Historical Geology F2F Syllabus

HISTORICAL GEOLOGY ON-CAMPUS LECTURE
GEOL 1122-100 CRN: 33740

Georgia Perimeter College
Spring Semester 2011

Instructor: Dr. Pamela J. W. Gore, Professor of Geology
E-mail address: Pamela.Gore@gpc.edu
Dr. Gore's Home Page: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/gore.htm
Office phone: (678) 891-3754
Office room number: CC-2161
Mailing address:
     Dr. Pamela Gore
     Dept of Geology
     Georgia Perimeter College
     555 North Indian Creek Drive
     Clarkston, GA 30021

Office hours on Clarkston Campus: MWF 1-4 pm, TuTh 2:30-4 pm
You are encouraged to call first to be sure your instructor is not in a meeting. The instructor is available at other times by e-mail, phone, or by appointment.

Regular communication is a very important part of this course. Please feel free to ask questions at any time by e-mail, by phone, or in person during office hours.

Weekly Lecture Schedule:

The Weekly Lecture Schedule lists assignments, quizzes, exams, and required readings.
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lecture/historical-lecture-schedule-spring2011

This schedule is tentative and may change. All changes will be announced in class. There will be homework assignments. There may be additional quizzes.

Reasons you should take the Geology Lab:

It is strongly recommended that all students take the Historical Geology Laboratory to accompany this course. The reasons for taking lab include:

All students are required to take at least one science course with a lab to fulfill core curriculum requirements. If you haven't taken lab yet, do it now and get the requirement completed. Students may take two lab science courses.
Students who take lab with their science lecture tend to perform better in their lecture course than students who do not take the lab. You are more likely to get an A, B, or C in lecture if you take lab. Last semester, all of the students who got A’s and B’s in lecture, except one, were in the Lab, and most of the students who got a C were in Lab. Students who did not take Lab did not do as well in lecture. The additional time that you spend engaged with the subject matter in a hands-on fashion in Lab goes a long way toward helping you understand the course material that is covered in lecture. If you want to succeed in lecture, the best advice I can give you is to take the Lab.
Because of greater success of students taking lab, the College is moving toward having ALL SCIENCE STUDENTS TAKE LAB with every science lecture. This will go into effect soon. It is better to go ahead and register to take the lab now.
If you transfer to Georgia State University (GSU), and you have completed your Core Curriculum at GPC, and if you do not change your major, then they will accept your 2 science lecture courses and one science lab course from GPC. However, IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE YOUR CORE CURRICULUM, or IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MAJOR, you will fall under the more strict GSU Core Curriculum requirements of a TWO-COURSE LAB-SCIENCE-SEQUENCE, plus a third science class (if you are a non-science major). A complication here is that the Intro. Geology courses at GSU are 4-credit courses. Georgia State will not accept a science lecture course for transfer as part of the lab science sequence, without the accompanying lab.
If you do not take the lab at GPC, you will have to either:
(a) come back to GPC later to take the GEOL lab (inconvenient), OR
(b) you will have to have to take retake the science lecture course with a lab at Georgia State (or take an additional science lecture and lab course) because your science course does not transfer to GSU without the lab (inconvenient and expensive).
If you are already taking a full load (15 credit hours or more of campus-based classes), the lab is no additional charge. If you are taking less than 15 hours, the online lab will be an additional $99.00 (or current tuition and fees), and the on-campus lab is $80 (in state) or ($310 out of state) or current tuition and fee rate. If you register you will need to pay before the deadline or you could be purged from all of your courses for unpaid tuition bills.

If you decide to take the Geology lab, please register on your own, see the Department Chair or the Department Secretary in CC-2167 and one of them will be glad to add you into the lab class. Or you can call the Science Department office at 678-891-3766 before the end of late registration and they can add you into the lab.

Remember that if you register for Lab, you must register before it meets for the first time, attend Lab the first week and pay any additional tuition and fees you may owe at the time of registration.

