THIS POLICY STATEMENT IS TO BE USED FOR ONLY GLG 110 SECTION 301
CLICK HERE FOR:
1. Introduction to Policy Statement 8. Student Responsibilities
2..Catalog Description 9. Extra Credit
3. Required Text 10. Dropping the Course
4. Grading for the Course 11. Field Trips
5. Lecture Exams and Quizzes 12. Student's with Disabilities and Affirmative Action Statement
6. Cheating 13. Class Topic Schedule and Internet Notes
7. Attendance
POLICY STATEMENT

GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY,
GEOLOGY AND PLANNING

GLG 110 (PHYSICAL GEOLOGY) Dr. Erwin J.  Mantei
LECTURE SECTION 301 (T, 6:30-9:20 pm) Office: Temple 367
TEMPLE HALL 372 Phone: 836-5446
Office Hours: T,R = 8:00 - 9:50 am
  Spring 2009 SEMESTER

I. CATALOG DESCRIPTION AND COURSE GOALS
GLG 110 Physical Geology. 4(3-2) F,S. Partially fulfills the general education requirements in the natural sciences. An introduction to the study of the earth. Topics include minerals and rocks; dynamic internal processes including volcanism, earthquakes, plate tectonics, and mountain building: and surface processes associated with streams, ground water, glaciers, wind and shorelines. Laboratory instruction in identification and classification of common minerals and rocks; introduction to and interpretation of topographic maps.
 

COURSE GOALS AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS OF THE COURSE AND THE GOALS OF THE SMSU GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

 

GLG 110 (Principles of Geology) is a General Education course.  The instructional goals of GLG 110 are related to the goals of the SMSU General Education program as follows:

 

GLG 110 Instructional Goal #1. Teach the general education student how to identify and classify common minerals and rocks for the purpose of developing an understanding of their importance in the continued economic development of a prosperous society.  This instructional goal of GLG 110 relates directly to the following goals of the SMSU General Education program: I.B.2, I.B.3, I.B.4, I.C.2, I.C.4, I.C.5, I.D.2, I.D.3, II.A.1, II.A.3, II.A.5, II.B.3., and II.B.5.

 

GLG 110 Instructional Goal #2. Teach the general education student to understand the role of dynamic internal earth processes such as volcanism, earthquakes, plate tectonics, and mountain building as they control the evolution of the earth's crust and the geographic distribution of natural resources.  This instructional goal of GLG 110 relates directly to the following goals of the SMSU General Education program: I.B.2, I.B.3, I.B.4, I.C.2, II.A.1, II.A.3, II.A.4, II.B.4., and II.B.5.

 

GLG 110 Instructional Goal #3. Teach the general education student to recognize and interpret the role of surficial earth processes such as running surface water, ground water, glaciers, wind, and ocean waves and currents in the sculpting of the earth's surface.  This instructional goal of GLG 110 relates directly to the following goals of the SMSU General Education program: I.B.3, I.B.4, I.B.5, I.C.2, I.C.4, I.D.2, I.D.3, II.A.1, II.A.3, II.A.4, II.A.5, II.B.4, and II.B.5.

 

GLG 110 Instructional Goal #4.  Teach the general education student to read and use topographic contour maps to:  a) determine the relative size and distance between features as represented at different scales, b) describe the location of features according to both latitude and longitude and the Congressional Land Survey System, c) locate drainage divides and determine stream gradients, and d) interpret the development of erosional and depositional landforms in both temperate and arid regions, with emphasis on the stream and groundwater (Karst) features predominant in the Ozarks region.  This instructional goal of GLG 110 relates directly to the following goals of the SMSU General Education program: I.B.3, I.B.4, I.B.5, I.C.1, I.C.2, I.C.4, I.D.2, I.D.3, II.A.1, II.A.4, II.A.5, II.B.3., II.B.4, and II.B.5.

II. REQUIRED TEXT
A. The required text for the lecture part of the course is The Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (9th ed.) By Edward J Tarbuck and Frederick K Lutgens. Also, the interactive CD-Rom-Geode is important. I will frequently refer to figures similar to that in the text during my lectures, so it would be to your advantage to bring your copy to class with you.
B. Detailed notes on the lecture material and animated PowerPoint lecture slides are available on my Internet page at:
http://courses.missouristate.edu/emantei/creative/

  Use of the internet notes is optional. You are not required to use them.  If you
  do,    
BRING NOTES TO CLASS AND ADD MORE DURING THE LECTURE.
III. GRADING OF THE COURSE
Your course grade for GLG 110 will be based 67% on your performance in lecture and 33% on your performance in lab. At the end of the semester your instructor will then determine your Total Course Percentage according to the following formula:
Total Course Percentage = 0.67 x Total Lecture Percentage = 0.33 x Total Laboratory Percentage
Your instructor will then determine your course grade from your Total Course Percentage according to the following fixed scale:
90.00 and above A
80.00 to 89.99 B
70.00 to 79.99 C
60.00 to 69.99 D
59.99 and below F
IV. LECTURE EXAMS AND QUIZZES:
There will be four exams over the lecture material. Three of these exams will be given during regularly scheduled lecture periods, and the fourth will be given during the Terminal Class Period on Finals Week. None of the four lecture exams is comprehensive; each exam covers approximately one-fourth of the lecture material. All four of these exams and the topic material are listed on the accompanying Course Outline.

