SOC 101.940

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
SOCIOLOGY 101.940	LENVILLE J. STELLE
SPRING - 2007	PARKLAND COLLEGE

HOME PAGE

	Home Page
	Text Book and Resources
	Evaluation
	Our Calendar
	Communication
	WEB Explorations
	Chapter Reviews

Welcome to my WEB course in introductory sociology. As a student in an electronic classroom, I presume that that you already have a computer link to the Internet, a functioning browser, and an email account. If you don't, you may find some help by clicking on the TEXTBOOK AND RESOURCES button in the box at the upper right of this screen. (VERY IMPORTANT -- IF YOU ARE ENROLLED IN THIS CLASS, STOP NOW AND LOGIN BY SENDING SOME EMAIL TO ME.)

I am very excited about our work together. I hope that you will be patient as we resolve application and design bugs. I have tried to envision all contingencies, but undoubtedly I have missed some detail(s). In any event, if things start to go haywire, don't get worried, just communicate with me and we will develop some kind of work-around. A very important safety precaution for you to take is to set your email program so that it automatically keeps/sends you a copy of all out going email.

The goals of the course, and therefore, my goals for you, are: (1) to provide you with a comprehensive overview of sociology and (2) to have you examine and interpret aspects of the WEB from the perspective of sociology. On the other hand, I already know about sociology, so I have a different set of goals for myself. I want: (1) to deepen my experience with the mechanics of page design, HTML (yeach!), comm links, etc.; (2) develop a fuller understanding of how teaching-learning occurs when I can't look into the your eyes, hear you cough or sniff during an exam, or experience the excitement of fighting for your attention and winning when someone makes a show of entering the classroom late; and (3) to learn how a social structure like this, a virtual class, will modify and evolve.

Let me briefly share my vision of our electronic classroom. Our section of Sociology 101 falls into the category of what I label WEB driven courses. Such courses differ from traditional classrooms in that they are: (1) content focused rather than classroom focused; (2) machine based rather than talk based; and (3) time and space transient rather than bound to a meeting room and time. I see these properties as virtues for at least some of us. The course is structured to exploit these qualities. As I would function as your guide to sociology in a classroom based course, so also I remain here in our machine enabled classroom. You will know me in a fashion that is different from my "regular students." They think that I am knowledgeable, funny, energetic, understanding, and good looking. Attributes like these are very useful in effecting a successful instructional performance. We are yet to discover which, if any, of these qualities will surface in our teaching-learning experiences. It is the potential of this discovery that makes this course so exciting to me.

Sociology 101 will transfer to all Illinois state universities. If you will be transferring the course to a university or college other than these, you will want to talk to their admissions people. To the best of my knowledge, we have never had a problem with transferring this course. Period. However, be a wise consumer and check with the school you will be transferring to before you enroll in the course. We want to guarantee no unpleasant surprises.

I think that our semester together will provide pleasant and invigorating experiences.

Len
Stelle-online@hughes.net

Well..okay..maybe not so good looking. :>)

Welcome to those of you on a dial-up connection

Welcome to those of you on a faster connection

HOW TO REGISTER:

If you are a new student, either seeking a degree or just wanting to take this course, you will need to be admitted to the College. The address to write to for the admissions application is:

Office of Admissions and Records
Parkland College
2400 W. Bradley Ave.
Champaign IL 61821-1899

If you are already admitted, then you can register by phone (217-373-3700) or stop by the Office of Admissions and Records.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

You must provide your own computer, Internet access, browser, and email capability. You should be reasonably proficient in their operation. I will not be able to offer much assistance with hardware or software problems on your machine.

You must register for the course.

You must login with me so that I have an email address for you. If you should change your active address, it is your responsibility to immediately notify me. If you do not, then I have no way of contacting you.

You must secure copies of the textual material.

You must establish and maintain your link to the course WEB site.

You must follow the course calendar, completing readings and exercises as indicated. Most of this work will be done independently, without prompting from the instructor.

You must complete the Internet Explorations and get them emailed to the instructor.

You must try to smile while achieving all of the above.