SOC100H1F - LEC0101, LEC2000, & LEC2001

Intro to Sociology I: Sociological Perspectives

Fall 2024

1. Course Overview:

This course will challenge you to think Sociologically (i.e., socially and structurally) on a wide range of issues that affect us all. The course showcases the eclectic nature of the discipline and the contemporary debates that animate it. We will examine topics including education, culture, media and technology, social class and economic inequality, environmental problems, health and mental health, work and labour markets, racial inequality, gender and sexuality, as well as crime, deviance, and the law. These topics are explored using a global perspective with an emphasis on Canada. Each topic’s discussion attempts to further our understanding of both the  discipline of Sociology and the social world in which we all live our lives. Many people like to think of themselves as perfectly free but powerful social forces open up some opportunities and close off others, constraining our freedom and helping to make us what we are. This course will introduce you to how thinking Sociologically helps us understand these forces and their impact.

2. Course Objectives:

At the end of the course, students will be able to …

i.  … . demonstrate an understanding of core Sociological approaches and theories;

ii.  … . apply core Sociological concepts & theories to different contexts and social problems;

iii.  … . understand the basis upon which we can distinguish scientific vs. unscientific claims;

iv.  …. develop the skill of identifying core information, synthesizing it, and applying it;

v.  … . write well-researched, logical, and empirical papers in a concise, clear, and organized style.

3. “Textbook”/Readings/Assigned Material:

There are no required textbooks in this course, and Ido not require you to purchase any outside materials. There is, however, assigned material that you should review on your own BEFORE   each lecture. Assigned material always consists of sources that are freely available online and a link to all will be provided on Quercus. For each lecture, the assigned material is designed to take between 45-60 minutes of your time to review.

4. Course Evaluation & Requirements:

Assessments

Item                            Worth                         Due

TOTAL                                   100%

4a. Assigned Material Quizzes (1% each, up to 11% of your final grade)

Associated with all 11 lectures is aten-question Quercus Quiz that tests your knowledge of the lecture’s assigned material. These quizzes are worth 1% each and the score you receive on the quiz is the score you will be given (i.e. if you score 7/10 on a quiz you will receive 0.7/1    and so on). The material that you are to review for each lecture will be provided on Quercus    and all are from freely accessible sources. These quizzes are timed, and you are given 15 minutes to complete each one. The quizzes are designed to test whether you viewed the material, and while they are not free points/marks, they are also not designed to be exceptionally difficult.

If you are unhappy with a grade on an AM Quiz, we offer the ability for the final exam to replace any and all AM Quiz grades. This is done automatically so there is absolutely no need to email to request this. The way it works is that the final exam replaces any AM Quiz grade that it is higher than. If, however, an AM Quiz grade is higher than your final exam grade then the final exam grade will not replace it.

You are allowed to miss any AM quiz you want to or are unable to take with no penalty. The weight of each missed quiz is automatically shifted to the final exam. To re-emphasize this, you DO NOT need to inform. us when you miss an assigned material quiz because its weight is automatically shifted to the final.

We understand that you may want to makeup missed AM quizzes, but due to the size of the class and the hours involved with arranging and providing make-ups, this is not an option that we have the ability to provide. However, shifting the weight of the quizzes to the final exam means that you do not lose any points so there is nothing to worry about. Once again, there-   weighting happens automatically, you do not need to inform. us if you miss a quiz.

For more information about assigned material and assigned material quizzes see the Assigned Material Quizzes Frequently Asked Questions document on our course Quercus page.

4b. Tutorial Reflections/Activities (1.5% each, up to 9% of your final grade)

Each of the six tutorials in the course (50 minutes per session) will have you complete an activity/reflection that has you engage directly with course material. The tutorial activities are worth 1.5% each. The activities are graded based on putting in an ‘honest effort’ (i.e. as long  as you use the time provided in the tutorials to do the activity, think about your answers, and   write a sufficient amount then you will get full points).

While we strongly recommend against doing so because tutorials provide helpful information about how to succeed on papers and tests and because tutorial content IS on the tests, you are allowed to miss any tutorial/tutorial activitity that you want to or are unable to attend with no penalty. The weight of each missed tutorial/tutorial activitity is automatically shifted to the final exam. To re-emphasize this, you DO NOT need to inform us when you miss a tutorial/tutorial activitity because its weight is automatically shifted to the final.

