GEOL-1403-85 - Physical Geology
Lamar State College - Port Arthur
House Bill 2504
Fall 2015 Course Syllabus
Faculty Information | |||||||||||||
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Semester | Fall 2015 | ||||||||||||
Instructor | Taylor, Ronald Shearer | ||||||||||||
Phone | (409) 984-6575 | ||||||||||||
taylorrs@lamarpa.edu | |||||||||||||
Department |
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Office |
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MyLamarPA | Be sure to check your campus E-mail and Course Homepage using MyLamarPA campus web portal (My.LamarPA.edu). When you’ve logged in, click the email icon in the upper right-hand corner to check email, or click on the “My Courses” tab to get to your Course Homepage. Click the link to your course and review the information presented. It is important that you check your email and Course Homepage regularly. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is by using MyLamarPA. | ||||||||||||
Course Information | |||||||||||||
Course Number | 91384 | ||||||||||||
Course Description | Introduction to the study of the materials and processes that have modified and shaped the surface and interior of Earth over time. These processes are described by theories based on experimental data and geologic data gathered from field observations. Laboratory activities will cover methods used to collect and analyze earth science data. | ||||||||||||
Course Prerequisites | None | ||||||||||||
Required Textbooks | The ChangingEarth: Exploring Geology & Evolution, 6th or 7th Ed., by Monroe & Wicander, Cengage Learning Pub., 2012 or 2014. | ||||||||||||
Attendance Policy | Habitual absenteeism leads to lower grades. Missed labs cannot be made-up. Missed quizzes that require viewing a video cannot be made-up. Please develop a partnership with a classmate whereby you can borrow for copying purposes the handouts from the missed class. Your reason for missing a class are considered personal and do not require a written excuse. | ||||||||||||
Course Grading Scale | 90 - 100 = A 80 - 89 = B 70 - 79 = C 60 - 69 = D Below 59 = F | ||||||||||||
Determination of Final Grade | Three Exams - 45%, lab -15 %, Quizzes & projects -15%, Final Exam - 25%. All exams require closed book memorizations and opened book multiple-choice questions. Exams are hand graded & returned to the student for later review purposes. The natural cut-off point for course grades is sometimes lower than 90%. Such cases necessitate further grade adjustments downward by 10%, beginning with the adjusted "A" to "B" cut-off point. | ||||||||||||
Final Exam Date | December 3, 2015 - 6:00 PM | ||||||||||||
Major Assignments |
Week 1--Introduction & Plate Tectonics Week 2--Plate Tectonics & Minerals Week 3--Minerals & Kinds of Rock Week 4--Igneous Rocks & Activity; Exam I Week 5--Rock Cycle & Sedimentary rocks Week 6--Metamorphic Rocks & Topographic Mapping Week 7--Geologic History & Geologic Mapping Week 8--Rock Deformation & Earthquakes Week 9--Modeling of Geologic Structures & Mountain Building Week 10--Mass wasting & Streams Week 11--Exam III & Groundwater Week 12--Karst Topography & Glaciers Week 13--Climate, Glaciers, & Deserts Week 14--Oceans & Seafloor Week 15--Review of Erosional Agents & Plate Tectonics, Final Exam |
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Calendar of Lecture Topics and Major Assignment Due Dates |
Weeks 1-4--Earth Matter in detail Weeks 5-7--Earth Cycles, Principles, & Time Weeks 8-10--Earth Structures & Construction Week 11-14--Erosional Agents & Seafloor Nov. 27--Deadline Date for submitting completed Video Quizzes & Lab Assignments |
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General Education/Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes |
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Program Student Learning Outcomes |
PSLO 1--Uses critical thinking skills. Demonstrates comprehension of content-area reading material. CSLO 1--Develops an ability to analyze, evaluate & synthesize processes involved in geologic cycles & their effect on material distribution. Attains a solid foundational understanding of plate-tectonic theory and terminology. Tested by embedded completion, matching, and multiple-choice questions on exams. PSLO 2--Demonstrates communication skills. CSLO 2--Demonstrates an ability to effectively describe the intricate workings of a geologic cycle as a teaching project. Serves as an optional assignment and as a substitute for lab work and attendance deficiencies. PSLO 3--Demonstrates empirical & quantitative skills CSLO 3--Acquired skills include data-managment and problem solving through lab assignments that evaluate dynamic processes and their interactions. PSLO 4--Teamwork skills. CSLO--Demonstrates ability to work together cooperatively in small groupts on projects linking geologic events to climate changes and, in turn, to biologic history. |
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Course Student Learning Outcomes |
Upon successful completion of the lectures, students will: 1. Describe how the scientific method has led to our current understanding of Earth's structure and processes. 2. Interpret the origin & distribution of minerals, rocks and geologic processes. 3. Describe the theory of plate tectonics and its relationship to the formation & distribution of Earth's crustal features. 4. Quantify the rates of physical and chemical processes acting on Earth and how these processes fit into the context of geologic time. 5. Communicate how surface processes are driven by interactions among Earth's systems (i.e.,the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere). 6. Identify and describe the internal structure and dynamics of Earth. 7. Describe the interaction of humans withEarth (e.g., resource development or hazard assessment). Upon successful completion of the laboratory assignments, students will: 1. Classify rocks & minerals based on chemical composition, physical properties, & origin. 2. Apply knowledge of topographic maps to quantify geometric aspects of topography. 3. Identify landforms on maps, diagrams and explain the processes that created them. 4. Differentiate the types of plate boundaries & their associated features on maps and profiles and explain the processes that occur at each type of boundary. 5. Identify basic structural features on maps, block diagrams & cross-sections and infer how they were created. 6. Demonstrate the collection, analysis, and reporting of data. IN SUMMARY, THESE CSLO'S ARE INTEGRATED WITH THE PSLO'S (see above) AND ARE MEASURED BY SHORT-ANSWER TESTS & MEMORIZATION QUIZZES THAT ASSESS THE STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF THE EARTH SYSTEMS. |
