1. Syllabus Quiz
2. Attendance, Introduction, and Sign of Life (participation)
3. Critical Thinking Project
4. Tests
5. Back to the syllabus.

1. Syllabus Quiz (10 points)

• The syllabus quiz is required.
• Read the full course syllabus (including links to supporting documents).
• Access the syllabus quiz by the link in the Assignments area (third item in this area) of the MyGateway course site.
• The syllabus quiz must be completed, with a perfect score of 10, by Friday, January 29, 2016, 5:00 PM.
• If the quiz is not completed with a perfect score of 10, NO points will be awarded. If you complete the syllabus quiz with a score of 10, you will be awarded 10 points.
• You can take the syllabus quiz multiple times prior to Friday, January 29, 2016, 5:00 PM.

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2. Attendance, Introductions, and Sign of Life (SOL): They are all really just expected, you will be held responsible for the content of all class sessions (45 points for the semester: 30 points for attendance [1 point per class], 15 points for SOL [1 point per week]).

1. The live class is held in 449 SSB on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30-1:45 PM.
2. Attendance: students may attend class in one of three ways:
   1. Face-to-face in the classroom.
   2. Live via the Collaborate streaming broadcast. (see: general instructions and troubleshooting Collaborate and attending a live Collaborate session)
   3. If you cannot attend the live sessions, you will need to review the archived Collaborate recording within 7 days and post an "attendance message." (see: Collaborate archive recording help)
      1. There are attendance threads in the class discussion board for each class session, open the appropriate thread and click "reply" to post an attendance message.
      2. Attendance messages must be a minimum of 150 words and provide a detailed summary of the class session reflecting what you learned.
3. Sign of Life (participation)
   1. All students are expected to make a minimum of one contribution to the class discussion each week.
      1. You can earn your SOL point for the week through active engagement in the live class discussion (in class or via the Collaborate chat).
      2. If you do not participate in the live class discussion, you will need to post a message in the weekly SOL thread in the class discussion board (reply to the weekly SOL message or to another student's comment). SOL posts must be a minimum of 150 words.
   2. All students are expected to post an Introductory Message in the Week 1 SOL thread to earn their first SOL point for the semester.
      1. 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.
      2. Your introductory message must be posted by Monday, January 25, 2016, 12:00 Noon.
   3. SOL Guidelines:
      1. Your SOL contributions should demonstrate two important signs of life. First, they should document your engagement in the class. That is to say, they should show that you are keeping up with the assigned readings and in-class discussions. Second, they should establish that you are thinking critically about the key concepts, issues, and information presented in those readings and class discussions. These are the two most elemental minimum SOL requirements. To show that you are able to go above and beyond the minimum requirements, you are encouraged to attempt to extend our discussions beyond the “classroom” by doing outside research on your own and presenting your findings to the rest of the class. Doing this will always be greatly appreciated and may even earn you an additional SOL point for your contribution. Likewise, your SOL contributions should NOT simply state that you find something in the class material interesting. They should NOT simply summarize class material. And, they should NOT simply pose questions to the rest of the class. You are more than welcome to approach your SOL contributions in these ways, but be sure to follow through! For example, tell us why and how you find something interesting. If you offer a summary of something that interests you, be sure to elaborate on that summary, demonstrating that you are thinking critically about the information in the process. When posing questions to the class, be sure to show that you have attempted to address those questions on your own. Share your findings with the rest of the class so that we may share a fresh perspective on those findings and possibly point you in a new direction. Lastly, your SOL contributions should be a minimum of 150 words in length, be presented as coherent discussions (i.e., using complete sentences and thoughts), and be free of spelling and grammatical errors. 
      2. Appropriate resources and references should be included in your forum postings--even if you are only using the text book. See the academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.
      3. 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. After you post your introduction, you can also reply to this message (or those of your classmates) to earn the other SOL point expected for this week (you can earn this point in class, too). Furthermore, additional posts can earn you additional points--as can additional participation in class. Additional posts must follow the established guidelines and be posted on different days of the week (2 hour minimum time difference)--see the syllabus for details. Additional SOL postings can be what you found most interesting and/or what is still confusing to you, or an elaboration on a key class theme. You are expected to provide some evidence of your engagement in the class and understanding of the ongoing in-class discussion and presentations--a minimum of 150 words.
   4. To post in the SOL/Attendance forum: from the class MyGateway site, select "Discussion Board," and then click on the "Society, Technology, and Everyday Life (SOL/Attendance)" forum to open it. Select the appropriate thread. Use the reply button to reply to the message with your introduction. Be sure to use the "Submit" button to post your reply. If you use the "Save" button, your work will not be available to anyone other than yourself, and will not be counted. You can detect a saved message by noting the designation "(draft)" after the subject. You can "modify" a saved (draft) message and submit it.
   5. Basic help with using discussion forums can be found at: http://www.umsl.edu/technology/mgwhelp/stuhelp1.html#communication.
4. Optional: Additional Online and In-Class Participation. Class participation, over and above the basic level of participation expected as part of your attendance/SOL score, is an optional component of the class. Students can earn up to 20 points for the semester (up to 1-2 points per week) for additional contributions to the in-class or online discussion.
5. Students should display their understanding of basic sociological concepts, theories, and analysis in main class discussion forum, and/or during in-class discussions.
6. 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.
7. Appropriate resources and references should be included in your forum postings--even if you are only using the text book. See the academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.
8. Attendance, SOL, and Participation scores will be updated in the MyGateway class grade book every few weeks starting the third week of the semester. Announcements will be made in class and MyGateway when scores are updated. See 72 hour rule.
9. For-credit forums will close on Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 11:59 PM.

