SOCI212

Course Summary

Description

Course Description: This course examines a diverse sample of social problems facing the United States today and identifies how these problems affect and are affected by our institutions and culture. The sociological perspective and key theories will be used to understand the beginnings of the civil society, how problems develop and are defined, and the role of social change (particularly contemporary technological innovation). Key social problems covered will include social stratification/inequality, crime, drug abuse, prostitution, aging, infectious disease, family violence, health care, racial/ethnic conflict, terrorism, etc.

Sociological research on social problems will be explored, and social policies to remedy the negative consequences of these issues on society will be discussed

Course Scope:

This 8-week course is a critical analysis of the social problems in contemporary America. The course examines the history, dynamics, and structural persistence of social problems. This course will help students develop an understanding of how social problems are defined; when/where/how and why interventions are developed for the purpose of social change; and provide some tools for evaluating the efficacy of those interventions. Throughout this course we will challenge familiar understandings about society by critically assessing the relationship between the individual and society, culture and structure.

Objectives

Students completing this course will:

CO1: Identify specific social problems and their cause-effect patterns.

CO2: Identify current research methods that are utilized for the investigation of social problems.

CO3: Compare and contrast current and suggested policies, programs, and/or treatments in terms of their effectiveness for alleviating the negative consequences of social problems.

CO4: Apply class concepts to support opinions about social problems.

CO5: Illustrate how the sociological process enables us to identify various social concerns. CO6: Explain the role of culture in identifying social issues as problems.

CO7: Apply sociological theories to explain the occurrence and scope of these problems.

Outline

Week 1:

Course Objective(s) 1, 2, 4, 5

Materials Syllabus

Week 1 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 1-2

Video “Sociological Imagination” Assignment(s)

Introduction Forum Week 1 Forum

Week 2:

Course Objective(s) 1, 2, 4

Materials

Week 2 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 3-5

Article “Violence against Women…” Assignment(s)

Week 2 Forum

Week 3:

Course Objective(s) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7

Materials

Week 3 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 6 & 10 Article “Beyond bigotry…”

Video “LSSI Social Sciences Shorts…” Assignment(s)

Week 3 Forum

Week 4:

Course Objective(s) 3, 4, 6, 7

Materials

Week 4 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 11-12

Article “Violence, schools, and dropping out…” Assignment(s)

Week 4 Forum

Assignment 1

Week 5:

Course Objective(s) 3, 4, 6, 7

Materials

Week 5 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 9 & 13

Article “Health coverage for undocumented immigrants…” Video “Killing us softly 3…”

Assignment(s) Week 5 Forum

Week 6:

Course Objective(s) 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

Materials

Week 6 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 7-8

Article “Alcohol availability and neighborhood poverty…” Assignment(s)

Week 6 Forum

Assignment 2

Week 7:

Course Objective(s) 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

Materials

Week 7 Lesson

Barkan, Chapters 14-15

Article “The USACE and post-Katrina New Orleans…” Article “Disentangling the effects of violent victimization…” Video “TEDxPotomac Colin Beavan…”

Assignment(s) Week 7 Forum

Week 8:

Course Objective(s) 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

Materials

Week 8 Lesson

Barkan, Chapter 16

Article “Close cousins or distant relatives…” Assignment(s)

Week 8 Forum

Evaluation

Forums:

Participation in classroom dialogue on threaded Forums is required. Forums are scheduled weekly and found in the Forums tab in the classroom. Specific instructions and the grading rubric are located on each Forum.

Assignments:

This course includes Assignments. Instructions and specific grading rubrics are found under the Assignments tab in our classroom.

Grading:

Name	Grade %
Forums	40.00 %

Week 1 Intro                                       2.35 %

Week 1 Forum	4.71 %
Week 2 Forum	4.71 %
Week 3 Forum	4.71 %
Week 4 Forum	4.71 %
Week 5 Forum	4.71 %
Week 6 Forum	4.71 %
Week 7 Forum	4.71 %
Week 8 Forum	4.71 %
Assignments	60.00 %

Assignment 1: Identifying Organizations (Due Week 4)

30.00 %

Assignment 2: Final Paper (Due Week 30.00 % 6)

Materials

Book Title: Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action, 5th ed – The VitalSource e-book is provided via the APUS Bookstore.

Author: Leon-Guerrero, Anna Publication Info: Sage ISBN: 9781483369372

Book Title: You must validate your cart to get access to your VitalSource e-book(s). If needed, instructions are available here – http://apus.libguides.com/bookstore/undergraduate

Author: N/A Publication Info: N/A ISBN: N/A

Click HERE to access Social Problems Reader in the E-Reserves of the Apus Library.

The electronic textbook required for this course is available through Vital Source Bookshelf. If you have not yet registered for Vital Source Bookshelf, you will need to register. View the tutorials on our Library page for assistance. Once inside the Vital Source Bookshelf site, your books will be in a shopping cart. You must accept your books in order for them to be places on your virtual Bookshelf so that they are accessible for reading. If you do not accept your books, you will not be able to read your books.

APA reference:

Leon-Guerrero, A. (2015). Social problems: Community, policy, and social action (5th ed.) Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

The VitalSource e-book is provided via the APUS Bookstore. Please visit http://apus.libguides.com/bookstore for more information.

Course Guidelines

Citation and Reference Style

Students will follow APA format as the sole citation and reference style used in written assignments submitted.

Please note that no formal citation style is graded on Forums in the School of Arts & Humanities.

Tutoring

Tutor.com offers online homework help and learning resources by connecting students to certified tutors for one-on-one help. AMU and APU students are eligible for 10 free hours of tutoring provided by APUS. Tutors are available 24/7 unless otherwise noted. Tutor.com also has a SkillCenter Resource Library offering educational resources, worksheets, videos, websites and career help. Accessing these resources does not count against tutoring hours and is also available 24/7. Please visit the APUS Library and search for ‘Tutor’ to create an account.

Late Assignments

School of Arts & Humanities Late Policy

Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals, I understand you must manage competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to complete an assignment, please contact me before the due date so we can discuss the situation and determine an acceptable resolution.

Work posted or submitted after the assignment due date will be reduced by 10% of the potential total score possible for each day late up to a total of five days, including forum posts/replies, quizzes, and assignments. Beginning on the sixth day late through the end of the course, late work, including forum posts/replies, quizzes, and assignments, will be accepted with a grade reduction of 50% of the potential total score earned.

Turn It In

Assignments are automatically submitted to Turnitin.com within the course. Turnitin.com will analyze an assignment submission and report a similarity score. Your assignment submission is automatically processed through the assignments area of the course when you submit your work.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic Dishonesty incorporates more than plagiarism, which is using the work of others without citation. Academic dishonesty includes any use of content purchased or retrieved from web services such as CourseHero.com or Scribd. Additionally, allowing your work to be placed on such web services is academic dishonesty, as it is enabling the dishonesty of others. The copy and pasting of content from any web page, without citation as a direct quote, is academic dishonesty. When in doubt, do not copy/paste, and always cite.

University Policies

Student Handbook

Drop/Withdrawal policy Extension Requests Academic Probation Appeals

Disability Accommodations

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