APPLIED PROJECT

Syllabus: ISS514 Cultural Diversity and Gender Understanding

(Version: FINAL 8/28/2021)

FALL 2021 SESSION C (CLASS #97151) Thursday, August 19, 2021 – Friday, December 3, 2021

Online Course; No on-campus class sessions.

NOTE: A specific Zoom link will be provided to students for each individual meeting. Do not use the link from MyASU.

Sharon Chanley, Ph.D. Instructor

Faculty, Social Science College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University (https://cisa.asu.edu/)

Welcome to the course! For more information about me, please take a look at the ‘Faculty Information’

menu item in the classroom.

[email protected] (570) 412-3085

My “office” hours are generally from 8 a.m. (AZ time) until about 8 p.m. (AZ time) every day of the week. No appointment necessary – leave a message if you don’t reach me and I will call you back asap.

Catalog Description

Reviews the epistemological, theoretical and legal premises on the concept of social justice and the cultural, racial, ethnic, gender and other bases for the agitation for social justice, including strategies in pursuit of social justice.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, each student will have demonstrated that they are able to:

• Integrate concepts, insights, and theories from sociology, social psychology, economics, public policy, and other relevant fields to examine the concept of social justice

• Demonstrate mastery of the historical roots of agitation for social justice by race, ethnicity, gender, LGBT, and disability

• Demonstrate mastery of the constitutional and legal bases of group agitation for social justice looking at concepts such as equal treatment, equal opportunity, equal outcomes, etc.

• Understand the nature of the differences between Blacks, Latinos, women, LGBTQ, and disability groups in pursuit of social justice, looking at concepts such as access, equal pay for equal work, immigration, etc.

• Trace the most important and visible Supreme Court decisions, including “settled law” on issues of social justice, including affirmative action, Americans with Disability Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, etc.

Learning Materials

All assigned Learning Materials which may include websites, primary documents, articles, etc. and video presentations will be available in the Canvas classroom. No textbook purchase is required.

Students will also be responsible for searching for and reading additional Learning Materials that they will share with their classmates in both writing and verbally during weekly discussions.

In addition, don’t forget that you are sitting literally in front of “the Internet” with its encyclopedic amount of information, including definitions and audio/video explanations of concepts, data, etc., much of it published on reliable, credible websites.

College of Integrative Sciences and Arts

This course is offered by the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. For more information about the college, visit our website: https://cisa.asu.edu/. If you have questions or concerns that aren’t addressed by the course instructor, please send your inquiry to [email protected].

How to succeed in this course!

It is my goal for you to learn in this class. I provide as much help as I can, so you can both learn and earn the grade you want, but it is basically up to you to succeed or not in the course. The course is a lot of work, but not so much that you can’t do it if you spend the time required throughout the week.

If you want to do well in this course, here are my suggestions:

1) Read the syllabus and highlight for future reference those sections where there is important information about policies, due dates, and requirements.

2) Follow the instructions for each assignment (including those in the syllabus and for the specific assignment), step-by-step. Read them carefully and fully! Refer back to them as you are preparing your work and before you submit it for grading.

3) Ask questions if you have them.

4) Read the assigned readings and watch the videos, so that you are prepared for the live discussions.

5) Locate and review the required additional articles/learning materials that you will share with your classmates during the discussion meeting.

6) Actively participate both verbally and as an active listener in the discussion meetings.

Other Learning Outcomes

In addition to the content-specific course objectives above, I also want you to say at the end of the course that you achieved the following:

1. Develop or increase your level of curiosity about a social justice issue in the context of the topics we address in this course.

2. Develop your small group discussion skills and hone your ability to debate rationally, civilly, and

with valid and reliable information underpinning your opinions. 3. Develop your ability to identify both “good” and “bad” information and data, and also your

ability to identify fallacious arguments with a better understanding of the negative and costly impact in both human and dollar terms of poor dialogue and inaccurate information in our decision-making processes.

