Summer 22 Inclusive Syllabus Portfolio | Danielle Duckett
SOC156: Juvenile Delinquency
Course Description
Examines social determinants of juvenile delinquency, including family, urban conditions, social-psychological and sociological factors. Analyzes the juvenile justice system, including law enforcement, the courts and community treatment programs. (Fulfills Area D)
This is an upper-division lecture course that draws a fairly diverse group of majors together each semester. I am currently teaching it as an asynchronous online course, but I have taught it in person as well. The class size is typically 80 students.
Before:
Coming into the first part of the Inclusive Syllabus FLC, I thought of syllabi as contracts between professors and students. That thinking showed in the formality and tone of the documents that I provided my students.
Motivation for Redesign of your Syllabi and Evidence of Accessibility or Language Choice Changes
I wanted to make my syllabus more student-centric and friendly. My conceptualization of a syllabus as a contract could be seen throughout my original syllabus. For example, here is a comparison of how I presented the information about myself as an instructor.
| Original Instructor Information | Updated Instructor Information |
| The bare minimum of information was provided | This version offers links where students can learn more about me as a person as well as a phone number that they can call or text (since I am teaching asynchronously and am off campus, this is a Google phone number), I also expanded the information that I provide about my availability to meet with students |
Techniques Incorporated Into Redesign
I had several foci for this FLC: First, I worked to ensure that my students have access to and are comfortable using the technologies that we use in the course. I also included several pages of health and wellness resources on campus and within the Sacramento area within my Start Here module. Asking for help can be intimidating, and students are often unaware of the myriad resources that are available to them. Providing and publicizing a centralized list of those resources can remove at least one barrier to help-seeking. Second, I also pushed myself to remove the formal and contractual language from my syllabus to create a more welcoming and friendly document, a simple way of doing this was to change words like "students" to "you." Third, I ensured that my syllabus was fully accessible for students who use screen readers by using provided templates, adding headers using "styles," and removing unnecessary formatting spaces, hyphens, and colons.
Assessment of Syllabus Redesign
My syllabus is still a work in progress. I recognize that I have well-ingrained biases regarding what a syllabus "should" look like based on my own college and graduate school experiences. My syllabus fulfills the requirements set by my department, college, and campus. I believe that my syllabus is becoming a better reflection of my own teaching goals and the goal of social justice and equity set forth by the department of sociology.
Reflection: Challenges and Lessons Learned
I'm still struggling with finding a balance with which I’m comfortable. Just as an example, language like “I welcome you to contact me outside of class and student hours” makes me uncomfortable. Strong boundaries and the protection of my personal time have been essential for staving off burnout.
Faculty Biography
| Dr. Danielle Duckett is an East Tennessee native transplanted in Sacramento. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in psychology at Maryville College, a teaching certificate in Gender and Women's Studies, her Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky in sociology with an emphasis on gender, identity, and Appalachian Studies. She now teaches sociology at Sac State and tries to bring a little bit of Appalachia to each class that she teaches. |
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