Sociology 101

Introduction to Sociology (U-Pace)

Spring 2012 Prof. Jennifer Jordan

Online Northwest Quadrant–Building B,
Office Hours: Wed 3-4, online Room 7492
E-mail: jajordan@uwm.edu Phone: 229-5074

Teaching Assistants:
Mark Caldwell (mac4@uwm.edu) (students with last names A-K)
Meghan McDonald (mcdona89@uwm.edu) (students with last names L-Z)

Welcome to Sociology 101, Introduction to Sociology (U-Pace)! This is a course in which you
can move through the material at your own pace, mastering each chapter as you work your
way through the course material.

D2L is the heart of this course. This is where you go to take the quizzes, to read the content that
is not in your textbook, and to find any additional information (things like careers in sociology,
how to declare a sociology major, or just interesting and relevant news items). You will need to
be able to navigate D2L from the very first day of this course.

By signing up for an on-line course, you take on the responsibility of making sure you have
regular access to adequate, reliable technology to complete all course requirements. Your TA
and I will try to help as best we can, but you need to make sure that your home or office or
campus computers are appropriate for your needs and are not going to fail at key times.
Computer irregularity is not an excuse for not completing course assignments. Recommended
browsers: For a PC-compatible computer, use either Internet Explorer or Firefox. For Apple
(Mac) computers, it is best to use Safari or Firefox. Be sure your browser also has “Sun Java
Runtime Environment” (Java-scripting) enabled for a recent version of Java. (If you have any
questions about these requirements, call or stop by the UWM Help Desk (phone number is 229-
4040).

TEXTBOOK AND COURSE MATERIALS

The materials for this course will come from three sources: your textbook, the D2L site, and the
McGraw-Hill Online Learning Center’s website for our textbook.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Richard Schaefer, Sociology: A Brief Introduction, 8th edition, McGraw-
Hill.

A custom edition of the textbook is available at the UWM bookstore. You may also feel free to
track down a non-custom version through other vendors, but it MUST be the 8th edition! AND
note that Schaefer has authored other textbooks, but you will be buying Schaefer, Sociology: A

1
Brief Introduction, EIGHTH EDITION. There are NO exceptions—you will not be able to complete
this course without the proper edition of the textbook. Please note that we will be reading
twelve chapters. If you buy the customized version of the book available at the UWM
bookstore, you will just have those 12 chapters. If you buy a used version of the textbook online
or elsewhere, it will contain a total of sixteen chapters, but again we will only be reading 12
chapters, so pay close attention to the syllabus as you work your way through the material. We
will NOT be reading Chapters Six, Thirteen, Fourteen, and Sixteen. Each of these chapters is
fascinating, but the twelve chapters I have chosen best fit the timeframe of the course and the
fundamentals of a Sociology 101 course. This means, however, that starting at Unit 6, the unit
number and chapter number no longer match, so you need to be sure that you are reading the
correct chapter for that unit.

McGraw-Hill Online Learning Center

It is also VERY important that you have access to and routinely use the website that
accompanies the textbook—there are many helpful resources here that will assist you in
preparing for the quizzes. http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073404268/student_view0/

Sociology 101 (U-Pace) D2L Site

As I mentioned above, D2L is the heart and soul of this course. This is where you find
announcements, read important course content, AND take your quizzes. There will be a
Powerpoint presentation for each Unit, based directly on the text (Schaefer Powerpoint), and
available in D2L. In addition you will find a brief introduction from me for each unit, especially
useful in determining which of the sections of the Schaefer website will be most helpful in
preparing for your quizzes.

So, for each unit you will need to read the relevant textbook chapter, read the Powerpoint
presentation in D2L, read the introduction in D2L, and do the recommended activities on the
Schaefer website. Starting with Unit 7, there will also be an additional article or two to read
(you will clearly see these articles on D2L). This material is designed to help you master the
course content and succeed in this course! There is also a discussion forum for each chapter,
where you can also ask questions and discuss key concepts with input from me and the TAs.

One note about the Online Learning Center as well as the textbook! The practice quizzes in both
the book and the OLC are NOT directly representative of the questions you will have on your
quizzes. In general, the practice questions tend to test only basic knowledge, rather than
comprehension. The actual quiz questions you will receive range from straightforward
knowledge to more complex comprehension and analysis.

What is a U-Pace course?

• U-Pace courses combine web-based instruction (on the D2L course site) with the
opportunity for one-on-one help. U-Pace courses give you as much help as you need and
the flexibility to work at the times best for you each week.

