Sociology 241-80, Parrillo

Welcome Letter for Minority Groups in America

Hello and welcome to Minority Groups in America!

Beginning with a general introduction to various theories and concepts about the sociology of minorities, this course proceeds to a comparative examination of all minority groups from colonial beginnings to the present. Not only will students learn more about their own groups, but they will also develop new insights and understandings in recognizing the sociological patterns that help us to analyze the dynamic field of intergroup relations and to discuss intelligently the issues and concerns consuming contemporary debate.

Expectations

An online course is much different from a traditional class. For one thing, it is writing intensive to offset time in class spent on lectures and discussions. You must play a far more active role, working with the online materials, contributing on a regular basis to online discussions, and you must fully explore the online interface on your own, yet you may ask me for help or clarification whenever you need it.

All readings, discussions, and assignment submissions are online only. An online course is neither more difficult nor easier than the same course taught in a conventional classroom, but you must discipline yourself to do the weekly assignments and complete the quizzes within the allotted time frame. DO NOT FALL BEHIND! Assignments all have due dates and there are severe grading penalties for missing them, no matter what the excuse.

Also, Blackboard enables me to keep track of each time you log on and the extent of your participation. As explained more fully in the welcome note under ?Course Information? in Blackboard, your participation is an integral part of your grade.

Texts

Parrillo, Vincent N., Strangers to These Shores, tenth edition only (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2011).
NOTE: You can buy a hard copy online at www.amazon.com or on campus at the University Bookstore. You can also rent it as an E-book for 180 days at a cost of $65.90 by going to http://www.coursesmart.com/search and entering the book title.
(All royalties from WPUNJ student book purchases are donated to the University.)
Get this book right away as your quizzes are based on readings and these quizzes must be taken within each week's span of time. The deadline for completion of quiz 1 is September 7.

Grading

Grades will be based on the following formula:

Participation in Discussion Board 15 points; Quizzes 65 points; Final Exam 20 points.

You can track your academic achievement by looking at your gradebook. It is possible to earn more than 15 points in Discussion Board participation. These extra credit points will then be applied against your quiz grades.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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! Vincent N. Parrillo