1. Syllabus Quiz
2. Attendance, Introduction, and Sign of Life (participation)
3. Critical Thinking Project
4. Back to the syllabus.

1. Syllabus Quiz (10 points)

• The syllabus quiz is required.
• Read the full course syllabus (including links to supporting documents).
• Access the syllabus quiz by the link in the Assignments area (third item in this area) of the MyGateway course site.
• The syllabus quiz must be completed, with a perfect score of 10, by Friday, January 30, 2014, 5:00 PM.
• If the quiz is not completed with a perfect score of 10, NO points will be awarded. If you complete the syllabus quiz with a score of 10, you will be awarded 10 points.
• You can take the syllabus quiz multiple times prior to Friday, January 30, 2014, 5:00 PM.

back to the syllabus

2. Attendance, Introductions, and Sign of Life (SOL): They are all really just expected, you will be held responsible for the content of all class sessions (60 points for the semester: 30 points for attendance [1 point per class], 30 points for SOL [2 point per week]).

1. The live class is held in 449 SSB on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30-1:45 PM.
2. Attendance: students may attend class in one of three ways:
   1. Face-to-face in the classroom.
   2. Live via the Collaborate streaming broadcast. (see: general instructions and troubleshooting Collaborate and attending a live Collaborate session)
   3. If you cannot attend the live sessions, you will need to review the archived Collaborate recording within 7 days and post an "attendance message." (see: Collaborate archive recording help)
      1. There are attendance threads in the class discussion board for each class session, open the appropriate thread and click "reply" to post an attendance message.
      2. Your attendance posts should be a minimum of 150 words in length, succinctly summarize the in-class discussion and presentation, and convey a distinct understanding of the key concepts, issues, and information covered during the class. In your reply, there is no need to mention any general announcements (e.g., project due date reminders) or proceedings (e.g., going over working in a wiki) that come at the beginning of class. Focus only on summarizing the pertinent class material. Your reply should be presented as a coherent discussion, as well. Write complete sentences and do NOT include bulleted lists! Also, before submitting your reply, use the spell check feature in the message's user interface and proofread your message to be sure that it is free of mechanical errors and is easy to read. You have one week from the time of the actual class to review the archive and post your "attendance" message. The due dates for attendance posts are indicated in the threads in the discussion forum. Be sure to post your attendance message in the appropriate archive viewing thread for each archive reviewed.
      3. There are attendance threads in the class discussion board for each class session, open the appropriate thread and click "reply" to post an attendance message. "Attendance threads" open and close on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12:00 Noon.
3. Sign of Life (participation)
   1. All students are expected to make a minimum of two contributions to the class discussion each week.
      1. You can earn your SOL points for the week through active engagement in the live class discussion (in class or via the Collaborate chat).
      2. If you do not participate in the live class discussion, you will need to post messages in the weekly SOL thread in the class discussion board (reply to the weekly SOL message or to another student's comment).
      3. SOL Guidelines:
         1. Your SOL contributions should demonstrate two important signs of life. First, they should document your engagement in the class. That is to say, they should show that you are keeping up with the assigned readings and in-class discussions. Second, they should establish that you are thinking critically about the key concepts, issues, and information presented in those readings and class discussions. These are the two most elemental minimum SOL requirements. To show that you are able to go above and beyond the minimum requirements, you are encouraged to attempt to extend our discussions beyond the “classroom” by doing outside research on your own and presenting your findings to the rest of the class. Doing this will always be greatly appreciated and may even earn you an additional SOL point for your contribution. Likewise, your SOL contributions should NOT simply state that you find something in the class material interesting. They should NOT simply summarize class material. And, they should NOT simply pose questions to the rest of the class. You are more than welcome to approach your SOL contributions in these ways, but be sure to follow through! For example, tell us why and how you find something interesting. If you offer a summary of something that interests you, be sure to elaborate on that summary, demonstrating that you are thinking critically about the information in the process. When posing questions to the class, be sure to show that you have attempted to address those questions on your own. Share your findings with the rest of the class so that we may share a fresh perspective on those findings and possibly point you in a new direction. Lastly, your SOL contributions should be a minimum of 150 words in length, be presented as coherent discussions (i.e., using complete sentences and thoughts), and be free of spelling and grammatical errors. 
