Soc./CCJ
2180 Group Project and Wiki Help
Soc./CCJ
2180 Group Activities and Wiki Help
This document
will provide information necessary to complete the group wiki project.
Overview
You can access your group by going to
the class MyGateway site: select "Group Areas." You'll
find folders for each group with a list of the students assigned to each group.
Each group
is expected to complete all parts of the project.
PLEASE read through the entire project
before you get started--you will have to observe people using the drug upon
which you will be focusing. Don't place yourselves in dangerous or illegal
settings.
Group Project: Part 1 due Thursday,
September 24, 2009 end of day (11:59 PM); Part 2 due Thursday,
October 22, 2009 end of day, Part 3 (the final
project) is due Thursday, December 3, 2009 (end of day: 11:59 PM).
For more information on what a wiki is, see
the YouTube video: Wikis
in plain English
See the "An
Example of a Group Wiki and a "practice" wiki" folder in
the "Group Areas" area of our class MyGateway site for an example
of a completed wiki from a previous class, as well as a practice wiki to play
around in.
For a walkthrough of the features of the wiki
editor, see Prof. Keel’s Wimba archive on "Creating
a Personal Wiki Page" in the Wimba area of the class MyGateway site.
See also: Wiki Help
and Tips
and the wiki help files at: http://support.learningobjects.com/help/campus_pack/2.9.1/wiki/wiki.htm.
Evaluation
More specific information regarding
the grades for each part of the project is found in the directions for that
part. General information can be found here.
- Each group must complete all
parts of the project. Your work, individual and group, should be presented
in your group wiki as a series of inter-linked web pages. The wiki allows
members of the group to share information and collaborate on the development
of a “website.”
- Each individual must complete all individual
assignments, and contribute to all group work. It is not necessary
that for every member to contribute to every group report. However, each
individual must contribute to group work during all three parts, or they
will be penalized. Partial work will receive partial credit.
- You are responsible for adhering to the
university’s technological use policies, and treating all group members
with respect.
Disputes or problems within groups should be brought to the attention of
the TA or Prof. Keel.
- Pay careful attention to all
directions. Each group member is responsible for ensuring that all group
work, and his/her individual work, adheres to the directions. You will not
be eligible for full credit if this standard is not met.
- Use appropriate sources and
academic procedures. Certain assignments in the group project will require you to
find newspaper or mass media sources; do not use academic sources for these
assignments. Other assignments will require the use of academic sources:
studies, articles, books, or websites that meet the criteria for reputable work (or
here );
do not use inappropriate sources for these assignments. Be sure to correctly
cite all information used from research resources (in-text citations and
a list of references for each page) using the ASA style guide (local copy with
web citation guidelines or a full version).
Additional assistance with referencing online resources can be found here. Remember,
we are undertaking an academic activity, so please refrain from using opinion, unreliable or
invalid resources, sensationalism, and other non-academic practices
in your own work. See the academic integrity
statement and SafeAssign information.
- Grading: Each part of the
activity is graded according to:
- Individual Contributions: This refers to
each individual group member’s work in the wiki for the project.
Individual contributions are graded according to the quality and quantity
of work performed for the group, as well as the presentation of their
work.
- Documented contributions on the
discussion board: This refers to each member’s posts in the group’s
discussion board for each part of the project, or participation in other
modes of group communication (e.g., face-to-face, phone, email, Pronto).
You are expected to check the group discussion
board and contribute ideas, provide information, and ask questions at
least twice a week throughout the semester. Individual members
must contribute to the organization of the group (including assignment
of roles for each part, discussion ideals, and generally communicating
with the group) in the discussion board at least 48 hours before that
part of the project is due.
- Group Presentation: This
refers to the final wiki presentation (style, spelling, grammar, images,
links to other resources, and overall quality of the presentation) and the
content of your presentation (use of course materials, demonstration of
sociological imaginations, and application of course concepts, theories,
and other relevant materials).
Back to the top
Part 1: Due Thursday, September 24, end of day (11:59
PM)
(60 points) (Goode Ch. 1-3)
Part 1 of the group project requires you to
organize your group, and also begin researching the drug on which your group
will focus.