Catalog description:

Historical Geology is the study of the history of Earth and life through time. It provides an overview of evolution, fossils, dinosaurs, geologic time, radiometric dating, origin of the Earth, environments, and geologic history of North America. Optional field trip may be offered.

Prerequisites:

Exit or exemption from all Learning Support and ESL (English as a Second Language) requirements.
There is no Geology prerequisite for this course.

Teaching Objectives:

Teaching Objectives for this course are available at: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lecture/historical-objectives.html.
Teaching Objectives are a list of the minimum basic objectives for this course, as set forth by the Geology Curriculum Committee. Additional topics may be presented in the course, as deemed appropriate by the individual instructor. Exams and quizzes are designed to address the Teaching Objectives.

Required textbook and items for lecture:

Bring required materials every day unless you are otherwise directed.

Textbook: Levin, H. L., 2010, The Earth Through Time, 9th edition, 562 p. plus appendices. ISBN = 978-0-470-38774-0.
Note: The textbook may not cover all of the material presented in this course.
GREEN Scantron sheets (Form 882-E or 882-ES) for quizzes and exams. Available at the GPC Bookstore or from the machine in the Student Center (CN Building).
Mechanical pencils with eraser. There is no pencil sharpener in the room.
Notebook paper for taking class notes
3-ring binder to keep printouts of online notes organized
Other items as needed

Class information:

Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Room: CC-1220

There is a REQUIRED fieldtrip to Fernbank Museum of Natural History in the second part of the semester. There is an admission fee of about $15.00. Take your student ID for a discount. Student Life funds may be available for the trip if the class goes as a group. Paperwork must be completed before the fieldtrip.

All students must fill out the online information and release form http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/online/form.php or otherwise provide full contact information.

For every hour that you are in class, it is recommended that you study two hours outside of class. You should plan on at least 5 hours per week dedicated to this course outside of class at a minimum. You must study outside of class to do well in the class. Please be sure you have set aside adequate time!!!

Read and follow the Syllabus, Weekly Lecture Schedule, Teaching Objectives, online course notes (Chapter Tutorials), textbook and all relevant materials on the Textbook Publisher's website.

Online course notes are linked from this page: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/online/historical.php and in iCollege. Textbook publisher's web site with chapter tutorials written by your instructor. You may want to print out the online course notes to bring to class, or bring your laptop. http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=resource&bcsId=2757&itemId=0471697435&resourceId=7947 Currently the 8th edition notes are available. New 9th edition notes should become available during the semester.

Take notes in class and on all readings to assist you with studying the material. You may want to make note cards, type outlines of course notes, or define bold terms, etc.

Read all notes, postings, discussions and emails in iCollege and outside readings and videos (including YouTube videos) as needed to supplement course material.

Work on any homework assignments, papers, reports, or projects as assigned, and submitting them by the deadline dates. Work with other students on projects as assigned.

Avoid distracting and disrupting behavior. Attend to personal needs before coming to class (restroom, personal business, etc.). No in-and-out of the room during class. No sleeping in class; you will be abruptly awakened. No talking in class during lectures or you may be asked to leave. Behavior that is disruptive or that interferes with the campus learning process in the classroom or on campus is not permitted.

See Disruptive Student Policy #306 http://www.gpc.edu/governance/policies/other/toc.html#300. Disruptive behavior is defined as any behavior that interferes with teaching, administration, college activities, and the collegiate learning process. Includes entering class late or leaving early (without permission), eating/drinking in class without permission, sleeping in class, persistent speaking without permission, inappropriate use of electronic devices, etc.
Disruptive behavior occurring during academic activities will be addressed using the following procedure.
The instructor will inform a student if he or she is disruptive. If the behavior continues or escalates, the instructor will ask the student to leave the class for the day, possibly resulting in grade penalties for work missed. If the student does not leave, the instructor will call Public Safety to remove the student.
Any time a student is dismissed from class, the instructor will complete the Disruptive Behavior Form. Within five college instructional days of the incident, the instructor and student will meet to discuss the disruptive behavior and develop a corrective behavior to prevent future disruptions.
Five college instructional days after receiving the Disruptive Behavior Form, the Department Chair will sign the form, deliver a copy to an Academic Dean on that campus, and retain a copy.
The Academic Dean will review the form and determine if further disciplinary action is required as governed by the Student Code of Conduct (See Policy 406.034, Student Code of Conduct, Section B).
Five college instructional days after receiving the Disruptive Behavior Form, the Dean will sign the form and send a copy to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (or the office/designee of the Vice President of Academic Affairs), send a copy to the instructor, and retain a copy.
The office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs (or the office/designee of the Vice President of Academic Affairs) will conduct a records search each time a disruptive behavior violation is entered. If three or more violations of the disruptive behavior policy are found, the Vice President of Academic Affairs will direct an Expulsion Panel to convene to decide if the student should be expelled (See Policy 304.70, Academic Expulsion).

