Nijole V. Benokraitis, Pearson Education, Inc

Nijole V. Benokraitis, Pearson Education, Inc

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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

(online)

Spring 2018

SYG 2430 Sec. 4279

Professor: Debbie Cross

E-mail:

Required Text:

Marriages and Families: Changes, Choices and Constraints,

Nijole V. Benokraitis, Pearson Education, Inc.

Course Description:

Prerequisite: "G" Prerequisite: (ENC 0025 and REA 0017) or EAP 1695 or satisfactory score on the SPC placement test. This course deals with the following topics: human sexuality, pair relationships, love, communication, the dynamics of marital interaction, and alternative lifestyles. This course partially satisfies the Gordon Rule writing requirements outlined in the General Education Requirements. 47 contact hours

Major Learning Objectives:

1.To study marriage and family from a socio-psychological base emphasizing the fact that paired relations and the need for a family structure are common to all known societies.

2.To emphasize the importance of marriage readiness and wise marital choice by studying the ways humans interact on an intimate basis.

3.To focus on the basis for relationships in our culture, the developmental process in marriage and the subsequent problems that make adjustment difficult.

4.To examine specific crisis in marriage, counseling, and therapy techniques available when self-help remedies no longer work.

5.To consider those who never marry, those who remarry, and alternative life styles, as well as families with children and enriched relationships in the last half of life.

6.To look primarily at the interacting couple, as part of the transition from individual to group or family development.

STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

All course work must be completed by the appropriate due dates. A grade of zero will be assigned to any course requirement not completed.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Course Policies and Procedures: The student is responsible for knowing all course policies listed in the syllabus and discussed in class.

Class Participation and Etiquette: The student is responsible for participating in class. The student will respect the rights of other students to learn. The student will communicate with others in a courteous and respectful manner at all times, including the instructor.

Assignment Due Dates and Procedures: The student is responsible for knowing when assignments are due, the formats required, and the procedures for completing and submitting assignments.

Academic Honesty: The student is expected to know the SPC Academic Honesty Policy and to act above suspicion at all times with regard to academic issues.

Attendance: The student is responsible for logging on to an online class and participating in the prescribed manner. The student is responsible for reviewing the attendance record in MyCourses for inaccuracies and excessive absences.

SPC ATTENDANCE POLICY (SHORT VERSION):

Instructors will verify that students are in attendance at least once each week during the first two weeks of class. Students classified as “No Show” for both of the first two weeks will be administratively withdrawn.

Immediately following the 60% point of the term, each instructor will verify which students are actively participating in class as defined in the course syllabus. Students classified as not meeting the criteria for active class participation will be administratively withdrawn with a “WF”. Students will be able to withdraw themselves at any time during the term. However, requests submitted after the 60% deadline will result in a “WF”. Students and instructors will automatically receive an e-mail notification to their SPC email whenever a withdrawal occurs.

The deadline for students to withdraw themselves with a grade of “W” is March 22, 2017.

FROM SPC ADMINISTRATION (LONG VERSION)

ATTENDANCE/ACTIVE PARTICIPATION/WITHDRAWAL POLICIES

In January of 2008 the college implemented a new attendance policy. Revised Board of Trustees rule 6Hx23-4.30 replaces the information found on pages 136 and 137 in the Student Rights and Responsibilities section of the 2008/2009 Student Planner and Handbook.

Each instructor must exercise professional judgment to determine if you are actively participating in class. Faculty will publish their own personal participation/attendance policies in their syllabi. This policy will be used to determine grades. If you are not actively participating in class as defined in an instructor’s syllabus, you will be reported to the Administration during the week following the voluntary withdrawal date.

Instructors will verify that you are in attendance during the first two weeks of class. If you are classified as a “No Show” for both of the first two weeks, you will be administratively withdrawn.

