Sociology 3200

Sociology of Deviant Behavior: WS 2008

Robert O.  Keel, Instructor

• E-mail: rok@umsl.edu
• Office: 608 SSB Tower
• Phone: 516-6052
• Mr. Keel's Homepage: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/
• Curriculum Vitae
• Office Hours: Monday: 1:30-2:45 PM, Tuesday 9:30-10:45 AM, Wednesday: 1:00-2:00 PM, and Thursday: 9:30-10:45 AM. If these specific times don’t meet your needs, call or email to see if we can arrange an appointment. Try "Pronto," too.

Important Note:  There are students from two “sections” enrolled in this course: a day section (001) meeting Monday at 3:00-5:30 PM and an Internet-only section (002). The REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS are exactly the same.  I know this syllabus is rather long, but please take the time to review it thoroughly. It contains most everything you need to know about the course.

• A step-by-step account of completing all course requirements
• An explanation of course grading, information on accessing a wide variety of online resources that can help you excel in this class
• A guide to the class MyGateway site
• An excerpt from the student handbook on appropriate academic behavior.
• Still have questions after reading the syllabus? See Prof. Keel's FAQs, Advice, and Help.

• Deviant Behavior, 8th edition, Erich Goode, Prentice- Hall, 2008.
• Social Deviance: Readings in Theory and Research, 5th edition Henry N. Pontell, editor, Prentice- Hall, 2005.
• There are a variety of "Virtual Handouts" (WWW sites, online essays, and cyber- reports to read and explore). Students can access these handouts via the Course Documents or the Web Sites area of the class MyGateway site, as well as via the class home page.  Some handouts will require logging on the “Roksworld” web site described below.

Other Information:

Teaching Assistants:

Course Description:

This is a web-based class using the MyGateway system. The class MyGateway site is used by day section students (section 001), and students in the Internet-only section (002). All students are responsible for accessing and using the variety of online resources available.  The day section will meet, face-to-face, once a week to discuss assigned material. Internet-only students are expected to attend class via Collaborate, or access Collaborate playbacks of class sessions. Students are responsible for reading and studying assigned material prior to the weekly class meetings.

This course is a study of the social reality of deviance within contemporary society based on a historical analysis of the social construction of deviant categories. We will be investigating the complex relationships between individual behavior and social structure; with a focus on power, inequality and oppression; as well as, socio- cultural definitions of morality and behavior.

Course Objectives and Expectations:

This is a web-based class using the MyGateway system. Students are responsible for accessing and using the variety of online resources available.  We (day section) will meet, face-to-face, once a week to discuss assigned material. Students are responsible for reading and studying assigned material prior to the weekly class meetings.

The basic objective of this course is to provide a comprehensive survey of the development of sociological theories of deviance, focusing on images of deviance as social constructs rather than as intrinsic elements of human behavior. An additional objective of this course is to survey the current information and research on selected types of deviance in contemporary society in order to understand the personal and social structural dimensions of the behavior, including the implications for social policy and social control (prevention and corrections). These issues will be analyzed within the context of the social definition of deviance and the changing nature of socially constructed reality.

Lectures, reading assignments, group discussion and outside projects will be used to assess and critique theories of deviance and to develop a sociological perspective on the various forms of deviant behavior.

Specifically, students will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major sociological theories of deviance and come to an understanding of the basic assumptions concerning social order and the relationship between the individual and the group in which these theories are grounded.

2. Understand and clarify the link between socio- historical change and social conceptions of deviance.

3. Examine the relative nature of deviance and the relationship between social power, social change and collective definitions of deviant behavior.

4. Develop an awareness of the distinction between understanding deviance as a social process embedded within the dynamic structure of society and deviance as an objective reality.

5. Develop an awareness of the forces of social control, their relationship to social conceptions of deviance, and their implications for individual behavior and social policies of prevention and control.

6. Develop an analysis of a current mode of socially defined deviance using the sociological perspective, relevant sociological theories, and current sociological research.

Learning Goals

A. The discipline of sociology. Students will learn:

1. how sociology differs from and is similar to other social sciences;
2. how sociology contributes to a social scientific understanding of social reality; and
3. to apply the sociological imagination, sociological principles and concepts to one’s life.

B. The role of theory. Students will learn:

1. the role of theory in building sociological knowledge; and
2. the historical context of times and cultures in which theories were developed.

C. Empirical science. Students will learn:   

1. the principles of scientific methods in sociology;
2. the ethics in conducting research;
3. to convey research findings in writing; and
4. to evaluate media information; become critical consumer of information.