2
 • In a conventionally taught class, you would be responsible for studying 12-15 chapters
and taking three to four large exams. In a U-Pace course you will cover the same amount
of material, but you will be responsible for learning it in small modules, which are
equivalent to about half a chapter. Consequently, in this course you will be taking 24
quizzes.
• Each quiz consists of ten multiple choice questions. You can retake quizzes an unlimited
number of times without penalty. The retakes will also consist of ten multiple choice
questions, but they will not be the same questions. When you achieve nine out of ten
correct on a quiz you will progress to the next module. The goal is to complete all 24
modules (get a 9 out of 10 or higher on each) by the end of the semester.

COURSE SCHEDULE

There are no set dates for quizzes—one of the benefits of the U-Pace format is that you take
the quiz when you are ready. There is a very set order for the material of the course, and you
are only able to move forward in the course once you have successfully mastered the content
of each section. You will need to finish at least two quizzes each week in order to have a good
chance of passing the course, and I strongly suggest being very diligent about taking quizzes
early in the semester so that you do not end up with a lot to learn in the second half of the
semester, when your workload will probably be increasing in many of your courses.

In addition to the ability to choose when you take the quizzes, another major feature of the U-
Pace format is the support you will receive from me and from your TA. If you find you are
struggling to complete a particular quiz, you should contact your TA immediately, and it is also
likely that the TA will contact you directly even if you don’t get in touch immediately. We are
here to help you master the course material, and discussing key concepts via email when
necessary is absolutely part of this course.

DEADLINE FOR COMPLETING ALL 24 QUIZZES:

11:59 p.m. (Central Time)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012

REMEMBER: Study your chapter and the online materials in preparation for the first two quizzes.
You have 6 minutes to take the first 10-item multiple choice quiz. Take it alone, closed book, no
notes. When you earn a 90% or better, you get to take the second quiz. When you get a 90% or
better on the second quiz, Unit Two’s material will open for you and the process will repeat
itself.

Note that there are twelve chapters that are required, and that you will need to take two
quizzes per chapter, for a total of 24 quizzes over the semester. I would strongly suggest that
you take the quizzes according to the following schedule:

3
As a general rule, you should be studying one chapter and completing two quizzes per week.

By January 30: complete both quizzes for UNIT 1: Understanding Sociology

By February 6: complete both quizzes for UNIT 2: Sociological Research

By February 13: complete both quizzes for UNIT 3: Culture

By February 20: complete both quizzes for UNIT 4: Socialization and the Life Course

By February 27: complete both quizzes for UNIT 5: Social Interaction, Groups, and Social
Structure

By March 5: complete both quizzes for UNIT 6: Chapter 7: Deviance and Social Control [PLEASE
NOTE THAT BEGINNING WITH UNIT 6, THE UNIT # and CHAPTER NO LONGER MATCH!!! WE DO
NOT READ CHAPTER 6, SO FROM NOW PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE SYLLABUS WHEN
WORKING THROUGH THE MATERIAL.]

By March 12: complete both quizzes for UNIT 7: Stratification and Social Mobility in the United
States

[March 19 falls during Spring break—we’ll offer a special Spring Break Challenge, but for the
purposes of this schedule I’ll leave out that week.]

By March 26: complete both quizzes for UNIT 8: Global Inequality

By April 2: complete both quizzes for UNIT 9: Racial and Ethnic Inequality

By April 9: complete both quizzes for UNIT 10: Stratification by Gender

By April 16: complete both quizzes for UNIT 11: The Family and Intimate Relationships

By April 23: complete both quizzes for UNIT 12: Health, Medicine and the Environment

If you follow this schedule, you will have an A in the course well before the end of classes!

The exact pace at which you work through the material and take the quizzes is up to you, but
again you are strongly encouraged to take at least two quizzes each week so that you do not fall
too far behind. To give you an incentive to get started quickly and keep on track, I provide you
with rewards for meeting certain benchmarks by set dates.

4
In Sociology 101 U-Pace, you can go as fast as you want, but there is a minimum number of
quizzes that you should complete by target dates to earn the reward that is available!

By Wednesday, February 8 at 11:59 p.m. complete at least Unit 3 Quiz 1

When you meet this deadline, not only do you know that you are on target to get a good grade,
but you will also be rewarded. You will receive a free pass on any quiz of your choice—this can
be a quiz that you find particularly challenging, or you can use it for Quiz 24 if you have
completed the 23 other quizzes.