Following the Disruptive Student Policy, cell phones are disruptive and are not to be seen or heard in the classroom at any time. Cell phones are not to ring, vibrate, be looked at, be listened to, be held, or be used in any manner. No texting. Points will be deducted from the student’s course or exam grade if this rule is broken. The only exceptions will be matters of extreme emergency that must be approved in advance by the instructor.

Dress code: Appearance and/or dress that are extreme or unusual to the point of distracting from or being disturbing to the learning environment within classes or on campus will not be tolerated. In certain technical labs, student dress is expected to meet all safety codes.

Students may not bring children to class.

Assignments are due on or before the due date. Late assignments will be penalized, and may not be accepted.

Participation in class is encouraged - just raise your hand. Please feel free to ask questions if you are confused or having difficulty.

Students shall not attempt to defraud, deceive or mislead an instructor in arriving at an honest grade assessment. See Student Conduct Code for further information.

All students must access their college-assigned GPC email account. Notifications such as financial aid status, registrations dates, and payment deadlines will be sent to student email. Students should be aware that certain communications may be time-critical and that their email account should be checked on a regular basis. Georgia Perimeter College will provide all students with an account on the GPC email system upon admission to the college. Email messages sent by GPC to GPC student email accounts will constitute an official means of communication. The college considers students to be duly informed and in receipt of communications sent to their respective account via the GPC email system.
See student email policy: http://www.gpc.edu/oit/policies_procedures/technology_security/Student%20E-mail%20Policy%20Feb242009%20Rev%201.pdf. This says, in part:
Confidential student information may be accessed only through secure college systems, which are password protected. Students may receive email correspondence directing them to an authentication site where a student ID and PIN is required to access confidential information. Confidential information will not be available via email.

E-mail response time: Your instructor will generally reply to your e-mail within 24-36 hours, except if she is out of town (which will be announced in class or in iCollege), and except on weekends, breaks and holidays.

Exams and Quizzes:

There will be in-class quizzes. In class quizzes may be given at any time and may or may not be announced in advance. Expect a quiz as each chapter is finished. Be prepared! If you miss a class you may miss a quiz.
The Midterm exam is March 3, 2011.
The Final Exam is Tuesday May 10, 1:00-3:00 pm.
GREEN Scantron sheets are required for quizzes and exams (Form 882-E or 882-ES.) Scantrons are available in the Bookstore or in the machine in the Student Center.
Practice quizzes to help you master the course material, are available on the textbook publisher's website. http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=resource&bcsId=2757&itemId=0471697435&resourceId=8637
The Geologic Time Chart Quiz may be taken until student achieves a score of 90% or above. Students must score 90% or above on this quiz. Students may be restricted from taking exams unless he or she has scored 90% or above on the Geologic Time Chart Quiz.
THE FINAL EXAM IS CUMULATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE!! (That means, it covers the entire semester.)
If you leave the classroom during a quiz or exam, your quiz or exam will be collected, and you will not be permitted to continue with it.
Policy on make-up quizzes and exams. Make-ups will be granted only in circumstances involving serious illness, incapacity, tragic events, or some other grave matter. All requests for a make-up quiz or exam must be in writing and must include appropriate documentation from a verifiable source. Discussions about any make-ups will be held in the instructor's office and not in the classroom, because of privacy concerns. Make-ups may or may not be given, at the discretion of the instructor and are not guaranteed.

