Instructor: Dr. Pamela J. W. Gore, Professor of Geology
E-mail address: pgore@gpc.edu
Dr. Gore's Home Page: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/gore.htm
Office phone: (678) 891-3754
Clarkston Campus Science Department Secretary (for emergencies):(678) 891-3766
     FAX: (678) 891-3747 (in secretary's office).
     Please do not fax homework.  Include instructor's name and YOUR NAME on ALL faxed pages.
Office room number: CC-2161 (Clarkston Campus)
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 1:00-3:00 pm, TuTh 10:30 am-12:00 pm
The instructor may be 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, either in class at the appropriate time, by e-mail, by phone during office hours, or in person during office hours (call first to be sure I am not in a meeting or on another campus).

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.

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.

The textbook may not cover all of the material presented in this course.

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.

By submitting the online information and release form, you are also stating that you have received a syllabus or have received the online address of the syllabus. You also agree that you understand that you are responsible for ALL of the information in this syllabus. You agree to abide by the highest standard of academic honesty.

Lecture Schedule and Related Information:

• The detailed Weekly Lecture Schedule, assignments, quizzes, exams, and required readings is posted at http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/online/historical-online-lecture-schedule-spring2008.htm. This schedule is tentative and may change. All changes will be announced in class. There will be homework assignments. There may be additional quizzes.
   
• There are no scheduled class meetings. Classes are delivered using WebCT Vista with your web browser. You must log into WebCT Vista so that your class attendance and progress can be tracked.
   
• Online course notes for each chapter, written by your instructor, are available at the textbook publisher's web site with chapter tutorials, quizzes, and web links:
  http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=resource&bcsId=2757&itemId=0471697435&resourceId=7947
   

• In case of difficulty with WebCT, see links to syllabus, Weekly Lecture Schedule, and course notes online at: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/online/historical.php
   

• You may access the course materials, quizzes, e-mail, discussion area, etc. according to your own schedule, but you must keep up with the weekly lecture schedule. This schedule is tentative and may change. All changes will be announced in WebCT. There may be additional quizzes or assignments.
   
• 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. Out-of-area students check with Dr. Gore for substitute assignment.
   
• The Midterm and Final exam must be proctored.  These exams are offered in-person by your instructor at the Clarkston Campus.  The campus Testing Centers can be used for exams by appointment if arranged at least a week in advance. A proctor can be arranged if you are out of the area, which will be at your expense, if necessary.
    
• It is strongly advised that you set up a regularly scheduled time to work on the course each week.

  You should plan on at least 10 hours per week dedicated to this course.
  This must include:
   

  • Reading and responding to your internal WebCT Vista e-mail and outside e-mail daily.
  • Reading all postings on the class Discussion area daily.
  • Posting to the Discussion area for required postings, general questions related to course work, and to participate in discussions.
  • Reading the WebCT Vista weekly lecture schedule where all assignment due dates, quiz dates, etc. will be posted.
  • Reading online course notes (at least weekly, as assigned).
  • Reading the textbook chapters corresponding to the assigned class notes (at least weekly, as assigned).
  • Viewing/reading all relevant materials on the Textbook Publisher's website.
  • Outside readings as needed to supplement course material.
  • Taking notes on all readings.
  • Working on homework assignments, papers, reports, or projects as assigned, and submitting them by the deadline dates.
  • Be sure that you know all of the bold terms in the textbook in the assigned pages.
  • Be sure to think about the review questions at the end of each chapter.

  Please be sure you have set aside adequate time!!!

WebCT Vista is your online classroom.  WebCT Vista supplies a Discussion area, internal class e-mail, quizzes, and course materials.

Visit http://gpc.edu/webct/ for information on WebCT Vista.

Browser Check:

You must check your web browser with the Georgia View Vista Browser Checker to determine whether your computer and web browser will function properly with WebCT Vista, the course management software.

Online WebCT Vista Orientation:

You must also work through the required Online Orientation/WebCT Vista Tutorial. The link to the Orientation may be found at http://gpc.edu/webct/.

On or around the first day of classes, go to http://gpc.edu/webct/ and follow the directions on the screen. You will need to enter your student number (no hyphens) and birthdate in the specified format. Click submit. Please write down your user name and password for your WebCT course(s). You may access this information three times, and after that you will have to call the Educational Technologies helpdesk for assistance at (678) 891-3460.

