Hi Everyone! Okay, this is your schedule for the course. You do not ever get to say to me "hey I didn't know we had homework due" or whatever because its all here for you from day one.
Please Note: Online classes take a serious amount of commitment from a student. You need to be aware of what is going on, you need to contact the teacher, and YOU need to know when things are due. I make a schedule like this so you can PLAN AHEAD. But I am not your mommy and I do not live in your house so YOU will need to be responsible for following the schedule, asking for help you when you need it, and keeping up with your work. Make a schedule and stick to it!! You need to treat this like a job. Do we sometimes not feel like going to work? Yes. Do we go anyway? Yes. Make a day for reading, days for posting, days for writing your answers, days for working on your research paper, etc. and just stick to it. You can do it!! I try to catch students who seem like they are in trouble but please note YOU are responsible for keeping up, and YOU are responsible for deciding if you are going to do the work, and YOU are responsible for dropping the class if you do not do anything. Please know that I can drop you for misconduct etc., but if you choose not to participate you are just going to get an F.
Remember I am FIRM on due dates unless there is a TRUE emergency. A true emergency consists of things like a relative died (and I mean like a grandma or an uncle, not my mother's third cousins' fourth ex husband whom I never met and am using the funeral as an excuse not to turn in my homework I didn't do). OR I was in a horrific car accident and my leg fell off and I am currently in surgery as the quiz is happening, but I sent Maia an emergency email as I was being wheeled into surgery even though I was squirting blood from my femoral artery and the nurse was trying to wrestle my laptop out of my hands. Please do not assume I will give you a make up and email me two days later with the homework and say "oh here it is cause so and so died". You email me BEFORE something is due and ask if you can turn it in late with the reason why. Telling me after is rude and I will know very likely not the truth. Do NOT assume I will say yes either.
Telling me things like "I forgot" I had discussion questions due, or "I had to work" is NOT an emergency and do not even bother trying to get me to accept an assignment. What am I saying? WORK AHEAD AND PAY ATTENTION TO DUE DATES! If there is a true emergency please email me BEFORE something is due and I will decide on a case by case basis if I will accept something late.
Please ASK QUESTIONS early. Telling me in the email that you did not understand question #4 when you turn in your homework will not get you an extension. But if you work ahead you are welcome to post questions or email me. And hey if you all want to discuss stuff on the message board before homework is due who am I to stop you! (hint hint).
Please do not give each other the answers, but you are more than welcome to gang together and help each other and plot on how to overthrow the evil overlord professor that is Maia...wait don't do that, but the other stuff you can do.
Also, as an FYI, I normally do not work weekends, as this is when I work on my Ph.D. So while I will respond to your homework submissions with a "got it" reply if you send it after noon on Friday, you will not get a response until Monday morning. If however you do not hear from me during the week within 24-48 business hours, please feel free to email me again.
Your grades will be emailed to you. Please BE SURE to password your email to ensure privacy. If you share an email or an apartment or whatever it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to password your email so that no one but you can see the results of your grades. I do not use blackboard for grades so that I can give you comments etc. to help you improve!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE CLASS EVERYONE!!
Week One: Aug 30-Sept 5
- Email the Professor at the BEGINNING of the week to say hi and provide her with your email address to be used in class remember I"m not psychic and have no way of contacting you unless you contact me first! mcunningham@citruscollege.edu
- Log on to the message boards (we use blackboard for message boards ONLY) and send a practice message at the BEGINNING of the week (I recommend the 'introduce yourself' conference) Please see the student interaction button for specific directions on how to do this
- Register for mysoclab remember if you bought a hard copy new book from the bookstore your access code comes free otherwise you need to purchase it (we will use this for practice quizzes, research for your papers, assignments etc. If you get the e book you will read the book online too.) PLAY with this and let me know if you have any questions. This website rocks and I want us to take full advantage of it!!