Immediately following the 60% point of the term, each instructor will verify which students are actively participating in class as defined in the course syllabus. If you are classified as not meeting the criteria for active class participation, you will be administratively withdrawn with a “WF.” You will be able to withdraw yourself at any time during the term. Requests submitted after the 60% deadline, however, will result in a “WF.” Both you and your instructor will automatically receive notification through SPC email whenever a withdrawal occurs.

FEDERAL GUIDELINES RELATED TO FINANCIAL AID AND TOTAL WITHDRAWAL FROM THE COLLEGE

The U.S. Department of Education has implemented rules for students who obtain a Pell Grant, Stafford Loan, and/or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and subsequently totally withdraw from the College. The rule requires you to refund to the Department of Education a portion of your financial aid if you completely withdraw from St. Petersburg College prior to the 60% point in the term. You also may be required to repay funds to the Collegeif you are identified as not actively participating in all of your classes, or if you do not receive at least one final passing grade (D or higher). Should you consider totally withdrawing from all classes before the published withdrawal date, it is important that you consult the Financial Assistance Services office on your home campus to understand your options and the consequences of total withdrawal.

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION FOR THIS CLASS:

Active class participation for this class is defined under the schedule above headed, "Class Participation Activities."

Internet Access:Students are required to have Internet access, and the software needed to complete all assignments. Access issues are not accepted as an excuse for lack of completion or participation. If there are computer issues that prohibit the completion of assignments or participation, students are expected to find the appropriate access elsewhere, and therefore should have a plan in place to take care of these responsibilities.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Course Policies and Procedures: The instructor is responsible for providing a syllabus that clearly explains all course policies. The instructor will provide a Student Survey of Instruction for fall and spring semesters. The instructor will post grades in MySPC by the end of the semester.

Class Participation and Etiquette: The instructor will create a learning environment that engages students and facilitates learning. The instructor will enforce the right of all students to learn. The instructor will communicate with students in a courteous and respectful manner at all times. The instructor will respond to emails within 48 hours, 5 of 7 days per week.

Assignment Due Dates and Procedures: The instructor will provide clear guidelines and information regarding when assignments are due, the format required, and the procedure for completing and submitting assignments. The instructor will grade all assignments within 14 days of each due date, with additional time for late assignments, if accepted.

Academic Honesty: The instructor will enforce SPC Academic Honesty policies at all times.

Attendance: The instructor will maintain student attendance records in ANGEL for students to access and review.

~ASSIGNMENT, PARTICIPATION, AND GRADE INFORMATION~

STUDENTS SHOULD EXPECT TO SPEND ABOUT 9-10 HOURS A WEEK DURING THE REGULAR SESSION

Students will be reading one (1) chapter a week in the textbook. The weekly reading assignments can be found the schedule listed below.

Regular weekly participation and activity is expected from each student and will be evaluated as a part of the Discussion Board grade.

All discussion posts and assignments are graded for original thought and must be in your own words. However, if you wish to use a borrowed fact from an expert source to add strength to your argument or thesis, the borrowed idea—whether quoted or paraphrased--must be cited with proper citations and references using the MLA format. Limit your borrowed information to less that 20% of your total essay. Credit will not be given for any copied or plagiarized work, even if cited.

Logging on frequently and reading your email is very important because if I have an important issue to discuss with you, I will send an email. You are responsible for information sent this way. Reading emails regularly helps you stay abreast of what is happening in the course, and consequently is essential to your success. When you have mail, you will see a notation on the course when you log onto MyCourses.

Weekly Discussion Forums (DF). Each week you will have required postings.

·Students are expected to log in every week and post an original thought in reaction to the course activities/readings and reply to engage in conversation with a minimum of three (3) of your classmates throughout the week. Exploring your own original thought and reacting to another's ideas are both important. Postings should be carefully considered and reveal substantive contemplation concerning the assigned topics.

TO RECEIVE THE MAXIMUM POINTS POSSIBLE, PLEASE REFER TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC BELOW.

