Spring 2024 Course Syllabus
Course: GEOL-1104 (Section: 71, CRN: 11020)
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 None
 

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Additional Contact Information Email: stellyks@lamrpa.edu Phone: 409-554-3493 Call or text 9am-4pm; text only 7pm-9pm I do not have an office on campus as I live in South Carolina.
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 must have a computer with Windows 10 or above, MacOSX 10.13 or above, ChromeOS or more recent.
    • You must have a computer with a camera and microphone for proctored test taking. All tests and quizzes will be proctored with Respondus.
    • You must have MS Office, specifically Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
    • If you do not have Office already you can use the free version in your school email Outlook, but you must save your document to your computer and not the cloud, I cannot open those. Alternatively, you can down load a free version called OpenOffice available at https://www.openoffice.org/download/
    • You must 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.
    • Tests will be proctored by Respondus Lockdown Browser. You will need a computer with camera and microphone on it to use Respondus. 
    Download LockDown Browser (respondus.com)
    Corequisites/Prerequisites None
    Learning Outcomes
     
    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

    Lab 4 Chapters 5, 6 Stratigraphy and Physical Correlation

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

    Lab 6 Group Project
    Major Assignments Schedule Lab 1 Sedimentary rocks and Depositional Environments Due Jan 28
    Quiz 1 due Feb 11

    Lab 2 Relative Dating and Radiometric Dating Due Feb 11
    Quiz 2 due Feb 25

    Lab 3 Fossils, and Evidence of Evolution Due Feb 26
    Quiz 3 due March 10


    Lab 4 Stratigraphy and Physical Correlation Due March 10
    Quiz 4 due March 31

    Lab 5 Facies and Sea Level Change, and Index Fossils Facies and Sea Level Change, and Index Fossils Due April 2
    Quiz 5 due March 31

    Lab 6 Teamwork Lab Assignment Due April 21
    Final Exam Date April 21, 2024 - 12:0 AM   Through  April 21, 2024 - 11:59 PM
    Grading Scale

    The grading scale for Lecture is as follows:

    600-540 points – A (100-90%)

    539-480 points – B (89-80%)

    479-420 points – C (79-70%)

    419-360 points – D (69-60%)

    359 and lower – F (59% or lower)
    Determination of
    Final Grade    		 Lab work is 350 points
    Quizzes are 250 points

    Each of the first 5 labs are 50 points each, Lab 6 is a group project worth 100 points
    Each of the 5 quizzes are 50 points each
    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.

    Late policy: There are certain deadlines indicated in the course schedule after which certain work will not be graded.

    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 must have a computer with Windows 10 or above, MacOSX 10.13 or above, ChromeOS or more recent.
      • You must have a computer with a camera and microphone for proctored test taking. All tests and quizzes will be proctored with Respondus
      • You must have MS Office, specifically Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
      • If you do not have Office already you can use the free version in your school email Outlook, but you must save your document to your computer and not the cloud, I cannot open those. Alternatively, you can down load a free version called OpenOffice available at https://www.openoffice.org/download/
      • You must 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


      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! See Rule #7 above.
       
      Karen
    Attendance Policy Attendance will be marked by submitting labs and completing quizzes. It is up to you to keep up with the due dates by way of weekly notes and the course schedule.
    Additional Information
    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 diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 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. Steven Zani
    Email:zanisj@lamarpa.edu
    Phone:(409) 984-6431