Grading:

33% Midterm Exam
33% Final Exam
33% Quizzes, homework assignments, reports, projects, etc.
1% Professionalism. Grade may go up or down depending on this. Includes participation (which is related to attendance), being on time, classroom behavior, submitting work on time, cell phones use, professional dress and behavior, attitude, academic honesty, etc. Points may be deducted from your grade for lateness, unexcused absences, cell phone use, etc.

Grading scale:
        90-100% A
        80-90% B
        70-80% C
        60-70% D
        below 60% F

A serious note about the final: If you score less than 70% on the final exam, you will not receive an A for a final course grade, and similarly, if you score less than 60% on the final exam, you will not will not receive a B for a final grade, and if you score less than 50% on the final exam, you will not receive a C for a final grade, regardless of your overall average plus any extra credit.

Grade Reporting: Course grades will not be mailed. Grades are available online at the end of the semester at http://sis.gpc.edu.

Do not contact the instructor via email or phone for grades. Graded assignments and tests will be returned to all students at the same time and final grades will be posted on the GPC iCollege website at the same time for all students.

Extra Credit: There will be opportunities for extra credit projects or papers during the semester. Up to five earned extra credit points can be applied to your final class average. Submit your ideas for extra credit by e-mail to your instructor for approval of topics. Extra credit exercises must be done independently from other students. All extra credit must be typed.

Ten hours service learning work at Stone Mountain Park with report. (2 points) See your instructor.
Ten hours service learning work at the DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment* (DATE) with report. (2 points) See your instructor.
Visit the Tellus Museum, The Northwest Georgia Science Museum just off I-75 in Cartersville. (2 points) Take detailed notes and photos!
Attend optional field trip, such as the GPC Spring Geology Bus Trip to Lookout Mountain and Cloudland Canyon (2 points) or the Georgia Geological Society trip in October. http://www.westga.edu/~ggsweb/ (2 points) Take detailed notes and photos.
Attend public geology lectures in the community, such as Atlanta Geological Society meetings at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA http://www.atlantageologicalsociety.org/. Last Tuesday of the month. Or Professional Geology Workshops last Saturday of the month. Take detailed notes. Type. (1 point).
Teaching in the Schools Project*: You can work with your instructor and a K-12 teacher to plan and deliver a standards-based science lesson to a group of pK-12 students (preferable elementary school students). The lesson must be based on the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). Lesson topics will be dictated by the GPS for the particular grade that the student will teach. This course option follows the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Initiative and the University System of Georgia "Work in the Schools" policy.

Additional opportunities may also be available to work with local schools * and youth groups* , such as the Gwinnett NAACP Youth Council*.

Watch a geology-related television show or video (other than any that might be required for the class). Take detailed notes (several pages) to turn in, along with the title and dates of the show. Type. (1 point).
Examples: "Faces of Earth" http://www.facesofearth.tv/Default.aspx. Previews available on YouTube. View online for a small charge at http://www.amazon.com/Building-the-Planet/dp/B001W04PIU/ref=pd_vodsm_B001W04PIU
History Channel - "How the Earth Was Made", "Jurassic Fight Club", "Mega Disasters", "Digging for the Truth" (selected episodes)
Some videos may be available online at http://mason.gmu.edu/~dmose/videos.html

*Criminal background checks are required of all students working with K-12 students or schools. This requirement is already in place for Education majors. Background checks will be managed in cooperation of the Georgia Perimeter College Protective Services office.

School placement can be done by the student with the assistance of the faculty member, based on the needs of teachers in local schools, and on existing partnerships. Students will report on all phases of the activity following the format at: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/STEM/TeachingProjectChecklist.doc, Task Template, and Rubric.

Attendance Policy:

Students are expected to attend class regularly. Attend all classes and be on time for class.