·Go to the Weekly Discussion Forums Module to find the topics given. You MUST upload your posting in the appropriate discussion forum for it to count. The DFs count as class participation and will appear and disappear as required on Sundays. Once the DF assignment is gone, you will not be able to access it or make it up, so make sure you do this EVERY WEEK.

GRADES

Student’s performance in this class will be based on the earning of up to 1200 points. These points may be earned in the following manner: Class Participation (Discussion Boards)– 700 points; Two (2) required tests – 100 points each ; Three (3) required papers – All papers are worth 100 points each.Rubric text – 100 points

Discussion Boards (14 at 50 points each) - This is the most important part of this course. As you can see, the Discussion Board grade is over half of the total grade. This is our classroom. I firmly believe that we learn more from the sharing of thoughts and ideas than we do in reading a text.

Each chapter will consist of one Discussion Board question. This question should be well thought out, well written, addressing all elements of the question posed and reference the material found in the text - a minimum of three (3) paragraphs. This response should be posted on Sunday or Monday of each week.

Then throughout the week, students will be expected to engage in meaningful conversation about the topic with a minimum of three (3) of their classmates. These posts should be a minimum of two (2) paragraph (“I agree” is not considered a post). These posts should be spread over the entire week (not made on a single day – that is not conversation).

This means that for each chapter, you will be making a minimum of four (4) posts to the Discussion Board.

Each Discussion Board will be worth up to 50 points.

THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A “DISCUSSION”. IF SOMEONE COMMENTS ON YOUR POSTS, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO RESPOND BACK – HENCE DISCUSSION. YOUR POSTS SHOULD INSPIRE THOUGHT AND FURTHER CONVERSATION.

There are 16 Discussion Board threads, however, the grading scale is based on only 15 Discussion Board threads. Chapter 16 Discussion Board thread isExtra Credit. You only need to read the chapter and make the initial post. This is worth up to 25 bonus points.HOWEVER, YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING THIS CHAPTER FOR THE FINAL EXAM (CHAPTER 16).

See the attached rubric for this assignment.

NO LATE DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON

Rubric Test (100 points) – Students must read the Discussion Board Rubric found under “Course Content” and complete the Rubric Test within the first two weeks of class.

Required Tests (2 at 100 points each) – These will be objective tests – multiple choice. There are 50 questions on each exam. The exams are NOT cumulative. You have 70 minutes to complete each exam.You have the entire week to complete the midterm exam, however you can only attempt it once. Once the exams have closed, they will not be reopened. EXAMS CANNOT BE MADE UP.

Required Papers - You will have two (2) papers and a final paper. The first paper is

worth 100 points and is to be 3-5 pages. The second paper is worth 100 points and is to be 6-8 pages. The second paper requires in-depth research and interviews so make sure you start early.

Final Paper (100 points) – This paper is to be a minimum of 6-8 pages, double-spaced, with one inch margins on all sides using a 12 point font.

NO FINAL PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED

NO EXCEPTIONS

ALL PAPERS MUCH BE IN PROPER MLA OR APA STYLE

ALL PAPERS MUST INCLUDE A SEPARATE COVER PAGE AND REFERENCE PAGE

**ANY LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED 5 POINTS PER DAY **

** NO EXCEPTIONS **

GRADING SCALE

1170 - 1300 – A 1039 - 1169 – B

908 - 1038 – C 777 - 907– D

below 777 – F

WITHDRAWING FROM CLASS

It is your responsibility to ensure that youwithdraw from this course if you do not plan on completing the course requirements. Simply not attending class will not be sufficient to withdraw fromthis course. Any student appearing on the final grade sheet who does not have any grades (because they did not fulfill the class requirements and did not withdraw fromthe course) will be given the grade of “F”.

The last day to withdraw from this course with a “W” is: March 21,2018

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES

Those who celebrate religious holidays that are not on the SPC calendar and who plan to take those days off, must present this excuse within the first two weeks of class to be excused.

CHANGES TO SYLLABUS

We will attempt to follow this syllabus as close as possible, however, if changes need to be made, this will be at the discretion of the instructor.