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3.Critical Thinking Project (195 points possible):

1. There is a 3 part (plus set-up) Critical Thinking Project to be completed over the course of the semester. Every student is responsible for the completion of the project. If you wish to collaborate with another student or a group, please notify Prof. Keel or the TAs by the end of the first week of the semester.
2. See the "Critical Thinking Project" area in the class MyGateway site for details and to access the class wikis, and for "wiki help."
3. Students will use our class wikis to document and report their activity.
4. Due dates are posted on the "Assignments, Readings, and Course Schedule" and can be found on the various assignments posted on the "Critical Thinking Project" web page.
5. Be sure to complete the "Email Feedback Consent." You can find the email feedback consent "test" in the "Critical Thinking Project" section of MyGateway. Until you give consent, you will have to visit Prof. Keel or a TA to receive full feedback on the project.
6. See academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.
7. Critical Thinking Project (set-up plus 3 parts): 195 points total.

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4. Tests (150 points possible)

1. There will be two (2) tests (Mid-term: 50 questions, 50 points, Final: 80 questions, 100 points) given during the semester. The tests are designed to evaluate your comprehension of the basic material presented in the course: assigned readings, online lecture notes, and other online resources. All these resources will be supplemented by in-class and online discussions. Class engagement and participation (face-to-face, online, and written work) will be another part of your evaluation-they are not designed to cover "what is on the test," rather they are designed to evaluate your ability to synthesize course material and develop a sociological understanding of life in modern society.
2. Tests will consist of multiple choice, true/false, matching, and short answer questions.
3. Tests can be found in the Assignments area of the class MyGateway site in a folder called, "Mid-term and Final Exams."
   
4. Each test will be available for a 7 day period. Specific availability dates for the tests are detailed on the "Assignments, Readings, and Course Schedule" found in the Assignments area.
5. Tests may be taken from any Internet location, so in effect, the tests are "open book."
6. The tests are "timed" and it is advisable to use the Firefox web browser (or Google Chrome).
7. Each test can be taken twice. Your high score from the two attempts will serve as your final score on that test.
8. Following completion of a test, you will receive feedback--the questions, your answers, and whether your answers were right or wrong. It makes sense to use the feedback from a first attempt at a test as a study resource prior to taking the second attempt.
9. You can also review your work on a test (after completion) by clicking on the grade in the grade reporting area of MyGateway: My Grades.
10. You will have 75 minutes to complete the Mid-Term and 120 minutes to complete the Final. If you go over time on a test attempt, you will be subject to a penalty of 2 points per minute (or fraction thereof) over time or not having the attempt count.
11. An attempt is an attempt. You may request up to three resets for technological "glitches" over the course of the semester. Submitted exams will not be available for reset.
12. BE PATIENT: when you click the "Begin" button to access an exam, ONLY CLICK ONCE, a double click will count as two attempts (and an attempt is an attempt).
13. Any concerns regarding your tests must be addressed within 72 hours following the end of an exam.
14. Note: TAs are available for review and discussion sessions (they may be online). The sessions will be offered based on student interest and initiative (you need to contact Prof. Keel and course TAs to arrange review sessions). The sessions will be a general review of the material to be covered on the test.

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