Course Syllabus

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Course Syllabus

"History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again.  

-Maya Angelou

Course Syllabus: EthS 121

Instructor Contact Information

 

I will be holding online “office hours” every Monday from 12:40pm-1:15pm. During this time, you can ask questions and I will go over course materials. You can join our online meetings by clicking on "ConferZoom" in the links on the left-hand side of our course in Canvas. You will see a new meeting that you can join every Monday from 12:40pm-1:15pm or by Appointment.

Course Description

Ethnic Studies 121 surveys the major ethnic and racial minorities in the United States to provide a basis for a better understanding of the socio-economic, cultural and political conditions among the following minorities: Afro-American, Mexican American, Chinese, Japanese and American Indian, women, and other social minority groups.

About Your Class 

  • This course will officially begin on February 22nd and end on May 28th date.
  • This is a 13 week course 100% fully online with synchronous office hours.
  •  You must complete the Check-In Assignment within the "Getting Started" Module. Students that do not complete the Check-In Assignment in the "Getting Started" Module will be dropped from the class.

Browser Compatibility:

I highly recommend using the most recent version of Google Chrome as your browser to make sure everything works correctly in Canvas.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Construct an argument using supportive and appropriate sources;
  • Formulate reflective responses to social dynamic theories and the process of 
marginalization of Ethnic Minorities through journals, blogs, and/or post-reading 
discussion questions;
  • Articulate social stratification formations of racial/ethnic/gender/class groups by 
applying theoretical concepts through unit essay exams.

Course Exit Standards Objective

The course’s objectives are for students to gain an understanding of the socio-economic, cultural, and political conditions among ethnic and racial minorities in order to assess their growth, diversity, and evaluate the issues these minority communities are facing in the United States. Furthermore, the course’s objectives are to compare and contrast the identified minority groups in the United Stated in order to evaluate minority-majority group relations

Textbook(s) and Required Materials

All of our readings will be provided to students through CANVAS. The students will not be required to purchase any readings.

Course Communication

Email

If you ever have any questions, please email me through Canvas by clicking on "Inbox" on the left side of your homepage. Click on "Compose a new message", select this course and then select "Teachers" under the "To" field and you will find my name, Laura Gonzalez. This is email inside Canvas :-) I am not supposed to receive any personal email...Canvas email only, please! I will respond to your email within 24 hours, M-F. Friday after 3pm it might take longer for me to respond over the weekend. If you do not hear back from me within this time, please assume I did not receive your email and resend it.

Course Assignments

Important Dates

The due dates for your assignments can be found in the Calendar in the global navigation links at the top of your screen. Please review these. In addition, I will post reminders prior to the due dates in the Announcements.

Weekly Assignments

Each week you will need to complete the following:

  • Read the weekly lesson in your canvas Modules. The new Modules will be available every Thursday starting the 2nd week at 12:00am (for the first week, it will open on Sunday).
  • Post in the weekly Discussion Forum by the following Friday at 11:59pm.
  • Respond to two other students’ posts in the Discussion Forum by Sunday at 11:59 .
  • Complete the lesson assignments in each course lesson by Friday at 11:59 with a hard close on Sunday at 11:59pm.

Grading Criteria

Assignment Points

Percentage Points

60 pts. Three quizzes 20 points each  (multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blanks)

18 % of your grade

60 pts. Midterm

18% of your grade

60 pts. Final

18% of your grade

90 pts. Six Content Input Short Essays

15 points each.

28% of your grade

60 pts. Six discussion board questions, 10 points each

18% of your grades

330 Total points

100%


Grading Scale

Letter Grade

Percentage

A

90-100%

B

80-89 %

C

70-79 %

D

60-69%

F

59% and below

Assignment Rubrics

In order to understand what is expected of you for each assignment, please check out the rubric -- a table that details the "tips for success" of each assignment and the benchmarks for success -- attached to each Assignment/Discussion for the grading criteria.

Extra Credit Options

There is extra credit in the discussion boards. If you are the first five to post, you can earn extra 2 points or if you post using video or audio that is built into canvas you will get an extra 2 points.  There is also extra credit for the Content Input short essay if you write 500 words (not including name, class info, or title) you earn 5 extra points.

Course Grades & Feedback

You can view your grades using the Grades button in the course navigation links. Please check your grades regularly to make certain that I have received all your assignments. If you have a question about a grade, email me through the Canvas Inbox (left-side of your screen). Please do not post your personal concerns in a discussion forum.

I will be using the Canvas grading tool for your discussions and written assignments within 3-4 days of submitting your assignment (the hard close deadlines on Sundays). You can see not only your grades, but also comments and feedback as well using the rubrics available for the assignments.

Submission Policy

Plan for success! Submit your work by the requested due date and time for full credit . If you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact me by private message before the assignment is due to make alternate arrangements.

Attendance/Participation/Refund Policies

Online Courses

  • DE Drop: A student must log into Canvas during the first week of an online class and pass the Check-In Assignment by Thursday at 11:59 PM (10-16 week classes) in order to remain in the class (this is a state requirement). See Refund/Payment Policy for more information regarding course drops.
    • Any student that is added after the Sunday at 11:59 PM deadline as a 'late add' student has until Census to complete the Check-In Assignment or be dropped. 
  • DE Participation/Attendance: If a student misses more than the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of online assignments during a fall or spring semester, they may be dropped from, the course.

Additional Policies and Resources

Academic Honesty

It is expected that all work submitted for grading is original, not copied from others and that the work being graded is indeed done by the student who is receiving the grade. Cheating and plagiarism are serious violations of the student conduct code. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in a zero on the assignment or test and may result in other disciplinary action taken by the College. All incidents of cheating or plagiarizing are reported to the Dean of Students. For more information, please refer to the Glendale Community College Academic Honesty Policy.

Late Work

There is no late work accepted outside of the hard close due dates. Your assignments are due on Friday for full credit (Soft due date) and will remain open until Sunday (hard close due date). If you submit your assignments after the soft due date, you will lose points for lateness, but you will still be able to submit the assignments. After the Sunday hard close due date, the assignments will go away forever.

Students with Disabilities

  • All students with disabilities seeking accommodations are responsible for making arrangements in a timely manner through the Center for Students with Disabilities. Please let me know right away if you will need accommodations so we can pre-plan together.
  • Please let me know if you have adaptive software and hardware to assist you with taking this course or if you have any specific needs of which I should be aware. You can find more information about Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) or call the office at 818-240-1000 x5905.

Student Technical Support

Go to the Student Tech Support  page if you are having Canvas tech issues or check out the resources below:

If you are having problems go to the HELP button on the global navigation menu (in red). You can check out the Canvas Knowledge Base or ask questions with the chat feature. We also have GCC Canvas LIVE help during the weekdays. Here are additional resources to help you:

Student Online Services

There are many additional services to help you during this course. A few of these include:

  • Free Online Tutoring, which can be accessed through the website or through Canvas.
  • GCC Library (Databases & Online Chat), which can be accessed through the website or through Canvas.

Additional services can be found on the GCC Student Services Webpage.