PROPOSED COURSE SCHEDULE

WEEK OF

Jan 7 – READ: Chapter 1 – The Changing Family

Jan 14 – READ: Chapter 2 – Studying the Family

Jan 21 – READ: Chapter 3 – The Family in Historical Perspective

Jan 28 – READ: Chapter 4 – Racial and Ethnic Families: Strengths and Stresses

PAPER #1 DUE

Feb 4– READ: Chapter 5 – Socialization and Gender Roles

Feb 11– READ: Chapter 6 – Love and Loving Relationships

Feb 18– READ: Chapter 7 – Sexuality and Sexual Expressions Throughout Life

Feb 25 – READ: Chapter 8 – Choosing Others: Dating and Mate Selection

March 4 - SPRING BREAK

March 11 -MIDTERM EXAM

(Chapters 1-8)

READ: Chapter 9 – Singlehood, Cohabitation, Civil Unions, and Other Options

March 18– READ: Chapter 10 – Marriage and Communication in Intimate Relationships

March 25– READ: Chapter 11 – To Be or Not to be a Parent: More Choices, More Constraints

PAPER #2 DUE

April 4– READ: Chapter 12 – Raising Children: Promises and Pitfalls

April 8 – READ: Chapter 13 – The Economy and Family Life

April 15– READ: Chapter 14 – Domestic Violence and Other Family Health Issues

FINAL PAPER DUE

April 22 – READ: Chapter 15 – Separation, Divorce, Remarriage, and Stepfamilies

April 29– READ: Chapter 16 – Families in Later Life****EXTRA CREDIT****

FINAL EXAM

(Chapters 9-16)

******THE FINAL EXAM MUST BE COMPLETED BY 5:00 P.M., TUESDAY, MAY 2*****

DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC

A+ - 50 points –

-Initial post is made on Sunday or Monday

-Initial post is well thought out, is answered completely and refers to material found in the text – minimum of 3 paragraphs

-Actively participates on Discussion Board 4 or more days engaging in conversation with 5 or more classmates

-Conversation is well thought out, informative, promotes thought and further discussion

(minimum of 2 paragraphs per post)

A – 46-49 points –

-Initial post is made on Sunday or Monday

-Initial post is well thought out and refers to material found in the text – minimum of 3 paragraphs

-Conversation is engaged in with classmates on (minimum):

Tuesday

Wednesday or Thursday

Friday or Saturday

-Conversation is well thought out, informative, promotes thought and further discussion

(minimum of 2 paragraphs per post)

B – 41-45 points –

-Initial post and subsequent conversation is made on Tuesday or later

-Initial post and conversation occur on 3 separate days

-Initial post is well thought out and refers to material found in the text – minimum of 3 paragraphs

-Conversation is well thought out, informative, promotes thought and further discussion

(minimum of 2 paragraphs per post)

OR

-Initial post is made or on Sunday or Monday and subsequent posts are made before Thursday.

-Initial post is well thought out and refers to material found in the text – minimum of 3 paragraphs

-Conversation is well thought out, informative, promotes thought and further discussion

(minimum of 2 paragraphs per post)

C – 36-40 points –

-Initial post is made early in the week and is well thought out, and meets minimum length HOWEVER:

-Conversation with classmates is brief – uninformative, does not inspire further conversation (minimum of three posts)

OR

-Initial post is strong and posts to classmates is strong, HOWEVER:

-Only one or two posts to classmates are made

D – 31-35 points –

-Only initial post is made and it is strong

OR

-All posts are made on Friday or Saturday of the week

F – 30 or below –

-No posts are made for the week

Please remember...Even though this is an online class, you are still required to “attend class” in the form of activity on the Discussion Board. You must participate on the Discussion Board a minimum of 2 ½ hours per week. This 2 ½ hours per week does not include reading the chapters, taking quizzes, researching and writing papers, etc. This 2 ½ hours per week is “in class” time. Our “class” is the Discussion Board.