Fall 2022 Course Syllabus
Course: GEOL-1104 (Section: 71, CRN: 92228)
Historical Geology 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Karen Stelly
Email stellyks@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6341
Office Educational I - Room: 133
Office Hours Phone 409-554-3493 Calling and texting hours 10am-5pm; text only 8pm-10pm Monday-Sunday
This is a porta phone and will be turned off outside of calling/texting hours.

As I live 2 hours away from Campus, I do not have an office on campus. 
Additional Contact Information none
Course Information
Description This laboratory-based course accompanies GEOL 1304, Historical Geology. Laboratory activities will introduce methods used by scientists to interpret the history of life and major events in the physical development of Earth from rocks and fossils.
Required Textbooks Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

REQUIRED
Historical Geology Lab 1104
Interpreting Earth History
Ritter and Petersen
Waveland Press
978-1-4786-1145-5
 
Electronic version is NOT recommended! You have a lot of pages to flip back and forth for lab, so a paper copy will be best. 
Additional Materials/Resources
Technology Requirements
  • You should have a computer with Windows 8 or more recent.
  • You should have MS Office, specifically Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, or use Microsoft 365 available to you through Lamar State College Port Arthur. When you log into your email, look on the left side of the screen for links to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
  • You should have a printer with scanner OR phone with camera for the purpose of making a digital image of some lab work
**I cannot open a .pages file, google docs, or any other cloud type documents, and neither can Blackboard. If you do not have Word on your computer, please use the links through your email screen.
 
Corequisites/Prerequisites
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you will learn to:
Lab:
1.   Classify and interpret depositional environments using sedimentary rocks and fossils.
2.   Taxonomically classify samples of geologically important fossil groups and use them to interpret the age of rocks on the Geologic Time Scale.
3.   Apply relative and numerical age-dating techniques to construct geologic histories including the correlation of stratigraphic sections.
4.   Reconstruct past continental configurations.
5.   Integrate multiple types of data to interpret Earth history.

Core Objectives
* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication.
* Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
* Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts.
* Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view.

Lecture Topics Outline Lab 1 Chapters 3, 4 Sedimentary rocks and Depositional Environments

Lab 2 Chapters 1, 2 Relative Dating and Radiometric Dating

Lab 3 Chapters 8, 9 Fossils, and Evidence of Evolution

Teamwork Assignment Combination of Labs 1, 2, and 3.

Lab 4 Chapters 5, 6 Stratigraphy and Physical Correlation

Lab 5 Chapters 7, 12 Facies and Sea Level Change, and Index Fossils

Lab 6 Chapters 11, 13, 14 Plate Tectonics, Geologic Maps, and Canadian Shield
Major Assignments Schedule Lab 1 Sedimentary rocks and Depositional Environments Due September 4 
Quiz 1 due September 18

Lab 2 Relative Dating and Radiometric Dating Due September 18
Quiz 2 due October 2

Lab 3 Fossils, and Evidence of Evolution Due October 9
Quiz 3 due October 16

Teamwork Assignment Due October 16

Lab 4 Stratigraphy and Physical Correlation Due October 16
Quiz 4 due Oct 30

Lab 5 Facies and Sea Level Change, and Index Fossils Facies and Sea Level Change, and Index Fossils Due Oct 30
Quiz 5 due November 13

Lab 6 Plate Tectonics, Geologic Maps, and Canadian Shield Due November 13
Quiz 6 due November 20
 
Final Exam Date December 4, 2022 - 12:10 AM   Through  December 4, 2022 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale

The grading scale for Lab is as follows:

700-630 points – A

629-560 points – B

559-490 points – C

489-420 points – D

419 and lower – F
Determination of
Final Grade

Lab work is worth 43%

Quiz work is 43%

Teamwork assignment 14%

6 labs (50 points each)
6 quizzes (50 points each)
Team assignment. 100 points

 
Course Policies
Instructor Policies
 
Rules for lab work
  1. Download attachment with each lab assignment. Type your answers directly in it. After you are finished, save to your computer as a .doc or .docx, file type for posting. Handwritten work, scanned worksheets, and pdf's will NOT be graded. In Word, I can verify origin.
  2. Do not change font style or color.
  3. Put your name on the lab; no name will lose 2 points.
  4. Where the instructions say answers must be unique, they must be in your own way of explaining things. To help guide you, here is a link to assist you with how to paraphrase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1t0G7ZnRG8  
  5. If you do not understand it well enough to put in your own words, please ask me! A wise man said, if you cannot explain something in simple terms, you do not understand it. That’s where I come in. (I’m really a very nice person!)
  6. Lab is not a group effort; this is distance learning and not everyone can meet with other class members for ‘assistance.’ I understand working in groups, but when one answer is wrong, it gets repeated across the group. This has led to a number of ugly zeros showing up!
  7. If you are confused, ask me, not your equally confused classmates. There is an area in the discussion board for lab questions, from which all can benefit, or you can email me, or call me during posted phone hours.
  8. Identical papers will get zeros; I do not want to hear “but we worked together…” Unique means just that. Unique. Humans have different ways of expressing themselves, so even if you work together, you should still explain things in your own words. If you cannot, see rule 5.
  9. To post your lab work, click on the assignment name. This will take you to a screen where you can attach your work.
  10. To find your grades and feedback attachments, go to the left side of the screen to ‘My Grades’ then click on the assignment, then click on the score. This should take you to a screen where you can see and open any attachments.
  11. Read the WARNING message below.
THANK YOU!


WARNING
 
Due to the passing around of various labs in the past, there are select answers which, if seen, will result in 10 points lost for those specific questions. If three of those grossly incorrect answers show up in one paper, the entire paper will earn 0 (zero) points without opportunity to re-do.  You have been forewarned! If you have questions, ask me! 
 
Karen
Attendance Policy Attendance will be noted by submitting lab worksheets and completing quizzes
Additional Information none
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
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 the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been exposed to COVID 19 or diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition on the COVID 19 Notification Form (available via a link on the Student Code of Conduct COVID19 webpage). This information will be provided to the Dean of Student Services. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504 This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
Grievance / Complaint / Concern If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information
General Education and Developmental Studies
Chair:Dr. Michelle Davis
Email:davisml1@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6341