Geology I: Physical GeologyGEOL 1121

GSU, Perimeter College Fall, 2019

GEOLOGY IPHYSICAL GEOLOGY

GEOL 1121-021 CRN 90113 10:00-11:15am1N 3210 NEWTON CAMPUS

A syllabus constitutes a contract between the professor and the student. If you remain in this course, you are bound by the policies outlined below.

Physical Geology is the study of the earth and the processes which shape it. The course offers an overview of plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes, mountain building, weathering, erosion, soil, origin of rocks and minerals, water, and natural resources.

The purpose of a college education is to enlarge the capacity of the mind, not only to pour in knowledge. This only works if you are a participant in this process. This course is part of that process and is not easy.

An outline of the course can be found at the end of this document.

Instructor: Ms. Polly A. Bouker, M.S. GeologyOffice: 1N3408 NEWTON CAMPUS Office Hours: TBAE-Mail: pbouker@gsu.edu OR iCollege emailIf not emailing within iCollege, please use your college email account and mention GEOL 1121 in the subject line, otherwise your message may be filtered as SPAM.Preferred Contact: email, in person, or iCollege email

Co-requisites: Physical Geology lab ‐ GEOL 1121L

REQUIRED: Textbook options and sources of course content to meet the educational expectations:• TEXTBOOK: Nance & Murphy, Physical Geology Today, Oxford University Press, ISBN

9780199965557 OR an eBook directly from the publisher• Access to a computer/internet and online components of the course (iCollege). A video

lecture for each topic may be viewed on your own outside of class. If you do not have adequate computing resources of your own, these are available on campus in the computer lab, or at your local public library.

• Scantrons for exams for on campus students (GREEN) BUY THEM NOW

Attendance: Students who expect to excel in this course will make attendance a priority. Excessive absences conveys a lack of interest in succeeding in this course. Very few students are able to master the material in this course without being regular attendees. For that reason, I will give BONUS points on the next exam for each day of attendance with PARTICIPATION (not sleeping!).

Attendance includes:• Physical presence and attentiveness in the classroom for on campus students.

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Geology I: Physical GeologyGEOL 1121

GSU, Perimeter College Fall, 2019

• Missing classes, sleeping during class, working on assignments during class, and being on a laptop or cell phone during class will be DETRIMENTAL to your overall grade in Geology.  By engaging in distractions, you are accepting responsibility for the impact on your grade.

• Your professor may ask you to leave if you appear overly distracted so that YOU don't cause distraction for other students.

• Frequent login and viewing of all available course materials for each week for the online students. Faculty are able to see what is viewed and for how long. Plan a time each day to view course materials for better success, and to find important announcements.

Academic Honesty: Academic Misconduct is defined as cheating and/or plagiarism. • Cheating includes any attempt to defraud, deceive or mislead the instructor in arriving at an

honest grade assessment. • Plagiarism is a form of cheating that involves presenting as one's own, the ideas or work of

another. • Any student found by the instructor to have engaged in academic misconduct on a graded

test, assignment, or examination may be assigned a zero for that assignment, assigned an “F” in the course, and/or be charged with cheating in the Georgia Perimeter College student judiciary process.

• Students found guilty of cheating may be dismissed from the class or from the college. • The GSU student handbook describes the regulations governing these procedures. • The use of cell phones for calls or texts during exams will be considered cheating.

Withdrawal and No Show Policy: It is the responsibility of the student to withdraw from the course if necessary. Faculty WILL NOT withdraw a student for non-attendance. Students who stop attending, and fail to withdraw themselves will receive an "F" for the course. NOTE: GSU policy dictates that a student may not have more than 3 “W” at Perimeter College. See https://catalog.gsu.edu/associate20162017/university-academic-regulations/#dropping-classes-and-voluntary-withdrawal for more info.

Changes to the Syllabus or Semester Schedule: The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary, at the discretion of the instructor.

Grading: Course grades are determined by 3 components:1. See Homework Addendum at the end of this syllabus. Check iCollege and semester

schedule for due dates and add them to your personal calendar. YOU MAY NOT BE REMINDED, BUT YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR DATES.

• Late work is accepted HOWEVER, anything that comes in past the due date is only eligible for UP TO 1/2 credit.