A. Group introduction
and organization
-
Find your group and open the
group pages.
-
Click on the "Group Discussion
Board" link.
-
Click on your group's
discussion forum for Part 1 and post messages to get the group organized.
1. After
you introduce yourselves, the first thing you need to accomplish is to decide
which drug (or type of drug) your group will focus on. You will be building
a wiki (web) site focusing on this drug, its history, its users, and social
policy. Part of the group project will involve observing people using the
drug. The drug you choose needs to be one used by a group in a "recreational"
setting (there are some exceptions to this--steroid use among weightlifters/body
builders, would be one example). However, the goal of this project does exclude
instrumental/therapeutic use.
Although
we can accommodate illicit use through available research, I am not asking or encouraging
you to involve yourself in any illegal activity. There are many legal drugs
that can be the focus of your research: alcohol--if you are over 21, nicotine,
and caffeine.
2. Once
the group decides which drug will be researched throughout the semester, group
roles and assignments should be determined. Set up specific meeting dates
for work throughout the semester--either face-to-face or online (all communications
must be documented on the discussion board to receive credit
for ‘documented contributions’). Work together as a group!
3. Decide group roles (2
or more people per role): Coordinator, Synthesizer, Editor, and Webmaster.
-
Coordinator’s Role- In charge of
overseeing assignment distribution for group work and setting deadlines
for individual work; insuring each part of the project is completed according
to the guidelines.
-
Synthesizer’s Role- In charge of
summarizing group work and discussion on the discussion board in an academic,
organized, and clear manner; similar to a mini-paper with introductions,
content, conclusion (in paragraph form) and provided a list of group members
who actively participated in completing the work over the duration of the
activity. This report must be posted on the wiki for each part (3
reports total).
-
Webmaster’s Role- Putting the
synthesizer’s work on the wiki and adding some flash (hyperlinks, images,
etc.). The content should be academic (including references) but the
layout does not have to be traditional.
-
Editor’s Role- Making sure
the work is clear, organized and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
All group members are
responsible for the final presentation of each part of the project (i.e.,
inclusion of graphics and links, the organization of the group’s work, and
the inclusion of each individual member’s contribution). If, for example, a
group Coordinator is unable to complete an activity, another member of the
group must be contacted so that the activity can be completed. For this reason,
it is wise for groups to designate co-leaders or back-up roles for each activity.
Group members can earn up to 5 additional points for the extra work they
take on.
4. Create Group Wiki
Home Page: Should include a group name, list of individual names hyperlinked
to their personal pages, list of group assignments for the semester hyperlinked
to “home pages” set up for each part of part of the assignment, and a list
of group roles and who’s going to do what for which assignment.
5. Each
group member must create their own wiki page providing a bit of information
about yourselves and other interests you might have. Experiment with
the different features of the wiki—you must add external links, internal links
(link back to your "home page") and an image or two, especially
a picture of yourself.
For help
creating a personal wiki page, see Prof. Keel’s Wimba archive on "Creating
a Personal Wiki Page" in the Wimba area of the class MyGateway site.
Okay, you
are on your way to building a wiki (web) site focusing on the drug you've
selected. The first step is focusing on the core issues and concepts we are
discussing in class. Defining something as a drug and understanding the significance
of the idea of "drugs" being "social constructs." So,
in this first part of your group project, you need to discuss these issues
and concepts.
1. Individual
Assignment:
-
Find newspaper and other mass media articles and accounts of drug
use, focusing on your group’s drug. Each group member is expected to
participate in this article analysis (find and present at least one news
article--to contribute insight and ideas).
-
Once news articles are located, post the article(s) in the group
wiki and present a short analysis of the article in the wiki and on the
group discussion board. Discuss the articles, and document your discussion
in your group discussion forum.
-
Select one or two articles to analyze on your group’s wiki (as
part of the general group assignment, below). This analysis
should be presented as a summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
This analysis
includes identifying the theoretical perspective(s) displayed in the
article(s) (e.g., genetic factors from the biological perspective, anomie theory
from the sociological perspective, or reinforcement theory from the
psychological perspective, etc., as covered in Ch. 3 of Goode's
text).