4. An understanding of the importance of our participation in as many of the outlets for politics as possible for ourselves, our families, our communities, our nations, indeed for the world.

Other Requirements

Reliable computer and high-speed Internet service, using one of the following Web browsers: Chrome (recommended), Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox (recommended), or Safari. The computer must have audio/video listening/viewing capabilities. In addition, I also highly recommend that you have either a camera and microphone on either a “smartphone” or tablet that can connect to the Internet or a camera and microphone on your computer.

NOTE: A “smart” phone or tablet is not sufficient for completing written assignments, discussion postings, or for adequate viewing of many of the course materials.

Microsoft Word. One of the free packages of programs you have as an ASU student is Microsoft Office which includes Word. Completing your written assignments in Word will make it easier to upload assignments correctly and it has spell checking and grammar checking features that should be enabled. Please make sure that you have Microsoft Word downloaded and enabled on your computer. Set up both the spell check and the grammar check.

Adobe. In addition, please make sure that you have the following free program: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Grammarly.com. Please sign up for the free version of Grammarly.com as it is very good at identifying grammar and punctuation errors.

Students have access to some software titles at no cost through ASU at My Apps or MyASU.

Technical Support

This course uses Canvas to deliver content. It can be accessed through MyASU at https://my.asu.edu or the Canvas home page at https://myasucourses.asu.edu.

• To monitor the status of campus networks and services, visit the System Health Portal at https://uto.asu.edu/system-health

• To contact the help desk call toll-free at 1-855-278-5080. Please contact them if you have questions about how to properly upload a written assignment or if you run into any other technical problems or have technical questions with any of the software or BlackBoard features. They can help you download and set up Microsoft Word, for example, or help you forward your ASU email.

• If you experience an issue with Canvas and completing and/or submitting an assignment, please be sure to call technical support at the number above and get a case number to reference prior to emailing us about the issue.

NOTE: If your home computer experiences problems, it is your responsibility to find another computer (on campus, at a library, a friend’s house, etc.) to log onto the course site and complete your assignments on time. I do recognize, however, that computers break down or malfunction. IF you ask for a waiver of the late penalty because of computer problems, I will need documentation of that from an official computer technician, preferably someone from the ASU Technology Support Help Desk.

Communicating With the Instructor

Phone Calls

Please feel free to call me or request a Zoom or phone meeting. You do not need an appointment. If I am available, we can chat just as you call or if I cannot talk right then, we can set up another agreed upon meeting.

Phone Texts:

You can text but it is not my favorite “discussion” medium. But, it is totally fine for quick notes – like here is my phone # or “are you available right now?” But, not to go back and forth with options or discussions. For me, I’d rather talk to you – it is faster and easier.

Discussion Forum: Ask Dr. Chanley

This course uses a discussion topic called "Ask Dr. Chanley" for general questions and comments about the course that you think might be of relevance to your classmates. Prior to posting a question or comment, do a “quick” check of the syllabus, announcements, and existing posts to ensure it's not redundant.

If you are certain that you know the answer to a posted question, feel free to answer it.

Email questions of a personal nature to your instructor. You can expect a response generally within 24-48 hours. If you have not heard from me in response to your question within a day (two at the absolute most) be sure to call me. Always feel free to call anytime during my very long office hours and we can chat then or I’ll call you back later.

Chat

Do not post questions to the instructor using the chat function.

E-mail

ASU e-mail is an official means of communication among students, faculty, and staff. Students are expected to read and act upon email in a timely fashion. Students bear the responsibility of missed messages and should check their ASU-assigned email regularly, at least every other day.

All instructor correspondence will be sent to your ASU email account.

ASU Online Course Policies

View the ASU Course & University Policies by going to the “Modules” Canvas menu item and then choosing “Course and University Policies.”

Accessibility Statements

View the ASU Online Student Accessibility page to review accessibility statements for common tools and resources used in ASU Online courses.

