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Unit 1: Introduction Unit 6: Horticultural Societies Unit 7: Agrarian Societies Unit 8: Evolutionary Byways Unit 9: Industrial Revolution Unit 10: Technology & Economy Unit 11: Government & Ideologies Unit 12: Stratification Unit 13: Primary Groups Unit 14: Conclusions
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This course is now on Rogers State University e-campus. The syllabus is presented here for potential students to get a feel for what the course entails.
Contact
Information:
Required Texts:
Diamond, Jared. 1998. Guns, Germs, and Steel. New
York: W. W. Norton & Company. Important Notice: E-mail communications with students will only be through the RSU student e-mail system. Students are responsible for checking their RSU student accounts on a regular basis.
Catalog Description: An
examination of how humans have used the various aspects of the social
structure to adapt to the physical environment. Current ecological
theories will be utilized to examine social evolution from hunting and
gathering to industrial societies. Prerequisites: Nine hours of social
science credit.
This course is a requirement in the Environmental Studies Option of the
BSSS, and an elective in the Sociology Option as well as in a Sociology
Minor. The course can also be used as "Social Science Elective Credit"
in any of the BSSS Options, the BALA Liberal Arts Electives Option taken
in lieu of a minor, or for straight elective credit in any program. The
course is also recommended for anyone interested in ecology or
sociocultural evolution.
Purpose: This
course centers on the process of sociocultural evolution. Guided by
macro-level social theory we will use comparative historical analysis to
examine the relations of sociocultural systems to their environment; the
relations of the various parts of a society to one another; and the
stability and evolution of sociocultural systems through time.
Course Objectives:
RSU Writing Center is
in Baird Hall 206. There, you may access free writing help with any
paper at any point of time while you are a student at RSU. Call
918.343.7838 to set up an appointment. The Writing Consultants are
friendly and professional and can help you with any writing issue.
The SLA Tutoring Center is
in Prep Hall 105. There you may arrange for free tutoring help with any
class offered by the School of Liberal Arts (other schools have their
own centers). Call 918.343.7572 to set up an appointment.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Rogers
State University is committed to providing students with disabilities
equal access to educational programs and services. Any student who has a
disability that he or she believes will require some form of academic
accommodation must inform the professor of such need during or
immediately following the first class attended. Before any
educational accommodation can be provided, it is the responsibility of
each student to prove eligibility for assistance by registering for
services through Student Affairs. Students needing more information
about Student Disability Services should contact Kendra Cagle,
Coordinator of Student Disability Services at Rogers State University,
1701 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore, OK 74017 or 918-343-6828.
Work Required & Grading: Students
should have the weekly units (see the column on the left) completed each
Tuesday by class time. Completion of the unit means you have done all
required reading and fully answered and turned in the essay questions.
Weekly Quizzes: Consistent
with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (look it up!), I believe that in order
to truly master a discipline you must first master its vocabulary.
Accordingly, you will learn some of the vocabulary of the social
sciences in this class. Each week you will have a vocabulary quiz
consisting of 10 fill-in-the-blanks giving you a definition as it
appears in the Glossary of the unit we are covering. You are to supply
the term. I expect to have 12 such quizzes over the course of the
semester, I will drop the two lowest grades. These quizzes will be equal
to one exam grade! Do well and it will go a long way toward passing
this class.
This course is somewhat demanding and requires higher order skills of
synthesis, critical thinking, and integration. The vocabulary words are
measuring the far more basic skill of memorization. While most
undergraduates are good at it (and thus it boosts many grades), there
are a few in every class who struggle with it (I was never very good at
it either). For students like us it takes discipline, repetition, and
actual use to finally sink in. I suggest handwritten flash cards to
people who are in our predicament. It is also useful to work as many
words as you can into your essays. In addition to boosting grades
mastering the vocabulary is really the first step in mastering a subject
area—it can only help you in the rest of the course (and in life
itself).
Take-home exams: You
are to keep up on the required reading and take-home exams before they
are discussed in class. There are essay questions associated with each
week of the course. Your answers are to be submitted 9:30 Tuesday
mornings through
turnitin.com.
The weekly units also contain links to required and recommended
readings, vocabulary to master for the week, links to websites, and
other material useful in mastering the course.
You are responsible for learning how to submit your take-home essays
through turnitin.com. It is only through turnitin that you can get
credit for your work. Here is a link to training videos for students: Turnitin.com
Student Training Videos. You
should number and state first each essay and short answer question in
the order it is stated in the Week's Unit. You will lose points for
incomplete answers, shoddy thinking and writing, late work (these are to
be turned in before 9:30 on Tuesday whether you attend class or not!),
and failure to adequately address the questions. It is very important
that you use your own words and voice in answering these questions. It
is through thoughtfully addressing these questions that higher order
thinking skills--integration, synthesis, and evaluation--are learned.
Writing is not simply telling me what you know, it is a reflection of
the process of learning itself; through your interaction with the
written word you sharpen and refine your thinking, you discover truths
that were obscure through mere reading. Here is a link to how to format
your study guides: Example
Student Study Guide.