You will get an A in the course if you complete 24 of the quizzes (or complete 23 quizzes in the
timeframe mentioned above). Completing all 24 quizzes will give you a sense of
accomplishment and provide you with a fuller understanding of sociology useful to your
everyday lives now, performance in future sociology related coursework, and eventual careers.

You will get a(n):

A if you complete quizzes 1 - 24

A- if you complete quizzes 1 – 23
B+ if you complete quizzes 1 – 22
B if you complete quizzes 1 – 21
B- if you complete quizzes 1 – 20
C+ if you complete quizzes 1 - 19
C if you complete quizzes 1 – 18
C- if you complete quizzes 1 – 17
D+ if you complete quizzes 1 – 16
D if you complete quizzes 1 - 15
D- if you complete quizzes 1 - 14
F if you complete less than 14 quizzes in the semester.

• Incompletes will not be given for failure to successfully complete quizzes.

• Please allow us to try to help you do well in this course. When we contact you, please
respond promptly.

•
COURSE BACKGROUND

Sociology 101 (U-Pace) meets UWM General Education Requirements (GER) because it involves
the:
• study of intrapersonal, interpersonal and/or social-cultural factors associated with
individual behavior, collective action, or societal development.
• study of human collectivities, organization, institutions, and cultures, their
infrastructures and interrelationships.
5
 • study of capacities for and/or techniques of behavior adoption and change.
• study of methodologies designed for conducting inquiry into human behavior, collective
action, societies or cultures.
• study of alternative theoretical frameworks which attempt to explain social phenomena.

TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESS

In this course, the teaching assistants and I are here to help you master the material. If a TA
notices that you are having trouble scoring 90% on a particular quiz, he or she will contact you
if you have not already contacted me or your TA.

In U-Pace Soc 101, you set your own pace. It is up to you to schedule enough time each week to
study the materials and take the required quizzes when you are ready. It is possible to finish
this course with an A well before the end of the semester if you keep up the pace in the first
months of the course. Imagine how nice it would be to already be finished with one of your
courses (with an A!) well before the end of the semester! In fact, when students follow the
model schedule, they are done with the course, earning their A before the end of the semester,
allowing them to concentrate on doing well in their other courses.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will taking U-Pace Sociology 101 count as Sociology 101?

What will my transcript say?

Yes, U-Pace Sociology 101 counts as Sociology 101. Your transcript will say Sociology 101. U-
Pace Sociology 101 covers exactly the same material as in conventionally taught face-to-face
sections of Sociology 101.

U-Pace Sociology 101 is an introductory sociology course using technology to enhance your
learning and a proven system of instruction allowing you to control the pace of your learning
with lots of support and encouragement every step of the way. Students report that U-Pace
courses reduce the stressfulness of taking exams, allow them to spend greater time on difficult
topics, help them to manage multiple responsibilities including doing well in other courses, and
increase their learning. Moreover, U-Pace students feel greater support for their learning than
students in face-to-face introductory courses because they are actively supported every step of
the way by their professor and teaching assistant. There is often more instructor-student
communication in a U-Pace section of introductory sociology.

How does the U-Pace course work?

The U-Pace course is an online course. You decide when to study each week, and when to take
quizzes each week.

In your U-Pace course, it is recommended that you set aside a minimum of nine hours each
week to study the material. The time you would have spent in class is freed up to study. Help

6
with the material is available to you by email, phone, or face-to-face from your graduate
teaching assistant.

I would suggest that you order your work for each unit in the following way: Read the Schaefer
Chapter, the unit introduction on D2L, and then the Schaefer Powerpoint on D2L. Once you
have completed reading these sources, you may also use the various online resources listed in
the introduction (generally available on the Schaefer textbook website). The reading
assignments are richer and fuller than the powerpoint slides and other online sources,
highlighting concepts essential for the course. Studying the lesson presentation alone is not
enough. Similarly, studying the reading assignment alone is not enough—the combination is
expressly designed to help you master the course content.

Your graduate teaching assistant and Professor Jordan will know when you have done the
required review activities because D2L will automatically record the time and date when you
complete them.

How soon can I retake a quiz?

You must wait at least one hour after COMPLETING a quiz before retaking a quiz. Do not violate
the one hour wait for retakes! You may retake a quiz as many times as you wish without
penalty to earn the 90% to move on to the next quiz. However, you must wait a full 60 minutes
after submitting a quiz before attempting the same quiz again. If you violate the one hour wait
for retakes, we will not count the score even if you achieved a 90% or better. Taking the same
quiz multiple times within an hour constitutes cheating. If you cheat, you will be asked to
remove yourself from the course and more severe consequences for academic dishonesty may
be pursued. If you completed a quiz with at least a 90% you may immediately move on to the
next quiz without waiting.