- The website demo you saw here has been postponed please watch for a post about the new day and time either late this week or early next week
- Begin participating in class discussion using the message boards on blackboard. I will start you out by asking some questions but remember the class participation is YOUR responsibility. There are no right or wrong answers (except being respectful) so have at it! You might want to start with what you think sociology is or your reaction to the article I made you read!
- Sign up for Tapped in for chat this is used for you all to have the ability to talk to each other in real time if you want I will also use it occasionally to chat with you all. Watch for this in the message board.
- Read Chapter One and Two in the textbook
- Read the article at the following website: http://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html
- Watch the multimedia "George Ritzer" and " Symbolic Interaction" in chapter one of mysoclab (email me with questions if you are confused about how to find this)
- Start thinking about your mass media assignment what will you pick?
- Begin exploring the internet, textbook resources, and library social science resources to determine your research paper topic pay special attention to mysoclab there is a lot of help here. I will post on the message board about this so watch for it!
- EMAIL MAIA WITH QUESTIONS. Its week one. It looks overwhelming, there may be some panic. Do NOT PANIC. Simply email me with questions, bond with your class mates, and we'll get through this together!
Week Two: Sept 6-12
- Read Chapter Three and Four
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- Watch the multimedia "looking glass self in chapter three of mysoclab (email me with questions if you are confused about how to find this)
- Turn in Discussion Questions #1 by 11:00 pm Sunday Sept 12 (I was late on fixing the dates due to the computer issues so if you need more time for this assignment due to the confusion please let me know)
Week Three: Sept 13-19
- Spend time this week looking at mass media with a sociological eye (don't just watch tv think about it as a socialization agent) to prepare for your mass media assignment
- Spend some time this week looking at the topics in your sociology textbook and mysoclab to narrow down your research paper topic
- Turn in Discussion Questions #2 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Sept 19 (what no readings you say? they are part of the readings you already did!)
- Turn in your idea for your mass media assignment by 11:00 pm Sunday Sept 19
- Turn in your topic idea for your research paper by 11:00 pm Sunday Sept 19. If you are stuck on what to write on, look at all the chapters in your text for ideas. Look at mysoclab online research areas and chapter resources. Past ideas included mass media and body image, gangs, child abuse, pop culture and its affects on education it can be ANYTHING as long as it is sociological. If you are still stuck list 2 or 3 that you are interested in and I will guide you.
- Read "writing about sociology" under "resources" on mysoclab (please email me with questions if you are confused)
- Participate on the message boards. Please remember I do not restrict what you discuss as long as it is sociology and part of the class I am happy to have it. What you do need to remember is that you need to post 2-3 times per week to get full credit at the end of the semester. PLEASE do not be one of those students who ignore the posting and get a bad grade. This has happened more than once I have had students who get A's on ALL their work but do not do any posting and end up with C's for the class. Yes really.
Week Four: Sept 20-26
- Read Chapter Five
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards focus this week on discussing your research paper ideas, how to research, how to write etc.
- Research approved soc paper topic using the libraries online databases as well as your textbook and the resources from mysoclab. You are also welcome to use pop culture if it applies. Be sure you are thinking as a sociologist! I don't want just a list of information, or a bunch of statistics I want this is a social concept and here is why
- Work on your mass media assignment begin analyzing it in terms of the sociology you have already learned (for example do any of your big three theories apply?)
- Watch the multimedia "Milgrims experiment today" in chapter five of mysoclab (email me with questions if you are confused about how to find this)
Week Five: Sept 27-Oct 3
- Turn in Discussion Questions #3 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Oct 3 (please note that discussion questions will focus on the week’s readings but may refer back to past readings as well)
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- Continue to work on soc research for research paper and analysis of mass media assignment. Are you emailing your professor if you are stuck? Are you discussing your ideas on the message board to solicit help from your peers? Are you reaching out instead of huddled in a ball in the corner rocking slowly back and forth saying holy crap a research paper over and over in a tiny voice that would scare Jason from the Halloween movies?
