Spring 2022 Course Syllabus Course: GEOL-1304- Section: 71 Historical Geology

Instructor Information
Instructor	Karen Stelly
E-mail	stellyks@lamarpa.edu
Phone	(409) 984-6341
Office	Location: Educational I - Room: 133 Hours: Office Hours: By phone Virtual Hours: 10 am to 5 pm phone or text, 8-10 pm text only, Sunday-Saturday Office Phone: 409-554-3493
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.
Course Information
Description	A comprehensive survey of the history of life and major events in the physical development of Earth as interpreted from rocks and fossils.
Prerequisites	None
Learning Outcomes	By the end of this course you will learn to: Describe how the application of the scientific method has led to our current understanding of Earth history. Explain the historical development of Geology as a science and how it was influenced by early interpretations of fossils and the theory of evolution. Communicate how principles of relative and numerical age dating have been used to develop the Geologic Time Scale. Describe the processes involved in the formation and differentiation of the Earth and identify major milestones in the physical evolution of the planet. Identify the major milestones in the evolution of life from its initial inorganic stages, through development of the major animal and plant groups, to mass extinctions. Explain how rocks and fossils are used to interpret ancient environments. Identify the major tectonic events in the geologic evolution of North America.
Core Objectives	* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and 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.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
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. For Lecture: Earth Through Time 11th ed Levin and King, ISBN 978-1-119-22834-9 (Available through Redshelf.com; E-version works.
Lecture Topics Outline	Lamar Port Arthur Historical Geology and Lab Please see full due dates in the Course Schedule in class Lecture: Week 1    Science of Historical Geology Early Geologists Tackle History’s Mysteries Week 2    Time and Geology         Rocks and Minerals: Documents that Record     DQ1 Week 3    Earth’s History Sedimentary Archives         Life on Earth: What Do Fossils Reveal?    Assignment 1 Week 4    Plate Tectonics Underlies All Earth History    Test 1 Week 5    Earth’s Formative Stages and the Archean Eon Week 6    Proterozoic: Dawn of a More Modern World    DQ2 Week 7    Early Paleozoic Events    Assignment 2 Week 8    Late Paleozoic Events    Test 2 Week 9     Spring Break Week 10     Paleozoic Life        DQ3 Week 11    Mesozoic Events    Assignment 3 Week 12    Mesozoic Life            Test 3 Week 13    Cenozoic Events     DQ4 Week 14    Cenozoic Life        Assignment 4 Week 15    Human Origins    Test 4 Week 16    Final Exam
Major Assignments Schedule	Lamar Port Arthur Historical Geology and Lab Please see full due dates in the Course Schedule in class Lecture: Week 1    Science of Historical Geology Early Geologists Tackle History’s Mysteries Week 2    Time and Geology         Rocks and Minerals: Documents that Record     DQ1 Week 3    Earth’s History Sedimentary Archives         Life on Earth: What Do Fossils Reveal?    Assignment 1 Week 4    Plate Tectonics Underlies All Earth History    Test 1 Week 5    Earth’s Formative Stages and the Archean Eon Week 6    Proterozoic: Dawn of a More Modern World    DQ2 Week 7    Early Paleozoic Events    Assignment 2 Week 8    Late Paleozoic Events    Test 2 Week 9     Spring Break Week 10     Paleozoic Life        DQ3 Week 11    Mesozoic Events    Assignment 3 Week 12    Mesozoic Life            Test 3 Week 13    Cenozoic Events     DQ4 Week 14    Cenozoic Life        Assignment 4 Week 15    Human Origins    Test 4 Week 16    Final Exam
Final Exam Date	May 2, 2022 - 12:00 AM   Through  May 8, 2022 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale	The grading scale for Lecture is as follows: 1000-900 points – A (100-90%) 899-800 points – B (89-80%) 799-700 points – C (79-70%) 699-600 points – D (69-60%) 599 and lower – F (59 or lower)
Determination of Final Grade	There will be 4 short tests (50 questions, 100 points), the final exam will be comprehensive (100 questions, 200 points). Discussions are 40 points each, and 4 assignments 50 points each. Lecture is 75% of grade, lab is other 25%. Discussions 200 (4 at 50 points each) Assignments 200 (50 points each) Test 1 100 (2 points each of 50 questions) Test 2 100 Test 3 100 Test 4 100 Final exam 200 (2 points each of 100 questions) Total 1000
Course Policies