Time Commitment

See the “Course Time Commitment” link in the Modules in Canvas in the “ASU Online Course Policies” section. Just FYI, the AZ Board of Regents has established a policy that for graduate students, in a 3-credit graduate course, the “average” student should be spending approximately 9 hours each week on course work including attending classes, reading, doing homework, etc. -- that is for a 15-week class, such as this one. That includes, of course, the weekly class discussions sessions, which are 2 ¾ hours so that leaves about 6 hours each week for the “average” student to complete reading and writing assignments.

Occasionally, we hear from a student that there is “too much work;” that this is an online course, and that we should know that the students have full-time jobs or a family or are taking three other classes, and so we should not have the same expectations for “online” students as we have for other students. Well, that is simply not true – online courses actually take more time because much has to be written or read unlike in a lecture class where you can just listen to the professor as he or she summarizes the textbook. Of course, now with Zoom and similar technology more accessible, this may well change even beyond the pandemic.

Course Assignments

The course is organized by modules, 1 through 8. Modules 1 – 7 will last generally two weeks and will have two discussions about assigned readings and videos and those you identify and present as part of the discussion. Module 8 will follow a similar format but will last only one week.

The graded assignments for this course are as follows: 1) Weekly Live Zoom discussions about assigned learning materials and results of students’ own literature searches. 2) Learning Material Notes submitted prior to weekly live discussions. 3) Student identified literature on related topics presented at discussion meetings to be determined in consultation with students in first two weeks of the course. 4) Significant written assignment(s) or presentation(s) on course topics the specific requirements and format of the assignment(s) will be determined in consultation with students in first two weeks of course.

Weekly Live Zoom Discussions (Each live discussion session is worth up to 50 points)

Each module has two weekly discussion meetings each with several prompts for discussion. The discussion format for this course is different than most of your other online courses, as the discussions are conducted using video conferencing software during which students discuss with the instructor and co- students live, rather than using a written format. These meetings, unless changes are needed, will be held on Wednesdays, starting at 6 p.m. (AZ time) and lasting no longer than 8:45 p.m. (AZ time).

Detailed prompts are provided for each discussion assignment in the module materials. In general, however, students are expected to have read/reviewed the assigned materials (readings and videos) and turned in brief notes before attending the discussion meetings. They are also expected to be active, engaged participants, sharing their viewpoints and important “take-aways” from the assigned materials and actively listening to what the instructors and classmates have to say.

Except as outlined in the Late Assignments policy below, students do not have the option to post or prepare written papers in response to the discussion questions. They must attend one of the scheduled video conference meetings for each module in order to earn credit for the discussions.

The total combined points available for discussions and the percentage that they represent of your final course grade are detailed in the Course Schedule.

Grading Criteria for Live Discussions:

1) Attended full meeting using camera and microphone 2) Actively participated in discussion about learning materials demonstrating that student had

completed all preparation work

3) Actively listened to other students’ perspective and to the instructor

Learning Material Notes (Each set of Learning Material Notes is worth up to 50 points) Prior to each discussion meeting you attend (one to two per module required), you will be turning in a set of written Notes related to the assigned Learning Materials for that discussion meeting and responding to the discussion prompts.

In your notes, use brief, bullet-point statements that both demonstrate you have read/watched the assigned materials and remind you of the points you want to make during the discussion meeting. Not only are you making notes for yourself, you are also building on your note-taking skills. You are trying to develop conciseness in note-taking, so you are not simply re-writing what is in the textbook. By putting ideas into your own words and in a synthesized way, you are better integrating what you are reading into your own knowledge-base. The Notes and the Discussion assignments in this class are designed to help you think about the concepts being studied and to hear how your classmates are doing the same thing, but perhaps with different conclusions.

