Course Syllabus

SOC/315
Cultural Diversity

Course Start Date: 02/15/2011

Course End Date: 03/21/2011

Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference.

Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is
considered the ruling document.

Copyright

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Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix© editorial standards and practices.

Facilitator Information

Shelley Howell
sahowell1@email.phoenix.edu (University of Phoenix)
shelleyannhowell@gmail.com (Personal)
405-613-1670 (CST)

Facilitator Availability

The best way to reach me is through a message in your individual forum. I check these posts daily.

Also, I am available from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Central Time on most days, but I attempt to reserve Sunday for
my family. On Saturdays, I tend to be online in the morning only. If these times are not convenient for you,
please let me know. I will be happy to accommodate your schedule, if possible. I provide you with these
times to make it easier to communicate with me, and not to limit our contact.

Should you need to contact me outside these time frames, you should not hesitate to do so.

For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to messages on the Online Learning System
(OLS), please send a message to my personal email address. In the event a third party needs to contact
me, please direct them to my contact information listed under "facilitator information." No third party
should use your login credentials to gain access to the classroom.

Where to Go to Class
Main: This is the main forum for the class and is where discussion is conducted. It has read-and-write
access for everyone.

Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is designed as a place to discuss issues not related
to the course content. This is the forum to which we will send our bios.

Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send
any. This is where I will post the course syllabus and materials.

Learning-Team-A, B, C, D, E and F: These six Learning Team forums will be used as workrooms for
the learning teams. You will be assigned to one of these learning teams.

Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by
you and me, the facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum. You can ask questions
here. However, if you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the
Main forum, since other students may benefit by that exchange as well.

Where to Submit Your Assignments

Assignment Section: This is where you will submit all formal assignments. Navigate to the
Assignments link on eCampus. Locate the link to submit your assignment as an attachment.

Policies
For class policies, please see the "Policies" link on the left side of the Materials page for the course on
eCampus. Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all
policies contained within that link. University policies are subject to change so please be sure to read
them at the beginning of each class as it may have changed since your last class. Policies may be slightly
different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities it
is important you read the policies governing your current class modality.

Late Assignments

Late assignments receive a 10% deduction for each day they are late if assignments are not posted by
11:59 p.m. M.S.T. on the day they are due. Assignments more than 4 days late will not be accepted.
Technological issues are not considered valid grounds for late assignment submission. In the event of a
University of Phoenix server outage, students should submit assignments to the instructor and when
systems are restored, submit those assignments according to syllabus instructions. Unless an Incomplete
grade has been granted, learner assignments submitted after the last day of class will not be accepted.

Learning Teams
University of Phoenix students are expected to work effectively in diverse groups and teams to achieve
tasks. They must collaborate and function well in team settings as both leaders and followers. They
should respect human diversity and behave in a tolerant manner toward colleagues and peers. If you
experience difficulties working with your team, you are expected to resolve them within the team if
possible. However, please feel free to contact me for guidance if you have concerns in this area. Because
Learning Team projects are outcome-based, all members of your Learning Team will generally earn the
same grade for Learning Team projects. However, I reserve the right to report different grades for
different Learning Team members if I see a substantial imbalance in individual contribution. Learning
Teams should provide a brief summary of any communication held outside the forum. Therefore, if you
hold conference calls, work in a real-time chat room, or get together outside the OLS (Online Learning
System) environment in another way, please post a log, transcript, or summary in the Learning Team
forum. Further, do not use any of these supplementary communication tools unless everyone on your
Learning Team agrees to the method and to the schedule. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Several of the assignments in this class will be completed in Learning Teams of three to five students. I
will set up these teams by the end of Week 1. If you have any requests for teammates, please let me
know by Thursday of the first week via your Individual Forum. Learning Team Charters and Peer
Evaluation forms are required. Please see the instructions in the weekly sections for more information.

It is expected that you will actively participate with your learning team and contribute to the team
discussions by a) contributing original work that is accepted and used by the team with proof of originality
b) participating in the project from assignment organizing through meaningful final review of the team
project for submission, and c) ensuring to your team that your contributions are your original work and
properly quoted, cited, and referenced.

Technical Support
Technical Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 1-877-832-4867, or use the e-mail
support form.
Answers to the most common issues are found in the Knowledge Base by clicking Help, found at the top
of every student Web site.