Instructor Policies	Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and cheating is not acceptable in this class, and will be dealt with by way of irreplaceable zeros. Test make-ups: None. You will have from the start of the course until the due date to complete the tests. Please do not wait until the last hour. You may only take each test once. You will have 1 hour to complete each regular test, and 3 hours for the final. Drop Policy: Students can only drop this course during the regular drop period set up by Lamar University. Please let me know if you are going to drop the course via email on the Blackboard site. It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course. Disability: If you have a disability that prevents you from completing work, please let me know as soon as possible. Technology Requirements You should have a computer with Windows 8 or more recent. You should have MS Office, specifically Word, PowerPoint, and Excel If you do not have Office already, you can down load a free version called OpenOffice available at https://www.openoffice.org/download/ (If you use this, you should save your documents as .docx files) 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 other cloud link, and neither can Blackboard. If you do not have Word on your computer (PC or Mac), please download the free version from the link above Discussion Rules of Engagement Discussion Rules of Engagement: Response to discussion question (DQ) is due no later than Thursday of each discussion week (early is always good!). Students must reply to two (2) peers or instructor each discussion week for participation points. Participation posts may be posted any of the 7 days of the given discussion week. The DQ response is worth 20 points, and each reply to peers is worth 10 points each. DQ responses posted between Friday and Sunday will lose 1 point per day. DQ responses or participation posted after the discussion week will not be awarded points. Point earning responses to the DQ must address each part of the DQ, be as thorough as possible, with a minimum of 200 words. Point earning participation posts must either, add something new to the topic, or provoke deeper thinking. These can be accomplished by sharing a relevant website, posing a question deeper than 'what do you think,' sharing something you looked up, sharing a personal experience deeper than 'I didn't know that,' or 'I learned something new from your post.' No word limit on the participation posts! Just add something new! **Rules do not apply to introductions; length requirement only for response to the DQ itself, participation posts may be shorter.
Attendance Policy	Attendance will be noted by turning in gradable work, such as discussion, assignments, and tests.
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	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.
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 the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
MyLSCPA	Be sure to check your campus E-mail and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA 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 MyLSCPA.
Other	Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and cheating is not acceptable in this class, and will be dealt with by way of irreplaceable zeros. Test make-ups: None. You will have from the start of the course until the due date to complete the tests. Please do not wait until the last hour. You may only take each test once. You will have 1 hour to complete each regular test, and 3 hours for the final. Drop Policy: Students can only drop this course during the regular drop period set up by Lamar University. Please let me know if you are going to drop the course via email on the Blackboard site. It is the student’s responsibility to drop the course. Disability: If you have a disability that prevents you from completing work, please let me know as soon as possible. Technology Requirements You should have a computer with Windows 8 or more recent. You should have MS Office, specifically Word, PowerPoint, and Excel If you do not have Office already, you can down load a free version called OpenOffice available at https://www.openoffice.org/download/ (If you use this, you should save your documents as .docx files) 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 other cloud link, and neither can Blackboard. If you do not have Word on your computer (PC or Mac), please download the free version from the link above Discussion Rules of Engagement Discussion Rules of Engagement: Response to discussion question (DQ) is due no later than Thursday of each discussion week (early is always good!). Students must reply to two (2) peers or instructor each discussion week for participation points. Participation posts may be posted any of the 7 days of the given discussion week. The DQ response is worth 20 points, and each reply to peers is worth 10 points each. DQ responses posted between Friday and Sunday will lose 1 point per day. DQ responses or participation posted after the discussion week will not be awarded points. Point earning responses to the DQ must address each part of the DQ, be as thorough as possible, with a minimum of 200 words. Point earning participation posts must either, add something new to the topic, or provoke deeper thinking. These can be accomplished by sharing a relevant website, posing a question deeper than 'what do you think,' sharing something you looked up, sharing a personal experience deeper than 'I didn't know that,' or 'I learned something new from your post.' No word limit on the participation posts! Just add something new! **Rules do not apply to introductions; length requirement only for response to the DQ itself, participation posts may be shorter.
HB 2504	This syllabus is part of LSC-PA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Department	General Education and Developmental Studies Chair: Dr. Michelle Davis E-mail: davisml1@lamarpa.edu Phone: (409) 984-6341 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.