         2. Since a mark of an educated individual is the ability to communicate effectively and precisely--style, grammar, and spelling count. Poorly organized postings and those that have multiple grammatical and spelling errors will not be acceptable.After you post your introduction, you can also reply to this message (or those of your classmates) to earn the other SOL point expected for this week (you can earn this point in class, too). Furthermore, additional posts can earn you additional points--as can additional participation in class. Additional posts must follow the established guidelines and be posted on different days of the week (2 hour minimum time difference)--see the syllabus for details. Additional SOL postings can be what you found most interesting and/or what is still confusing to you, or an elaboration on a key class theme. You are expected to provide some evidence of your engagement in the class and understanding of the ongoing in-class discussion and presentations--a minimum of 150 words.
         3. Recordings do not have to be viewed in their entirety during one sitting (you can pause, stop and resume), but your "attendance post" each week must cover the entire session.
   2. All students are expected to post an Introductory Message in the Week 1 SOL thread to earn their first SOL point for the semester.
      1. Your introductory message should include a brief account of your background, why you are taking this course, and what you expect to get out of the course experience.
      2. Your introductory message must be posted by Monday, January 26, 2015, 12:00 Noon.
   3. To post in the SOL/Attendance forum: from the class MyGateway site, select "Discussion Board," and then click on the "Society, Technology, and Everyday Life (SOL/Attendance)" forum to open it. Select the appropriate thread. Use the reply button to reply to the message with your introduction. Be sure to use the "Submit" button to post your reply. If you use the "Save" button, your work will not be available to anyone other than yourself, and will not be counted. You can detect a saved message by noting the designation "(draft)" after the subject. You can "modify" a saved (draft) message and submit it.
   4. Basic help with using discussion forums can be found at: http://www.umsl.edu/technology/mgwhelp/stuhelp1.html#communication.
4. Optional: Additional Online and In-Class Participation. Class participation, over and above the basic level of participation expected as part of your attendance/SOL score, is an optional component of the class. Students can earn up to 20 points for the semester (up to 1-2 points per week) for additional contributions to the in-class or online discussion.
5. Students should display their understanding of basic sociological concepts, theories, and analysis in main class discussion forum, and/or during in-class discussions.
6. Since a mark of an educated individual is the ability to communicate effectively and precisely--style, grammar, and spelling count. Poorly organized postings and those that have multiple grammatical and spelling errors will not be acceptable.
7. Appropriate resources and references should be included in your forum postings--even if you are only using the text book. See the academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.
8. Attendance, SOL, and Participation scores will be updated in the MyGateway class grade book every few weeks starting the third week of the semester. Announcements will be made in class and MyGateway when scores are updated. See 72 hour rule.
9. For-credit forums will close on Sunday, May 10, 2015 at 11:59 PM.

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3. Critical Thinking Project (400 points possible):

1. There is a 5 part Critical Thinking Project to be completed over the course of the semester. Every student is responsible for the completion of the project.
2. See the "Critical Thinking Project" link in the the class MyGateway site "Assignments" area for details and to access the class wikis, and for "wiki help."
3. Students will use our class wikis to document and report their activity.
4. Due dates are posted on the "Assignments, Readings, and Course Schedule" and can be found on the various assignments posted on the "Critical Thinking Project" web page.
5. Be sure to complete the "Email Feedback Consent." You can find the email feedback consent "test" in the "Critical Thinking Project" section of MyGateway. Until you give consent, you will have to visit Prof. Keel or a TA to receive full feedback on the project.
6. See academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.

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