GEOL 1030 – Introduction to Earth Science
Dr. Warner Cribb
KOM 322A
cribb@mtsu.edu
615-898-2379
Office Hours: MWF 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, TR 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
D2L
Chat Hours: TW 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
FALL 2009 COURSE SCHEDULE/ASSIGNMENTS - Be sure to check this schedule at least once per week.
Course Learning
Outcomes:
After successful completion of this course, students will achieve the following learning outcomes:
1.
Identify and describe common rock-forming minerals
2.
Identify and describe common igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
rocks and their formation
3.
Use seismic data to locate an earthquake epicenter and determine its
magnitude
4.
Use seismic data to identify and describe the structure of Earth’s
interior
5.
Identify and describe plate tectonic processes and their effects on
Earth’s internal and external characteristics
6.
Describe how magmas form, major volcanic eruptions and landforms,
commonly erupted volcanic products, and intrusive landforms
7.
Use basic principles of relative and radiometric dating to
reconstruct a region’s geologic history
8.
Describe the geologic time scale, how our physical world assumed its
present form, and how Earth’s inhabitants changed through time.
9.
Describe the major physiographic features, chemical characteristics,
and surface processes of the oceans
10.
Describe the composition, structure and heating of the atmosphere
11.
Describe the formation of clouds, precipitation, weather patterns,
storms, air pressure and wind.
Required Text:
Earth Science, E.J. Tarbuck and F.K. Lutgens, Prentice Hall, 12th edition /2008, 0-13-602007-0
Important: All students should purchase the 12th edition with a working GEODe CD-ROM (check inside back cover).
Laboratory
Requirement (GEOL 1031):
All students registered for GEOL 1030 are required to register for the laboratory component of the course, GEOL 1031. The only exception to this rule is for students who have previously passed GEOL 1031, but not GEOL 1030. Your lab instructor will tell you what supplies and whether the lab manual are required for the lab.
Attendance and Class Expectations:
All students are expected
to attend every class period and complete all course assignments. Class attendance is taken on an unannounced basis.
I am required to report students who stop attending class to the MTSU
Records Office as 'no longer attending' on university Unofficial Withdrawal
Rosters.
Any student who thinks he/she is sick is asked not to come
to class to avoid passing the illness to others in the campus community. All
assignments/notes/powerpoints, etc are posted online to allow students who
miss class due to illness to catch up. You may also use the D2L discussion
board and D2L chat room to communicate with classmates or the instructor
about material you miss in class. The missed test policy is explained below
under 'Missed Test and Course Withdrawal Policy.'
All students are expected
to:
1) Check the course schedule before
the first class of each week. (All assignments, lecture outlines,
test information, etc. are always posted on the weekly
schedule.)
2) Read the posted text assignments and print out posted lecture notes/study
questions
3) Bring posted lecture notes to class and complete all assigned study questions
prior to each test
Grading:
4 tests = 25% each
All test dates are posted on the course schedule and D2L homepage.
Test #4 is given during the scheduled final exam period (see schedule and D2L homepage)
Extra credit assignments may be offered to the entire class. Individual student extra credit assignments are not offered.
The class average on each test is curved upward to 75%, if necessary. The class average is calculated using grades of all students in all GEOL 1030 sections taught by the instructor who take each test. Students who do not take a test and therefore receive a grade of 0% are not included in calculation of the class average.
Letter grade assignment:
90 – 100% = A; 85 – 89% = B+; 80 – 84% = B; 75 – 79% = C+; 70 – 74% = C; 65 – 69% = D+; 60 – 64% = D; < 60% = F
Separate grades are posted for GEOL 1030 (lecture, 3 credit hours) and GEOL 1031 (lab, 1 credit hour). Lab grades are not included in the calculation of final grades for this course.
Missed Test and Course Withdrawal Policy
Make-up tests are not given, unless absence is due to participation in a university-approved athletic or academic event. Students who will miss a test for either of these reasons must personally notify the instructor in writing at least two weeks prior to the regularly test date in order to schedule a make-up date and time.
All students are required to take all tests. In the case that a student misses a mid-semester test due to serious illness or family emergency, that grade may be calculated as the average of remaining three completed test grades. Students who miss a mid-semester test due to either serious illness or a family emergency must notify the instructor within 24 hours of the test date and provide valid written documentation of the illness and/or emergency (doctor's note, obituary, etc.). It is solely the discretion of the instructor as to whether the grade will be calculated as the average of the remaining three test grades. Alternatively, a 0% will be assigned for the missed test.
All students must take Test #4, given at the scheduled final exam date and time.
Any student who misses more than one regularly scheduled test for any reason will receive an automatic F for the course.
A grade of W cannot be given after the ‘last day to withdraw’ as published on the MTSU academic calendar, unless the student is withdrawing from all classes in which he/she is registered through the University Withdrawal Office.
Test Format:
Many test questions (50 - 100 multiple choice/short answer per test) are taken or modified from posted lecture note study questions, text chapter review questions, online D2L quizzes, and GEODe CD-ROM self-study quizzes.
Homework and class exercises may be assigned as a partial test requirements.
Copies of old tests are available for study in the instructor's office.
Students must take tests in class at designated times unless prior arrangements are made with the professor.
Students must abide by all MTSU policies regarding academic integrity. Students must complete all tests without assistance from any other person, written notes or electronic device. All tests are ‘closed book’.
Eligible students may take tests through scheduled appointments at the Office of Disabled Student Services.