Use the Notes assignment to remind you during our discussions of your main points, not to read from word-for-word at the meeting. That's why it is better to not write the notes in complete sentences/paragraphs, but to use bullet-points, short phrases, and, if appropriate, direct quotes. You do not need to use academically-formatted citations/references, but you should make note of which video, reading, other learning resources you are tying your responses to.

Please keep any other, more lengthy notes that you want to keep for yourself in another separate document that you do not need to submit. Leave those items you have not read/watched blank.

Please type your responses and submit them as either a .docx or a .pdf file. This assignment is

due the day before the start of the discussion meeting that you plan to attend. You should have this document accessible to you during the meeting, either in an open tab on your computer or in print.

NOTE: The due date for the Notes assignment is each week on Tuesdays by 11:59 p.m. (AZ time). That gives me time to review them in case there are any topics I want to specifically address in the discussion. Grading Criteria for Learning Material Notes:

1) All elements of all of the prompts were fully addressed in Notes (Up to 80% of the available points. NOTE: Not all Notes assignments or the discussion prompts carry the same weight in terms of points.)

2) Notes were completed using the format outlined below. (Up to 10% of assignment points) 3) Notes submitted the day before the meeting the student attended (Up to 10% of assignment

points)

Extra Credit Assignments

I may add one or two extra credit assignments as the course proceeds. If added, we will provide detailed instructions in the module materials.

Student Identified and Presented Learning Materials on Topics (Each Learning Material presented at discussion meeting will be worth up to 25 points)

Students will conduct research to identify a specific number (usually 1 to 2) articles, or videos, or websites, on the topics being covered in each module. The student will complete one of the following activities regarding the item. What activity the student will be responsible for and the topic to prepare will be determined each week by the instructor. The activities will include the following: 1) written brief (1-2 page) summary of key points in article or other item, 2) brief verbal presentation of article or other material to classmates and instructor in the weekly discussion meeting, 3) graphic summary presenting key points of article or other material to classmates and instructor at weekly discussion meeting, or 4) written summary memo to organizational leader making clear argument in support or opposition of public policy/law and present to classmates during discussion meeting, and a letter to the editor of a local newspaper supporting or opposing a specific public policy and presenting to classmates and instructor at weekly discussion meeting.

Grading Critiera will include: 1) well-written especially in terms of organization of information, grammar, and spelling, 2) organized verbal presentation of key points, 3) extent to which instructions were followed, and 4) appropriateness of learning material chosen, clearly related to topic for that module.

Significant Written Assignment(s) or Presentation(s) on topics covered in the course (The significant written assignment(s) or Presentation(s) will be worth up to a total of 250 points

Student will prepare a written synopsis of the various topics addressed in the course – a brief section (2-3 paragraphs) for each module topic. The paper will be approximately 5 – 8 pages long and key points in one of the sections will be presented to classmates and instructor at final meeting of the course.

Grading criteria will include: 1) well-written especially in terms of organization of information, grammar, and spelling, 2) organized verbal presentation of key points, and 3) extent to which instructions were followed.

Grading

I use a combination of grading criteria that includes the accuracy and completeness of the content of your notes, the use of logic and critical thinking evidenced by them, the integration of assigned readings and outside research, and the quality of the discussions. We also assess whether the student followed the instructions. Grades will generally be posted before the end of the module following the assignment due date, so there is time to integrate our comments into the next assignment before submitting it. However, we can’t always complete grading as quickly as we all would like – but, they are done as soon as we can do them. You can, of course, ask about when your grades will be posted, but that doesn’t speed up the process, nor change your random position in the queue.

Sometimes, we may not have feedback ready for one assignment before it is time to submit the next similar assignment. However, while our feedback is valuable, what is more valuable and more important is for you to be able to accurately assess the quality of your own work. If you do not know how you did on an assignment, that tells us that you need to be doing several things. First, you need to read the instructions and prepare a checklist of what is required to meet the grading criteria/rubric we provided. (In fact, you can even just use that grading criterion as your checklist.) Then, you should take a critical eye to your work on that assignment and make a realistic assessment of how well you met those grading criteria. Ideally, you should do that before you submit the assignment! The instructions are detailed and clear, IF you read them carefully and fully and refer back to them as you are preparing, and before submitting, your assignments. If you aren’t sure about some aspect of the assignment, then it is your responsibility to get the clarification you need by asking questions in advance of the due date so you can adjust your assignment if needed.

