attention to each paper and provide adequate feedback, this time is required.
h. In the event an assignment is not received, you will be notified of this in writing.
i. It is the students responsibility to inform me of any address changes. I can not be responsible for assignments not returned due to unreported address changes.

Important: Falling behind in this course may be detrimental. The assignments are manageable if you develop your own working pace and complete them on time. This also enables me to give you necessary and regular feedback. Assignments some weeks are greater than others. Getting ahead during the lighter weeks will help make the heavier weeks more manageable.

3. A final examination will be given in the Learning Lab in the Library of College Hall, 3rd floor, Room CH320. The exam will be available for students to take during Learning Lab hours. The Learning Lab is open Monday - Thursday from 7:30am-9:30pm, Friday 7:30am-5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm. Identification will be required to take the final exam. Students who would prefer to take the exam in the learning lab of the west campus must notify me of your preference and an appointment must be scheduled with the west campus learning lab. The Learning Lab closes at the times indicated. It is recommended that students allow at least two hours for completion of the exam. The final exam consists of objective questions. Completion of the self-test at the end of each unit will help to prepare you for the final exam.

4. Grades are based upon the student's ability to conceptualize sociological theory and integrate course content demonstrated by written assignments. The final exam is worth double the value of weekly assignments. To limit subjective grading, grades for papers are determined as follows:

A = Assignments receiving an A demonstrate an ability to conceptualize the material beyond what is normally seen at an introductory level.

B = Assignments receiving a B are those that are complete and accurate.

C = Assignments receiving a C contain inaccuracies and/or are incomplete.

D & F = Assignments receiving a D or an F are those which appear to have been given little consideration and/or seem to have been written without review of the unit materials.

5. The official start of the semester begins with the WHYY airing of the first two broadcasts although an orientation meeting will be held on a date TBA.

Sociology Web Sites For Reference:

American Sociological Association (ASA): http://www.asanet.org/
The Midwest Sociological Society (MSS): http://www.drake.edu/MSS/homepage.html
The Pacific Sociological Association (PSA): http://www.csus.edu/psa/body/html
Society For Applied Sociology (SAS): http://www.indiana.edu/~appsoc/
The Society For The Study of Social Problems (SSSP): http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~sssp
The Southern Sociological Society (SSS): http://www.MsState.Edu/Org/SSS/noframes.htm

Assignments for The Sociological Imagination Telecourse:

9/15/99 Lesson 1: From Social Interaction to Social Structure

1)Reading Assignments: Telecourse Guide lesson 1

2)View Video Cassette #1

Lesson 2: Social Interaction Conflict and Change

1)Reading Assignment: Telecourse Guide lesson 2

2)View Video Cassette #2

3)Written Assignment: In a page or two, write a description of yourself, your life and the various roles you have in societal social structures. Include examples of your roles in both primary and secondary groupings.

Postmark assignment by 9/20/99.

9/22/99 Lesson 3: Sociological Thinking and Research

1)Reading assignments: Telecourse Guide lesson 3

2)View Video Cassette #3

Lesson 4: Culture

1)Reading assignments: Telecourse Guide lesson 4

2)View Video Cassette #4

9/29/99 Lesson 5: Socialization

1)Reading assignments: Telecourse Guide lesson 5

2)View Video Cassette #5

Lesson 6: Groups

1)Reading assignments: Telecourse Guide lesson 6

2)View Video Cassette #6

3)Written assignment: In general terms, characterize your own culture and describe the socialization process which has influenced your cultural identity today. Support your response with examples of values, norms and attitudes which have become a part of your world view.

postmark by 10/4/99

10/6/99 Lesson 7: Formal Organizations

1)Assigned reading: Telecourse Guide lesson 7

2)View Video Cassette #7

Lesson 8: Societies

1)Assigned reading: Telecourse Guide lesson 8

2)View Video Cassette #8

3)Written assignment: Discuss the main factors involved in sociocultural evolution. What is the basic force driving social change in contemporary societies? Describe the impact of technology on society.

postmark by 10/11/99

10/13/99 Lesson 9: Cities and Population

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse guide lesson 9

2)View Video Cassette #9

Lesson 10: Community

1)Assigned reading: Telecourse guide lesson 10

2)View Video Cassette #10

10/20/99 Lesson 11: Social Control

1)Assigned reading: Telecourse guide lesson 11

2)View Video Cassette #11

Lesson 12: Deviance

1)Assigned reading: Telecourse guide lesson 12

2)View Video Cassette #12

3)Written assignment: Discuss the positive and negative aspects of deviance on society. How does social control address the various aspects of deviance?

postmark by 10/25/99

10/27/99 Lesson 13: Social Stratification

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse guide lesson 13

2)View Video Cassette #13

Lesson 14: Social Class

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse guide lesson 14

2)View Video Cassette #14

3)Written Assignment: Provide a brief summary of the conflict, functionalist and interactionist theories as applied to Social Class and Social Stratification.

postmark by 11/1/99

11/3/99 Lesson 15: Race and Ethnicity

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse guide lesson 15

2)View Video Cassette #15

Lesson 16: Sex and Gender

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse guide lesson 16

2)View Video #16

11/10/99 Lesson 17: Aging

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 17

2)View Video #17

Lesson 18: Education

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 18

2)View Video #18

3)Written assignment: Discuss how individuals are socially stratified on the basis of race, gender and age. What does the concept of "minority" refer to? How are issues of race and gender significant in educational institutions? Provide supporting examples.

postmark by 11/15/99

11/17/99 Lesson 19: Family

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 19

2) View Video #19

Lesson 20: Economic Systems

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 20

2)View Video #20

3)Written assignment: Describe your family using the applicable sociological terms and concepts from the family unit. How does a family function as an efficient economic unit?

postmark by 11/22/99

11/24/99 Lesson 21: Religion

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 21

2)View Video #21

Lesson 22: Mass Media

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 22

2)View Video #22

12/1/99 Lesson 23: Political Systems

1) Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 23

2) View Video #23

Lesson 24: Science and Technology

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 24

2)View Video #24

3)Written assignment: Discuss and provide examples of how technological innovation can create conflict within various societal institutions.

postmark by 12/6/99

12/8/99 Lesson 25: Collective Behaviors and Social Movements

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 25

2)View Video #25

Lesson 26: Social Change

1)Assigned readings: Telecourse Guide lesson 26

2)View Video #26

3)Written assignment: Complete final examination
 
 

The Final Exam is the last assignment and must be completed in the Learning Lab by a date to be announced.

All outstanding assignments must be postmarked by TBA or faxed by TBA. Any assignments (including the final exam) which are not received by the end of the semester will be scored as a 0 and averaged with other grades. The final exam is worth the weight of two assignments.

The student code of conduct is a binding part of this syllabus in academic and disciplinary matters. Any student requiring accommodation for a disability should contact the counseling center and also speak to me to assure a successful semester.