If you are late or absent you may miss a quiz.

Your grade will suffer if you have excessive absences. More than 3 absences in a semester (10% of course) is considered excessive.

You MUST sign the attendance sheet at each class. If you don’t sign the sheet you may accidentally be removed from the class as a NO SHOW, and if this happens you will lose your financial aid.

If you miss a class, YOU are responsible for ALL the material and assignments associated with that particular lecture. Check with the instructor or a classmate about the class material you missed.

Any time you are absent from class, submit the GPC Illness Notification Form. Use this any time you are absent for any reason. You can list the reason on the form. GPC students are required to use the GPC Illness Notification Form https://www.gpc.edu/absence/ to inform instructors that you are incapacitated and therefore unable to attend class for two or more consecutive class sessions. You submit the GPC Illness Notification Form on your honor and falsified submission are subject to academic honesty policy. With the submission of the form, all of your instructors will be notified. If a student can't log in they should call the Student Affairs Dean on their campus. Clarkston: 678-891-3690.

If you go by more than one name in college records (such as a maiden name and a married name, with one name in SIS and another name in iCollege), please be sure that your instructor knows who you are (both names) so that you are not accidentally dropped from the course for non-attendance. Check with the instructor again around the end of the second week to be sure that you have not been dropped for non-attendance.

Students who never attend a class by the end of the first two weeks of the term will be reported to the Registrar for non-attendance. Students who are reported for non-attendance will be dropped from the course. If you are dropped from the class for non-attendance, you will lose your financial aid. If you choose to stop attending class and/or logging in to iCollege, complete the withdrawal process through the Registrar's Office by the specified dates, or you will receive an "F" for the course.

If you must be away for a certain period of time, please let the instructor know by email in advance.

Students’ academic success is the major priority of the College. Because regular participation enhances the learning process, students are expected to adhere to the attendance policy set forth by the College and individual faculty members. Differences in content and teaching styles exist among courses, which can impact students’ learning. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to attend all classes to better prepare them for assignments, tests, and other course-related activities. Students are accountable for assignments and material covered during an absence.

Science Department H1N1 Policy

This H1N1 influenza policy for the Science Division of GPC will supersede all policies found in the syllabi of individual science instructors for all courses offered during the Spring 2010 Semester.

The policies listed are given in a prioritized order of possible solutions to extended absences from class due to influenza; only proceed to the next numerical preference level if the previous level is not applicable to that student situation.

All students who have been absent because of the H1N1 flu are still responsible for the mastery of all the material presented in the course. It is only the avenues of how these students will make up the work and how they will be graded on that course content that will require some tailoring based on the situation (see below). It is the responsibility of the student to contact the college through the college’s absenteeism website link http://www.gpc.edu/absence within 24 hours of the onset of the illness.

FIRST LEVEL: All exams and laboratory exercises missed due to illness must be made-up, however any penalties associated with late work will be waived, and the time–frame for accepting late work will be extended. Missed laboratory exercises will be made-up in “Open Lab Periods” as long as the materials and lab set-up for the make-up will not interfere with the regularly scheduled laboratory exercises. All missed quizzes and daily homework assignments (if less than 20%of the total) will not be considered in the determination of the student’s course grade.
SECOND LEVEL: All exams missed due to illness must be made-up. Missed laboratory exercises, which are unfeasible for open-lab make up, will not be counted in the determination of their lab grade as long as the missing exercises are equal to or less than 20% of the total lab exercises. All missed quizzes and daily homework assignments (if less than 20% of the total for those components) will not be counted in determining the course grade.
THIRD LEVEL: If make-up exams (such as lab midterm exams) are impractical given an extended absence and the nature of the instructional material then the student is to be given the following two options: First, the points for the missed exam can be added to the weight given to the final examination in the determination of the student’s course grade, or; Second, the student can be given an “Incomplete” that follows all the procedures and ramifications associated with GPC and Departmental policies associated with an “I” (see bolded section in FOURTH LEVEL below).
FOURTH LEVEL: An “Incomplete” can be awarded without any option for a passing grade if the H1N1 flu illness occurs very late during the semester. This fourth option is to be employed when the absence late in the term involves missed exercises, exams, and scheduled graded assignments (homework) that constitute more than 20% of the basis for a student’s course grade and can not be made up by the time instructors are required to enter final grades. This fourth level is also to be employed when a student misses the final exam AND has contacted the college through the college’s absenteeism website link http://www.gpc.edu/absence within 24 hours of the onset of the illness. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange as soon as possible with the instructor a time and date to make up the missed final exam. Students who receive an Incomplete in a science lecture or lab course will be automatically purged from any courses that they are registered for the following term that list as a pre-requisite the course with the incomplete. Students cannot take any part (lecture or lab) of the next part of a science sequence until they have completed the missed work, and the instructor has completed a change of grade form (from an I to a C or better) and the grade change has been processed by the registrar. If the missed exam and/or coursework is not completed and the change of grade processing completed by the last day of classes during the following term (including summer term) the final grade will become an F. If a student misses the final exam and has not contacted the instructor through the college’s absenteeism website link http://www.gpc.edu/absence, then the student is awarded a score of “0” for their final exam score in the determination of their final grade.