D. Learn the relevance of culture, social change, socialization, stratification, social structure, and institutions, and differentiations by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and class.

E. Culture and social institutions. Students will learn:  

1. how social change affects social structures and individuals; and
2. how culture and social structure vary across time and place.  

F. Individuals and society. Students will learn:  

1. how the self develops sociologically.
2. how social interactions and the self influence society and social structure; and

G.Understand the difference between macro and micro levels and the connections between the two levels.

H. Research in sociology. The students learn:

1. to summarize basic questions and issues in a specialty area, such as deviant behavior, social psychology or social stratification;
2. basic theoretical orientation in a specialty area; and
3. to become familiar with current research in a specialty area.

I. Diversity of American society. Students will learn:

1. the significance of global variations by race, class, gender, and age.

J. Critical thinking Students will learn:

1. opposing viewpoints and alternative hypotheses on various issues.

Expectations, Class Conduct, and Student Responsibilities (a must read!)

Course Requirements:

Taking a Web-based Class:

This is a web-based class, and students are required to take responsibility for their learning by utilizing the variety of resources available. Class discussions (see participation below) will be used to assess your understanding of course material. It is essential that you prepare yourself adequately for these discussions by reading AND studying the relevant material prior to class sessions or online discussion. Much of what would be the lecture in a traditional class takes place asynchronously through hypertext lecture notes and other content resources, but most significantly through the online discussion forums. Full participation at all levels, and a commitment to learning is necessary to do well in this course.

The "Assignments, Readings, and Course Schedule" document in the "Assignments" area of MyGateway lists relevant readings, lecture notes to review, class discussion topics, as well as due dates for quizzes, tests, and other assignments for the entire semester. Use it as a outline of the course.

Read the assigned text material as early as you can. Review the associated online lecture notes (prior to coming to class--section 001, or attending a Collaborate session, sections 001 AND 002). These notes work best when viewed online. They are web documents with links you can explore for additional information, and to seek further clarification, on selected topics. Develop critical analyses and questions for discussion both in class and via the online discussion forums. There are a variety of resources in the class MyGateway site's "Course Documents" and "External Links" folders to assist you with your self-study.

Basic Requirements

• The syllabus quiz is required.
• Read the full course syllabus (this document).
• Access the syllabus quiz by the link in the Course Information area of the MyGateway course site.
• The syllabus quiz must be completed, with a score of 25, by Sunday, January 27, 2008 (end of day).
• If the quiz is not completed with a score of 25, NO points will be awarded.
• You can take the syllabus quiz multiple times prior to Sunday, January 27, 2008.

Introductory Message (5 points)

1. All students are required to post an introductory message in the class "Deviance Blog."
2. Your introductory message should include a brief account of your background, why you are taking this course, and what you expect to get out of the course experience.
3. To post your introductory message: from the class MyGateway site, select, Deviance Blog," and then click on "new entry" under "Actions" on the right-hand side of the blog screen. Give your blog entry a title using your name: Joe Smith's Introduction." Be creative and informative. The information you present in your introductory blog can also form the basis of your personal page in your group wiki.
4. Your introductory message must be posted by Sunday, January 27, 2008 (end of day) (5 points).

Class Engagement (300 points total)

Class engagement is expected of every student. Class engagement scores will be updated in the MyGateway class grade book every three weeks beginning Monday, February 4, 2008:

1. Attendance: Expected. (3 points per week, 14 class sessions, 42 points)

1. All students are expected to "attend" the class sessions each week; Monday (3:00-5:30 PM).
2. Students may attend class: live--face-to-face (this is the preferred and encouraged option), live via Collaborate, or Collaborate archive (you must review a recorded class session prior to the following class in order to receive full credit for attendance).
3. All students are expected to attend class sessions (live or via Collaborate). You will be held responsible for the content of the class sessions.
4. If you can't attend a live class session, the Collaborate archive of that session should be reviewed prior to the next class session, or within seven days (to avoid an absence).
5. Click the link: Collaborate, for detailed instructions for using Collaborate Live Classroom.

2. Group Project (200 points possible):

3. Online and In-Class Participation: 58 points total (up to 4 points per week): Students are expected to make a minimum of 2 contributions to the class each week. (making postings--on different days) You will receive participation credit for contributions to:

• in-class discussions (in-person or via the live Collaborate interface).
• the class "Deviance Blog" and "Deviance Wiki" (including comments on other's entries).
• contibutions to the class "Scholar" social bookmarking site.