• One homework assignment will be dropped. • Practice quizzes are not part of the course grade, but are available and are recommended.2. In class exams total 60% of your total grade. There will be 3 exams. Attendance bonus

points count on the NEXT exam.• There will be NO make up exams. • If you miss an exam, the final exam score will replace up to ONE other exam score. DO NOT

PLAN TO MISS AN EXAM. SAVE THIS FOR AN EMERGENCY.3. The Final Exam is comprehensive (covers entire semester) and is 20% of your total grade.• Grades will not be calculated by me until after the final exam. • It is your responsibility to keep up with your current progress in this course.

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Geology I: Physical GeologyGEOL 1121

GSU, Perimeter College Fall, 2019

Grading Scale:

A 90-100 B 80-89.4 C 70-79.4 D 60-69.4 F 59.4 and below

Expected Educational Results:1. Demonstrate understanding of the tectonic origins for the Earth, the reasons behind the

distribution of oceans and continents, and the location of volcanic, earthquake belts, and the internal structure of the Earth.

2. Demonstrate understanding of how natural processes shape the land and how these natural processes affect society.

3. Demonstrate understanding of how different types of rocks and minerals are formed and their significance to society.

4. Recognize and apply scientific inquiry in a variety of geological settings.

General Education Goals Approved by the GSU University Senate 2/13/04Goal I. Communication 1. Students communicate effectively using appropriate writing conventions and formats.2. Students communicate effectively using appropriate oral or signed conventions and formats.Goal II. Collaboration1. Students participate effectively in collaborative activities.Goal III. Critical Thinking1. Students formulate appropriate questions for research. 2. Students effectively collect appropriate evidence. 3. Students appropriately evaluate claims, arguments, evidence and hypotheses.4. Students use the results of analysis to appropriately construct new arguments and formulate new questions.Goal IV. Contemporary Issues1. Students effectively analyze contemporary issues within the context of diverse disciplinary perspectives. 2. Students effectively analyze contemporary multicultural, global, and international questions. Goal V. Quantitative Skills1. Students effectively perform arithmetic operations, as well as reason and draw appropriate conclusions from numerical information.2. Students effectively translate problem situations into symbolic representations and use those representations to solve problems.Goal VI. Technology1. Students effectively use computers and other technology appropriate to the discipline.

Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take the time to fill out the online course evaluation.

Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office

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Geology I: Physical GeologyGEOL 1121

GSU, Perimeter College Fall, 2019

of Disability Services of assigned Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which accommodations are sought.

Statement of Academic Freedom: GSU endorses the Statement of Academic Freedom adopted by the American Association of University Professors in 1940, as it has been amended from time to time. Specifically,A. Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject

to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the institution.

B. Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject and related material.

C. College and university teachers are citizens and members of a learned profession, and should indicate that they are not speaking for the institution when appropriate.

• In adopting the AAUP statement, the College does not necessarily adopt interpretations of the statement that are inconsistent with Perimeter College at Georgia State University’s primary mission within the University System of Georgia; however, the College acknowledges its respect for the experience of other academics and institutions in the interpretation of the statement.

• When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline. They should at all times be accurate, should show respect for the opinions of others.

• In addition, GSU recognizes that students are free to take reasonable exception to the data or views offered in any course of study, while meeting the responsibility to learn the content of the course and maintaining the standards of academic performance established for the course.

• Specifically, the College recognizes the right of the student to free thought and orderly free expression in an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and free of coercion and unreasonable interference.

You are responsible for being familiar with GSU student policies. Policies can be found at:GSU student handbook: http://codeofconduct.gsu.edu/ GSU Academic Regulations at the Associate Level: http://catalog.gsu.edu/

associate20162017/university-academic-regulations/ Associate-level Catalog: http://catalog.gsu.edu/associate20162017 and

https://catalog.gsu.edu/associate20162017/1900-perimeter-college/

Who are Geology Majors?• People who want great job opportunities• People who like the outdoors (though not

required!)• People who like to travel

• People who are curious• People who are thinking of majoring in

“environmental science” or “education”

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Geology I: Physical GeologyGEOL 1121

GSU, Perimeter College Fall, 2019

Course Outline: Keep a copy of this schedule available at all times so that you stay aware of important dates. There may not be in-class reminders. Dates are subject to change at the discretion of your professor.Date Topic