Once the student has completed the missed work/final exam it is the instructor’s responsibility to PROMPTLY grade the work, and complete and submit a change of grade form to the Dept. Chair who will sign and forward promptly to the registrar. Students should realize that it may take a week or more before the registrar can record the change of grade.

Withdrawal Policy:

The midpoint of the semester is Tuesday March 15, 2011.

A student who officially withdraws by the midpoint of the course will receive a grade of "W". A student who withdraws after the midpoint of the quarter will receive a "WF" unless approval as a hardship withdrawal is received from the Dean. The instructor cannot withdraw students.

If you choose to stop logging in to iCollege, or to stop reading and responding to e-mails from the instructor, you must complete the withdrawal process through the Registrar's Office by the specified dates, or you will receive an "F" for the course.

If you are thinking about withdrawing, please let the instructor know in advance.

iCollege (formerly WebCT) Information:

This class uses iCollege (formerly WebCT) to enhance the on-campus course. iCollege is an online course management system that runs with a web browser. Some of your quizzes and exams will be given online in iCollege (formerly WebCT). iCollege supplies a discussion/announcements area, internal class e-mail, quizzes, and course materials.
For basic information, see the GPC iCollege page at the following address: http://icollege.gpc.edu.
Browser Check: You must check your web browser with the University System of Georgia Browser Checker http://www.usg.edu/usgweb/browserchecker/ to determine whether your computer and web browser will function properly with iCollege, the course management software.
Online iCollege Orientation: You must also work through the iCollege Student Orientation, which will introduce you to iCollege. The link to the Orientation is on the iCollege page, or go directly to http://www.gpc.edu/icollege/orientation/.
Obtaining your iCollege password: On or around the first day of classes, go to http://www.gpc.edu/getmylogin and follow the directions on the screen. You will need to enter your name, last 4 digits of social security number, GPC student number (900 number) and birth date. Read and agree to the computer usage policies. Click submit. Please write down your user name and password for your iCollege course(s). You may access this information 5 times, and after that you will have to call the Educational Technologies helpdesk for assistance at (678) 891-3460.
iCollege IDs may not be available before the first day of classes.
Accessing your course notes using iCollege: http://icollege.gpc.edu.
Technical Assistance: For technical assistance, please visit http://www.gpc.edu/icollege/help.html.
Logging Out of iCollege: Be sure you log out or close all copies of your web browser, so that others using the computer after you will not have access to your password-protected files. If you do not exit ALL copies of your web browser, someone using the computer after you could post messages to the e-mail and bulletin board under your identity!!

Policy on Academic Honesty:

Academic dishonesty (cheating and plagiarism) will not be tolerated. Read carefully the sections on Academic Honesty in the GPC Policy Manual.

