MWF 9:00-11:00 AM, TR 1:00-3:00 AM, and at other times by appointment.
Course Description
1304. Historical Geology
The important changes through which the earth has passed since its origin as a planet; especially, the history of the orderly evolution of life and physical features evidenced in the rocks of the earth. Occasional field trips may be arranged. Prerequisite: GEOL 1303. Laboratory fee, $5.
Required Textbook
Historical Geology: Evolution of Earth and Life Through Time, 3rd Edition, by Reed Wicander and James S. Monroe: Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, California, 2000.
Geosciences Website Resources
This syllabus and other items relevant to GEOL 1304 can be accessed from M. A. Jordan's homepage at:
http://www.tamuk.edu/geo/jordan
Course Objectives
In addition to the general, elementary objectives that are embodied in the course description (see above), the objectives of GEOL 1304 are to:
1. introduce students to the geological and biological history of the earth from its beginnings to the present;
2. demontsrate the relationship between geologic history and biological evolution and biogeography;
3. provide students with practical skills in problem solving and 4-dimensional thinking (spatial and temporal); and
4. instill within the student a true appreciation for the history of the ground upon which they live and work.
A more detailed chapter-by-chapter list of learning objectives is in preparation for web posting. In the meantime, examine the chapter summaries and other materials that appear at the end of each chapter in the textbook.
Tentative Schedule of Topics, Readings and Exams
Hard-copy pages of the tentative course schedule are distributed along with this syllabus. The schedule can also be downloaded from the GEOL 1304 portion of M. A. Jordan's website. If unforeseen circumstances make it necessary to change this schedule, the changes will be announced in class and posted into the web document.
Determination of Grade
Four equal-weighted exams (see schedule) will be averaged to make up the course grade. Exams will be based on the text readings, lecture notes and any handouts supplied, and will consist of both objective and open-ended items.
Grading standards are: 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B: 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D, 0-59% = F.
Important Spring 2003 Dates:
Written permission required to register or change classes: Jan 21-29.
Last day to add a course (and pay) for Fall 2002 Session: Jan. 29
Last day to drop a course with an automatic Q grade: March 31
Last day to drop a course or withdraw from the university: April 28
Final Exam for GEOL 1304: 10:40 AM - 1:10 PM, Thursday, May 8, 2003
Reading Assignments, Routine, and Other Policies
Assigned readings for the lecture and lab are listed in the tentative schedules. We recommend that you invest some study time in reading over the lecture readings before they are covered in class. Staying abreast of the subject is important, and this is a very good way to do so.
As stated in the Student Handbook, a student can be dropped from a class for excessive absences. If you accumulate too many unexcused absences, you can be dropped from the course. Good class attendance has been shown time and again to correlate with good grades. As important as attendance is, there still may be situations that warrant an excused absence (see the student handbook). It is essential to give notification and arrange in advance regarding how to deal with makeup exams or other work. Arrangements for makeups will be allowed no later than one week after the due date for the assignement or test that has been missed.
Students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, who wish to request accommodations in this class should notify the office of Services for Students with Disabilities early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made (seepages 2 and 11 of the Student Handbook).
You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of this course and all other courses. You should be familiar with the material on page 23, section 100 of the Student Handbook which deals with academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes such things as:
1. Cheating: deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she in fact has not mastered; giving or receiving aid authorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations.
2. Academic misconduct: tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test.
3. Fabrication: submission or use of invented information or falsified research
4. Plagiarism: unacknowledged or uncredited quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else's words, ideas, or data as one's own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submilling them as one's Own work also constitutes plagiarism.
The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Behavior that interferes with:
1. the instructor's ability to conduct the class;
2. the ability of other students to profit from the instructional program; or
3. campus behavior that interferes with the rights of others
will not be tolerated. Any individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action (see page 23, section 100 of the Student Handbook). Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under nonacademic procedures.
Sexual harassment of students and employers at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is unacceptable and will not be tolerated (see page 23, section 200 of Student Handbook). Any member of the university community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.