CroninProjects.org/ Vince/ Course/ PhysGeol/ 1405SyllabusSpring18.html |
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Professor Cronin reserves the right to revise this syllabus as necessary throughout the semester. Notice of revision will generally be given during one or more lecture meetings, or via email broadcast to registered students in the course. This syllabus is not a contract.
Professor Cronin teaches two separate sections of this course, both of which meet MWF. One section meets from 9:05 until 9:55 AM in Baylor Science Building (BSB) room D105, and the other meets from 12:20-1:10 PM in BSB C231.
Lab/Office: BSB E441 . . . . . Telephone: (254) 710-2174
Office hours: MWF from 10:00-11:00 AM, or by appointment
email: Vince_Cronin@baylor.edu
All email communication to Professor Cronin concerning this course must originate from your Baylor email account.
Purpose of this course: This course is an attempt to explore and summarize the best scientific understanding of Earth's ~4.6 billion year age, evolution, composition, and major dynamic systems, as that understanding exists in the geoscience community based on published peer-reviewed scientific literature. We want you to become literate with respect to the Earth sciences (http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org).
You need to commit to doing good work and learning the course material. Your goal should be mastery of the material that you are asked to learn in this course. This will take 1-2 hours of work for every 1 hour of scheduled lecture. In particular, you will need to study material from the textbook or lab book prior to attending the class/lab in which that material is discussed. If you are not willing to devote that amount of time to this course, you will not learn the material and, hence, there is little point in your taking this course.
This section of The Dynamic Earth involves the use of online resources managed by Pearson Higher Education, the publisher of our course textbook. An e-text version of the following textbook is included with your MasteringGeology account, if you acquired it through the Baylor Bookstore:
12th edition of Tarbuck, Lutgens & Tasa, 2017, Earth -- An introduction to Physical Geology: Pearson, ISBN-10: 0-134-07425-4, ISBN-13: 978-0-134-07425-2, 788 p. |
You need not purchase a paper copy of the textbook if you have access to the e-text. You will need to have access to some form of the textbook, however.
A number of online exercises (homework, study modules, quizzes) are scheduled for you to complete in MasteringGeology accessed through the Canvas learning management system (LMS). All of them are graded in some way, and all have some sort of due date that is posted on the calendar you can access via MasteringGeology. Except for valid University excuses with written documentation (e.g., illness, bereavement, athletic, performance), there will be no re-setting of the online assignment deadlines to accommodate people who missed them this semester. If you miss the due date, you will not be able to make-up the exercises for credit.
To register for MasteringGeology...
Help for students to register with MasteringGeology through the Canvas LMS at Baylor can be found at https://media.pearsoncmg.com/long/CEPM.selfpaced/FDOCs/Student_Getting_Started_Handout_MyLabMastering_Canvas.pdf or http://help.pearsoncmg.com/mylabmastering/canvas/student/en/index.html
To get to the Canvas LMS, start at the Baylor homepage
http://www.baylor.edu/, select the STUDENTS link on the left of the screen, choose Online Tools on the left side of the subsequent screen, and then choose Canvas. This will link you to a login page for Canvas. After logging in with your Baylor ID and password, choose the correct course section:
--Dr. Cronin's MWF 9:05-9:55 AM section is 201810 GEO 1405 03 - The Dynamic Earth
--Dr. Cronin's MWF 12:20-1:10 PM section is 201810 GEO 1405 02 - The Dynamic Earth.
To get to Mastering Geology after you have logged in to Canvas, select the Geo 1405 course you are enrolled in, then select MyLab and Mastering along the left column. This should connect you to MasteringGeology at Pearson.
In addition to the university holidays this semester (MLK Day January 15, Spring Break March 3-11, Diadeloso April 17), there will be no class February 28 and March 26-30 because Professor Cronin will be at the UNAVCO Science Workshop in Colorado. Dr. Cronin's absence does not affect the laboratory schedule, which is available through the laboratory home page CroninProjects.org/Vince/PhysGeoLab/index.htm
Click on the topics in the table below to access additional useful information.
