What you can expect from me:

1. I will meet with you on a regular, timely, and consistent basis.
2. I will keep appointments you have made with me, and return your phone calls and email messages.
3. I will adhere to the course syllabus and schedule of assignments.
4. Each class period will be devoted to extending your knowledge of sociology--I won't waste your time.
5. Your written work and tests will be graded and returned in a timely fashion.
6. I will display a competency in both written and oral communication in English (yes, I may use words that may be unfamiliar to you--that is part of the learning process).
7. I will conduct myself in a mature and civil manner (although we can certainly have a little fun, too).

What I expect from you:

1. Regular attendance and participation during in-class and online activities and discussions.
2. Regular use of the class MyGateway site and regular checking of your campus email.
3. 72 hour rule: Grade updates will be posted in MyGateway throughout the semester. Students are expected to review their grades on a regular basis--especially following a grade update. I work hard to let you know where you stand in the course at any given time--I expect you to show due diligence and concern as well. Concerns about posted grades must be addressed within 72 hours of grade posting, otherwise posted scores will be considered accurate and final, up to the time of posting.
4. Completion of assigned reading and written work (follow the schedule for the reading assignments even if class discussion lags behind).
5. Adherence to mandated deadlines for your work.
6. Competence in written and oral communication in English. The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences requested that all faculty ask students to complete all writing assignments (including all campus email correspondence) using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation in order to maintain the high standards of communication in an academic setting. Spending a bit of time insuring you do this will impress your professors and keep you headed toward a successful career.
7. A desire or at least a willingness to perform within the parameters of this course.
8. A degree of maturity, civility, and propriety in classroom and online behavior.
9. When you contact the instructor or TAs via email or phone you must make sure your name and the class you are taking are included in your message. And, if you are contacting us via email, ALWAYS use your campus email. We cannot discuss class issues (and especially grading) via non-UMSL email.

This is a web-based class using the MyGateway system. The class MyGateway site is used by day section students (sections 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, twice a week (once in the summer) to discuss assigned material. Students in the internet-only sections are expected to attend class via Collaborate--either "live" or by viewing the recorded and archived class sessions on Collaborate. Students are responsible for reading and studying assigned material prior to the weekly class meetings.

Class Conduct:

Any successful learning experience requires the mutual respect of both the student and the instructor. No one should be subjected to behavior that is in any way disruptive or rude. Disruptive or rude behavior includes, but is not limited to the following: texting, listening to MP3 players, Facebooking, receiving beeper or cell phone calls during class, leaving early or coming to class habitually late, eating in class, talking out of turn, doing assignments for other classes, reading the newspaper, sleeping, and engaging in other activities that distract from the classroom learning experience. While online either in Collaborate chat, the discussion forums, or working in the wikis, follow the rules of netiquette.

This is an intensive course. Students are expected to attend class regularly, come to class on time, and stay until the class is dismissed. Attendance (and use of Collaborate) will be monitored. Late arrivals and early departures demonstrate a lack of concern for the instructor and your classmates--attendance points are awarded for being on time and attending an entire class. Missed attendance points can be made up by reviewing Collaborate archives. This is your class. You are paying for it. It is your responsibility to arrange your schedule to allow you to attend the class. Excessive disruptions, from whatever source or for whatever reason, will not be tolerated.

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 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. You can also access the class assignments by accessing the class "home page" on the WWW. Click here for a listing of Prof. Keel's class sites.

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/reviewing an archive--section 002). These notes work best when viewed online. They are web documents (click here for a listing of Prof. Keel's class sites) 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.

All students are expected to "attend" class on a regular basis. Students in the internet-only section are expected to attend class via Collaborate--either "live" or by viewing the archived class sessions on Collaborate. If you can't make the "live" class (or live Collaborate sessions), you can still access the archives.  Attendance, in all formats, will be monitored.  Your attendance--online and/or face-to-face, and participation in class activities and discussions, is part of developing your ability to synthesize course material and develop a sociological understanding of life in modern society.   Class presentations and discussions are not designed to simply cover "what is on the test," rather they are designed to augment the material you are engaging and to help you learn to understand, evaluate, and apply core concepts and theories.

Attendance

1. All students are expected to "attend" two class sessions each week (one session in the summer). See your course syllabus for class meeting days and times.
• Students may attend class in a variety of ways: live--face-to-face (this is the preferred and encouraged option), live via Collaborate, or by reviewing the Collaborate archives. You are responsible for the content of all class sessions.
• If you can't attend a live class session, the Collaborate archives of that session should be reviewed prior to the next class session, or within seven days and post an "attendance message." (see: Collaborate archive recording help). Click the link: Collaborate, for detailed instructions for using Collaborate.
• Your attendance posts should be a minimum of 125-150 words depending on the class (see the Assignments Details page for the class you are taking) in length, succinctly summarize the in-class discussion and presentation, and convey a distinct understanding of the key concepts, issues, and information covered during the class. In your reply, there is no need to mention any general announcements (e.g., project due date reminders) or proceedings (e.g., going over working in a wiki) that come at the beginning of class. Focus only on summarizing the pertinent class material. Your reply should be presented as a coherent discussion, as well. Write complete sentences and do NOT include bulleted lists! Also, before submitting your reply, use the spell check feature in the message's user interface and proofread your message to be sure that it is free of mechanical errors and is easy to read. You have one week from the time of the actual class to review the archive and post your "attendance" message. The due dates for attendance posts are indicated in the threads in the discussion forum. Be sure to post your attendance message in the appropriate archive viewing thread for each archive reviewed.
• Please note that you can download mp3 and mp4 files of the Collaborate archives for playback on iPods and home computers. PLEASE NOTE: I CANNOT track these downloads or playbacks and therefore CANNOT assign attendance points for using these file formats. HOWEVER, if you cannot access the online archives or cannot attend the live class, reviewing the mp3 or mp4 recordings will provide you with access to course content, AND you can earn additional engagement points by making additional contributions to the weekly class discussion forum. See, the "Online and In-Class Participation--Sign of Life (SOL)" section of your class syllabus and contact Prof. Keel for details and permission to use this option.

Unless otherwise noted, all pages within the web site http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/ ©2015 by Robert O. Keel.
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