SOCI 363: Sociology of Human Stress
Course Modality
This is a fully online class that meets asynchronously. Students are provided with recorded lectures from the instructor, podcasts, a variety of documentaries, lectures, and videos from outside sources, extensive and up-to-date reading resources that are linked directly and without cost throughout each module, and assignments are developed to encourage the user to explore how stress has impacted their own lives.
Example of assigned video:
Course Description
This course examines the ways that social life contributes to human stress, and how stress impacts health and well-being. Students explore the ways that families, relationships, school, jobs, and social inequalities influence the effects of stress on our lives. Various coping and adaptation strategies are discussed. Finally, this course examines the biological processes of the stress response, and the health consequences related to chronic stress.
This course is an elective in the Sociology Bachelor of Arts and an Upper Division GE Pathway course.
Course Design
Elements of design for this course revolve around consistency, predictability, and univeral access for all users. The course is organized in Weekly Modules, where students can access all material (readings, quizzes, assignments, activities, podcasts, videos, etc.).
Example of assigned video:
Student Engagement
The primary goal for this course is to allow students to assess their own wellbeing from a holistic approach, and apply concepts and theories of Sociology to their own experiences. Throughout the course, students are asked to participate in digital self-assessments that explore emotional, psychological, physical, social, and sociological well-being.
Students engage with each other through Weekly Discussion Board activities designed to further explore the topics of the week.
Sample Journal Assignment: Week 9 Loneliness
Sample Discussion Board Assignment: Week 1 One Nation Under Stress
Assessment of Student Learning
Students are asked to explore stress at the individual and on a global scale by analyzing how people of different economic, social, and national backgrounds are exposed to and experience stress. Students are assessed using both quantitative quizzes and qualitative journals, discussion boards, and self-reflections on a weekly basis.
Culminating Storytelling Multimedia Project
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to help you identify and apply concepts from class to your own life.
Criteria
We are all storytellers. Storytelling is the way we transfer ideas, information, happiness, pain, grief, love. In essence, storytelling allows us to transmit our lived experiences to others. Some storytellers use theater, others use images, some poetry, some music. We are all storytellers in some way.
For this project, you will tell a story about stress or wellness or coping, or maybe a story of recovery after loss or chaos in planning a wedding, or waiting for the birth of a child through a digital multimedia format. I encourage you to think broadly about what type of stressful event you choose for this project. And remember, a stressful event can be a positive stress (having a baby, getting married, moving to a new home, going away to college) or a negative stress.
In your project, you will choose an episode or period of time of unique stress, and create a Digital Story using Adobe Creative Cloud products (this is a free suite of digital products; there are links in the weekly folder on how to use Adobe Creative Cloud).
This project must be an original creation of your own but you may use photos or video snippets (not the entire video) from other sources to augment your work. The outside-sourced material must not be the main part of your project. Please cite where you obtained any information from.
1) Identify the episode or period of time
2) Explain why this episode was a stressor to you.
3) Explain how the stressor impacted you physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, etc.
4) Explain how you dealt with or coped with the stressor. Was this a positive way to deal with the stress, or a negative coping mechanism?
5) What did you learn about yourself with this stressful event?
6) Why did this event leave a lasting impression on you?
Click here for full assignment guidelines and resources
Examples of Student Culminating Digital Projects