Dates | No. Days | Topics | Required Prior Studying in Textbook | Quiz Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 8-10 | 2 | Introduction | chapter 1 | Jan 12 |
Jan 12-19 | 3 | Plate tectonics | chapter 2 | Jan 22 |
Jan 22-26 | 3 | Matter and minerals | chapter 3 | Jan 29 |
Jan 29-Feb 2 | 3 | Igneous rocks & volcanoes | chapters 4 & 5 | Feb 5 |
Feb 5-9 | 3 | Sedimentary rocks | chapter 7 | Feb 12 |
Feb 12-16 | 3 | Metamorphic rocks | chapter 8 | (on midterm) |
Feb 19 | 1 | Midterm Big Quiz | chapters 1-8 | -- |
Feb 21-Mar 2 | 4 | Geologic time | chapters 9 (all) & 22 sections 22.1-2 & 22.6-9 | Mar 2 |
Mar 12-14 | 2 | Structural geology | chapter 10 (all) | Mar 16 |
Mar 16-21 | 4 | Earthquakes | chapter 11 (all) | Mar 23 |
April 4-6 | 3 | Running water | chapter 16 | (on final) |
April 9-11 | 2 | Groundwater | chapter 17 | (on final) |
April 16-18 | 2 | Glaciers | chapter 18 | April 20 |
April 20-23 | 2 | Energy | chapter 23 | (on final) |
April 25-27 | 2 | Climate change | chapter 21 | (on final) |
May 2 May 3 | -- | Final Exam, MWF 12:20 Sec, 9-11 AM Final Exam, MWF 9:05 Sec, 4:30-6:30 PM | all chapters | -- |
The first quiz on January 12 is for demonstration purposes only. It will not count toward your grade.
All other quizzes are scheduled to occur at the beginning of class, on the class day following the end of a given topic. Except for valid University excuses with written documentation (e.g., illness, bereavement, athletic, performance), there will be no make-up or re-take quizzes this semester. All make-up quizzes will be administered within one week (or within 3 class meetings) of the original quiz unless other arrangements are made with Dr. Cronin within 3 days of the original exam. No quizzes will be administered early.
Material on lecture quizzes will be drawn from material covered in class and in the assigned textbook chapter. Students are responsible for having read all of the assigned chapters in the lecture and lab books. You should assume that every exam is cumulative in nature, so anything from earlier in the course might be part of a subsequent quiz.
Grades for in-class exams and in-class activities for this course are mainly accessed online via Canvas.
Dates | Topic | Pre-lab Reading | Items You Must Bring to Lab* |
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Jan 9-11 | No Labs The First Week | Read ahead | |
Jan 16-18 | Plate tectonics (cancelled) | Lab 2, p. 37-54 | red or orange pencil |
Jan 23-25 | Minerals | Lab 3, p. 69-96 | cleavage goniometer cut from GeoTools sheet 1 (back of lab book), optional magnifying lens |
Jan 30-Feb 1 | Igneous rock | Lab 5, p. 123-138 | optional magnifying lens |
Feb 6-8 | Sedimentary rock | Lab 6, p. 149-168 | optional magnifying lens |
Feb 13-15 | Metamorphic rock | Lab 7, p. 185-196 | optional magnifying lens |
Feb 20-22 | Mineral & Rock Quiz | Labs 3 & 5-7 | optional magnifying lens |
Feb 27-Mar 1 | Dating rocks, geologic time | Lab 8, p. 207-220 | black or blue pen |
Mar 13-15 | Topo maps | Lab 9, p. 231-252 | protractor, colored pencils, black or blue pen |
Mar 20-22 | Earth structures | Lab 10, p. 265-280 | colored pencils, scissors, optional magnifying lens |
Mar 27-29 | Earthquakes | Lab 16, p. 409-416 | drafting compass** |
Apr 3-5 | Streams | Lab 11, p. 293-306 | colored pencils, piece of string or thread about 30 cm (12 inches) long |
Apr 10-12 | Groundwater | Lab 12, p. 325-336 | colored pencils |
Apr 17-19 | | No Labs due to Diadeloso | Take an afternoon nap |
April 24-26 | Glaciers | Lab 13, p. 347-374 | |
* These items are in addition to your lab book, a pencil, a ruler with a metric scale (cm, mm), and an inexpensive scientific calculator (e.g., Texas Instruments TI-30Xa Scientific Calculator, or Casio FX-260SOLAR11 Scientific Calculator both available at big-box stores for ~$10 or less) or a sufficiently charged smartphone with a calculator app.
