Soc 2309 Home Calendar Policies About Your Instructor

SOCIOL 2309:
Law and Society


OSU Policies

Please see the Ohio State University Office of Undergraduate Education Syllabus Statements and Polices page for policies on:

These statements are adopted in full in this syllabus.

Instructor Policies

Late Work Policy

Please see the course calendar for information on due dates. Most assignments will be due on Friday of the week in which they are assigned. There is a two day grace period for late assignments. After that, there is a 20% late penalty per day

Exams will be virtually proctored using Proctorio. Please visit the OSU Proctorio website for information, instructions, and technology requirements. If you miss an exam deadline, you will need a documented excuse to take a make-up. Make-up exams are all essay and are significantly more difficult.

I realize that sometimes life happens and deadlines go by without being met. Everyone will have one free pass in which I will accept late work with no penalty no questions asked as long as the work is turned in within 7 days from the missed deadline (after that, you will not be able to earn credit for the work). Please inform me that you wish to take advantage of your free pass as soon as you know you will need to miss a deadline, preferably before, but at least within 24 hours of a missed deadline.

Outside of the free pass, a deadline extension will generally require some form of documentation. I am flexible with regard to documentation and you do not need to disclose any private information to me. Any extended absences (more than 2 weeks) will require you to go thorugh SLDS for accommodations.

In order to maintain a healthy work/life balance, I am not asking you to work weekends. Your assignments are due on Friday nights at midnight, but you may do your work on the weekends if you wish by taking advantage of the two day grace period. Please note, though, that I will not be answering e-mails or Canvas messages during the weekends. So, if you plan to complete your homework during the weekend, please be sure to ask any questions before the Friday night due date.

Attendance Policy

Regular class attendance is one of the course requirements. Please note that this is not a self-paced course, and your attendance will be measured by whether you access Canvas and whether you turn in assignments. I am required to report any absence from the class that lasts more than two weeks.

Religious Accommodations: Our inclusive environment allows for religious expression. Students requesting accommodations based on faith, religious or a spiritual belief system in regard to examinations, other academic requirements or absences, are required to provide the instructor with written notice of specific dates for which the student requests alternative accommodations at the earliest possible date. For more information about religious accommodations at Ohio State, visit odi.osu.edu/religious-accommodations.

Tips for Success & Other Policies

AI and ChatGPT Policy

Recent developments in generative artificial tools, including ChatGPT and others, hold great potential for learning in new ways; however, you should not use these tools in the completion of course assignments unless you are specifically authorized to do so. You are encouraged to review the guidelines outlined in the Code of Student Conduct about completing academic activities with fairness and honesty.

On some assignments in this class, you will have the option to use AI tools. Learning to use AI is an emerging skill that you will need to develop to be successful. I am happy to meet and help with these tools during office hours.

Be Aware of the Limits of AI:

  • Garbage in-Garbage out:  If you provide minimum effort prompts, you will get low quality results. You will need to refine your prompts in order to get good outcomes. This will take work.
  • AI is a Lying Liar:  If it gives you a citation, number or fact, assume it is wrong unless you either know the answer or can check in with another source. If an AI tool doesn't know the answer to a particular question, it will not say, "I don't know." It will make up an answer. That answer might sound really good to you, but it may be completely and entirely wrong. You will be responsible for any errors or omissions provided by the tool. It works best for topics you already understand.
  • Acknowledgement/Citation Required: AI is a tool, but one that you need to acknowledge using. Please follow the guidelines in the assignment and include the prompt, the output, and the required analysis when using AI. Failure to do so is in violation of academic honesty policies. For assignments in which the use of AI is not authorized, student work may be submitted to AI or plagiarism detection tools in order to ensure that student work product is human created.
  • Consider the Context: Be thoughtful about when this tool is useful. Don't use it if it isn't appropriate for the case or circumstance; for example, when you are asked to give an opinion, provide your thoughts on a subject, summarize course materials, or participate in a discussion with other students.

Discussion and Communication Guidelines

The following are my expectations for how we should communicate as a class. Above all, please remember to be respectful and thoughtful.

GE Course Information

Sociology 2309 fulfills the General Education foundation “Race, Gender, and Ethnicity”

Goals Expected Learning Outcomes

Goal 1: Successful students will engage in a systematic assessment of how historically and socially constructed categories of race, ethnicity, and gender, and possibly others, shape perceptions, individual outcomes, and broader societal, political, economic, and cultural systems. Successful students are able to:

1.1 Describe and evaluate the social positions and representations of categories including race, gender, and ethnicity, and possibly others.

1.2 Explain how categories including race, gender, and ethnicity continue to function within complex systems of power to impact individual lived experiences and broader societal issues.

1.3 Analyze how the intersection of categories including race, gender, and ethnicity combine to shape lived experiences.

1.4 Evaluate social and ethical implications of studying race, gender, and ethnicity.

Goal 2: Successful students will recognize and compare a range of lived experiences of race, gender, and ethnicity.

2.1 Demonstrate critical self-reflection and critique of their social positions and identities.

2.2 Recognize how perceptions of difference shape one’s own attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors.

2.3 Describe how the categories of race, gender, and ethnicity influence the lived experiences of others.

The objectives will be met in this course by understanding the historical foundation of the United State’s legal system; the historical legality of overtly racist, sexist, and discriminatory policies in the United States; and the ongoing impacts of this historical legality on the United State’s legal system and wider society. Comparisons to other types of legal systems, current and historical, will help to highlight the positives and negatives associated with the United State’s legal system and how individuals are impacted, including the students. More specifically, students will be required to engage with this material and develop their abilities through: 1) reading the required book, additional articles and watching the lectures; 2) completing Discussion Posts that encourage understanding and application of the weekly lessons; 3) demonstrating knowledge of the material presented in lectures and readings through Exams; and 4) completing homework assignments that highlight ongoing social problems with the legal system and analyzing potential solutions.

Technology Need for Online Class

You will need the following baseline technical skills and equipment to successfully complete this class:

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