One final note about grades. I do not control what grade you get on an assignment – you do – because it is you who determines the quality of your work. I am not a particularly “hard grader,” but while I do assess the extent to which you met the requirements, you determine what is there for me to assess.

Grading Scale

Assignment of letter grades for the course is based on a percentage of total points earned. The letter grade will correspond with the following percentages achieved. NOTE: I do round up at .5 and above.

Grade Percentage

A >89.5% Excellent

B >79.5 - 89.5% Good

C >69.5 - 79.5% Average

D >59.5 – 69.5% Passing

E Below 60% Failure

EN Failure but did not attempt any graded assignment

XE Failure due to Academic Dishonesty

Grade Appeals

Students must first speak with the instructor of the class to discuss any disputed grades. If, after review, a resolution is not achieved, students may proceed with the appeal process. Student grade appeals must be processed in the regular semester immediately following the issuance of the grade in dispute (by commencement for fall or spring). Complete details are available in the ASU Grade Appeals policy.

Late and Missed Assignments

Missed Live Discussions

As a general rule, there is no option for making up a missed discussion meeting. However, there are two exceptions in the case of documented medical or family emergencies or documented computer breakdowns and malfunctions. Make-up assignments are granted on a case-by-case basis. Please refer to the university’s list of examples of acceptable supporting documentation in the cases of personal crisis, death in the family, personal illness or injury at Forms for students at ASU. The list can be found in the “Satisfactory Academic Progress Review” site under “Examples of Supporting Documentation.” Appropriate documentation for computer malfunctions or breakdowns is usually a “ticket” or case number from the ASU technology help desk but might include other official computer repair or technical support providers.

Students granted exceptions for missed discussion meetings will be required to watch and comment on the missed meeting discussion recording using Perusal.

Late Notes Assignment Policy

Each module (Modules 1 – 8) has 1 or 2 Learning Material Notes assignments which are each due the day before the weekly discussion meeting that you attend. As it is important that you come to the discussion meetings prepared to discuss the learning materials, it is also important that you have completed the readings and watched the videos assigned so that you can add substantive comments to the discussions. The only way we have to both encourage you to do that preparation work and to help you remember what was important to you about the materials you review is to have you complete written notes to bring to the meeting with you. Therefore, you must complete the notes, responding to the prompts, before the meeting you will attend in order to receive full credit for the notes assignmen and for the discussion assignment.

That said, it is also important for your overall learning that you complete the review of the assigned learning materials even if it is after the discussion meeting. So, I will accept Notes assignments up to the end of the module in which they were assigned, but at a reduced number of points. Students should submit whatever of the notes they have completed before the discussion meeting they attend, and, then, submit their notes on any of the assigned materials they missed in their first submission by the end of the module. The notes submitted on time (before the discussion meeting) will be eligible for full credit. Notes submitted after the meeting, but before the end of the module, will be eligible for up to 50% credit.

How those points are distributed among the learning materials will depend on the total number of learning materials assigned, their length, and the complexity of the various prompts.

To facilitate the grading of late submissions, students will need to clearly indicate which section of each set of notes were submitted before the meeting and which were submitted late.

The late penalty can only be waived in documented cases of serious illness, family emergency, or technology problems, as outlined above. In those cases, students will be given a revised due date for that assignment and any alternative assignment instructions.

Follow the appropriate University policies to request an accommodation for religious practices or to accommodate a missed assignment due to University-sanctioned activities.