WebCT Vista IDs may not be available before the first day of classes.

Accessing your course notes using WebCT Vista:

The class is to be accessed through the following password-protected web page:  http://gpc.edu/webct/

For technical assistance, please visit the WebCT Vista Online Support Center.

Logging Out of WebCT Vista

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!!

Quizzes are available in WebCT Vista. You get three attempts at each online quiz to help you master the material. Quizzes must be taken during specified dates. All online quizzes are closed book, closed note quizzes. Students are not to give or receive help on the quizzes.

Additional practice quizzes, written by your instructor, are available on the textbook publisher's website. 

There will be two proctored exams, a Midterm and a Final.  Exams are given on Clarkston Campus in the Geology Lab (CC-1150) or by appointment at a Testing Center. You must make your own appointment at a Testing Center.  You will need a photo ID to use a Testing Center.

If you are out-of-the area or unable to come to campus, you may be able to arrange for an approved outside proctor (at your own expense).  Consult with your instructor for details.

Please inform the instructor when and where you will be taking your exam, by posting to the class Discussion area in WebCT Vista, so the instructor can arrange to send your exam to the Testing Center or proctor.  This must be done at least a week in advance.  Do not wait until the last day or two, or there will not be time to get your examination materials to the Testing Center.

The Midterm exam is the week of February 25, 2008.

The Final Exam may be taken during  the week of April 28, 2008 or during the final exam period, May 1-7, 2008. 

THE FINAL EXAM IS CUMULATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE

Basis of Grading:

Academic dishonesty (cheating and plagiarism) will not be tolerated. Students should read the sections on cheating and plagiarism in the Georgia Perimeter College Student Handbook and Georgia Perimeter College Catalog.

Cheating includes (among other things), use of unauthorized papers (or a cell phone or pager) during a quiz or exam (no matter what the content), looking at any notes or books or other materials during an unproctored online quiz, talking with someone about the quiz material during an unproctored online quiz, telling a student who has not taken the quiz or exam about the quiz or exam after you have taken it, copying from another student's paper during a test, allowing another student to copy from your paper during a test, unauthorized access to old exams or to an exam given to the class if you are taking it late for some reason, copying another student's homework assignments, using or turning in a photocopy of another student's assigned work, paying someone to write a paper or do an assignment for you, buying or downloading a term paper, or leaving the room during a test without permission or before turning in your paper. Cheating also includes giving a false excuse to the instructor in order to get the instructor to give extended time, an incomplete, or other consideration relating to a grade.

With online testing, it is particularly important to pay strict attention to academic honesty. Do not access a test online before you are ready to take it. Do not look at a printout of the test before you take it. Do not look at your books or notes or other papers while taking an online test. Do not have another person take the test for you. Do not have another person tell you answers to the test.

Plagiarism includes copying any phrases, sentence, or sentences verbatim from the reference source without using quotation marks and without providing a complete reference (author, date, source of material, volume, pages, etc.), or printing out an article directly from a computer database (such as Encarta or off the web) and turning it in as your own work. Students must read, synthesize, and write their own original sentences; learn to paraphrase. Even when paraphrasing, a complete reference must be provided to the paraphrased sentences. NEVER steal words directly from any source and present them as your own.

Students are responsible for doing their own work, even if they "work together". If two papers are turned in that show great similarity such that the instructor interprets it as evidence of cheating or plagiarism, both will be penalized.

A report will be filed with the Campus Dean of Student Affairs for any alleged cheating or plagiarism incident. (See procedure in College Catalog.) The case will be heard by the College Court. Penalties may include suspension or expulsion.

The faculty member is free to assign the grade he or she thinks is appropriate for the assignment or quiz, or exam, or for the semester (regardless of any outcome from College Court).

Any student found by the instructor to have represented someone else's work as his/her own, will receive a zero for that quiz, exam, or assignment for the first offense. The second offense will result in the assignment of a grade of "F" for the course. (If several papers are turned in together or at the same time, and each contains evidence of cheating or plagiarism, they will be considered as separate offenses, and will result in immediate assignment of a grade of "F" for the course.) This policy applies to cheating or plagiarism on extra credit work as well.

Cheating on an exam will jeopardize your grade; 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:

Equal Opportunity Statement:

You are expected to read and abide by the general policies of Georgia Perimeter College, as stated in the College Student Handbook, and in the College Catalog.

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.

Course Content: