Everyone asks about deadlines
This syllabus is intended for online classes; for them there is a Syllabus Quiz which must be passed to continue in the course.
To pass the quiz, you need to read ALL of the sections on the left. There will be at least 2 quiz questions from each section.
Face to face classes cover the same material but have a different syllabus (handed out in class).
This syllabus is intended for online classes; for them there is a Syllabus Quiz which must be passed to continue in the course.
To pass the quiz, you need to read ALL of the sections on the left. There will be at least 2 quiz questions from each section.
Face to face classes cover the same material but have a different syllabus (handed out in class).
At this writing, the 8th edition softcover is available used on Amazon.com for about $25. Click here, then click the link to used copies. You don’t have to scroll very far; the link to used copies looks something like this:
12 new from $119.00 54 used from $25.00
These used copies are sold by Amazon Associates, who may be used bookstores, or who may be people like you and me. Check their star ratings and choose one who ships from nearby. Most Amazon Associates will not allow returns or refunds, so don’t buy a used copy on Amazon unless you’re sure you will use it.
Also, choose Expedited Shipping (usually 2 to 4 business days) if you need the book soon. Otherwise, your book will probably ship “Media Mail”, which can be very slow — up to 3 weeks, in extreme cases.
Although the 9th edition is available (for example, in the campus bookstore), it is much more expensive.
!!! Everyone asks about deadlines!!! !!! READ THIS!!!
The most common problem students have is that they don’t read and understand what’s on this page — the one you’re reading right now. “When are the deadlines?” they ask me. “I’m confused because I don’t see any deadlines.” If you don’t understand about deadlines,reread this page, especially the underlined part near the bottom.
Course organization
This course is organized into 30 Learning Modules, about half of which focus on one chapter from the textbook. The rest are shorter, covering material in a lecture on a topic not covered in the text.
Most modules:
. •Begin with some short (usually fun) video clips.
. •Require you to read a chapter in the textbook.
. •Have a quiz (not super-difficult if you did the reading).
. •Have a lecture which you read, listen to, or watch.
. •Require you to contribute to the Discussion for the module.
Several modules also have a homework assignment to complete, which is submitted to the instructor.
Four groups of modules; four deadlines
The modules are divided into four groups, each of which is available during one part of the semester. Each group has its own deadline. The schedule gives you some flexibility, but with deadlines designed to keep everyone moving along. For example, in a regular 4-month class, each group of modules is the focus of attention for one month, and the deadline for everything in that group is the end of that month. In a 6-week summer semester class, each group is available (on an overlapping basis) for about 2 weeks, with a deadline at the end of that 2 weeks.
Each of the four groups ends with a multiple-choice exam which tests the knowledge covered in that group. There is also a multiple-choice final exam which is comprehensive (a college requirement). So there are five exams in total.
Deadlines
Deadlines are on a group-by-group basis, not a module-by-modulebasis. That is, all the modules in Group 1 are due at the same time, all those in Group 2 are due at the same time, and so on. To find out what these deadlines are, click the Calendar button inside the Blackboard container once the course begins.
. •Module 0 — Getting started
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. Group 1
. •Module 1 — Why study sex?
. •Module 2 — The movie “Kinsey”
. •Module 3 — First things first (four pages from chapter 5)
. •Module 4 — History and methods of sex research (chapters 1-2)
. •Module 5 — Anatomy and physiology (chapters 3-4)
. •Module 6 — Sexual arousal and response (chapter 5)
. •Module 7 — Lovemaps and imprinting
. •Module 8 — What is normal?