Late Written Assignments and/or Presentations

Written papers submitted after the meeting, but before the end of the module, will be eligible for up to 50% credit. How those points are distributed among the learning materials will depend on the total number of learning materials assigned, their length, and the complexity of the various prompts with 50% applying to written element and 50% to verbal presentation.

The late penalty can only be waived in documented cases of serious illness, family emergency, or technology problems, as outlined above. In those cases, students will be given a revised due date for that assignment and any alternative assignment instructions.

Late Extra Credit Written Assignments

No extra credit assignments will be accepted late except as outlined above for documented cases of medical or family issues and documented technology problems.

I will try to adhere to the above policy, even when I want to be more “lenient,” so please plan accordingly.

Incompletes

As a general rule, I do not give incompletes.

Syllabus Disclaimer

The course syllabus is an educational contract between the instructor and students. Every effort will be made to avoid changing the course schedule but the possibility exists that unforeseen events will make syllabus changes necessary. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus as deemed necessary. Students will be notified in a timely manner of any syllabus changes via email and in the Announcements section on Canvas.

-END-

Course Schedule (POS310 Fall 2021 Session C)

Module # Week # (Dates)

NOTE: Week starts on Thursdays and ends on

Wednesdays

Topic

Primary Topic to be discussed

Assignments

Due Dates:

Learning Material Notes on Tuesday p.m. before live

discussions on Wednesdays. Written or other presentation assignments due during class

discussion.

0 1 (Th, 8/19 – Wed,

8/25) Course and Participant

Introductions Live Discussion (50

points) 1 2 (Th, 8/26 – Wed, 9/1)

Diversity in the U.S. now & in the future

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

2 3 (Th, 9/2 - Wed, 9/8) Issues of Work/Wealth (by Race)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of either work or wealth and race. (50

points) 2 4 (Th, 9/9 – Wed, 9/15)

Issues of Work/Wealth (by Gender)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of either work or wealth and gender. (50

points)

3 5 (Th, 9/16 – Wed, 9/22)

Issues of Education (by Race/Socio-economic Status and by Gender)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Education and socio-economic status, race and/or gender. (50

points)

4 6 (Th, 9/23 – Wed,

9/29) Issues of Health (by

Race/Socio-economic Status and by Gender)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Health and

socio-economic status, race and/or gender. (50

points) 5 7 (Th, 9/30 – Wed,

10/6) Media (US

Exceptionalism & “Manufacturing

Consent”)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Media and (50

points) NA (Th, 10/7 – Wed,

10/13) FALL BREAK NO CLASS

5 8 (Th, 10/14 – Wed, 10/20)

Media (by Race and Gender)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Media and

socio-economic status,

race and/or gender. (50 points)

6 9 (Th, 10/21 – Wed, 10/27)

Politics (by socio- economic status, religiosity, race,

gender)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Politics and

religiosity. (50 points) 7 10 (Th, 10/28 – Wed,

11/3) Social Justice (theories

& definitions) Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Social justice theories (50 points)

7 11 (Th, 11/4 – Wed, 11/10)

Social Justice (by groups)

Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Social justice

and groups (50 points) 8 12 (Th, 11/11 – Wed,

11/17) Major Legal Decisions Learning Material

Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Major Legal Decisions and socio- economic status, race and/or gender. (50

points) 9 13 (Th, 11/18 – Wed,

11/24) Problems with

Capitalism Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Written summary on topic of Problems with Capitalism (50 points)

(Th, 11/25 – F, 11/26) Holidays 10 14 (Sa, 11/27 – F, 12/3) Case study analyses

and course feedback Learning Material Notes (50 points)

Live Discussion (50 points)

Final significant paper and/or presentation

(250 points)

Learning Material Notes: 13 assignments X 50 points each = 650 points

Live Discussion Meetings: 14 meetings X 50 points each = 700 points

Short Written Assignments & Discussion Presentations: 11 assignments X 50 points each = 550 points

Significant Written Assignment(s): 1 assignment X 250 points = 250 points

TOTAL: 2,150 points