The essay questions on each theorist are questions that are designed to
do the following: 1) Solicit the main points of the readings and
presentations, thereby helping you master the course material; 2) Focus
your attention on what is valuable and relevant in the perspectives of
each of the theorists; 3) Draw comparisons to other readings; 4) Elicit
your evaluations of the material; and 5) Give you opportunity to improve
your course grade.
All exams and written assignments are graded in accordance with the
standards explained on the attached Grading
Rubric.
Here is how they will be graded:
· Quality(20points) Is the answer accurate and evidenced based?
· Development (20 points) Is the answer fully developed, with all
implications fully drawn?
· Complete (20 points) Are all questions answered fully and completely?
· Originality (20 points) Are the answers in your own words and voice?
· On Time (10 points) Is the test turned in by 9:30 on Tuesday morning?
· Your score on each weekly take home exam will be the total number of
points from above divided by 90.
Student Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): I
know that this seems like a significant amount of work. This is not an
easy class. But if you are of average intelligence, have some interest
in sociology, and have a good work ethic ("Life is easier when you work
hard") you will do fine. So that this is clearly understood I ask each
of your to print, sign, and turn in the Student
MOU.
Other Useful Information:
In answering an essay question for this class, integrate material from
Lenski, Diamond, instructor presentations, other readings, class
presentations, discussions, and other courses as much as possible. In
answering essay questions your goal is to demonstrate to me that you
have read, listened to, dealt with, understood, and integrated the
material into your own thinking; use quotes sparingly. For further
information on writing essays please see the following:
For help in completing your Study Guides I highly recommend that you
visit the RSU Writing Center in Baird Hall 206.
The essay and short answer questions in the Study Guides are questions
that are designed to do the following:
The questions will help you prepare for the examinations. Note: all
exam questions will be drawn from the Study Guides. You will do well
to answer the questions fully and completely. The exams will therefore
be a cross between a take-home and an in class exam. Your exams will
consist of a selection of vocabulary words, essay questions, as well as
short answer questions from each of the Study Guides in the unit. To do
well students must prepare their answers to all the Study Guide
questions beforehand and be prepared to answer a sample of these
questions for their exam. Do not be complacent about preparing for the
exams. The better grades will go to those who fully prepare. Each of
your three exams will also contain 10 to 20 fill-in-the-blanks from the
glossary. These ten to twenty points will be a significant part of
your exam grade; again, it will be worth your time to master these
vocabulary words for both the exams and for your in-class quizzes during
the course of the semester.
Final
grades will be based on the percentage of points earned:
Other Useful Information
Attendance: Both
physical and mental attendance should be regular. Traditional lecture
material is presented off of this web site. Class time will be spent in
discussion, occasional presentations, and perhaps the viewing of
films. To take full advantage of this class (and to get a passing grade)
you should attend all scheduled class meetings. Inappropriate classroom
behavior (sleeping, talking, and other disruptive behavior) will be
cause for dismissal from the classroom. This is a blended course. It is
important that you attend both physically and mentally. Studying the
texts and the lecture/ presentations are key. Inappropriate classroom
behavior will cause you to be dismissed from the class.
Academic Integrity: By
signing your name to a test or paper you are indicating that the work is
yours and yours alone. Any academic cheating will result in failure of
the course. "Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of
another as one’s own, including: direct quotation without both
attribution and indication that the material is being directly quoted,
e.g. quotation marks; paraphrase without attribution; paraphrase with or
without attribution where the wording of the original remains
substantially intact and is represented as the author’s own; expression
in one’s own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments, lines
of reasoning, facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where
such material is learned from the work of another and is not part of the
general fund of common knowledge" (Office of Academic Affairs, Rogers
State University). One of the social problems that appears to be on the
rise in American society is academic dishonesty. Don't do it!
Classroom Organization: Much
of the class will be given over to informed discussion. You should begin
your reading immediately, in the order stated below. In addition, you
should go through the "Introduction" and the "World Problems" class
presentations by the second meeting. I will keep you informed in class
(or more likely through e-mail) of the specific due dates of your
reading assignments. While the occasional articles I will send through
e-mail are usually optional, reading them will help you master class
material. Class discussion will often center on the required readings
and the instructor presentations. It is therefore imperative that all
assigned reading be done in a timely fashion.
A Final Point: You
are encouraged to ask questions on the readings either in class or
through e-mail. It is not expected that you will always agree with the
perspectives of the instructor or the authors of other texts. As have
all human beings we have been influenced by the values of our society as
well as our roles in various social structures. However, it is the duty
of the social scientist to acknowledge these influences and attempt to
minimize their effects upon social analysis. Should the resulting
analyses be counter to your perceptions, challenge them on the basis of
empirical fact, logic, and reason--not ideology, prejudice, wishful
thinking, or "politically correct" assertions. The goal of this course
is for you to develop your own critical thought processes and world
view, not for you to blindly accept any one perspective.
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