Instructor: Paul D. Howell, Department of Geological Sciences
Lectures:  Tues and Thurs from 11:00-12:15 am, Room 306 Whitehall Classroom Bldg
Office Hours:  Tuesdays from 1:00-3:00 pm    ... or by appointment    ... or just drop in.
Office:  305B Slone Building (SRB, located behind Funkhouser on Washington St., at the bus stop)
Phone: 257-3932 (my office).  Leave a message for me if I don't answer.  I'll get back to you.
Email:  phowell@pop.uky.edu   This is probably the most reliable way to contact me.
Textbook: Historical Geology, by Wicander and Monroe.
Class Homepage: http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Geology/howell/102/welcome.html
Also note this place: Pirtle Geology Library, Bowman Hall (corner of Washington and Rose streets).
TA:  Seth Berman   Office Hrs: 309 Slone,  Wed 10-12    Ph:  257-3219  E: saberm2@pop.uky.edu

Course Objectives: Historical Geology is designed to introduce you to the art and science of interpreting earth history. We will emphasize the record of sedimentary rocks and the effects of plate tectonic activity throughout earth's history. The course will culminate in a survey of the evolution of the earth and life on earth over the past 4.5 billion years. I would like you to leave this class knowing not just someone's version of the history of the earth, but an understanding of how, as scientists, we came to that knowledge.
 
Course Evaluation.... 50% quizzes and final exam, 50% writing assignments.
Grading:  Total class grade: over 90% = "A", 80% = "B“, 70% = "C, and 60% = "D".
    Quizzes (each week on Thursdays)  - 35%    BRING PENCILS!!!
    Final Exam (Tues, Dec 15, 10:00 am) - 15%    Take Home +
   Writing assignments and homework  - 50%
Extra Credit:  None.  Don’t ask.  Likewise, don’t ask to makeup missed assignments due to unexcused absences.
Help Sessions:   Remind me to schedule a help session during the week prior to an hourly exam.

Quizzes and Final Exam: BRING PENCILS! There will be quizzes given at the end of class on Thursday every week of the semester (see class schedule below).  There will be seven quizzes given, with each quiz consisting of 10 multiple choice or true/false or matching questions.  Each quiz will be worth 5% of your final grade (35% total for quizzes).  Every other week will be a make-up quiz.  If you miss the first quiz, you can take the quiz the second week. If you took the first quiz, you may elect to take the second quiz and take the best of your two quiz scores.   The final exam is non-cumulative: 5% is a quiz-style format, 10% is take home essay exam   Quiz and final exam material derives primarily from lecture material, and secondarily from assigned textbook readings. The only time I test on material that is in the textbook or readings but is not in the lecture material is if I explicitly tell you to BE SURE TO READ a certain section from the textbook.

In Class Writings and Homework:  I assign writing exercises to help you learn the material better.  About once a week there will be a writing assignment either in class (related to the topic of the day) or in recitation or assigned as homework.  Most of these will be short (paragraph to page length), a few may be 2-3 page assignments.  These will test your ability to understand and apply the material we've covered.  Some of these will be collaborative exercises where you are expected to share your knowledge with the other students around you. I expect that there will be around 10-12 writing assignments over the semester, with some homework assignments counting double the weight of the in-class assignments; thus each writing assignment will be worth around 4-5% of your grade.

GLY 102:  TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE
Month   Day/Date   Week    Chap     Topic
Aug      Thurs 27     week 1      1          Intro, Scientific Method
Sept     Tues 1         week 2      1           "
           Thurs 3                        2-3        Quiz 1a (Ch 1)
            Tues 8        week 3      3           Geologic Time
           Thurs 10                       3          Quiz 1b (Ch 1)
            Tues 15      week 4       4          Rocks, Fossils, Correlation
            Thurs 17                     4            Quiz 2a (Ch 3-4)
             Tues 22      week 5      5          Sedimentary Rocks, Facies, Environments, History
            Thurs 24                     5            Quiz 2b (Ch 3-4)
            Tues 29       week 6      5
Oct.      Thurs 1                       6          Quiz 3a (Ch 5)
            Tues 6        week 7      6           Evolution
            Thurs 8                       6           Quiz 3b (Ch 5)
            Tues 13       week 8     7           Plate Tectonics
            Thurs 15                     7           Quiz 4a (Ch 6)
            Tues 20       week 9     7
            Thurs 22                     7           Quiz 4b (Ch 6)
             Tues 27      week 10    8          Origin of the Solar System, story of meteorites
            Thurs  29                   8-9         Quiz 5a (Ch 7-8)
Nov.      Tues 3       week 11     9          Archean Geology
            Thurs 5                      10          Quiz 5b (Ch 7-8)
            Tues 10       week 12   10          Proterozoic Geology
           Thurs 12                      11          Quiz 6a (Ch 9-10)
            Tues 17       week 13   12          Paleozoic Geology
           Thurs 19                      13         Quiz 6b (Ch 9-10)
            Tues 23       week 14   14          Mesozoic Geology
 * Note: No Class This Thursday Nov. 26!  Thanksgiving!  Eat Yams!
Dec       Tues 1         week 15   15
             Thurs 3                       16         Quiz 7a (Ch 11-14)
             Tues  8        week 16   17+       Cenozoic Geology
            Thurs 10                      ---         Quiz 7b (Ch 11-14)

FINAL EXAM:  1 PM  Tuesday December 15.
 