. •Module 9 — Sexual behavior (chapter 9)
. •Exam 1 — Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
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. Group 2
. •Module 10 — Sexuality in childhood and adolescence (ch. 13)
. •Module 11 — Sexuality in adulthood (ch. 14)
. •Module 12 — Gender identity and gender roles (ch. 6)
. •Module 13 — Guest speaker Travis
. •Module 14 — Measuring masculinity and femininity
. •Module 15 — All about plethysmography
. •Module 16 — The Phil Donahue Show
. •Module 17 — Sexual orientation (ch. 10)
. •Exam 2 — Chapters 13, 14, 6, 10
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. Group 3
. •Module 18 — Attraction and love (chapter 7)
. •Module 19 — Contraception and abortion (chapter 12)
. •Module 20 — Pregnancy and birth (chapter 11)
. •Module 21 — “The Miracle of Birth” movie
. •Module 22 — Sperm competition
. •Module 23 — Sexually transmitted infections (chapter 16)
. •Exam 3 — Chapters 7, 12, 11, 16
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. Group 4
. •Module 24 — Naked, nude, unclothed
. •Module 25 — Legal sexual variations (paraphilias) (ch. 17)
. •Module 26 — Illegal sexual variations (pedophilia, assault) (ch. 18)
. •Module 27 — Sexual dysfunctions and sex therapy (ch. 15)
. •Module 28 — Sex for profit, pornography, and the Internet (ch. 19)
. •Module 29 — Nevada brothels
. •Module 30 — Farewell lecture
. •Exam 4 — Chapters 17, 18, 15, 19
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. •Final Exam — Comprehensive
Sexually explicit and/or offensive materials
This is a course in human sexuality. During the course we will watch several films and other materials which will contain a fair amount of nudity and sexually explicit content. Verrrrrry occasionally there will be other items (a movie of a live birth; a close-up photo of a medicinal leech; etc.) which may offend some people.
Because this is an online course, you will be watching these materials in the privacy of your own home, or in a more public environment of your own choosing. Whether you actually look at such materials is, obviously, not something which can be monitored. I would suggest that if you are troubled or offended by anything, just close your eyes if you wish to avoid exposure to such stimuli. But you should watch as much of the item as you feel comfortable doing. Typically there is a reason why I included it, and understanding the main point of the item as a whole will help you understand that.
For example, the ending of the “Paul and Frank” video (chapter 10) is rather strong. It’s quite a surprise, and most people find it extremely funny (and often choose it as the most popular video in the semester). It’s not going to give anyone a heart attack, but some people might find it a bit offensive. You don’t have to watch the ending if you don’t want to, but you should watch the video as a whole in order to understand why I am including it in the course. I would not ask you about that ending on an exam, but I might ask you about the rest of the video. Even though the people who made “Paul and Frank” made it to be humorous, I did include it in the course for a non-humorous reason.
E-mail response time
Please send e-mails regarding the class using a special e-mail address used only for this course (see the instructions here). I will check this e-mail regularly and will try to reply to your questions within 48 hours. No responses on Saturdays and Sundays (although you might get lucky if I decide to check my mail then). No responses during holidays.
Technical problems
Most technical problems — accessing the course online, problems running the software, etc. — have already been solved by other students. It’s a royal pain for the instructor to explain to you, privately, how to fix a problem after he has done so for a dozen other students. And it’s impossible for the instructor to know how you’ve set up your computer or the details of how your brand of computer works (or fails to work).
As a general rule, THE INSTRUCTOR WILL NOT HELP YOU solve a technical problem with your computer, software, setup, or Internet connection. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure your computer is working right, that it is powerful enough to view the video clips, that you know how to use it, etc. The first Learning Module in the class is designed to make sure you and your computer are able to do all the things, technically, you will need to do in the course.
Instead of asking the professor for technical help, check the “Technical problems” bulletin board inside the course in Blackboard. Check to be sure your problem isn’t already answered before you post. And check the College’s online help resource at <http://www.gcccd.net/online/>. You might also need to contact the College’s help desk (619-644-7383), especially if you are using a campus computer.
If you are a student who can solve another student’s problem, post the answer on the “Technical problems” bulletin board — you might get extra credit!
On the other hand, it IS the instructor’s responsibility to deal with the computer professionals who run the Grossmont College online course system (Blackboard). If the system is down, it is his job to talk to the people who can get it running again (although any help you can contribute here would be welcome).
Blackboard tutoring
The Tutoring Center (619-644-7387) has new online tutoring sessions for Blackboard, regardless of whether you are a new user or simply need a refresher. To make an appointment:
. •First you have to register in person in room 70-202.