In addition, there will be pop quizzes. Material subject for quizzing can include any material covered in the lecture prior to the quiz, including materials covered during the same period. The semester totals on the quizzes will be equal to one lecture exam. The purpose of the quizzes is to help you "keep up" with the topics and be attentive in class.

In GLG 110 lecture the median score will be calculated for each exam. If the median falls below 70% on any exam, the scores for that exam for all students will be adjusted upward by adding the number of points necessary to bring the median to 70%. Under no circumstance will an individual student be allowed to take an exam later than the rest of the class. If you will be out of town on a school-sponsored activity on one of the exam dates, you must contact your GLG 110 instructor at least two weeks in advance to make arrangements to take the exam early.

Absolutely no make-up exams or quizzes will be given under any circumstances! If you miss an exam or quiz no matter how legitimate your reason, your grade for that exam or quiz will be "0".

V. CHEATING

Cheating on exams is a very serious offense and will be dealt with accordingly. The first occurrence of cheating by a student in this class will result in a grade of "O" being assigned for the exam in question. (Note: A "O" grade received for cheating on an exam cannot be replaced by a higher score as a result of the "bonus" attendance policy described below.) A second occurrence of cheating by the same student will result in an automatic "F" for the course.

VI. ATTENDANCE, POST TEST AND FIELD TRIP SCORES  IN LECTURE

    ATTENDANCE

In accordance with the resolution proposed by the Student Government Association and approved by the Faculty Senate, your attendance in lecture will not be used in any negative way in the determination of your grade for this course. In other words, your course grade will not be lowered simply by skipping lectures. However, at least for most students, regular attendance in lecture will be essential for mastery of the material presented in this course. Therefore, we offer the following optional "bonus plan" to encourage regular attendance in lecture.
Your attendance will be recorded for each of the non-exam lecture periods. At the end of the semester your Lecture Attendance Percentage will be calculated based on the fraction of those non-exam lecture periods you attend. If this Lecture Attendance Percentage exceeds your score on any of the first three lecture exams or quiz total your Lecture Attendance Percentage may automatically be substituted for the lowest of those three lecture exam scores or quiz total before your Total Lecture Percentage is determined. (Note: If your Lecture Attendance Percentage does not exceed your score on any of the first three lecture exams or quiz total then your Total Lecture Percentage will be determined simply by averaging the four lecture exam scores and quiz total.) The attendance percentage will not replace any exam score or quiz total of 50% or below (after normalization). You must be present and in your assigned seat when your instructor takes role in order to be marked present in attendance for that class.  ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSES--you are either present or not present .
Please note that this attendance policy is designed to be a positive incentive (i.e. "bonus") for regular attendance rather than a negative disincentive (i.e. "punishment") for poor attendance. If you do not wish to attend lecture regularly, that is your prerogative; you can demonstrate your mastery of the subject matter simply by taking the exams and quizzes. However, statistical analyses of student performance in this course over the past several years have indicated that almost no one who has skipped a significant number of the lectures has been able to do very well on the lecture exams. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to attend lecture regularly.

   POST TEST
A comprehensive (post-test) exam will be given during the first part of the terminal (final exam) lecture period.  The second portion of this period is scheduled for the 4th lecture exam (May 12th).  You may use the score on this post-test exam as you did for your attendance score--same rules apply. 

 

  FIELD TRIP ADJUSTMENT TO FINAL LECTURE SCORE
Percentage points will be added to your lecture score just before that number is multiplied by 0.67 for grade determination (see grade determination method above), if you have attended 1 or both of the non-mandatory field trips listed below. If you attend the one day field trip, your lecture grade will increase by 1% points.  If you attend the weekend field trip, your lecture grade will increase by 2% points.  Maximum # of % points added is 2.

