GEOL 230 - Geology of the National Parks - College of Arts and ...

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Spring 2013 Syllabus University of South Carolina GEOL 230 Geology of the National Parks consistent work, critical thinking, and engagement on your part. Much of the material in this course is cumulative, recursive, and interrelated, so attending class is critical. If you attend class, take notes, do the assigned readings, study your notes for a couple of hours each week, and make an effort to understand the material then you should at least pass the course. Good grades may require more work. The class will be structured as a series of lectures paired with reading assignments. • In general, the first half of the course will focus on the rock cycle, deformation, and tectonics, while the second half will focus on landscapes and surficial processes. • The lecture and readings are designed to reinforce, supplement, and complement one another but they will not be identical. Quiz questions will be drawn from both sources even in areas that may not overlap. • Lectures will typically be presented in power point format, although they may be supplemented by notes on the board, video clips, rock samples, or simple demonstrations. You are strongly encouraged to ask questions for clarification at any time during class. I will not, as a policy, post any notes or PowerPoint files on Blackboard. Taking notes is an important skill that undergraduates must “learn and earn.” If you miss class then it is your responsibility to get the notes from someone else. I can only assist you with notes if you have a doctor’s note or other documentation for an excused absence, and this will involve coming to see me during my office hours. • Readings will focus on an NPS unit (or units) associated with the lecture topic, although the geologic story of the park may involve much more than just the lecture topic. Focus on the lecture topic when you read, but don’t ignore over the rest of the material, as it may still show up on a quiz and/or later in the semester. I would advise you to mark up the book and/or take separate notes on the reading. Pictures are pretty to look at, but don’t ignore diagrams and charts when you read; they contain a lot of information and may show up on the quizzes. Readings, either from the textbook or internet, may be read before or after the lectures – just be sure you have read them in time for the quiz each Thursday. The required textbook is: Harris, A.G., Tuttle, E., and Tuttle, S.D. 2003. Geology of the National Parks (6 th Ed.), Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, ISBN 978- 0787299712, 896 pp. Some of the parks covered early in the semester will also be revisited during later lectures. I do ask that you respect my effort and other students’ attention during class. Earbuds, internet surfing, texting, phone conversations, and other non-GEOL 230 activities are not permitted in class. If I observe these then I reserve the right to ask you to leave for the day; this will also definitely count heavily against your class participation grade. Contacting me I have two offices. I am in my campus office (EWSC 511) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with office hours from 9:15 to 10:15. My campus phone is 777-4477, although I am only able to check messages on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. My second office is at Congaree National Park. My normal park office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. My park office phone is 803.647.3966. As of the start of the semester I do not have a USC e-mail. This should change within a week or two. Until then, please reach me at david_shelley@nps.gov. I typically only check e-mail once a day (probably morning). I manage a lot of e-mail at work. To make sure that I recognize your message as related to class, please include the course title and year (GEOL230/Spring2013) in the subject line and your first and last name somewhere in the body of the e-mail. This will help me manage my inbox and get back to you in a timely manner. Page 2 of 5
Spring 2013 Syllabus University of South Carolina GEOL 230 Geology of the National Parks Grading This course is heavily weighted (60%) towards regularly-spaced quizzes. On a positive note, this encourages you to attend class, encourages you to stay on top of the material throughout the semester, and reduces some stress around exam time. The potential downside is that the final exam, while important, will not be enough to “make up for lost time” if you slack off along the way. Exams and a class participation grade will round out your quiz average. Quizzes are normally scheduled at the beginning of class on Thursday. They will include 10-15 multiple choice, short-answer, and drawing questions chosen from the readings and lecture assignments from the previous Thursday and Tuesday. You are responsible for bringing lined notebook paper for your quizzes. Questions will be read out loud and/or projected on the screen. Students will have ten minutes to complete the quiz and turn it in. Exams will essentially be cumulative, and cannot be dropped or replaced (see below). Points on quizzes will be taken off for grammar, spelling, and handwriting. Quizzes cannot be made up if you are late or have an unexcused absence, but there are some caveats. We all have lives. I will drop the lowest quiz grade during the semester. I will also allow you to replace at least one of the lower grades with an optional bonus assignment. I will announce at least one optional bonus assignment during the semester, and hopefully more. Bonus assignments will be due two weeks from when they are announced, and may involve a non-class trip to Congaree National Park. If you complete a bonus assignment, then this grade will replace your next lowest quiz grade (even if it is lower than your quiz grade). Your final grade will be averaged from quizzes, exams, and class participation using the following criteria: Item Count Grade Per Item Quiz Grades (13 quizzes, drop the lowest +/- substitutions) 12 4.62% Mid-Term Exam (counts as three quiz grades, with no option to drop) 1 15.00% Final Exam (counts as three quiz grades, with no option to drop) 1 15.00% Class participation (my subjective reflection on your attendance and engagement) 1 10.00% Total Grades 15 100.00% Averaged grades will be rounded to zero decimal places using standard conventions (i.e. 89.4 = 89) and graded on the following scale: A B+ B C+ C D+ D F 90-100 87-89 80-86 77-79 70-76 66-69 60-65 0-60 Academic Integrity All students at USC are expected to conform to the Code of Student Academic Responsibility. Specifically, “It is the responsibility of every student at the University of South Carolina Columbia to adhere steadfastly to truthfulness and to avoid dishonesty, fraud, or deceit of any type in connection with any academic program. Any student who violates this rule shall be subject to discipline.” Furthermore, “any member of University community, who has reasonable grounds to believe that an infraction of the Code of Student Academic Responsibility has occurred, has an obligation to report the alleged violation.” Any cheating during quizzes or exams will result in an F for the course. I will do my best to help you avoid cheating on exams and quizzes, but ultimately it is your responsibility. In simple language, I do not deal kindly with cheating. I never cheated in my entire school career. Never. Not once. I did not get A’s in everything, but I worked hard, did my best, and honestly earned everything I got. I have no respect or sympathy for students who seek to do otherwise. Page 3 of 5
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