8/27 Syllabus, Intro to Adobe Spark VIDEOS for homework

8/29 Foundations of Geology

9/3 Plate Tectonics

9/5 Plate Tectonics

9/10 Minerals

9/12 Minerals: Silicate Structures

9/17 Origin and Evolution of Igneous Rocks

9/19 Volcanoes

9/24 Volcanoes - Video

9/26 Exam 1 (Intro - Volcanoes)

10/1 Return Exam 1, Weathering and Soils

10/3 Sedimentation and Sedimentary Rocks

10/8 Sedimentary Rocks

10/10 Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

10/15 Deformation and Mountain Building

10/17 SEMESTER MIDPOINT Deformation and Mountain Building

10/22 Running Water

10/24 Running Water

10/29 Exam 2 (Weathering - Streams)

10/31 Groundwater

11/5 Return Exam 2, Coastlines and Coastal Processes

11/7 Coastlines and Coastal Processes

11/12 Plates and Plate Boundaries

11/14 Plates and Plate Boundaries

11/19 Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior

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Geology I: Physical GeologyGEOL 1121

GSU, Perimeter College Fall, 2019

11/21 Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior

12/3 Mass Wasting

12/5 Exam 3 (Groundwater - Mass Wasting)

Return Exam 3, Review for final exam

12/10 FINAL EXAM

Date Topic

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Syllabus Addendum: Physical Geology Spark Assignments

Assignment Name(s): Spark Videos, Spark Pages, Course Portfolio

Due Date(s): Throughout semester. See iCollege for specific dates.

Purpose: 1. This set of assignments will help you gain the following skills:• Time Management.• Following specific instructions.• Review lecture content immediately after presented in class.• Learn to make a simple instructional video using Adobe Spark ONLINE resources.• Improve your speaking abilities.• Review previous notes and study materials prior to each exam.

2. This assignment will help you gain the following knowledge:• Completion of these assignments will help you to learn various parts of the course content.• Periodic review of course materials help improve course performance.• Thinking about the value and purpose of a particular course in your program of study at it’s

onset, and then an end of course reflection of how your performance impacts your educational goals has been shown to improve future student performance in their program of study.

Note: This set of assignments has been designed with the specific goal of student success in mind. It is not designed to make work for students. It is designed to help students in their college experience.

Task: 1. Set up a free account with Adobe Spark at https://spark.adobe.com/. 2. For each topic covered produce a 1.5-2 minute NARRATED Adobe Spark Video. Provide a link to

your video by the due date in the discussion area of iCollege for each topic. Your professor will direct you to the proper place to post the link.• NOTE: Videos will be visible to all course participants.• You are free to pick and choose what aspects of each topic you will discuss in your video.

Homework Grade List (numbered):

Unit 1 Videos (each has a separate due date): 1. Introduction to Geology - post in discussion area2. Plate Tectonics - post in discussion area3. Minerals - post in discussion area4. Igneous Rocks - post in discussion area5. Volcanoes - post in discussion area6. Unit 1Exam Reflection (completed AFTER exam 1) - BONUS - found in the assignments dropbox.

Unit 2 Videos (Each has a separate due date): 7. Weathering and Soils - post in discussion area8. Sedimentation and Sedimentary Rocks - post in discussion area9. Metamorphism - post in discussion area10. Crustal Deformation - post in discussion area11. Running Water - post in discussion area

Syllabus Addendum: Physical Geology Spark Assignments

12. Unit 2 Exam Reflection (completed AFTER exam 2) - BONUS - found in the assignments dropbox.

Unit 3 Videos (Each has a separate due date): 13. Groundwater - post in discussion area14. Coastlines - post in discussion area15. Plates and Plate Boundaries - post in discussion area16. Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior - post in discussion area17. Mass Wasting - post in discussion area18. LINK TO ADOBE SPARK PAGE COMPLETED TO THIS POINT DUE BEFORE EXAM. Post link in the assignments dropbox.19. Unit 3 Exam Reflection (completed AFTER exam 3) - BONUS - found in the assignments dropbox.

20. “Final Course Observations” - found in the assignments dropbox.

Criteria for Success: Follow directions outlined above. Videos that are shorter than assigned will receive fewer points.