Please also note that due to classroom size limitations/capacities as well as the size of the class in general, we cannot allow students to attend a tutorial different from the one they are officially registered for on acorn. This means that if you are unable to make your tutorial time for one week then you simply miss that week. Further, we will provide the tutorial slides that  were used at the end of each week for your reference; please be advised, it is not possible for  us to provide a tutorial recording.

For more information about tutorials and tutorial activities see the Tutorials & Tutorial Activities/Reflections Frequently Asked Questions document on our course Quercus page.

Tutorials run in 6 of the 12 course weeks, specifically they occur in :

•   Week 2 (Sept.9-13) •   Week 6 (Oct.7-11)

•   Week 3 (Sept.16-20) •   Week 11 (Nov.18-22)

•   Week 5 (Sept.30-Oct4) •   Week 12 (Nov.25-Nov.29)

4c. Midterm Test (20% of your final grade)

We have one midterm test that will evaluate your mastery of information from the lectures & tutorials (assigned material is NOT on the test except where it is mentioned and discussed in  lecture). The midterm will beheld on Wednesday, October 16th  and it has 50 multiple-choice and true-false questions. It covers lectures 1-6 and tutorials 1-4 (all questions come from information directly contained on  the lecture and tutorial slides). It will be written in person during regular class time (12:10-2pm), which means you have 110 minutes to complete it.

The test will beheld at the Exam Center (255 McCaul St.).

The question distribution from each lecture on the midterm is approximately as follows:

•   Lecture 1: Intro to Class- 7 questions

•   Lecture 2: Education & Sociological Theories I- 7 questions

•   Lecture 3: Education & Sociological Theories II- 8 questions

•   Lecture 4: Health & Mental Health- 8 questions

•   Lecture 5: Social Class & Economic Inequality- 8 questions

•   Lecture 6: Environmental Problems- 8 questions

•   Tutorial 1-4: 1 question each, 4 questions total.

Study Aides. Professor McIvor will provide a full practice test (same number and style. of questions) so that you can familiarize yourself with what the questions will be like and how it feels to complete a test of this length within a 110-minute time period.

For more information about the midterm test see the Midterm Test FAQs document on our course Quercus page.

4c-i. Make-up Midterm Test

We offer make-up tests ONLY in the following circumstances:

(1) Due to illness in which case your absence must be declared on Acorn and proof of this declaration must be provided;

(2) Due to unexpected extenuating circumstances such as a family or non-illness- related personal emergency in which case you must contact your college registrar and have them email the course email to confirm the circumstance;

(3) Due to having another test within 48 hours of the SOC100 midterm

a.   It must be a TEST (not an essay or other assignment you were aware of in advance)

b.   It must be worth at LEAST 15% of your final grade to qualify.

A link to a registration form. for the make-up test can be found on Quercus. You must fill out this form. and upload your documents there to be eligible for the makeup. PLEASE NOTE: you do not need to email us to let us know that you will betaking the make- up, the form. is all that is required.

The make-up midterm will beheld the following week (Wednesday, October 23rd) during class time (12:10-2pm) at the Exam Center (255 McCaul St.). This does mean that you will miss lecture 7 if you do the make-up but you can make-up that missed lecture by reviewing the lecture slides.

For more information about the make-up midterm see the Midterm Test Frequently Asked Questions document on our course Quercus page.

4d. Debate Research Paper (worth 25% of final grade)

You are required to write one debate research paper (3.5 double-spaced pages in Times New Roman, 12-point font with normal margins). Papers are submitted online through Quercus.

We provide the following resources to help you complete and succeed on the paper:

•   The first tutorial teaches how to make good arguments for your papers.

•   The second tutorial teaches how to research and make empirical arguments

•   Detailed instructions that go over what each paragraph should look like.

•   The debate paper grading rubric.

We offer three deadlines/opportunities to submit the paper. We do this for two reasons:

(1) It provides you the opportunity to submit a paper when it is most flexible for your schedule; and

(2) It provides you the opportunity to submit more than one paper to try and improve your   grade (however, there is a maximum submission limit of two papers). In other words, if you submit a paper to the first or second deadline and are unhappy with your grade, then you can submit a different/new paper for the third deadline to try and improve your grade. This gives you the chance to learn from your feedback and improve.