Cell phones, laptops and other devices that could be used to record answers are to be turned OFF and put away in all classes in any class testing situation (quizzes, tests, etc.). Students may NOT use cell phones as calculators. If you need a calculator for quiz or a test, you should bring a separate calculator. Everything must be off the table except materials needed for testing.

A report will be filed for any alleged cheating or plagiarism incident. (See procedure in Academic Affairs Policy Manual.) Penalties may include suspension or expulsion.

Cheating on an exam will jeopardize your grade and may get you expelled; if you receive a zero on an exam it will be extremely difficult to receive a passing grade for the course.

Statement of Non-discrimination: Georgia Perimeter College supports the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order #11246, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of the college.

Any individual with a grievance related to the enforcement of any of the above provisions should contact the Assistant Director of Human Resources, Ombudsperson.

Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: If you are a student who is disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act and require assistance of support services, please seek assistance through the Center for Disability Services. A CDS Counselor will coordinate those services.

Equal Opportunity Statement: No person shall, on the basis of age, race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of Georgia Perimeter College.

Affirmative Action Statement: Georgia Perimeter College adheres to affirmative action policies designed to promote diversity and equal opportunity for all faculty and students.

You are expected to read and abide by the general policies of Georgia Perimeter College, as stated in the College Student Handbook, College Catalog and in the GPC Policy Manual http://www.gpc.edu/governance/policymanual.html.

Expected Educational Results

As a result of completing this course the student will be able to:

1. Understand and apply the major Geological Principles of Historical Geology.
2. Recognize and apply the methods of scientific Problem-solving and critical thinking.
3. Understand and discuss the interrelationships between the physical and biological history of the Earth.
4. Understand and apply the ways in which geologic materials are dated.
5. Understand the Geologic evidence for evolution.
6. Understand and know the classification of the major fossil groups.
7. Understand and apply data related to environments in which sedimentary materials are deposited.
8. Understand and discuss the origin of the Universe, Solar System, and the Earth.
9. Understand and discuss the origin of life and the various evidences from the fossil record the origin of life.

General Education Outcomes:

I. This course addresses the general education outcome relating to communications as follows:

A. Students develop their reading comprehension skills by reading the textbook and handout materials.
B. Students develop their listening skills through lecture and group problem solving. Lecture material is presented that is not included in the textbook or handout material and is included as part of the exams or tests.
C. Students develop their writing skills through a variety of homework assignments, tests, and quizzes.
D. Students develop their speaking skills through class discussions, by asking questions in class as well as interactions with their peer in and out of class.

II. This course addresses the general education outcomes of recognition and application of scientific inquiry as follows:

A. Students must apply the geological principles to explain various observed natural phenomena that occur on the Earth's surface as well as in the interior of the earth.
B. Students will develop their observation skill to be able to recognize the various geological features and life that lived on the earth through its history.
C. Students will develop the skills of inquiry by use of the scientific method to experience, evaluate, and synthesize data as applied to various geological problems.

III. This course addresses the general education outcomes of identification and evaluation of basic global, economic, and geographic forces as pertains to geology as well as to analyze how these forces shape the present and future, and possibly the past.

A. The study of Historical Geology will address the issues of the interaction of man/life and the earth.
B. The interaction of life and the environment as it pertains to earth materials and its history are included in this course.

IV. This course addresses the general education outcomes of developing effective individual and at times group problem-solving and critical thinking skills as applied to geology.

A. A student will develop their ability to problem-solve and critically think by applying their acquired knowledge of geology to various problems that deal with historical geology issues.

Course Content:

I. Introduction
    A. Fundamental principles of Geology
    B. Sedimentary Rock Record
    C. Geologic time
    D. Evolution
    E. Life on Earth

II. Origins
    A. The Universe
    B. The Earth
    C. The Atmosphere
    D. Life

III. History
    A. Precambrian Life & Tectonics
    B. Paleozoic Life & Tectonics
    C. Mesozoic Life & Tectonics
    D. Cenozoic Life & Tectonics

Syllabus dated January 13, 2011.

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Georgia Perimeter College