Week Six: Oct 4-10
- Read Chapter Six
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- You should really have a good idea where your research paper is going by now and should be emailing me if you are struggling. You should know what topics you are going to focus on with your mass media assignment and you need to be posting for help or helping people on the message board
Week Seven: Oct 11-17
- Continue researching soc paper topic you should have a really good idea of what specific terms and theories you are going to use. If you have no idea what terms or theories apply you need to buckle down and ask for help
- Continue with your mass media assignment. You should be to the point where you can work out an outline
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- Turn in Discussion Questions #4 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Oct 17
Week Eight: Oct 18-24
- Read Chapter Eight
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards remember that you should be posting 2-3 times per week to get full credit.
- Continue to work on your research paper prepare for the detailed outline that is due next week
- Work on your mass media assignment but I would focus more on the research paper right now
- Go count your posts (don't ask me this is up to you) make sure you have posted at least 15 times by now. If you have not been posting this is your last warning if you do not post for the rest of the semester you won't get any points and your grade will suffer dramatically!
Week Nine: Oct 25-Oct 31
- Continue research soc paper topic you should be deep into your topic by now
- Turn in discussion questions #5 by 11:00 pm Sunday Oct 31 (early is fine if you want to celebrate the holiday, Happy Samhain everyone!)
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- Turn in a detailed outline of research paper by 11:00 pm Sunday Oct 31 {again early is fine} (I do not care about the format and if you end up changing some things that is fine I just want to be sure you are on track)
Week Ten: Nov 1-7
- Read Chapter Nine and Ten
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- Start working on concluding your mass media assignment. Warning warning the due date is coming!
- Take a break from your research paper this week, wait untl you get my comments on your outlines back then hit the big finish!
Week Eleven: Nov 8-14 (please note Nov 12 and 13 are a school holiday)
- Turn in Discussion Questions #6 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Nov 14
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- Continue researching your paper based on comments of the approved research outline you should be prepared to begin rough draft of your paper and finishing the research this week
- Focus on fine tuning your mass media assignment it is due next week!
Week Twelve: Nov 15-21
- Read Chapter Twelve
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards
- You should have a draft of your research paper finished and be working on a fine tune the paper is due in two weeks (that is if you couldn’t figure out how to plot my death AND get away with it)
- Turn in Mass Media Assignment by 11:00 pm Sunday Nov 21
Week Thirteen: Nov 22-Nov 28 (hey isn’t this thanksgiving, why yes it is, so if you support the holiday have a good time, if you don’t hey free vacation!)
- Feel free to post on the message board
- Have a few days off to let your brain rest and hit the research paper and the rest of the class renewed and ready to go OR spend four days plotting my death so you don’t have to turn in your paper…no wait chose the first one but do realize that your paper is coming due next week!
- PLEASE NOTE THE PROFESSOR WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AFTER WEDNESDAY AM AS SHE IS OFF ON VACATION LIKE YOU SHOULD BE. SO GET YOUR WORK DONE EARLY THEN GO DO SOMETHING FUN!
Week Fourteen: Nov 29-Dec 5
- Read Chapter Thirteen
- Turn in Discussion Questions #7 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Dec 5
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards
- Turn in your Research Paper by 11:00 p.m. Sunday December 5th LATE PAPERS ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING COMPUTER FAILURE SO DO NOT WAIT UNTIL 10:50 pm TO SEND THEM!!
Week Fifteen: Dec 6-12
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards
- Turn in Discussion Questions #8 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday Dec 12
Week Sixteen: Dec 13-17 (finals week…eeee!!!)
- Finish up postings if you have anything else to say the board shuts down for grading 8:00 am Tuesday Dec 14 focus specifically on the what did I learn folder
- Wait really? thats it? yep really!
TA DA! You are done! Final grades will be emailed to you within 48 hours of completing the course. I have no control over when they get posted in admissions but they should appear as final grades somewhere midweek after our last week. Email me with questions and have a happy winter break and happy whatever holiday your family celebrates!! GOOD LUCK getting classes! :)