Simple messages indicating agreement (or just your presence) will earn 1-2 points, messages displaying an understanding of basic concepts, theories, and ideas will earn 2-3 points, and messages extending and applying core concepts and perspectives can earn up to 4 points. Students can earn no more than 2 points a week for the minimum level of participation expected (2 simple messages). In-class participation will be included in your participation scores.

The tests are designed to evaluate your comprehension of the basic material presented in the course: assigned readings and online lecture notes, etc.  Your participation allows me to evaluate your ability to synthesize course material and develop a sociological understanding of life in modern society. Participation is a significant part of your grade.

For all students: Your first blog (introduction) message is due by Sunday, January 27, 2008 (by 11:59 PM).

Students must display their understanding of basic sociological concepts, theories, and analysis in the class blog and wiki, and/or during in-class discussions and presentations.  Messages and commentary in the blog and wiki should be questions, comments, extensions of in-class discussion, "mini-reports" on individual research, and/or replies relevant to the theme of the ongoing online discussion.

• You will receive further guidance on expectations for online participation as you make contributions.
• Since a mark of an educated individual is the ability to communicate effectively and precisely, style, grammar, and spelling count. Poorly organized postings and those that have multiple grammatical and spelling errors will not be acceptable.
• Appropriate resources and references should be included in your wiki and blog postings--even if you are only using the text book.
• "Weeks" begin and end at 9:00 AM Monday mornings. Participation and class engagement scores will be will be updated in the MyGateway class grade book every three weeks beginning Monday, February 4, 2008.

NOTE:  Multiple messages posted on a single day to the blog or wiki will not necessarily count towards the semester total unless they each contribute substantially to the ongoing discussion.  Multiple messages in the final weeks and/or days of the semester by students who have not been active in the class do not reflect "class engagement," and will NOT necessarily be counted toward your point total.  All students will receive periodic feedback (public and private) from the instructor (or TA) to keep them aware of their progress with this requirement.  It is critical that students check their campus email to receive private communication from the instructor.

The instructor and TA will post questions of substantive concern for class discussion, but students are encouraged to initiate their own discussion topics.  Students are expected investigate relevant resources (see Chapter Exercises above), and participate in the ongoing, online, class discussion; and attend weekly in-class discussions on a regular basis.

For-credit forums will close on Friday, May 4, 2007 at 5:00 PM.

Quizzes (120 points possible):

There is a required syllabus quiz (found in the Course Information area) which must be completed (with a score of 25) by Sunday, January 27, 2007 (end of day) (25 points). If the syllabus quiz is not completed with a score of 25, NO points will be awarded.

There are 8 required, online quizzes for the course. The quizzes can be found in a folder named "Required Quizzes" in the Assignments area of the class MyGateway site.

• Students will be required to complete these quizzes online--from any location with Internet access. You will have only one attempt at these required quizzes.
• The quizzes have 15 questions. The quizzes are "open book," but they will be timed: 2 minutes per question. PLEASE NOTE: If you go over time, the quiz can still be submitted, however your grade will not be automatically recorded in the online grade book. I will process the grade manually when I review grade book entries. Students who go over the allotted time for a quiz will receive a one point deduction for every 2 minutes over the time limit.
• Students who consistently violate the quiz time limit will be contacted to discuss their preparedness to complete the quizzes.
• If you are not able to submit a quiz successfully, please send an email message to "all instructors" from the Communication area of the class MyGateway site and we will reset your quiz. I allow up to two resets throughout the semester if you experience difficulty in submitting a quiz.
• Each quiz question is worth one point. There are 120 questions total for the 8 quizzes.

Tests (350 points possible):

