Spring 2024 Course Syllabus
Course: GEOL-1304 (Section: 71, CRN: 10999)
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 
 
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 A comprehensive survey of the history of life and major events in the physical development of Earth as interpreted 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.

For Lecture:   Earth Through Time 11th ed; Levin and King, ISBN 978-1-119-22834-9 (Available through Redshelf.com; E-version works)
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
  • GEOL-1303 Physical Geology (lecture)
Learning Outcomes
 
1.   Describe how the application of the scientific method has led to our current understanding of Earth history.
 
2.   Explain the historical development of Geology as a science and how it was influenced by early interpretations of fossils and the theory of evolution.
3.   Communicate how principles of relative and numerical age dating have been used to develop the Geologic Time Scale.
 
4.   Describe the processes involved in the formation and differentiation of the Earth and identify major milestones in the physical evolution of the planet.
 
5.   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.
 
6.   Explain how rocks and fossils are used to interpret ancient environments.
7.   Identify the major tectonic events in the geologic evolution of North America.
 
 

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 Topics
Chapter 1 Science of Historical Geology
Chapter 2 Early Geologists Tackle History’s Mysteries
Chapter 3 Time and Geology
Chapter 4 Rocks and Minerals: Documents that Record
Chapter 5 Earth’s History Sedimentary Archives
Chapter 6 Life on Earth: What Do Fossils Reveal?
Chapter 7 Plate Tectonics Underlies All Earth History
Chapter 8 Earth’s Formative Stages and the Archean Eon
Chapter 9 Proterozoic: Dawn of a More Modern World
Chapter 10 Early Paleozoic Events
Chapter 11 Late Paleozoic Events
Chapter 12 Paleozoic Life
Chapter 13 Mesozoic Events
Chapter 14 Mesozoic Life
Chapter 15 Cenozoic Events
Chapter 16 Cenozoic Life
Chapter 17 Human Origins
Major Assignments Schedule Discussion 1 Due Jan 25
Test 1 Due Feb 11
 
Discussion 2 Due Feb 15
Test 2 Due March 10
 
Discussion 3 Due March 21
Test 3 Due April 7
 
Discussion 5 Due April 11
Assignment Group Project Due April 21
Test 4 Due April 28
 
Final Exam Due May 5
Final Exam Date May 5, 2024 - 12:0 AM   Through  May 5, 2024 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale The grading scale for Lecture is as follows:
850-765 points – A (100-90%)
764-680 points – B (89-80%)
679-595 points – C (79-70%)
594-510points – D (69-60%)
509 and lower – F (59 or lower)
Determination of
Final Grade		 Discussion work is 23.5%
Assignment work is 6%
Test work is 47%
Final Exam work is 23.5%

Discussions    200 (4 discussions 50 points each)
Assignments 200 (4 assignments 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 from previous 4 tests)
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.

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.

    Discussion Rules of Engagement

    **Rules do not apply to introduction.

    **BB Ultra will automatically award zeros if you do not post your initial response by Thursday! IGNORE THAT! Participation is due after the initial responses so that you have time to read over the posts to find something to respond to. As always, early is good, and an automatic zero can be by-passed.

    Each point earning discussion is set up in 3 specific parts.

    The purpose of discussion is to exchange ideas and demonstrate a deeper level of learning and understanding of the topic. Please carefully review all of these rules and rubric.

    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 each discussion week for participation points by Sunday of the same week. Participation posts may be posted any of the 7 days of the given discussion week. The DQ response is worth 20 points, and each follow up reply to peers is worth 15 points each. Initial DQ responses posted between Friday and Sunday will lose 1 point per day. Discussion after the end of the given discussion week will lose 10 points per week after the given discussion week. Grammar and spelling count.

    Point earning responses to the DQ must address each part of the DQ, be as thorough as possible, with a minimum of 100-150 words. Grammar and spelling count. 

    Point earning participation posts must address all parts of the required response. The majority of each post should focus on the topics at hand. Participation posts should be 75-100 words. Grammar and spelling count. 

    Always support your statements with logic and sound arguments, citing any sources referenced. Post your initial response early and check back often to continue the discussion. 

    A few words about courtesy. We all need to be polite. I don’t think any one of us would like to be the recipient of rudeness. Below are some pointers about proper netiquette: 

    • Know where you are in cyberspace
    • Respect other people's time
    • Make yourself look good online (spelling and grammar count)
    • Share expert knowledge
    • Help keep flame wars under control
    • Respect other people's privacy
    • Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
    • Don’t be judgmental
Attendance Policy Attendance will be met by submitting work and participation in discussions.
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