-
You should
then provide an alternative theoretical perspective (ie., if the article
is written from a biological stance such as genetic factors, then you
want to provide a sociological or psychological perspective).
-
Support
your analysis with clear, well-reasoned evidence. Do not spend too much
time summarizing the article—the majority of your analysis should be
spent analyzing the theoretical perspectives.
-
Your analysis
should be placed on its own page on the wiki, and be the equivalent
of about 1-2 double-spaced pages in Microsoft Word.
-
-
It
is recommended that all individual assignments be completed 72 hours before
the due date for this part, to allow time for the editor(s) and webmaster(s)
to make final changes, and to allow time for the synthesizer to complete
the synthesis report.
-
Collect
information concerning the general definitions and issues surrounding
your drug. Rely on reputable studies, articles,
and books. Websites that meet the criteria for reputable work (or here ) can also
be used. This information should be presented as summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
Collect
information concerning the theories of use of your drug--(this
is from your group discussion of the individual assignment, above).
Rely on reputable studies, articles, and books. Websites that
meet the criteria for reputable work (or here ) can also
be used. This information should be presented as summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
Collect
information concerning the effects of your drug. Rely on reputable studies, articles, and books. Websites that meet the
criteria for reputable work (or here ) can also
be used. This information should be presented as summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
Collect
information concerning the social context of the use of your drug.
Rely on reputable studies, articles, and books. Websites that
meet the criteria for reputable work (or here ) can also
be used. This information should be presented as summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
Make
sure that your contributions to group assignments are clearly identified.
Each group member is expected to contribute to group assignments.
-
Each
group assignment should be the equivalent of about 1-2 double-spaced pages
in Microsoft Word. This means we are looking for about 2 pages
total from each group member--maybe 2 and a-half in some of the smaller
groups. This is the beginning of creating a "web site" about your
drug--you'll be continuing on with this project throughout parts 2 and 3.
-
Scoring for this part of the
project:
-
25 points for individual contributions (documented work on the group
wiki, individual article analysis and personal wiki page).
-
15 points for documented contributions to the group discussion via
the group discussion forum. (Remember, you are expected to check the
group discussion board and contribute ideas, provide information, and ask
questions at least twice a week throughout the semester. All group-related
interactions—face-to-face, phone, email, Pronto, etc.—must be documented
in the group forums in order for credit to be assigned.)
-
20 points for the group presentation. This includes the final wiki
presentation (style, spelling, grammar, images, links to other resources,
and overall quality of the presentation) and the content of your presentation
(use of course materials, demonstration of sociological imaginations, and
application of course concepts, theories, and other relevant materials).
See academic integrity statement
and SafeAssign information.
-
Review
the general Evaluation requirements for further information. If you have
any questions, contact either the class TA or Prof. Keel.
Back to the top
Part 2: Due Thursday, October 22, end of day (50 points) (Goode
Ch. 4-7)
For Part 2 of the project, continue your investigations
concerning your group's chosen drug, and continue to build your group's wiki
based on your research and discussion.
- Individual Assignment:
-
Find newspaper and other mass media articles and accounts of drug
use, again focusing on your group’s drug. Each group member is expected
to participate in this article analysis (find and present at least one news
article--to contribute insight and ideas).
-
Once news articles are located, post the article in the group wiki
and present the article to the group in the discussion board. Discuss the
articles, and document your discussion in your group discussion forum.
-
Select one or two articles to analyze on your group’s wiki.
This analysis
should be presented as a summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
This analysis
includes analyzing the articles based on the theories of media bias
found in chapter 5 of the text. Which theories are applicable
to this article, and which ones are not? Why?
-
Support
your analysis with clear, well-reasoned evidence. Do not spend too much
time summarizing the article—the majority of your analysis should be
spent analyzing the theories of media bias.
-
Your analysis
should be placed on its own page on the wiki, and be the equivalent
of about 1-2 double-spaced pages in Microsoft Word.
- See the academic integrity statement
and SafeAssign information. Be sure to correctly cite all information used from research
resources (in-text citations and a list of references for each page) using
the ASA style guide (local copy with web
citation guidelines or a full version).
