PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY -- ONLINE

SYG 2000 Sections 01CD, 1A40

Professor Christine Overdevest
E-mail: coverdev@ufl.edu
Home page: http://soccrim.clas.ufl.edu/directory/overdevest/
Office: 3113 Turlington Hall
Office hours: By appt

Spring 2015

Lead Teaching Assistant and Course Co-Instructor:

Michaela Herrick herrickm19@ufl.edu
Office: 3307 Turlington Hall
Office hours: Wednesdays 10am-1pm; by appt
Teaching Assistants:
Fang-Yi (River) Huang voyage213@ufl.edu
Course Description:
This is an introduction to sociology as a social science and analysis of American
society. This course will encourage you to develop what C. Wright Mills called a
sociological imagination, which refers to the capacity to see how seemingly
personal matters are shaped by larger social forces. The sociological
imagination involves making linkages between private issues and public
problems. It requires students to think about the familiar routines of daily life
and consider how events that seem to concern only the individual actually
reflect larger social issues. Topics include gender, class, minorities, deviance,
health, the family and culture, socialization, and social stratification among
others. In this course, you will learn to analyze your personal experiences using
the sociological imagination; apply sociological concepts to the analysis of
social issues and problems, explain the effect that social forces and social
institutions have on individual and group behavior, and comprehend how
structural inequalities based on race, class and gender affect society.

Required Text:
Dalton Conley. And You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like A
Sociologist. 3rd Edition. W.W. Norton. Available Formats:
Paperback: ISBN 9780393912999 $67.50 (Neon Yellow cover).
(available for purchase at local bookstores, University of Florida
bookstore or online from W.W. Norton)
E-book downloadable version (3rd Edition): $ 45.00
1

http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294975253
E-book online version (3rd Edition): $ 22.50 (180 day rental)
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294975254

Grading:
Final Grades Will Be Determined as follows:
Weekly quizzes
Weekly assignments
Final Exam

40%
30%
30%

Grade /Percentage:
A = 93-100 %
C = 73-76 %
A- = 90-92 %

C- = 70-72 %

B+ = 87-89

D+ = 67-69 %

B = 83-86

D = 63-66 %

B- = 80-82

D- = 60-62 %

C+ = 77-79 %

E = Below 60 %

Course Requirements:
Each week you have the following requirements:
(1) Review the Chapter Learning Objectives and Key Concept Map for the
module.
(2) Read Assigned Chapter.
(3) Complete Weekly Assignments. Submit the results to the Discussion forum
as instructed in Canvas. Your lowest single assignment score of the
2

semester will be dropped and will not affect your grade. Late assignments
will not be accepted.
(4) Take the weekly Quiz. These quizzes reflect the content of assigned
readings. They are timed. You have only 20 minutes to answer 30 multiplechoice questions. You can take the quiz up to 2 times. Your highest score
will be recorded. The quiz questions are drawn from a large test bank so
the questions will not be the same across quizzes. No make-up quizzes will
be given unless you have a written excuse from your health care provider
other approved excuse according to UF academic policies. The two lowest
quiz scores of the semester will be dropped and will not affect your grade.

ProctorU
Your exam in this course will be proctored using ProctorU. Review the
ProctorU Student Guide (this can be found in Start Here section ProctorU
page of your course site) for detailed information.
PREPARING FOR YOUR PROCTORU EXAM
You will need a webcam and some type of speakers and microphone.
You must register with ProctorU. If you already have an account, there
is no need to register again.
You must sign up for a test time prior to the 4 day deadline.
If you are in need of a specific time, sign up for a time early.
Once you sign up for a time, you should receive a confirmation e-mail. If
you do not receive the confirmation e-mail, you should contact ProctorU
immediately
If you make a last minute schedule change with ProctorU, you will incur
a $5.00 fee.
The video of the proctor will freeze while you are taking the exam, but
the proctor is still watching
You will also be required to show picture identification to your proctor
at the time of your exam. Approved forms of identification include, but
are not limited to, a driver's license, military identification card,
passport, or schoolissued identification card.
No breaks are allowed during your testing session and cell phones and
other devices will not be permitted in the testing area.
No other people are allowed in the area in which the test is being
taken.
Any unauthorized notes or other attempts to cheat will abort the test
session and will be reported to your instructor

Due Dates:
Module/
Week
Drop-Add Week
Introduction
to the Course
Begins 1/6

Assignment/
Quiz
Assignments
Review the Start Here Page
on the course website. Read
the syllabus and take the
syllabus quiz in Canvas. You
will not be able to move
forward in the course if you do
not pass the syllabus quiz with
a 120 (you are permitted
multiple attempts).