. •Once you do this, for the rest of the semester you can make an appointment online, following the directions here (click on the Tutoring Request link on the left): http://www.grossmont.edu/tutoringcenter/
Online Success website
If you need help with online learning, visit the Tutoring Center’sOnline Success website at http://www.gcccd.edu/online/.
Tutoring referral
You are referred to enroll in the following supervised tutoring courses if the service indicated will assist you in achieving or reinforcing the learning objectives of this course:
. *IDS 198, Supervised Tutoring, to receive tutoring in general computer applications in the Tech Mall,
. *English 198W, Supervised Tutoring, for assistance in the English Writing Center (room 70-119), and/or
. *IDS 198T, Supervised Tutoring, to receive one-on-one tutoring in academic subjects in the Tutoring Center (room 70-229, 619-644-7387).
To add any of these courses, students may obtain Add codes at the Information/Registration desk in the Tech Mall.
All Supervised Tutoring courses are non-credit/non-fee. However, when a student registers for a supervised tutoring course, and has no other classes, the student will be charged the usual health fee.
Academic integrity, cheating, etc.
Although this is NOT an easy course, it is not a bust-your-gut difficult one, either. There is no need to cheat to get a good grade! That said, please note the following policies on academic integrity.
Plagiarism is using — as one’s own — ideas, writings, materials, or images of someone else without saying so (acknowledgement), or without permission. Cheating and/or plagiarism can result in any one of a variety of sanctions. Such penalties may range from an adjusted (lower or failing) grade on the particular exam, paper, project, or assignment (all of which may lead to a failing grade in the course) to (under certain conditions) suspension or expulsion from a class, program, or the college. For further clarification and information on these issues, please consult with your instructor or contact the office of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
Resetting exams and quizzes online
All exams and quizzes in this class are timed by Blackboard, and set up in such a way that — once you begin — you cannot pause the process or leave that web page without “freezing” your attempt. When your attempt is frozen and you try to go back to finish it, Blackboard will tell you that the test has been completed and can only be taken once. You have to e-mail me and ask me to unfreeze your test.
Which I may or may not do. I will be much more likely to unfreeze your test if you have followed good Blackboard practice and carefully saved your answers regularly using the Save button (which appears multiple times on the test’s page). The Savebutton is different from the Submit button. Save sends your answers to Blackboard but lets you keep working. Submit sends your answers and ends the test.
What is sometimes a problem is a student who writes me and has saved none of his or her answers along the way; I have no way to tell how well they were doing before the problem occurred. That is why I will carefully monitor all requests to reset exams or quizzes. Resetting can be necessary when there’s a dial-up telephone line disconnection, when you’re not familiar with the way tests work in Blackboard, when your dog ate your modem cable (while you were online), when aliens teleported you (while you were online) up to their spaceship to perform experiments on your sex organs (and whose results appear in THEIR textbooks on human sexuality) but who didn’t bother to use their alien superpowers to get you back in to Blackboard properly after your return, and so on and so on. Plus, we’re all human; sooner or later everyone makes a bonehead mistake.
Unfortunately, previous experience has shown that it is impossible to tell the difference between a bonehead mistake and actual cheating. I do not want, ever, to accuse an honest person of cheating. I do not want to have to ask honest people to prove that they are honest. But I don’t want dishonest people taking advantage of the online experience, either.
During the first section of the course — Module 0 — it is yourresponsibility to learn how Blackboard tests work, how to take an exam or a quiz continuously without closing the browser window or navigating to another page, how to save your answers along the way, how to keep track of the time remaining, etc., etc. I will be happy to reset the quizzes in Module 0 once or twice if you need to have this done.
After that, I will reset quizzes or exams only at my own discretion (that is, when I want to). IF (and that’s a big IF) I decide to reset a test, I may deduct a portion of the student’s score: usually 5% for the first request, 10% for the second, 20% for the third, and 50% thereafter (but it can be any amount I choose). I also reserve the right to drop a student from the class, honest or not, if the number of test resets becomes too large.
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