Course Syllabus

Welcome to SOC 30: Sociology of the Family

Overview

CATEGORY INFORMATION
Credits 3
Prerequisites None
Delivery Web (Canvas, https://psu.instructure.com)
Dates See the Calendar.
Instructor See the Orientation module under the Modules tab.

Description

This course introduces students to Sociology of the family (GS).  Family, in all of its forms, is one of the most fundamental and enduring of social institutions. Because almost everyone grows up in a family, we are accustomed to thinking about the ways in which our values, personalities, and goals have been shaped by family experiences. In this course, however, we will examine families and family relationships from a sociological perspective. In particular, we will consider how our private, taken-for-granted family experiences are related to social factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, social class, the economy, and cultural attitudes and values. Everyone is encouraged to to discuss topics and ask questions. Through this course, students will gain a better understanding of current U.S. family patterns and trends, based on empirical research, be able to analyze and interpret family patterns and trends using sociological concepts and theories, evaluate family-related information from multiple perspectives, develop a greater appreciation of the diversity and choices in family life today, and clarify their own values with respect to marriage and family life.

Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Describe key research findings related to family experiences across the life course
  2. Identify the ways family experiences are influenced by characteristics of US society, including history, economy, and culture
  3. Apply class information to your past, present, and future family experiences and choices
  4. Describe how sociology looks at the world. including key concepts, and be able to apply sociological concepts and perspective
  5. Describe different definitions of family and list the ways that family as a key sociological institution, is changing over time

Organization

This course is made up of 15 lessons divided into 9 units.

For each lesson, you will complete the following activities and assignments:

  • Explore course content on this Web site.
  • Read an assigned reading.
  • Take a quiz 

Approximately every other week you will: 

  • Complete a short essay (300 words minimum) related to that week’s lesson

In addition, each week you will have the opportunity to participate in ungraded topical lesson discussions if you choose.  If you choose to participate I think you will enjoy them and they will provide you with an opportunity to ask questions, explore ideas, get to know others in the course.

Online Learning and Attendance

This course has been developed to promote asynchronous learning. The instructor and students do NOT meet on a designated day and time each week. For each lesson, there is a timeframe to complete all activities and assignments, and you may work at your own pace within that timeframe. However, you must adhere to the due dates outlined on the Calendar. (Due dates can also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) You should log into the course daily to check for updates, review lessons, and participate in activities.

Materials

Texts

There is no textbook for this class but there are readings from a selection of articles and book chapters.  All readings are available through electronic course reserves in the PSU Pattee/Paterno library.  

This course shares the same reading list with the residential sections of Soc 030 I teach on the PSU University Park campus.  You will not be reading all the readings on the course reserve list.  When you access the electronic course reserves through the library, be sure that you select only the reading listed in your syllabus for that week’s assignment. 

Reading study questions:  For each reading I have provided study question to help you focus your reading and prepare for the quiz.    These are only a study aid and do not cover everything you need to know from the reading.  They are optional for you to use.  You will not submit your answers or be graded on them.  A link to the study questions is provided for each lesson.   

Each weekly quiz will have questions on that week’s reading and the readings are not discussed in detail in the online lesson materials.  You are responsible for doing the reading and working through the optional study questions in a timely fashion so that you are prepared for the quiz.  If you have questions about the reading, you can post them on the lesson discussion board or e mail the instructor directly.

Protect yourself from technology malfunction: As you know, websites can malfunction for a number of reasons.  This also applies to the websites for Canvas or the library which can go down without notice.  Protect yourself by downloading all readings and study questions to your own device early in the semester.  You are responsible for having the assigned readings and study questions ready for each week’s quiz or assignment.  

Technical problems accessing the readings or study questions will not be accepted as an excuse for missing a quiz.

There are electronic resources on reserve for this course that can be accessed through the Penn State Libraries. To access your Course Reserves, please go to the Library Resources tab.

For any questions you may have about searching, viewing, or printing your Course Reserves, refer to the Viewing/Printing Electronic Reserves page at https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/reserves/usingreserves.html.

Grading

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below.

Scale

LETTER
GRADE
MINIMUM
PERCENT
A 95
A- 90
B+ 87
B 84
B- 80
C+ 77
C 70
D 60
F 0

Due Dates

All assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the date indicated on the Calendar. (Due dates can be also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) As a general rule, you will NOT be able to go back and make up missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with your assignments. Students with an excused absence (e.g. hospitalization, jury duty, family emergency, or military service) may be asked to produce proper documentation in order to make up graded work. All make-up work is at the discretion of the instructor.

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g. upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Notes

  • To Do List: Some assignments may not appear in the To Do list under the Home tab. Use the Calendar or Syllabus to ensure that you are fully aware of assignment due dates.

I am here to help you be successful in this course.   When anything occurs that affects your performance on an assignment or in this course, I encourage you to contact me.  It is easier to solve problems if I am notified early in the course rather than later.  