You may choose to write your paper on any of the debate topics you wish. Each topic has a   different due date, however, and you MUST submit your paper with the corresponding topic due date (for example, if you write on the topic of implementing universal mental healthcare then your paper is due Friday, October 4th by 11:59pm). The three topics and associated due  dates are as follows:

Please Note: We will provide feedback as extensively as possible for papers submitted for the first and second deadline. If you submit your essay for the last deadline, however, the feedback will be more limited due to the amount of grading and time restrictions that arise at the end of the semester. Grades will be returned in 2-3 weeks after submission; however, it maybe a longer wait for grades for the third paper deadline due to the volume of submissions.

For more information about the paper see the Debate Research Paper Frequently Asked Questions document on our course Quercus page.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING

THEIR SUBMISSION IS COMPELTE. NO ACCOMMODATIONS ARE MADE FOR INTENTIONS TO SUBMIT IF NO PAPER IS RECEIVED. FURTHER, STUDENTS MUST ENSURE THEIR DOCUMENT IS READABLE, NOT-CORRUPTED, AND

DOES NOT COTNAIN ONLY SYMBOLS. NO ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE MADE BASED ON SUBMITTING AN UNREADABLE DOCUMENT EITHER.

OPPORTUNITY FOR RE-SUBMISSION. If you are unhappy with your paper grade and  submitted an assignment for debate #1 or 2, then we will allow you to submit a new debate   paper assignment for debate #3. This re-submission opportunity allows you to learn from the feedback you receive and try to improve your writing and analysis skills. PLEASE BE ADVISED, THAT IF YOU SUBMIT AN ASSIGNMENT FOR DEBATE 3 ONLY, YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE UPON THE GRADE/RE-DO THE ASSIGNMENT.

4d-i. Late Papers, Grace Periods & Paper Extension Policy

For each deadline we provide a ‘grace period’ during which you can submit the essay

without late penalties. For all essay deadlines, the grace period ends 7 days after the  deadline. For those with accessibility accommodations, please be advised that this 7 day extension fulfills the requirement of accommodation letters from accessibility  services and any further extensions (beyond 7-days) requires an email from your accessibility advisor sent to the course email. To summarize, the grace period deadlines for each paper are:

We generally DO NOT give extensions beyond the above deadlines. This is because you have been made aware of the due dates since the first class and the assignment instructions, template, and rubric have all been posted since the start of class. It is also rare to receive a further extension for this assignment because there are three opportunities to submit the paper. If you do request an extension, please note that whatever extenuating circumstance makes you unable to finish the debate paper MUST have occurred before the original deadline; in other words, if you intended to use the grace period to write your paper and something happens during that period then no further extension will be granted (this is because the grace period is an extension already and should be viewed as such, i.e. you should not plan to use it because it is already provided for the purpose of extenuating circumstances).  With  all of this being said, however, we are always willing to discuss circumstances with you as they arise, and we always endeavor to ensure students are treated equitably   and fair.

4d-ii. Late Paper Policy

For the same reasons that we rarely give extensions for this assignment (i.e. you have plenty of time to begin early, 3 opportunities to submit one, and are provided a grace  period with each deadline), we also have strict penalties for late debate assignment submissions. An assignment that is not turned in by the end of the grace period (will  be assessed a 2% per day late penalty (that is -2 out of 100 points per day assessed at 12:00am each day late).

4e. Final Exam (at least 35% of your final grade)

A cumulative final exam will beheld during the final exam period. Please note that the university, not us, schedules the final exam and we have no control over when the exam is scheduled or when they announce when the exam date will be. As soon as we are provided the date, we will announce it in class and on Quercus. Please do not email asking when the final exam will be if it has not yet been announced. If it hasn’t been announced, it is because we do not know it yet either.

The final exam will beheld in-person, and it follows the same format and procedures as the midterm. It covers all material presented in all lectures and tutorials (assigned material is NOT on the final except where mentioned and discussed in lecture), but it primarily focuses on the   material presented after the midterm (33% of questions come from pre-midterm material, 66% come from post-midterm material). The distribution of questions is as follows:

For more information about the Final Exam see the Final Exam Frequently Asked Questions document.