Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Delivery
- Asynchronous Online
Course Prerequisites
- Senior standing or permission from PACS adviser
Course Materials
Moghadam, V. M. (2013) Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East, 3rd edition. Lynn Rienner Publications.
Readings/videos posted in the modules.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
- Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: Apply innovative problem-solving to real world situations and existing issues within students' personal and professional lives.
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- Critically analyze verbal, written, and visual information.
- Engage in various types of creative problem-solving processes.
- Utilize innovative thinking strategies to facilitate effective decision making and problem solving.
- Effective Communication: Effectively use communication methods and strategies to share information and ideas from a management perspective through writing and other media.
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- Apply conflict resolution skills to resolving communication issues in the workplace.
- Utilize appropriate communication methods and strategies depending on the audience and situation.
- Utilize both scholarly and informal communication methods to transfer information to stakeholders.
- Digital Literacy and Data Analysis: Apply digital literacy skills to evaluate the quality and reliability of sources.
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- Identify personal biases and flaws in reasoning with a goal of mitigating these biases and flaws.
- Evaluate sources and data for quality, reliability, and bias.
- Utilize data visualization to communicate information.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Evaluate the gendered nature of democracy. | PLO-1 (A & B) |
| B | Compare and contrast the social, political, and economic status of women living in different countries in the MENA region. | PLO-1 A |
| C | Critically evaluate the effects of global policies on the local lives of women in the MENA region. | PLO-1 (A & B), PLO-2 (A,B, & C) |
| D | Critically analyze the educational status of women and the opportunity for gainful employment and social involvement. | PLO-1 (A, B & C), PLO-2 (A, B & C). PLO-3 (A, B & C) |
| E | Critically evaluate the challenges of feminism and women's mobility under Islamic law. | PLO-1 (A, B & C) |
Grades Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | Assess comprehension and analytical skills. (Units 1-8) | 400 |
| Final Essay (CST) | Evaluated on reference quality, content clarity, writing skill, and problem-solving effectiveness. (Units 1-3, 5 and 7) | 150 |
| Discussion | Engage in a discussion on the Unit topic, assessed on critical thinking and use of assigned materials. (Units 1, 2, 4-7) | 170 |
| Mini Presentation (Discussion) | Evaluated on content quality, essential ideas and analysis, and clarity and professionalism in presentation. (Unit 3) | 50 |
| Mini Poster Presentation (Discussion) |
A poster presentation that provides a visual summary of an assigned research or project with a brief oral or written summary. (Unit 8) |
75 |
| Total | 845 |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Quizzes
This assignment is designed to assess your comprehension and analytical skills through a multiple-choice and true/false reading quiz based on the assigned readings. The quiz will consist of 30 questions (20 multiple-choice and 10 true/false questions). You have two attempts for each quiz. The higher grade will be recorded.
Discussion
The discussion allows students to engage with each other on the topic of the Unit. Students' evaluations include the following:
- the quality of critical thinking demonstrated, in both initial posts and replies to peers,
- direct reference (including citations) to assigned readings and videos, and
- the number of postings each week.
Mini Presentations (Discussion)
This is a brief 4-5-minute presentation. The evaluation of the presentation is based upon the quality of the presentation, i.e., whether the student captures and conveys the essential and relevant ideas from the article, and gives proper analysis. Additionally, the effectiveness of the delivery will be assessed, including clarity of speech, professionalism, and delivery of the material.
Final Mini Poster Presentations (Discussion)
In a poster presentation assignment, students are tasked with creating a visual display that summarizes their research or project findings on a specific topic. The poster should effectively communicate key information, including the main argument, supporting data, and relevant visuals such as graphs or images. An oral or written summary should accompany this poster. This assignment encourages the development of both visual communication skills.
Final Essay (CST)
Students will write a 2500-3000-word essay. The evaluation of this project is based upon the quality of references used, cogency of the content, writing competency, and the effectiveness of the student’s evaluation of issues and problems and their resolution.