More GLY 102 Syllabus Details:

Grades for the Writing Assignments:
 Writing assignments will be graded on a 5-point basis, including both content and presentation:
5 pts = excellent understanding of the material demonstrated, nearly perfect job overall
4 pts = good job, but either some misunderstandings, or problems with writing/grammar/presentation
3 pts = considerable confusion concerning material covered, or lack of effort displayed
2 or 1 or 0 pts = very weak attempt made on the assignment.
 More specific criteria such as these may be supplied with some of the assignments.

 Homework assignments must be typed and are due at the beginning of class on the due date.  Assignments turned in late, but by 4:15 pm the same day to my mailbox (101 Slone), will be graded with a 10% penalty.  No later assignments will be accepted, even if you simply forgot it at home.  Make-ups will only be given for verifiable written excuses specifically recognized by the University (illness of the student, or of an immediate family member, death of an immediate family member, participation on trips related to certain University functions, major religious holidays [if notice given prior to last day for adding class] : the Dean of Students office can assist if you need help with written verification for an absence: x7-3754).

Lecture Class Attendance:  If you do not attend class you will miss assignments on a regular basis.  Geology is a complicated, rigorous subject that I will attempt to portray to you in a sensible fashion.  You will enjoy the course more (and in all probability get a much better grade) if you attend regularly.    If you have two or more unexcused absences, you can expect your grade to be one letter lower because chances are good you will miss in-class assignments.  If you miss the lecture class due to illness (verifiable), you will be allowed to make up missed assignments and tests if you contact us about this within a reasonable amount of time (as soon as you possibly can).

Exam Conflict for University Approved Reasons:   If you have an official conflict with one of the course examination dates for an officially sanctioned University reason, you may seek to take that exam at a different time or date.  However, you must follow University guidelines in seeking such a rescheduling.  Typically, this means seeking the change as early as possible, and in no instance less than 2 weeks before the examination date.

On Working Together and Plagiarism:   You are encouraged to work together on homework assignments and to study together for tests or quizzes.  Students in the past have found that such collaborative learning helps in understanding the sometimes confusing concepts we will cover in this class.  Any work that is turned in for a grade, however, must be your own expression of your own understanding of the material.  Your ability to express yourself in writing is a key component of this course and an essential goal of this college, and your writing can too easily be influenced by word choices of classmates.  DO NOT copy directly from anyone else.  DO NOT even look at what they have written.  Ask questions and argue with a classmate about groundwater contamination in Kentucky, but DO NOT ask to look at what a classmate has written on the subject.  DO NOT copy sentences directly from a book or article.  Do your own writing based on your understanding of the material.  See the UK "Student Rights and Responsibilities" handbook for a discussion of Plagiarism if you have questions.  Minimum penalty for plagiarism is failure for that assignment.
 
  How to do really WELL in this class:  Think about it.  To get an "A", you must minimally achieve a 90% average on the quizzes and get 5's and 4's on every written assignment, or the equivalent (e.g., higher quizzes, lower writing scores), and get a good participation grade.  My courses are generally easy to pass but difficult to get an "A".   Not necessarily difficult, but you have to take them seriously and study in a serious fashion.  My advice:  #1)  Be attentive in class and take voluminous notes because the tests come primarily from the lecture material, not the textbook.  #2)  Read through the chapters before coming to class.  Spend time with your notes.  #3)  Ask questions in class and come to office hours.  #4)  Know what every term means, and how it differs from other terms.  #5)  Find someone to study with who cares about doing well.

  How to do really POORLY in this class:  Think about it.  To get a "D", you must minimally achieve a 60% average on the quizzes and make an honest attempt on every single written assignment, or the equivalent (e.g., higher quizzes, lower writing scores).  If you get a "C" average on the quizzes, but miss several of the assignments, you may be in danger of failing the course.  My courses are generally easy to pass, but only if you honestly make the effort to do so.  Don't miss class.  I have never had to flunk anyone who made an honest effort in my class.  A number of students do flunk each semester.

  Your expectations of me: You should expect a teacher who cares about teaching and who makes an honest effort to engage your interest in the subject.  You should expect to be treated fairly as students, to not be ridiculed or made to feel embarrassed in class.  You should expect graded work to be evaluated in a timely fashion, because coursework loses meaning without evaluation.  You should expect the material covered to be interesting and challenging, because you are adult students capable of learning all types of new material.  You should expect questions raised during the class period to be addressed at that time, if they are relevant.

  My expectations of you:  I expect students who wish to learn, who come to college to learn and who expect that it takes some effort to learn something well.  I expect to be treated fairly as your teacher; you should give me your attention in class, and respect the other students in this class who have come here to learn.  Newspapers or other reading materials have no place in the classroom once the class is underway.  I expect you to be on time to class, to sit toward the front of the room when you come in, and to not leave early for your next class.  I expect that you will keep up with the course materials between classes (average 1-2 hours per hour spent in class), with such activities as homework, recopying your notes, reading the chapters assigned, discussing the material with classmates, and preparing questions to ask me in class.