Date Due
Due Dates
Saturday 1/10
10:00 pm
Complete the
syllabus quiz

Week 1
Chapter 1
Begins 1/11

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 1/17
10:00 pm
Saturday 1/17
10:00 pm

Week 2
Chapter 2
Begins 1/18

Sociological Conversations
Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 1/24
10:00 pm
Saturday 1/24
10:00 pm

Week 3
Chapter 3
Begins 1/25

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 1/31
10:00 pm
Saturday 1/31
10:00 pm

Week 4
Chapter 4
Begins 2/1

Sociological Conversations
Assignment

Saturday 2/7
10:00 pm

Chapter Quiz

Saturday 2/7
10:00 pm

Week 5
Chapter 5
Begins 2/8

Sociological Conversations
Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 2/14
10:00 pm
Saturday 2/14
10:00 pm

Week 6
Chapter 6
Begins 2/15

Sociological Conversations
Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 2/21
10:00 pm
Saturday 2/21
10:00 pm

Done
Completed?

Week 7
Chapter 7
Begins 2/22

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 2/28
10:00 pm
Saturday 2/28
10:00 pm

Week 8
Chapter 8
Begins 3/8

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 3/14
10:00 pm
Saturday 3/14
10:00 pm

Week 9
Chapter 9
Begins 3/15

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 3/21
10:00 pm
Saturday 3/21
10:00 pm

Week 10
Chapter 10
Begins 3/22

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 3/28
10:00 pm
Saturday 3/28
10:00 pm

Week 11
Chapter 11
Begins 3/29

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 4/4
10:00 pm
Saturday 4/4
10:00 pm

Week 12
Chapter 12
Begins 4/5

Sociological Conversations
Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 4/11
10:00 pm
Saturday 4/11
10:00 pm

Week 13
Chapter 13
Begins 4/12

Sociology in Practice DVD

Assignment
Chapter Quiz

Saturday 4/18
10:00 pm
Saturday 4/18
10:00 pm

Week 14
Begins 4/19

Final Exam

Appointments
with ProctorU
available
Saturday, 4/25
9:00am
Monday, 4/27
10:00pm

Notes on Taking On-line Tests:

Proceed with a WIFI connection at your own risk. UF recommends that students use
a computer with a cable modem connection when taking on-line tests and quizzes,
as a flicker in your WIFI modem can result in your being disconnected from an inprogress quiz or to page loading errors. Flickers can occur for many reasons. It
could be that your roommate just downloaded a movie, too many users trying to get
online at the library, caf, or at your apartment complex, etc. The problem is less
likely to occur if you are the only user of your modem. We strongly recommend
against using WIFI in a public space. If you chose to use a WIFI connection and have
a problem, we will not be able to reset the quiz for you.
If you have never experienced this issue before, you are not alone; however, it could
happen anytime.
Missed quizzes or assignments for reasons beyond the students control: The course is
designed to allow each student two quiz attempts each week and two dropped
quiz/discussion assignment scores per semester to help account for the possibility
that something beyond your control occurs (internet connection issue, car trouble,
stuck in traffic, laptop stolen). Therefore, we will not reset a quiz due to
circumstances beyond your control. However, if there is a UF computer system
outage, extensions and retakes will always be allowed. If you have a serious,
ongoing personal problem or acute medical issue that will impair your ability to
complete assignments, please contact your instructor.
Reporting Technical Problems: If you experience a technical issue during a quiz that
you believe is UF-computer system related, report it to the UF Help Desk at 352293-HELP. Even if the issue is not UF-system related, the Help Desk can trouble
shoot the issue for you, (e.g., suggest you clear your cache and cookies or use a
preferred browser, switch to a cable modem, etc.). If the problem is UF-system
related, you have 24 hours to send your instructor your Help Desk ticket number to
have your quiz reset.
University Policies and Services:
Academic Honesty: On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of
Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: On my honor, I have
neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.
Accommodation for students with disabilities: Students requesting classroom
accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of
Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide
this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
UF Counseling Services: Resources are available on-campus for students having
personal problems or lacking a clear career and academic goals which interfere with
their academic performance. These resources include:

1. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career
counseling; 2. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171,
personal counseling;
3. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161,
sexual counseling;
4. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance
and counseling.