• Tests can be found in the Assignments area of the class MyGateway site in a folder called, Online Tests.
  • Please be sure to use the "StudyMate Chapter Review/Mastery Quizzes" in the "Assignments" area to help you prepare for the test, as well as the practice quizzes and other learning resources found in the chapter folders in the Course Documents area.
  • The "Course Documents" area also contains study guides, test study tips, and other utilities to help you prepare for the quizzes and exams.
• The tests are of mixed, objective format, consisting of multiple choice and true/false questions.  Each test covers only the material in the section of the course to which it applies—the "final" only covers material from Part 3 of the course.
• Students may take each test twice during the tests' availability periods. Availability dates for the tests are detailed on the "Assignments, Readings, and Course Schedule" found in the Assignments area.
  • The high score of your attempts will be used as your final test score. 
  • Following completion of a test, you will receive feedback--the questions, your answers, and whether your answers were right or wrong. Correct answer feedback will be available for tests after each testing period is over.
  • You can also review your work on a test (after completion) by clicking on the grade in the grade reporting area of MyGateway (Student Tools: View Grades).
  • Make-up tests will be available for students who can document exceptional circumstances that prohibited them for completing at least one attempt of a test during its regular availability period. You must contact the instructor within 24 hours following the close of a test to arrange for a make-up. Make-ups will only be allowed for students who, due to exceptional circumstances, are unable to complete at least one attempt of the test. There will be no make-up test available for Test 3.
• Any concerns regarding your tests must be addressed before the end of the semester.
• Test 3 must be completed by 11:59 PM on Thursday, May 8, 2008.  

You are expected to be able to convey your ideas in a cogent and coherent manner.  An assessment of your papers’ and or forum postings’ organization, grammar and spelling will be included in its evaluation.  There is a writing lab available to help you with your papers. The Writing Lab is located in room 409 SSB.  Call ahead to schedule an appointment: 516-5950.

Grading:

Final grades will be calculated based on a total of 800 points. Items included in calculating your point total:

• Class Engagement: 300 points possible
• 3 Test Scores: 350 points possible
• 8 Quizzes: 120 points possible
• Syllabus Quiz: 25 points
• Introductory message: 5 points

Academic Dishonesty, and other misconduct will not be tolerated. See the partial listing of conduct for which students are subject to sanction at the end of this syllabus. Or, view the entire document by visiting: http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/dsa/student_planner/policies/conductcode.htm

Extra Credit: The idea of "extra" credit is an oxymoron.  There is only credit! THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT in my classes.  If you are having difficulties with the course work, get help as early in the semester as possible.  Adding more work will NOT help you, and if you cannot do the regular work adequately, any additional work will not be to your benefit.  More IS NOT (necessarily) better.  Rather than worrying about doing more work—FOCUS on the regularly assigned work and do it to the BEST of your abilities.

Delayed Grade Policy: If a student is unable to complete test 4 (due to exceptional circumstances), a Delayed Grade can be negotiated.  Students MUST contact the instructor by 5:00 pm on the last day of test 4 to document their reason for being unable to complete the test, and to request a delayed grade.  If students DO NOT initiate the request for a delayed grade, a score of ZERO (0) will be assigned for any uncompleted work.

Delayed grades MUST be made up by the end of the following semester (Summer and Interim Semesters excluded).  Failure to make-up a delayed grade by the end of the following semester will result in an F being recorded for the course grade.  Delayed grades WILL NOT be extended past one semester unless exceptional circumstances (as decided by the instructor) are evident.

Accessing Online Resources:

• Students have access to online resources from a variety of computing labs (see location information below) as well as special Kiosks, and the Cyber-Café in the Millennium Student Center
• If you have a computer and modem, you can connect to the Internet from home via UM-St. Louis.  Instruction for student dialup can be found at: http://www.umsl.edu/technology/tsc/dialup/index.html. 
• If you live in one of the campus dorms, or The Meadows, you can use an Ethernet card in your personal computer to hook-up directly to the campus network.
• Contact the Technology Support Center for Dial-up assistance (516-6034) and visit http://gatewayid.umsl.edu/ for information on the user name and password you will need to access UMSL Internet services from home.

Your Gateway ID and Password:

Your Gateway ID and password provide you with access to all online services at UM-St. Louis including the campus MyGateway online course system, campus email, and many other services.

To find your Gateway ID and password:

1. Visit http://gatewayid.umsl.edu and click "Search for ID", or from the MyGateway login page (http://mygateway.umsl.edu) click on the "Gateway ID Search" button.

2. Type in your student number and your Social Security Number and click on "Search."

3. The next page will show your Gateway login ID.  For new students, you will have to choose a password the first time you access your account.

If you have previously accessed your MyGateway account and have changed your password, use the new password that you specified for this account.

If you have used dial in access from home and have changed your password, you must use the new password that you specified.

Using MyGateway:

The MyGateway (http://mygateway.umsl.edu) online course management system was introduced here at UM-St. Louis at the beginning of fall semester 2000.  MyGateway provides all students and faculty with access to course materials, and a variety of programs that enable classroom communication and interaction using virtually any computer with a current web browser (such as Netscape or IE 4.0 or higher), and an Internet connection.