- It
is recommended that all individual assignments be completed 72 hours before
the due date for this part, to allow time for the editor(s) and webmaster(s)
to make final changes, and to allow time for the synthesizer to complete the
synthesis report.
-
Continue the analysis of media bias by discussing the public's perception
of the drug. How
does mainstream society view the use of this drug?
-
Conduct a detailed and specific content analysis of
at least two media sources (magazines, newspapers, television, radio, billboards,
etc) to document your assessment of our society's image and opinion of this
drug (be
specific here: numbers, specific content, target audiences, etc.). For instance,
if you choose newspapers and billboards, we expect an analysis of several
newspapers, and several billboards.
-
This analysis is then
generalized to the sources as a whole (e.g., newspapers and billboards),
which is then generalized to society's view of the drug. This analysis
should be presented as a summative report in the group’s wiki.
-
You
will also conduct research using scientific data.
-
In your
group discussion forum, formulate a research question that pertains
to your drug and is answerable using data from DAWN, ADAM, MTF,
NSDUH, and/or Pulse Check (examples of questions include rates of
use, changes over time, characteristics of users, etc.)
-
Research
the answer to the research question using data from DAWN, ADAM,
MTF, NSDUH, and/or Pulse Check. Members (working on this component
of the project) then present this information as a summative report
in the group’s wiki.
-
Make
sure that your contributions to group assignments are clearly identified.
Each group member is expected to contribute to group assignments.
-
Each
group assignment should be the equivalent of about 1-2 double-spaced pages
in Microsoft Word.
-
Scoring for this part of the project:
-
20 points for individual contributions (documented work on the group
wiki and individual article analysis).
-
15 points for documented contributions to the group discussion via
the group discussion forum. (Remember, you are expected to check the
group discussion board and contribute ideas, provide information, and ask
questions at least twice a week throughout the semester. All group-related
interactions—face-to-face, phone, email, Pronto, etc.—must be documented
in the group forums in order for credit to be assigned.)
-
15 points for the group presentation. This includes the final wiki
presentation (style, spelling, grammar, images, links to other resources,
and overall quality of the presentation) and the content of your presentation
(use of course materials, demonstration of sociological imaginations, and
application of course concepts, theories, and other relevant materials).
-
Review the general Evaluation requirements for further information.
If you have any questions, contact either the class TA or
Prof. Keel.
Back to the top
Part 3: Due Thursday,
December 3, 2009, end of day (65 points) (Goode 8, 9, 10, or
11; and 12-15)
For Part 3 of the project, you will continue
researching and describing particular aspects of your drug and observe and
interview a group of people using the drug.
1.
Individual Assignment:
-
Each
group member should choose an aspect of the drug to report upon. Possible
examples include (but are not limited to) trends of use, methods of use,
characteristics of users, slang terms for the drug, geographic origins of
the drug, processing of the drug, etc. Be creative!
-
Be
sure to coordinate with fellow group members to ensure everyone chooses
an aspect that has not already been reported in the wiki (i.e., drug effects
should already have been discussed during part one), and has not been reported
by another group member for this part of the activity.
-
This analysis should be presented as a summative report in the group’s
wiki.
-
Your analysis should be placed on its own page on the wiki, and be
the equivalent of about 1-2 double-spaced pages in Microsoft Word.
-
-
It
is recommended that all individual assignments be completed 72 hours before
the due date for this part, to allow time for the editor(s) and webmaster(s)
to make final changes, and to allow time for the synthesizer to complete
the synthesis report.
-
The group, or designated members of the group, will observe
and interview a group of at least three people using the drug. Although
not all group members are required to be present for the observation, all active
members of the group must participate in the analysis of observation(s).
-
Describe the individuals and social setting
in which the drug use is taking place.
-
From research and/or observation specifically and clearly list and describe
5 subjective and 5 objective effects associated with this drug.
-
Note and discuss how the dimensions of
acute and chronic effects are relevant to the drug you are studying.
-
Display the variety of factors
involved in understanding a drug's effect.
-
What are the sociological characteristics
of the group (group structure and dynamics: roles, status/position,
norms, rituals, language, values, and patterns of interaction)? What
part does the drug play in the group's interaction (this is a central
concept!!). Please note that sociological characteristics
are different from social or demographic characteristics.