Course Policies
Late Policy
It is your responsibility to maintain personal communication with your instructors regarding late work. If you are going to be delayed in submitting assignments due to work, religious observances, or scheduled medical procedures, you should make all efforts to contact your faculty members in advance to let them know about your situation and make arrangements to work ahead whenever possible. Keep in mind that in most cases it is at the discretion of the instructor whether to grant an extension or apply late penalties to an assignment received after the posted deadline. Late work will be graded as soon as possible, but preference will be given to grading on-time submissions in the current week of the course.
Faculty members are not obligated to initiate contact with you before giving assignments or final grades. If you have several outstanding/late assignments, your grade may be seriously impacted. Students are expected to abide by the guidelines in the OU Student Handbook. Failure to abide by these guidelines can lead to sanctions as outlined in the OU Student Rights and Responsibilities Code.
Additional Support for Learning
The College of Professional and Continuing Studies provides links to writing resources. If you have questions about assignment requirements or would like to request feedback on a rough draft, you are encouraged to communicate with your course instructors while giving them enough lead time to respond before assignments are due.
The OU Writing Center is a wonderful resource available to all students and is funded in part by your student course fees. The Writing Center is equipped to help students both online and in-person.
OU Libraries resources are available to all PACS students, including the ability to live chat, e-mail, and/or call a reference librarian with questions you may have about finding and evaluating sources for research papers. Students also have access to PACS Library Guides.
Technical Support
Offered through Canvas Student Support and OU IT.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies Teaching Philosophy
We in the College of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) believe that higher education is a crucial ingredient in becoming a successful, personally fulfilled human being and an actively engaged citizen of the state, nation, and world. Further, we operate with the foundational assumption that a University of Oklahoma education should be available to all qualified students regardless of their age, geographic location, or life circumstances.
Acting on these assumptions, PACS strives to create significant and meaningful learning experiences through online and accelerated course delivery methods. All PACS courses incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives and provide students with a well-rounded, life-enriching liberal education combined with specialized study in selected program areas, thus preparing them for ever higher levels of learning. PACS faculty members provide instruction, encouragement, timely response, and constructive feedback to broaden and deepen the student's understanding of course materials.
We understand that adult learners prefer and have the best achievement within a collaborative and interactive learning environment while functioning on their own personal schedules. We also believe that all students are capable of learning, and we aspire to enable students' self-agency in attaining their personal learning goals.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies Expectations and Policies
You can expect instructors to:
- Challenge you to think about and understand the material in this course.
- Encourage you to learn the material in the course and become a lifelong learner.
- Be available to return e-mails in a timely fashion, within 48 hours.
- Engage you in discussions.
- Provide feedback.
As the student, you are expected to:
- Accept responsibility for your learning.
- Have all textbooks and course materials before the class starts.
- Be engaged in the course by logging in to the course early each week, checking online discussions for replies and questions related to your postings, reading course announcements, knowing when assignments are due, and turning in all assignments on time.
Many PACS courses are offered in compressed formats, so the time devoted to each class per week should be adjusted accordingly. Set aside enough time to read and understand assigned course materials early in the week, actively participate in class discussions, and successfully complete assessments such as quizzes, projects, written assignments, and research papers.
Read and apply feedback from your instructor. Reach out to ask your instructor any questions you have about the feedback.
Use only your OU email address for all OU correspondence and assignments.
Ask your advisor if you have questions about your degree program or other questions not related to a specific course.
Have a reliable computer and a reliable Internet connection. Do some pre-planning and have a backup plan ready in the event you should have computer or Internet problems.
Submit all assignments and communications related to your coursework in the Canvas online class; do not email assignments to the professor.
Practice your writing skills. Use tools to edit and proofread your papers prior to submission for grading.
Assignment Completion Policies
The College of Professional and Continuing Studies expects students to complete all assignments to earn a final grade in a given course.
Syllabus Updates
This syllabus is subject to change. The instructor will post any substantive changes to the syllabus in an announcement in Canvas.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|