Please note that D2L does NOT automatically identify one-hour rule violations—instead, the
TAs and Prof. Jordan look through your records on a weekly basis to check for these violations,
so there may be a delay between a violation and a notification of a violation.

Computer problems (i.e., computer froze, etc.) are not valid excuses for violating the one hour
wait rule. Some students have to take the quizzes several times before they achieve a 9 out of
10 correct. Try not to get too frustrated, and seek help from your TA or Prof. Jordan.

How much time do I have to take each quiz?

You have six minutes to complete 10 multiple choice questions. The computer screen will let
you know how much time you have left. Students can easily complete the quiz in six minutes or
less. At the end of the six minutes, you will receive an immediate score. Note that, while it
seems like you can still access the quiz after 6 minutes, your score only counts if you SUBMIT it
in the allotted time (there is a one-minute grace period).

7
If you have a recognized disability that requires extra time on quizzes, please contact Professor
Jordan or your graduate teaching assistant at the very beginning of the semester so the quiz
times can be reset for you.

What should I do if the computer “freezes” as I am taking a quiz?

This is highly unlikely since the quizzes contain 10 items. It is always wise to SAVE your answers
as you go. However, if this unlikely event occurs, shut down the browser immediately without
clicking SUBMIT and immediately log back in and continue the quiz in progress.

Can I use my book or notes during a quiz or

have someone help me with a quiz?

No. The quizzes are to be completed without books or notes and without the help of anyone.
Using your book or notes and getting someone else to take the quiz for you or help you during
the quiz is forbidden and are clear cases of academic dishonesty.

What if I don’t have a computer with internet access or

something happens to my computer during the course?

Use the computer labs on campus and computers in local libraries in your community. Dedicate
hours to this course in an academic planner and follow your schedule. And don’t leave your
quizzes to the last minutes of the semester!!

Who will be my instructor?

The course was developed by Professor Jennifer Jordan, a UWM Sociology faculty member,
with assistance from Professor Diane Reddy and Professor Kent Redding. In addition to
Professor Jordan, you will have a graduate level teaching assistant assigned to you who will be
available for one-on-one help. They will be closely monitoring your progress. Professor Jordan
will be overseeing the entire process and asks that you let her know about any problems you
encounter during the course. She may be contacted by phone (414) 229-5074, email
(jajordan@uwm.edu), or in Bolton Hall, Room 732 (during office hours).

The teaching assistants will be contacting you shortly before the course starts.

Do not hesitate to contact your graduate teaching assistant or Professor Jordan. If you are
experiencing a problem accessing the materials or don’t understand something, please contact
us. We want to help you. Contact any one of us right away and we will get back to you as soon
as possible. This is the first time many students have taken an online course, and many people
may find it confusing. No question is a “dumb” question. Your graduate teaching assistant and
Professor Jordan are ready and waiting to help you with any problem you may have with the
course, no matter how small or large. Don’t hesitate to contact one of us.

8
For additional help outside of the U-Pace teaching staff contact:
Online tutoring:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/TARC/online.html

What will this course cover?

As in any Sociology101 course you will learn about the field of sociology including the theories,
research, and applications that constitute the field. You will see that sociology encompasses
many sub-fields as you learn about sociological research, culture, socialization, social
interaction and social structure, deviance and social control, stratification and inequality in the
United States, global inequality, racial and ethnic inequality, gender stratification, the family
and intimate relationships, and health, medicine, and the environment. By mastering these
core content areas, you will be able to understand: the scientific method and critical research
issues; the role of culture in shaping everyday life; how human beings are socialized; the
building blocks of social interaction on which all of society is based; the remarkable variations in
the concept of “deviance” and the ways that the same action (cocaine use or murder, for
example) may be socially acceptable or a grave violation of the law; why inequality cannot
simply be explained by individual behavior; the ways that the concept of the family changes
from one time or place to the next; and how our understandings of health, medicine and the
environment are deeply connected to the workings of society.

What if I need special accommodations?

This course was designed keeping in mind students with disabilities. Students with disabilities
may do better in this course than in one that is conventionally taught because they can go at
their own pace. If you have a recognized disability under the ADA, please provide Professor
Jordan with documentation as soon as possible from the Student Accessibility Center (Mitchell
Hall 112, 229-6287, (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/). She is happy to provide
whatever special accommodations the Student Accessibility Center recommends that will allow
you to fully participate and perform well in this course.