Feedback
Each week, I will provide grades or scores and comments on assignments within 6 days of when they
were submitted. After I send feedback each week, I will post a notification in the Main forum.
Grading Formula

Percentage % Grade

95+ A

90-94 A-

87-89 B+

84-86 B

80-83 B-

77-79 C+

74-76 C

70-73 C-

67-69 D+

64-66 D

60-63 D-

<59 F

Course Description

This course focuses on the issues, challenges, and opportunities presented by U.S. population diversity.
Workplace issues related to employee diversity in terms of gender, race or ethnicity, socioeconomic class,
and cultural background are emphasized.

Course Topics & Objectives

Week One: Workplace Diversity

• Recognize the dimensions of diversity.

• Differentiate the concept of inclusion from the concept of diversity.
• Describe diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Week Two: Prejudice, Stereotypes, Discrimination, and Privilege

• Explain how the concept of culture is used to construct group identity.

• Analyze the social concept of race.
• Describe how behavioral and thinking patterns apply to diversity issues.

Week Three: Immigration, Assimilation, Pluralism, and Multiculturalism

• Describe U.S. immigration policies within a historical framework.

• Summarize the benefits and consequences of immigrant labor for the U.S economy.
• Analyze strategies for inclusion in the workplace.
Week Four: Legal Framework of Diversity

• Outline the U.S. legal framework related to diversity in the workplace.

• Explain the relationship between social mobility and social change.
• Analyze management strategies to ensure compliance in the multicultural workplace.

Week Five: The Global Comparative Perspective

• Compare anti-immigration movements in different countries.

• Analyze the historical effect of discrimination on the global economy.

Course Materials

Harvey, C. P., & Allard, M. J. (2009). Understanding and managing diversity (4th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.

Schaefer, R. T. (2011). Racial and ethnic groups (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Point Values for Course Assignments

ASSIGNMENTS Points

Individual (70%)

Individual Assignment: Post Bio in Chat Room 0

Individual Assignment: Thinking About Diversity and

5
Inclusion (Week 1)

Individual Assignment: Multicultural Matrix and Analysis

15
(Week 2)

Individual Assignment: Media Reaction (Week 3) 15

Individual Assignment: EEOC Paper (Week 4) 15

Individual Participation (Weeks 1-4; 2 pts/week) 8

Individual Discussion Questions (Weeks 1-4; 2 pts/week) 8

Individual Assignment: Learning Team Peer Evaluation

4
(Weeks 3 and 5; 2 pts each)

Learning Team (30%)

Learning Team Assignment: Learning Team Charter 0

Learning Team Assignment: Equal Rights Proposition

10
Outline (Week 3)

Learning Team Assignment: Equal Rights Proposition

20
Presentation (Week 5)

Total 100
Week One
Workplace Diversity

• Recognize the dimensions of diversity.

• Differentiate the concept of inclusion from the concept of diversity.
• Describe diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

• Read Ch. 1 & 17 of Racial and Ethnic Groups.

• Read Introduction to Section I and Section I of Understanding and Managing Diversity.
• Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

2. Individual Assignment: Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion

• Apply critical-thinking skills to answer the following questions based on this week’s
readings. The response to each question must contain 150 to 300 words. Make sure you
reference the textbooks as required in proper APA format. The paper should be a total of at
least 750 words.

o What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions
by referencing both textbooks.
o With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of
your social circle have in common.
o What is the difference between diversity and inclusion?
o What is the importance of workplace diversity training?
o What is your experience with workplace culture? Could there be, or could there have
been, more inclusion?

• Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

3. Learning Team Assignment: Learning Team Charter

• Resource: Learning Team Toolkit

• Complete the Learning Team Charter

4. Post your Bio in Chat Room

5. Discussion Questions

• Respond to the discussion questions posted by the instructor in the Main forum. Each
discussion question response should be a minimum of 200 words. Responses to both
discussion questions are required.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation

All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 1 Deliverables

Assignment Individual or Due

Learning Team

At least 8 messages on 4
Participation Individual
days

Discussion Questions Individual Thursday and Saturday

Individual Assignment: Thinking About Diversity

Individual Monday
and Inclusion

Learning Team Charter Team Monday

Post Bio in Chat Room Individual Tuesday/Wednesday

Week Two
Prejudice, Stereotypes, Discrimination, and Privilege

• Explain how the concept of culture is used to construct group identity.

• Analyze the social concept of race.
• Describe how behavioral and thinking patterns apply to diversity issues.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

• Read Ch. 2, 3 & 5 of Racial and Ethnic Groups.