VII. STUDENT DUTIES

1. Budgeting Time for Study. It is one of the primary responsibilities of a college student to budget enough time to study effectively for each course. As a general rule of thumb, you should plan for at least two hours of out-of-class study for each hour of in-class lecture time and at least one hour of out-of-class study for each hour of in-class lab time. In other words, you should expect to spend at least ten hours each week studying for GLG 110. However, the specific amount of study time needed to obtain a passing grade in this course will vary from student to student, and in no case will grades be determined on how hard the student tries or how long the student has studied.
2. Obtaining Notes for Missed Lectures. If a student misses a lecture, it is that student’s responsibility to obtain notes from some other member of the class. Remember, detailed notes are available on my Internet home page.
3. Seeking Outside Help. It is the responsibility of the student to seek help in understanding material covered in this course before irreparable damage is done to the student’s course grade. Both your lecture instructor and your lab instructor will be happy to answer questions and provide additional one-on-one help during their office hours or at any other mutually convenient time. However, it is the student’s responsibility to prepare for this additional help by thoroughly reading the assigned material and carefully reviewing class notes before going to the instructor’s office so that the student can communicate in a coherent fashion and with specific questions what material has not been understood. If your instructor asks you "What don’t you understand?" and you answer "Everything", then you are not adequately prepared to be able to take advantage of the additional help your instructor could provide.
4. Avoiding Class Disruptions. In a large lecture class it is easy for one person to create disruption that can disturb a large number of people. Instructors at MSU have the authority to suspend or drop a student who is disrupting a class. Disruptions that have caused problems in GLG 110 in the past include:
*excessive talking or joking during lecture.
*smoking in or immediately outside the lecture hall.
*use of chewing tobacco or "smokeless" tobacco in or immediately outside the lecture hall.
*consistently arriving late for lecture.
*leaving lecture early (without making prior arrangements with the instructor).
*rustling papers, notebooks, and book bags during the last few minutes of lecture.
*cell phones are to turned off during class time
Any student who is being bothered by any such disturbance should bring that situation to the attention of the instructor (either during or after lecture) so that the instructor can see to it that the offender stops creating the disturbance.

VIII. EXTRA CREDIT

Absolutely no extra credit work will be assigned in this course for any reason! Please don’t ask.

IX. DROPPING

Despite what you may hear from some of your peers, no one is automatically dropped from this course for non-attendance. If you simply stop coming to this class, you will receive a grade of "F" unless you officially drop the course of officially withdraw from the university at the due date before the end of the semester.

X. FIELD TRIPS

Geology is fundamentally a field-oriented science. Therefore, we offer two optional field trips in conjunction with this course:

1. Bedrock Geology of the Springfield area
*One day (Saturday)--March 14, 8:30am --about 4:00 pm---details to come later
2. Precambrian Geology of the St. Francois Mountains, southeastern Missouri
*Weekend ---April 17th, 5:00pm--April 19th,7:00 pm---details to come later

XI. DISABILITIES

Any student with a physical or learning disability should arrange to meet with the lecture instructor as soon as possible to discuss any possible problems that can be foreseen with this course. Any student who wishes further information abut services available to students with disabilities should contact:

Coordinator, Disability Services, PLSU Room 405 : (417)836-4192.

"MSU makes reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Please see the instructor if you need reasonable accommodation."

XII. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION STATEMENT
Missouri State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. Inquiries should be addressed to Jana Estergard, Affirmative Action Officer, Office of Human Resources, Missouri State University, SiCL Hall 296, Springfield, Missouri 65804, (417)836-4252.
GLG 110, SECTION C
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

DATE LECTURE TOPICS Readings
Jan. 13 T Analyze Syllabus Bring Syllabus to class
Jan. 13  Introduction: Earth’s dynamic nature Chapter 1, pp. 1-28
Jan. 20 T continued  
Jan. 20  Matter; Bonding & Non-silicate minerals Chapter 3, pp. 71-99
Jan. 27 T continued; Silicate minerals
Jan. 27  continued; Igneous rocks Chapter 4, pp 101-123
Feb. 3 T continued; Volcanoes Chapter 5, pp. 125-163
Feb. 3 continued;  
Feb.10 T continued;  
Feb.17 Exam 1: Introduction to volcanoes inclusive.  
Feb.17  Weathering Chapter 6, pp. 165-191
Feb.24 T continued: Sedimentary rocks Chapter 7, pp. 193-219
Feb.24 continued:
Mar. 3 T Metamorphic rocks; Age determination Chapter 8, pp. 221-245: Chapter 9, pp. 247-271
Mar. 3 Earthquakes                                                                Chapter 11, pp.295-32
Mar.10 T continued: Earth’s Interior; Chapter 12, pp. 325-347
Mar.10 Continental Drift; Plate Tectonics Chapter 2, pp. 35-69
Mar.17 T Exam 2: Weathering Rocks to Earth’s Interior Inclusive  
Mar.17 continued: Geologic Structures (crustal deformation) Chapter 10, pp. 273-293
Mar. 21-29 SPRING BREAK  
Mar. 31 T continued:Streams (running water) Chapter 16, pp. 423-455
Apr. 7 T Exam 3; Continental drift, Plate tectonics, Geologic Structures, inclusive
Apr. 7 continued:
Apr. 9-12 SPRING HOLIDAY
Apr.14 T continued:  Groundwater Chapter 17, pp. 457-481
Apr.14 continued:  
Apr.21 T Glaciers Chapter 18, pp. 483-513
Apr.21 continued;
Apr.28 T continued;
Apr.28 Deserts and Wind Action Chapter 19 pp. 515-535
May 5 T continued
May 5 continued
May 12 T Exam 4: Streams to wind action inclusive & Post Test  (8-10 pm p.m.)

con