We are pleased that you selected this independent study course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Center’s large and diverse student body—a student body that comes from all parts of the United States and many parts of the world.
Although the freedom to choose when and where to study is a privilege, it is also a responsibility that requires motivation and self-discipline. To succeed at independent study, you will need to develop a study plan by setting realistic goals and working toward them. The following paragraphs highlight important course completion information.
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to approaches that sociologists use to better understand society. We will seek answers for the following questions: Why do we act as we do? How do our social structures and cultures shape our behavior? Likewise, how can we shape those social structures? Underlying these questions is the assumption that with this information, not only can we better understand the realities of social living, but we can also be active agents of social change.
While the course is defined as rural sociology, it will be argued throughout that rural issues cannot be separated from general concerns facing all societies. What was once described as rural or urban fifty years ago no longer fits the world today. Improved communication and transportation, changing national and international priorities, and evolving political and economic needs have dramatically changed the world we live in. As we will discover throughout the readings, rural communities face many of the same problems their urban counterparts face. In fact, given the increasing interdependence between urban and rural communities, it is difficult to understand the problems of one without exploring the realities of the other. Thus, discussion of rural society will be placed within the broader context of sociology.
To understand changes taking place in rural and urban society, we need to examine the larger social context in which we live and in which these changes have taken place. This larger social context will take us into an exploration of the city, the state, the nation and the globe. By acquiring what is described as a sociological imagination, we will begin to see how personal problems are often rooted in larger social problems and institutionalized agendas.
Throughout the course, you will be asked to consider alternative ways of viewing social reality. You will be asked to challenge some of your assumptions, and you will need to take a more critical stance toward how social institutions and relationships are organized. While you will be required to learn the key concepts discussed in the texts and readings, your primary goal should be to apply these concepts to your life experiences and to general society.
Worlds Apart: Why Poverty Persists in Rural America. Cynthia M. Duncan. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
Supplemental readings via the World Wide Web, as assigned.
This course is comprised of ten lessons. Each lesson contains the following sections:
The Introduction consists of
The Commentary consists of the author’s discussion of the important topics covered by the lesson and may offer some additional information concerning the topics covered in the reading assignment.
The Study Questions help you review what you have learned. Study questions will not be graded; do not send your answers to the Center for scoring. However, they will help you prepare for the exams. Answers to study questions are linked from the study question pages.
Please note that WWW browser performance will be enhanced if your system exceeds these recommendations.
An active e-mail account is also required for instructor-evaluated courses. Some courses may require software for playing or recording audio or video, reading documents in PDF, etc.
It is suggested that you have virus protection software on your system. Norton AntiVirus or Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit are recommended for PC users and Disinfectant is recommended for Mac users. Virus protection software will help to protect your system (and ours) against computer viruses. MU students can download virus protection software at https://ea-front.missouri.edu.
College/University Students: Check with your on-campus computing services office about access to the Internet/WWW. Many colleges and universities offer students e-mail accounts and software as well as Web access. (MU students should check with the Division of Information Technology.)
Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn in the course. The total points available are listed below:
Progress Evaluations: |
200 |
Points |
Midterm Examination: |
200 |
Points |
Final Examination: |
200 |
Points |
| Total: | 600 |
Points |
In order to pass the course, you must earn a minimum of 240 cumulative points (60 percent) on the two exams combined. The following grading scale applies only to students who meet this standard.
| Points | Percentage | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 588–600 | 98–100 | A+ |
| 558–587 | 93–97 | A |
| 540–557 | 90–92 | A– |
| 522–539 | 87–89 | B+ |
| 498–521 | 83–86 | B |
| 480–497 | 80–82 | B– |
| 462–479 | 77–79 | C+ |
| 438–461 | 73–76 | C |
| 420–437 | 70–72 | C– |
| 402–419 | 67–69 | D+ |
| 378–401 | 63–66 | D |
| 360–377 | 60–62 | D– |
| 0–359 | 0–59 | F |
Academic integrity. You are expected to follow CDIS guidelines for academic integrity and freedom. Please review your academic rights and responsibilities.
After completing the course, you will receive a grade report that gives your final exam score and your letter grade for the course. The Center will not mail your grade report until all outstanding balances have been paid.
Use the number of lessons, progress evaluations, and exams to create a schedule that will help you stay on track. You will have nine months to complete this course. As you complete the course, check your schedule often to make sure you’re on track to accomplish your goal.
The following forms are PDF files and require Adobe
Acrobat Reader.
Note: Adobe Acrobat 6 is the latest version of Acrobat Reader. If you receive an error message from the link listed below, you may need to upgrade to a newer version of Acrobat Reader.
University Independent Study Planning Sheet (Acrobat 5.0)
Starting with the first lesson, study the lesson’s purpose, objectives, and commentary. Then complete the reading assignment and any recommended study activities. Take notes and make sure you understand all the material presented in the readings. Follow this procedure for each lesson. Complete progress evaluations and exams in the order they are presented in this course.