• Read the following articles in Section II of Understanding and Managing Diversity:

• Introduction to Section II
• Are African Americans Still Experiencing Racism?
• Inventing Hispanics
• To Be Asian in America

• Review Ch. 6–14 of Racial and Ethnic Groups.

• Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

2. Individual Assignment: Multicultural Matrix and Analysis Worksheet and Summary

 • Resources: Culturegrams database and Racial and Ethnic Groups

• Select and research six ethnic groups from Part III (Ch. 6–14) of Racial and Ethnic
Groups and in Culturegrams. Use the following instructions to access Culturegrams:

o From the University Library, click the Library Resources link.

o Click Country Profiles and Economic Data.
o Click Culturegrams.
o Navigate Culturegrams using the map or use the search option for specific terms.

• Complete the University of Phoenix Material: Multicultural Matrix and Analysis

Worksheet located on the student website.

• Include a 350- to 700-word analysis of the advantages of a multicultural society and labor
force using the Worksheet. Make sure you answer the following questions thoroughly in the
summary:

o How has U.S. society used each group’s culture to construct the group identity? How has
each group been stereotyped? How accurate are these stereotypes?

o How does the social concept of race relate to each group? What prejudice has each
group faced?

o How do the behavior and thinking patterns of U.S. culture apply to each group, especially
regarding class systems and employment?

• Post your Worksheet with the analysis to the Assignments tab. You can write your
summary within the Worksheet in the space provided. There is no need to submit two
separate documents.

• Format any references consistent with APA guidelines.

3. Learning Team Instructions: Equal Rights Proposition Outline

• Begin working on the Equal Rights Proposition Outline assignment due in Week Three.

4. Discussion Questions

• Respond to the discussion questions posted by the instructor in the Main forum. Each
discussion question response should be a minimum of 200 words. Responses to both
discussion questions are required.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will not count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 2 Deliverables

Assignment Individual or Learning Due

Team

At least 8 messages
Participation Individual
on 4 days

Thursday and
Discussion Questions Individual
Saturday

Individual Assignment: Multicultural Matrix and

Individual Monday
Analysis

Week Three
Immigration, Assimilation, Pluralism, and Multiculturalism

• Describe U.S. immigration policies within a historical framework.

• Summarize the benefits and consequences of immigrant labor for the U.S economy.
• Analyze strategies for inclusion in the workplace.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

• Read Ch. 4 in Racial and Ethnic Groups.

• Read the following articles in Section II of Understanding and Managing Diversity:

• A World View of Cultural Diversity

• Cultural Transmission Today

• Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

2. Individual Assignment: Media Reaction

• Resource: Completed Multicultural Matrix and Analysis Worksheet.

• Write a 1,050- to 1,400- word reaction to a media piece focusing on a current political
issue relating to immigration. Possible media pieces include an article, a video or audio clip, a
television show, a book, a documentary, or a movie.

• Research the issue of your media piece.

• Address the following:

o What is the historical framework of this issue?

 o What is the political context of this issue?

o What message does the media piece attempt to portray? Was the media coverage
biased or unbiased? Was the issue sensationalized or portrayed objectively?

o How might the media coverage affect the public’s perception of this issue? Does it
encourage or discourage prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping?

o How might this issue affect the U.S. economy and labor force?

o If you were a manager affected by this issue and its media coverage, what inclusion
strategies from this week’s reading might you implement to moderate the media’s effect
on your employees and to promote inclusion in the workplace?

• Include at least two academic references in your research.

• Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

3. Learning Team Assignment: Equal Rights Proposition Outline

• Select a current social issue related to the rights of ethnic or social groups.
• Research the subject and existing action plans designed to solve the issue.
• Develop a 1,050- to 1,500- word comprehensive outline of your proposition to promote
equal rights. Be sure to include the following:

o The issues, challenges, and opportunities experienced by this group in the labor force

o How society has constructed this group’s identity

o The legal framework relating to this issue

o Summary of existing or proposed solutions of differing groups. Consider the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission, corporate human resource departments, state or
federal laws and regulations, political strategies, government agencies, religious groups,
and grass roots organizations.

o Whether or not this issue exists in other countries, and if so, how it is handled by differing
groups

o Your team’s compromise or alternative to existing solutions

o A description the organization, order, and approach to your team’s presentation

o Your decision on the presentation format your group will to use for your Week Five Equal
Rights Proposition Presentation. Consider using Microsoft PowerPoint® or alternative
software, such as iPresent Presio®, Prezi®, and Glogster EDU.

