Welcome Letter for Principles of Sociology Professor: Dr. Kathleen Korgen Email: korgenk@wpunj.edu Department: Sociology Course No. & Section: SOC10180 Phone: Office Hours: Raubinger 420 Hello and welcome to Principles of Sociology! Course Description: This course provides students with an overview of the field of sociology. The point of reference for the course is the notion of democracy as a system of governance that instills power and responsibility in citizens and sociology as a means to understand how society operates and how individuals can influence it. During the semester, students will learn the basic concepts of the field of sociology. In particular, they will become familiar with sociological theory, methods, and the primary areas of sociological inquiry: race, class, and gender. Expectations After taking this class, students should be able to 1) comprehend the relationship between social structure, culture and individual/collective agency. 2) have a deeper understanding of the issues of race, class and gender. 3) understand and utilize the primary sociological theoretical perspectives. 4) utilize and critique basic methodological approaches in the field of sociology. 5) apply sociological concepts and theories to their everyday life. Texts The Engaged Sociologist: Connecting the Classroom to the Community, THIRD EDITION (PLEASE BE SURE TO OBTAIN THE THIRD EDITION--THE TESTS ARE BASED ON THIS NEW EDITION) by Kathleen Korgen and Jonathan M. White (Pine Forge, 2011) Grading LATE PAPERS AND POSTINGS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED! The discussion boards and exercise/paper have clear and non-negotiable deadlines. Early postings and papers are welcome but late ones will not be accepted. Please BE SURE to follow the grading rubric, when you write your posts. and CAREFULLY PROOFREAD YOUR PAPERS AND POSTINGS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT THEM. As the rubric indicates, GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING ERRORS WILL RESULT IN SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER GRADES! Discussion Boards 8% each (6) = 48% 11 multiple choice tests 3% each (11) = 33% Paper/Exercise = 19% How to Access Blackboard: To log on to Bb point your web browser to http://bb.wpunj.edu and click the Login button in the upper left. Then enter your username and password in the spaces provided and click login again -- you'll find your course Bb sites listed on the right. Some things to be aware of as you work with Blackboard: You probably won't find all your courses listed; the only ones that will appear are those that have been activated by the professor teaching the course. Professors who don't use Blackboard will not activate their courses. Your username is comprised of your lastname and firstinitial, usually appended with a numeral. If you don't know your WPUNJ system username password you can use the Username lookup link at http://bb.wpunj.edu , or go to it directly at: http://www.wpunj.edu/username If you are already logged in to the WPUNJ system through WPConnect you won't have to re-enter your username and password -- just click the first login button. Blackboard documentation can be found in two places: at Bb Home, http://bb.wpunj.edu, before one logs in, and in the Blackboard Support tab after one has logged on. You can always obtain Bb help by using the Problem Report form at http://bb.wpunj.edu , or by going to it directly at: https://liberty.wpunj.edu/bb/support-center/ . WPUNJ Student Email: To access WPUNJ Student Email point your web browser to http://wpconnect.wpunj.edu, enter your username and password, then select the Mail tab. If you are logging on for the first time you'll be asked to set your time zone and language. Blackboard courses will use student email; third-party email addresses will not work on Bb Good luck and have fun in the course! Dr. Kathleen Korgen