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Academic Honesty | Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSC-PA policies (Section IX, subsection A, in the Faculty Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty. | ||||||||||||
Facility Policies |
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Additional Information | There will be no make-up of missed lecture exams. The final exam grade will be substituted for one missed lecture exam. If a second lecture exam is missed, the student receives a grade of zero on it. Missed quizzes & lab work requiring use of lab equipment generally cannot be made up. | ||||||||||||
Important Information | |||||||||||||
ADA Considerations | The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241. | ||||||||||||
Copyright Violations |
Some material in this course may be copyrighted. They may be used only for instructional purposes this semester,
by students enrolled in this course. These materials are being used fairly and legally.
No one may distribute or share these copyrighted materials in any medium or format with anyone outside this class,
including publishing essays with copyrighted material, uploading copyrighted material to Facebook or YouTube, or
painting or performing copyrighted material for public display.
Copyright violation is not the same thing as plagiarism. Plagiarism is intellectual dishonesty. Offenses of plagiarism result in lower grades or failing scores, and professors and the college strictly enforce plagiarism rules. There is never any acceptable use of plagiarism. Copyright violation is a legal offense, punishable by large fines and penalties. Copyrighted material can be used if permission from the material’s creator is obtained, or if its use meets the standards of fair use in an educational setting. For example, a student can quote a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a report without violating copyright but still be guilty of plagiarism if the quotation is not properly documented. If you are in doubt about what material can be freely used, ask your professor or contact the Dean of Library Services, at (409) 984-6216. |
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Assessment Statement |
Assessment is a process by which LSCPA can help you learn better and gauge the level of progress you have made to
attain knowledge, skills, beliefs, and values. It also helps your professors understand how to improve teaching
and testing methods in your classes, and it helps each department understand and improve degree and certificate
programs.
Periodically LSC-PA will collect assessment data for research and reporting purposes, including statistical data and sometimes copies of your work. Be assured that all material the college uses for assessment purposes will be kept confidential. To ensure anonymity, your name will be removed from any material we use for assessment purposes, including video-recorded performances, speeches, and projects. If you object to allowing LSC-PA to use your material for assessment purposes, submit a letter stating so to your professor by the 12th class day. You will still be required to participate in whatever assessments are being done; we just won’t use your data. What’s the difference between assessment and grades? The grades you get on papers, projects, speeches, and assignments are specific types of focused assessment. LSC-PA’s assessment efforts include class grades, surveys, standardized tests, and other tools. |
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Privacy Notice |
Federal privacy laws apply to college students. This means that college employees, including instructors, cannot
divulge information to third parties, including parents and legal guardians of students. Even if the students are
minors, information about their college work cannot be shared with anyone except in very limited circumstances.
Anyone requesting information about a student should be referred to the Registrar. Instructors will be notified in writing by that Office about what information may be released and to whom. Please remember that releasing private information about a student, however innocuous it may seem, can be a violation of federal law, with very serious consequences. Circumstances under which information may be released:
An adult student may submit, to the Registrar, a handwritten, signed note granting permission for release of
information. The note must specify what information may be divulged, and it must specify the name of the person
to whom the information may be given.
The Registrar’s office is located in the Student Center room 303B, and can be reached at (409) 984-6165. |
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College-Level Perspectives |
This course helps add to the students’ overall collegiate experience in the following ways:
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Degree Plan Evaluation |
A Degree Plan Evaluation will help you determine which classes you need to complete your program.
All of the classes that you have taken that apply to your declared major will be listed on the right. If you have a class that still needs to be completed, a “NO” will be listed on the right next to the required class. |
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HB 2504 | This syllabus is part of LSC-PA’s efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504. | ||||||||||||
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