-
Talk to at least 3 of the people you observed
and summarize the opinions
given on the following: How do the people you observed view their drug
use? If the people use the drug individually, compare and contrast their
individual use to group behaviors? What do they think about other drugs?
-
This group assignment should be the equivalent
of about 3-4 pages in Microsoft Word and should be presented as a summative
report on the group’s wiki.
- Your
group will also present two short, concluding reports.
-
Research, describe, and discuss the legal
and social history of this particular drug. Discuss the rationale
behind the drug's legal status. Are there any indications of
change in this drug's legal status or its use pattern? Why or why not?
Is there any indication of criminal behavior being associated with the
use of this particular drug? Discuss and document the possible
relationship(s) between the drug, its use, and crime.
-
Analyze the results of your investigations
over the course of semester. What are the patterns, contradictions?
What conclusions can you draw concerning drugs, drug use, and American
society? Are we a "Drug Oriented Society?"
- Finally,
your group will engage in an online debate about drug policies.
-
Conduct an online debate within
your group regarding social policies of drugs and drug use (i.e., criminalization,
decriminalization, legalization, and harm reduction).
In essence, each student should begin researching the pros and cons
of each policy and then debate with other group members in their
group's discussion board forum. For
instance, are these policies effective? How
or how not?
-
The group should then
add a summative report of their debate to their group wiki and/or use
their wiki to publish information relevant to the debate. Please
do not simply copy and paste individual’s messages regarding the debate
into the wiki.
- Make
sure that your contributions to group assignments are clearly identified.
Each group member is expected to contribute to group assignments.
-
Each
group assignment (except the observation/interview report—see above) should
be the equivalent of about 1-2 double-spaced pages in Microsoft Word.
-
Scoring for this part of the
project:
-
20 points for individual contributions (documented work on the group
wiki and individual analysis).
-
15 points for documented contributions to the group discussion via
the group discussion forum. (Remember, you are expected to check the
group discussion board and contribute ideas, provide information, and ask
questions at least twice a week throughout the semester. All group-related
interactions—face-to-face, phone, email, Pronto, etc.—must be documented
in the group forums in order for credit to be assigned.)
-
30 points for the group presentation. This includes the final wiki
presentation (style, spelling, grammar, images, links to other resources,
and overall quality of the presentation) and the content of your presentation
(use of course materials, demonstration of sociological imaginations, and
application of course concepts, theories, and other relevant materials).
-
Review the general Evaluation requirements for further information.
If you have any questions, contact either the class TA or
Prof. Keel.
Back to the top
Here are some guidelines for using the wikis:
Here’s
a link with detailed instructions for using the wiki: http://support.learningobjects.com/help/campus_pack/2.9.1/wiki/wiki.htm.
You can access this link from your group’s wiki by clicking on the “?” button
in the upper right-hand corner.
To
Create (or edit) a page:
- Do not edit any other student's page.
Pay attention to "where" you are when you do your editing.
- From any page in the wiki, click on "New"
(or "Edit" if you have already created it and are returning
to edit).
- Give your page a name. Format: Your last name, Your first name: short page title.
- You'll see a variety of "tools"
to help you edit your page--you can choose different fonts, and font sizes,
format your text, and add tables. You can also
add images and links to other web pages (internal to this wiki, as well
as to outside web pages). Click the Image or
Link buttons, and follow the simple instructions).
- There's no spell check in the wiki, so I recommend
typing your essay in MS Word and saving it. Then, copy the text.
Once you've copied text from a Word, come back to your wiki page (make
sure you are in the "edit" frame), click to place your mouse
cursor in the page, and then use the "Paste from Word"
button.
- If you know html, you'll find a button that
allows you to edit the source code.
- Be sure to click the "Save" button
when you are done!
- You'll be evaluated for content, style, and
presentation.
- One member is responsible for editing the
'home' page (first page you access when you enter the wiki), and to go
through and link all of the other pages together.
- See academic
integrity statement and SafeAssign information.
Back to the to
URL: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/180/GroupActivities/ga.html
Owner: Robert O. Keel: rok@umsl.edu
Last Updated:
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 12:01 PM
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Robert O. Keel.
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