GEOL-1404-M40 - Historical Geology
Lamar State College - Port Arthur
House Bill 2504
Spring 2017 Course Syllabus
Faculty Information | |||||||||||||
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Semester | Spring 2017 | ||||||||||||
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 | 11941 | ||||||||||||
Course Description | A comprehensive survey of the history of life and major events in the physical development of Earth as interpreted from rocks and fossils. 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. | ||||||||||||
Course Prerequisites | None | ||||||||||||
Required Textbooks |
The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology & Evolution, 7th Edition, Cengage Learning, 2015. Interpreting Earth History: A Manual in Historical Geology, 8th Edition, Waveland Press, 2015. |
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Attendance Policy |
To receive credit for all tests, quizzes, and lab exercises, attendance is required. Three mid-term tests and a final exam feature the memorization of fundamental Earth cycles & sequences as well as opened-book multiple-choice questions. Only one of the three scheduled tests can be missed and made up. The score on the equivalent content of the missed test as covered on the final exam is substituted as a score for the missed test. Approximately 45 teaching- video quizzes are given during the semester. Not attending the video presentations downgrades your grade on the quizzes! Some lab assignments in the lab manual cannot be made-up outside the classroom because they require materials such as specimens, models, compasses, and other tools. |
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Course Grading Scale | 90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B 70 - 79=C 60 - 69=D Below 59 = F | ||||||||||||
Determination of Final Grade | Three Tests - 45%, quizzes - 15%, lab exercises - 15%, Final Exam - 25%. | ||||||||||||
Final Exam Date | May 8, 2017 - 5:30 PM Through May 8, 2017 - 8:00 PM | ||||||||||||
Major Assignments |
Week 1: Course Introduction, Geologic Time Week 2: Geologic Time Week 3: Plate Tectonics Week 4: Lecture Test I, Rock Cycle Week 5: Fossils, Origin of Life Week 6: Sedimentary Rocks, Depositional Environments Week 7: Paleoenvironments, Lecture Test II Week 8: Lithostratigraphy, Biostratigraphy Week 9: Spring Break Week 10: Physical Correlation, Facies Relationships, Week 11: Carbonate Rock Facies Relationships, Sea Level Changes, Evolution Week 12: Lecture Test III, Paleozoic Mass Extinctions Week 13: Ancient Crystalline Rocks, Deformed Sedimentary Rocks Week 14: Paleozoic and Cordilleran Orogenies Week 15: Mesozoic Life and Earth History, K-P extinction, submit quizzes/lab exercises Week 16: Cenozoic Life & Earth History, Hot Spots Final Exam |
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Calendar of Lecture Topics and Major Assignment Due Dates | April 27: Submit Video Quiz and Lab Exercise folders for Grading | ||||||||||||
General Education/Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes |
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Program Student Learning Outcomes |
PSLO 1 - Critical Thinking Skills PSLO 2 - Communication Skills PSLO 3 - Empirical & Quantitative Skills PSLO 4 - Teamwork Skills |
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Course Student Learning Outcomes |
CSLO 1 - Develops an ability to analyze, evaluate, & synthesize processes involved in Earth cycles, systems, and sequences. CSLO 2 - Develops an ability to illustrate, describe, and discuss the intricate workings of a geologic cycle. CSLO 3 - Demonstrates data-management & problem-solving skills through lab assignments. CSLO 4 - Demonstrates an ability to work together cooperatively in small groups on projects that require shared conclusions. |
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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 | |||||||||||||
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 Coordinator, Office for Disability Services, 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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