** A drafting compass is a device for drawing circles.
Tentatively, the grading in the lecture section of this course will be related to preparation (prior reading of text, online assignments or homework, pre-lecture quizzes), participation (attending lectures prepared to participate and ask/answer questions), chapter/unit assessment (assigned homework and end-of-chapter quizzes), and the final exam, with the following approximate weighting:
Dynamic study modules, homework, et cetera administered online via MasteringGeology | 30% |
Homework and activities during lectures | 5% |
Assessment exercise after a given chapter is completed, and final exam | 65% |
Total percentage grade from the lecture section | 100% |
The weightings presented above might change before the end of the semester. Remember, this syllabus is not a contract.
For students who have attended at least 75% of the lecture meeetings and at least 75% of the lab meetings, the final course percentage grade will be determined using an equation like the following:
Final course percentage grade = {(A x 0.75) + (B x 0.25) + C + (D x [1.0 - {(A x 0.75) + (B x 0.25) + C}])}, where
Professor Cronin determines the values of the translation and compression factors, and the same factors are used for all students in the course. Standard rounding procedures used throughout science will be employed in the conversion of decimal percentages to integer percentages. Based on the final course percentage grade, letter grades are assigned as follows:
Final Course Percentage | Letter Grade |
---|---|
93% to 100% inclusive | A |
90% to 92% inclusive | A- |
87% to 89% inclusive | B+ |
83% to 86% inclusive | B |
80% to 82% inclusive | B- |
77% to 79% inclusive | C+ |
73% to 76% inclusive | C |
70% to 72% inclusive | C- |
67% to 69% inclusive | D+ |
60% to 66% inclusive | D |
below 60% | F |
I have high academic expectations for you in my course.
If you find yourself struggling academically, you should consider seeking assistance through the Paul L. Foster Success Center in Sid Richardson (www.baylor.edu/successcenter/).
While I am here to facilitate your learning, responsibility for your learning is yours alone. You will need to commit yourself to taking the time necessary to study and to take care of your mental and physical health by getting enough sleep, exercise, and good food every day. There are many distractions at a university, but it is your responsibility to fulfill your most important responsibility — to learn.
Academic integrity refers to the "integral" quality of the search for knowledge that a student undertakes. The work a student produces, therefore, ought to be wholly his or hers; it should result completely from the student's own efforts. A student will be guilty of violating academic integrity if he/she...
(a) knowingly represents work of others as his/her own,
(b) uses or obtains unauthorized assistance in the execution of any academic work, including possessing or using a stolen copy of one of Professor Cronin's exams, or
(c) gives fraudulent assistance to another student.
After McGlynn, A.P., 2001
Plagiarism or any form of cheating involves a breach of student-teacher trust. This means that any work submitted under your name is expected to be your own, neither composed by anyone else as a whole or in part, nor handed over to another person for complete or partial revision. Be sure to document all ideas that are not your own. Instances of plagiarism or any other act of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Honor Council and may result in failure of the course. Not understanding plagiarism is not an excuse. As a Baylor student, I expect you to be intimately familiar with the Honor Code — www.baylor.edu/honorcode/
In the spirit of being a good steward of university resources, you must be careful not to abuse samples, maps, models, reserve materials, or other resources provided for your use in this course.