• Outline your proposition in the format and software program of your choice.
• Include at least five academic references in your research.
• Format your outline consistent with APA guidelines.

4. Discussion Questions
 o Respond to the discussion questions posted by the instructor in the Main forum. Each
discussion question response should be a minimum of 200 words. Responses to both
discussion questions are required.

5. Complete the team peer evaluation and post to the Assignments tab.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will not count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation

All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 3 Deliverables

Assignment Individual or Due

Learning Team

At least 8 messages on
Participation Individual
4 days

Discussion Questions Individual Thursday and Saturday

Learning Team Peer Evaluation Individual Monday

Individual Assignment: Media Reaction Individual Monday

Learning Team Assignment: Equal Rights

Team Monday
Proposition Outline

Week Four
Legal Framework of Diversity

• Outline the U.S. legal framework related to diversity in the workplace.

• Explain the relationship between social mobility and social change.
• Analyze management strategies to ensure compliance in the multicultural workplace.

Course Assignments

1. Readings
 • Read the article “Social Class Diversity” in Section II of Understanding and Managing
Diversity.
• Read the Introduction to Section III and Section III of Understanding and Managing
Diversity
• Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

2. Individual Assignment: EEOC Paper

• Resource: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website

• Explore the EEOC website (http://www.eeoc.gov) to learn more about the organization.
• Click the About the EEOC link and select Newsroom. Select a press release about an
employee lawsuit published within the last 6 months.
• Search the Internet to find at least one news item about this lawsuit, preferably from a
news source in the state in which the incident occurred.
• Write a 1,050- to 1,200- word paper that includes the following:
o A description of the compliance issue that led to the lawsuit and its ramifications for the
organization.
o A brief summary of the functions of the EEOC in one paragraph.
o The EEOC’s role in this lawsuit.
o Whether or not this lawsuit promotes social change; justify your reasoning
o A comparison of the EEOC press release to the news item. What accounts for the
differences?
o Strategies you would implement, if you were a senior manager of this company, to
ensure future compliance and inclusion in the multicultural workplace.

• Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Two references are required (the
EEOC web site and one news source)

3. Learning Team Instructions

• Continue to work on the Equal Rights Proposition Presentation assignment due in Week
Five.

4. Discussion Questions

o Respond to the discussion questions posted by the instructor in the Main forum. Each
discussion question response should be a minimum of 200 words. Responses to both
discussion questions are required.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will not count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 4 Deliverables

Assignment Individual or Learning Due

Team

At least 8 messages on 4
Participation Individual
days

Discussion Questions Individual Thursday and Saturday

Individual Assignment: EEOC Paper Individual Monday

Week Five
The Global Comparative Perspective

• Compare anti-immigration movements in different countries.

• Analyze the historical effect of discrimination on the global economy.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

• Read Ch. 16 of Racial and Ethnic Groups.

• Read the following articles in Section II of Understanding and Managing Diversity:

o Negotiations--BWA Discovers the Indonesian Way

o Interpreting Intercultural Communication at a Business Meeting
o How Canada Promotes Workplace Diversity

• Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

2. Learning Team Assignment: Equal Rights Proposition Presentation

• Resource: Equal Rights Proposition Outline

• Create a comprehensive presentation of your equal rights proposition using the
presentation software approved in Week Three.
• Include the following:
o The issues, challenges, and opportunities experienced by this group in the labor force

o How society has constructed this group’s identity

o The legal framework relating to this issue

o A summary of existing or proposed solutions of differing groups. Consider the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission, corporate human resource departments, state or
 federal laws and regulations, political strategies, government agencies, religious groups,
and grass roots organizations

o Whether or not this issue exists in other countries and if so, how it is handled by differing
groups.

o Your team’s compromise or alternative to existing solutions

• Present your proposal in the software approved in Week Three.

o For Local Campus students, these are 10- to 15-minute oral presentations.
o For Online and Directed Study students, these are presentations with notes.

• Include at least five academic references in your research.

• Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

3. Discussion Questions – No discussion question responses are required in week 5.

4. Complete the team peer evaluation.
5. Complete your student end-of-course survey on your student web site.

Weekly Reminders

Final Week Requirements

Discussion question responses and participation will not be required during the final week of the course.
The final week will be dedicated to completing the final assignments listed below. No participation is
required during week 5.

Summary of Week 5 Deliverables

Assignment Individual or Due

Learning Team

Learning Team Peer Evaluation Individual Monday

Learning Team Assignment: Equal Rights Proposition

Team Monday
Presentation