Where can I find information on grade appeals and other policies?

UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf

9
Using UW-Milwaukee Desire2Learn (D2L) course web sites

Materials for this course are available on a Desire2Learn (D2L) course web site. Students may
see these materials there anytime, using a standard web browser.

Recommended browsers: A complete and up-to-date list of recommended browsers and settings
can always be found at: http://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=3210 Please contact the
UWM Help Desk, as described at the bottom of this page, with any questions about these
requirements.

To find and browse the D2L course web site:

1. From to the UWM home page (http://www.uwm.edu) click on the dropdown menu to select
D2L Course Access – OR – go directly to the D2L login page at http://D2L.uwm.edu.

2. On the Desire2Learn Welcome screen, type in your ePanther Username (your ePanther
campus email, but without the “@uwm.edu) and Password. Then hit [Login].

3. On the D2L MyHome screen, find the area called My Courses. You’ll see your active
courses here, arranged by Semester, with the newest semester at the top.

4. Click any course title to see the Course Home page. Click [Content] in the navigation bar to
begin exploring the site.

5. If you have any difficulty getting into the course web site, please close down your web
browser completely and open it up again. Then try logging on again, using the instructions
above. If you do not know your ePanther username or password, please get help as indicated
below.

6. When you are finished looking around your D2L course sites, always click on [Logout].
This is especially important if you are in a computer lab. Otherwise, the next person who uses
the machine will be using your D2L account!

What to do if you have problems with Desire2Learn (D2L)

If you have any difficulties with D2L, including problems with your login (e.g., you forgot your
password, or if you just can’t get on), please contact the UWM Help Desk. You may do one of
the following:

· Report the problem via online web form at GetTechHelp.uwm.edu

· Call the UWM Help Desk at 414.229.4040 if you are in Metro Milwaukee.

· Go to Bolton 225 (this lab is not open all day or on weekends – call 414.229.4040 for
specific hours)

10
· From outside the 414 or 262 area codes, but from within the USA, you may call the UWM
Help Desk at 1.877.381.3459.

11
 UNIVERSITY AND SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT POLICIES

The Secretary of the University maintains a web page that contains university policies that
affect the instructor and the students in this course, as well as essential information specific to
conduct of the course. The link to that web page is:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf

Students with Disabilities. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of
alternate material and test accommodations can be found at the following:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/SACltr.pdf
Religious Observances. Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to religious
observance are found at the following:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S1.5.htm
Students called to active Military Duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of
reserves to active military duty are found at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/current_students/military_call_up.cfm
Incompletes. You may be given an incomplete if you have carried a course successfully until
near the end of the semester but, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated
cause beyond your control, have been unable to take or complete the final examination
or to complete some limited amount of course work. An incomplete is not given unless
you prove to the instructor that you were prevented from completing the course for just
cause as indicated above. The conditions for awarding an incomplete to graduate and
undergraduate students can be found at the following:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S31.pdf
Discriminatory Conduct (such as sexual harassment). Discriminatory conduct will not be
tolerated by the University. It poisons the work and learning environment of the
University and threatens the careers, educational experience and well-being of
students, faculty and staff. Policies regarding discriminatory conduct can be found at:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S47.pdf
Academic Misconduct. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation
of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others'
academic endeavors. Policies for addressing students cheating on exams or plagiarism
can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/osl/dean/conduct/cfm
Complaint Procedures. Students may direct complaints to the Sociology Department Chair or
the Associate Dean for Social Sciences in the College of Letters & Sciences. If the
complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the
Sociology Department Chair, the Associate Dean for Social Sciences in the College of
Letters & Sciences, or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the
policy. Policies may be found at:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S49.7.htm
Grade Appeal Procedures. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a
capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the
established procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the
course resides or in the case of graduate students, the Graduate School. These

12
 procedures are available in writing from the respective department chairperson or the
Academic Dean of the College of Letters & Science. Procedures for undergraduate
student grade appeal can be found at
http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/upload/grievance_procedure.pdf
Procedures for graduate student grade appeal can be found at
http://www.graduateschool.uwm.edu/students/policies/
Final Examination Policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S22.htm
Book Royalties. In accord with Department of Sociology policy, the royalties from the sale of
faculty-authored books to students in their classes are donated to a UWM
Foundation/Sociology Account to support future awards and activities for UWM
students in Sociology.

13