Students agree that by taking this course, all required papers, exams, class projects or other assignments submitted for credit may be submitted to turnitin.com or similar third parties to review and evaluate for originality and intellectual integrity. A description of the services, terms and conditions of use and privacy policy of turnitin.com is available on its web site: http://www.turnitin.com. Students understand all work submitted to turnitin.com will be added to its database of papers. Students further understand that if the results of such a review support an allegation of academic dishonesty, the course work in question as well as any supporting materials may be submitted to the Honor Council for investigation and further action.
Veterans and active duty military personnel are welcomed and encouraged to communicate, in advance if possible, any special circumstances that might impact their participation in this course, such as an upcoming deployment, drill requirements, or disability accommodations. Contact the VETS Program Office with any questions at (254) 710-7264.
Any student needing academic accommodations as documented through the Office of Access and Learning Accommodation (OALA) should inform me immediately at the beginning of the semester. Required documentation and information regarding accommodations is available at the Paul L. Foster Success Center, 1st floor on the East Wing of Sid Richardson, (254) 710-3605. Accommodations available in this course are not unlimited, and do not include taking quizzes or exams at an OALA-administered site outside of the Geosciences Department.
Baylor University asserts that it does not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in any of its education or employment programs and activities, and it does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex or gender. If you or someone you know would like help related to an experience involving sexual or gender-based harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, stalking, intimate partner violence, or retaliation for reporting one of these type of prohibited conduct, please contact the Title IX Office at (254) 710-8454 or report online at www.baylor.edu/titleix.
The interim Title IX Coordinator for Baylor University is Maureen Holland. The Title IX office understands the sensitive nature of these situations and can provide information about available on- and off-campus resources, such as counseling and psychological services, medical treatment, academic support, university housing, and other forms of assistance that may be available. Staff members at the office can also explain your rights and procedural options if you contact the Title IX Office. You will not be required to share your experience.
If you or someone you know feels unsafe or may be in imminent danger, please call the Baylor Police Department (254-710-2222) or Waco Police Department (9-1-1) immediately. For more information on the Title IX Office, the Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Interpersonal Violence policy, reporting, and resources available, please visit www.baylor.edu/titleix.
For an overview of Title IX, read the description available from Wikipedia.org at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX
If you or someone you know becomes the victim of a rape or other serious assault that might have left physical evidence, go (or encourage the other to go) to a hospital emergency room where the evidence can be collected/documented by a trained professional who can establish a legally proper chain of custody for the evidence. Go as soon after the assault has occurred as possible, and do not change clothes or wash any part of your body until after the evidence is collected. It is my understanding that this confidential process does not commit anyone to reporting or filing charges in the incident, but it does preserve the evidence and hence preserves your/their ability to pursue legal courses of action in the future. If the evidence is not collected, the possibility that the assailant will be brought to justice is greatly reduced if not completely eliminated.
Assault victims should seek the assistance of a professional counselor who has been trained to help assault victims, and who is sufficiently credentialed so that a victim/client's communication with them is legally recognized as confidential. This professional service must be rendered by a trained and credentialed professional, and is not a service that your friends, family, pastor, minister, lawyer, academic advisor, department head, favorite teacher, dorm RA, or other informal (untrained, uncredentialed) counselors are able to provide. Professional counseling will be necessary to begin the psychological healing process.
Baylor University has reportedly asserted its belief through papers filed with the court that "Universities do not owe a legal duty to protect students from harm from fellow students" (Waco Tribune-Herald, 8 January 2017, "BU moves to dismiss 4th Title IX suit" by Phillip Ericksen).
To develop your background knowledge of the issue of sexual violence on college campuses, I recommend that you begin by reading Jon Krakauer's 2015 book Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (Doubleday, 384 pp., ISBN 0385538731)
For answers to frequently asked questions about geology and science, go to http://www.baylor.edu/Geology/index.php?id=26719
If you have any questions or comments about this site or its contents, drop an email to the humble webmaster.
All of the original content of this website is © 2018 by Vincent S. Cronin