• To know basic sociological concepts and to be able to apply those concepts to specific situations
• To understand world events in terms of social structure and historical context
• To be aware of how social factors affect one’s individual life
• To envision one’s own impact on the world
• To strengthen skills in writing, critical thinking, Internet research, and oral communication
• To work effectively as part of a team

READINGS AND WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Assigned readings are from these two books:

In addition, there is one short reading to be downloaded from the course website.

PLEASE NOTE: Do not purchase Intersections anywhere except at the Mount Ida Bookstore or from another Mount Ida student. It is a custom reader, which means that there are other versions of it that do not contain the readings for this course.

Due dates for reading assignments are at the end of this syllabus. Study questions to guide you in doing the readings may be found on the course web­­site. If you choose to hand in written answers to three of these questions by Wednesday of each week, you may use them for extra credit or in place of the weekly quiz. (See further information about extra credit on the next page.)

On Friday, August 29, and then on every Wednesday, beginning September 10, students will work in teams of six to discuss the week’s readings. Although everyone is expected to do the whole reading assignment, each member of the team will be responsible for contributing an answer to only one of six questions on the readings. The questions may be found  by following the link for study questions at the top of this page and clicking on the due date.

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EXAMS AND QUIZZES
There will be a midterm exam on October 10, a final during the exam period (December 10–15), and a quiz at the end of class on every Friday, beginning on September 12.

Quizzes are based on the assigned readings and on concepts that will be explained in class and in the book. In order to prepare for each week’s quiz, go to the course website and click on the “tests” link at the top of the page. This will give you all the information that you will need to study for the quiz, as well as an extra credit option. It is important to get this information each week early enough to guide your reading and note-taking in class. So you will need to go to the website between Friday afternoon and Sunday evening (or very early on Monday morning).

Missed quizzes cannot be taken later. However, you may substitute a weekly written assignment (answers to three of the six study questions found on the website) for a quiz. Written assignments are due each Wednesday. So if you know in advance that you will have to be absent on a Friday—for example, because of a field trip, an away game, or your cousin’s wedding—please be sure hand in the written assignment by the date when it is due.

If you take the quiz and hand in answers to study questions, you may earn extra credit. (See the explanation of extra credit below.)

GRADES AND EXTRA CREDIT
Grades will be determined as follows: 

	Assignment	Points		Final Grade
	Midterm Exam	331/3%		93-100 points 90-92 points 87-89 points 83-86 points 80-82 points 77-79 points 73-76 points	A A- B+ B B- C+ C		70-72 points 67-69 points 63-66 points 60-62 points < 60	C-  D+ D D- F
	Final Exam	331/3%
	Average of tests/assignments	331/3%
	Total	100%

Grades of C-minus or lower will be reported as midterm warnings.

You may earn extra credit for help sessions with the instructor and/or for handing in answers to three of the study questions in addition to the weekly quiz. For the first option, ten points will be added to your quiz grade. For the second, you will receive the higher grade, plus 10 percent of the lower grade. All students are graded according to the same standards and final grades are non-negotiable.

ATTENDANCE
Your contribution to the course is valuable, both for yourself and for others. For this reason, attendance is required. One percentage point will be deducted from the final grade for each absence. More than six absences will result in an automatic F for the course. Frequent late arrival will count for 1/3 of an absence each time. If there are special circumstances affecting your attendance, please let me know. 

To be excused for a religious holiday, you must hand in, one week before your absence, a typewritten one-page explanation of the meaning of the holiday and why it is important to you.

PLEASE NOTE: Class cancellations will be posted on this website. There is no ten minute rule in this class. If class is not cancelled, students who leave after ten minutes will be marked absent.

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ACADEMIC HONESTY
Honesty is an absolute requirement in this course. It is obvious that cheating is harmful to the student who does it, since that student is not learning as much as he or she could learn by studying. In addition, it is also unfair to other students, who may study hard for a test and get lower grades than students who cheat. For these reasons, there is a policy of ZERO TOLERANCE for cheating on any assignment or test. Students who are caught cheating or encouraging others to cheat will be dismissed from the course with a grade of F. In the case of plagiarism on written assignments, students will be given a warning for the first offense, to allow for the possibility that it was unintentional, and dismissed on the second offense.

Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas without giving credit to the original author.  This includes: 

• copying all or part of another student's assignment

• copying word-for-word from the Internet, a book, or an article for an assignment, 
  paper or open-book test without using quotation marks around the words copied

• taking ideas from the Internet, a book, or an article without giving credit to the source. 

Sometimes students may think that they have not understood a reading assignment very well, and that if they copy the words of the author they will be sure to get it right. However, professors know what is in the reading assignments, and will recognize the words that the students copied. Copying from the Internet is an especially bad idea, because it is very easy to discover and prove this kind of cheating. Use reading assignments and Internet searches to gather information and to develop your own ideas, but do not copy the words or ideas of others.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
We all have a right to be respected. In this class each person is expected to treat others with courtesy and respect, to listen when others speak, and to refrain from distracting behavior. In addition, in order to ensure that everyone feels accepted and supported, negative comments related to race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sex, or sexual orientation are not permitted. Students who disregard any of these principles will be suspended from the course until they have a meeting with the professor. The intend of this policy is to create an environment in which all students may maximize their learning potential.

COMMUNICATION
You are welcomed to drop in during office hours or to make an appointment. At other times the best way to reach me is by email. If a message is urgent, please send it to both of my addresses. Announcements are posted on this website. Please check it several times each week.

BARKS AND BEEPS
Seeing eye dogs are welcomed in the classroom, but all other non-human companions will be asked to stay outside. 

Please keep in mind that a class is a community of learners. Conversations among students before and after class reinforce that community. So please turn off your cell phone, iPod, and any other electronic devices before you enter the classroom.

INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
If you have a documented learning disability, please let me know by September 3, so that appropriate testing accommodations and other help may be made available to you if needed.

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CALENDAR

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