Assignments

Basic information about each assignment group is provided below. For detailed directions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.

ASSIGNMENT
GROUP
PERCENTAGE
Lesson Quizzes  70%
Short Essays  30%
Total 100%

Lesson Quizzes

Value: 15x 100 PTS, drop lowest 1 for 70% of overall grade
Weeks: 1, 2, 3,  4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15

Quizzes are multiple choice (20 items).  Each of the 15 lessons will have a quiz.  Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Note on Missed Quizzes: To minimize the risk of missing a quiz due to technical problems, do not wait until too close to the due date to take it.  If you cannot access or complete a quiz due to technical problems, first try accessing the quiz with another computer.   If that doesn’t work and you miss the quiz due to a technical  problem and you hope to make it up, you must notify your instructor through e mail, or phone, or post your problem on the class Technical Questions Discussion Forum within 24 hours of missing the quiz.   If you do not notify us within this time period you may not be allowed to make up the quiz.  

Short Essays

Value: 8 x 10 PTS, drop lowest 1 for 30% of overall course grade
Weeks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14

Essays will be a minimum of 300 words on a prompt given by the instructor relating to lesson material.  Essays are assigned for Lessons 1, 3, 5,7,9,11,13 and 14.  Essays will be graded on a 0-10 scale.  Your lowest essay grade will be dropped.  A link to the grading criteria will be provided with each assignment.  Please read these criteria.  Late papers that do not have the permission of the instructor will lose points. 

You will submit your essay in Canvas

You will be able to submit your essay multiple times if needed.  I will grade only the essay that is submitted closest to the due date. [i.e. the last submitted version of the document]

*Note: It is strongly recommended that you compose your essay in Word, check your word count, and keep a copy of the file. This will eliminate any potential problems resulting from a poor internet connection or the need to resubmit your work.

University Policies

Academic Integrity

According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity, an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.   

Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic sanctions, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes (see G-9: Academic Integrity).

Unless your instructor tells you otherwise:

  • Always include an in-text citation that includes the author(s) last name(s) and the year the source was published at the end of any sentence or below any image that includes words, images, or ideas you found in a source, always included quoted text within quotation marks, and always include a reference for any source at the end of your paper (ask your instructor about the format you should use).
  • All of your graded coursework must be created by you without help from anyone in the course or otherwise. If you have questions about this, you should ask your instructor before submitting work for evaluation.
  • All course materials you receive or access are protected by copyright laws. You may use course materials and make copies for your own use, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct and/or liable under Federal and State laws.

Disability Access

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources website provides contact information for every Penn State campus (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at https://equity.psu.edu/offices/student-disability-resources/campus-offices. For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources.

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. described at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/applying-for-services. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Nondiscrimination

Penn State is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University's educational mission, and will not be tolerated. For further information, please visit the Affirmative Action Office website at http://www.psu.edu/dept/aaoffice/.

Reporting a Bias Incident

Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage at http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office offers residential and distance-based Penn State students non-emergency mental health services in the form of case management, community resource referrals, supportive listening, care giver support, and much more.

Students may request assistance from CAPS regarding a variety of common mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and stress. CAPS services are designed to enhance students' ability to fully benefit from the University environment and academic experience. Call CAPS at 814-863-0395 (8 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday EST) or submit an inquiry online at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/contact_form.shtml to schedule an appointment with a mental health advocate, who can help you address mental health concerns that may interfere with your academic progress or social development. This appointment will include a one-on-one session that can be conducted via telephone, teleconference (Skype, FaceTime, etc.), or locally at Penn State University Park. For more information on services provided through CAPS, please visit the Penn State CAPS website at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/. Students enrolled at the World Campus are also encouraged to visit its Mental Health Services page at http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/student-services/mental-health-services.

Reminder: These services are for non-emergencies only. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis situation, please call your local crisis center or 911.

TEACH Act

The materials on the course website are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.


University Emergency Procedure

In the event of a University-wide emergency, the course may be subject to changes. Exigent circumstances may require alternative delivery methods, class materials, and interactions with the instructor and/or classmates. In addition, there may be revisions to grading policies and the Calendar, including assignments and their due dates.

In the event of a University-wide emergency, please refer to the Canvas website at https://psu.instructure.com for specific information related to the course. For more general information about the emergency situation, please refer to the Penn State website at http://www.psu.edu or Penn State News website at http://news.psu.edu.

To register with PSUAlert, a service designed to alert the Penn State community when situations arise that affect the ability of a campus to function normally, please go to the PSU Alert website at https://psualert.psu.edu/. Subscribers can receive alerts by text message to cell phones, and also can elect to have alerts sent to an email address.


Syllabus Subject to Change

The class will likely adhere to the information outlined in this Syllabus and the Calendar, but adjustments may be made based on what actually transpires during the semester. Remaining in the course after reading this Syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes and responsibility for being aware of them.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due