| Course description: | Earth Science is an introductory course covering major topics in geology, oceanography, meteorology, astronomy, scientific method, and philosophy of science. This course is designed for non-science majors. |
|---|---|
| Student
learning objectives: |
SLO#1: Apply the Scientific Method to evaluating
Earth science processes. SLO#2: Evaluate temporal and spatial dimensions in which Earth originated and exists. SLO#3: Apply plate tectonic theory to formulate geologic settings for physical processes. SLO#4: Examine how we determine Earth's interior and solid surface compositions SLO#5: Investigate how different aspects of atmospheric change contribute to weather and climate. SLO#6: Survey Earth's basic marine processes. SLO#7: Assess the impacts of Earth processes on human activity, and human activity on Earth processes. |
| Class time: | MW, 10:30-11:50 AM.
The last day of regular class is Wednesday, December 7.
There will be no class scheduled for Monday, September 5 in honor of
Labor Day,
The |
| Class room: | Cosumnes River
College, SCI 109 |
| Instructor: | Hiram Jackson Office: SCI 111 tel: (916) 691-7605 (rollover to voice mail) e-mail: jacksoh@crc.losrios.edu |
| Teaching style: | Interactive lecture,
along with videos, overhead transparencies, slides, computers
animations, and maps. |
| Notes: | Copies of some class notes may be available on the class webpage at http://web.crc.losrios.edu/~jacksoh . If you do not have access to the internet, you can access it through various computer centers on campus. |
| Units: | This course is worth
three units of physical science lecture credit. A lab
for Geology 305 is offered under the catalog listing, Geology 306,
Earth Science Lab, is meant to complement this class. Geology 305
is a pre- or co-requisite for the lab. Geology 306 is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays, noon-1:20
p.m. and Tuesday-Thursday, noon-1:20 p.m. on the CRC campus.
Students intending to pursue a teaching credential will find this class most useful, as it is part of the "blended" program. |
| Office hours: | Monday/Wednesday:
1:30-2:30 p.m. Tuesday/Thursday: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Friday: 11-noon or by appointment, room SCI 111 Please see my class schedule for more information. |
| Textbook: | Earth Science,
14th ed. (2015) by Tarbuck and Lutgens which is available for sale in
the
CRC bookstore.
All of these books are
available on reserve in the CRC Library. |
| Exams: | There will be three midterms -- September 14, October 19, and November 23 -- and a final on Monday, December 12 from 10:15 - 12:15. |
| Study
expectations: |
You may expect that this class will require, on average,
about 3 hours of outside study for each hour of class lecture for the
average student to receive an average grade (C or B). Efficient,
effective studying can reduce some of that study time. If you
feel the need to improve your study skills, please consult your
academic counselor. You are expected to follow the reading material throughout the semester and to take notes as needed in lecture. Advanced outside preparation (reading, reviewing notes) will assist your ability to understand the lecture material. |
| Homework: | Homework is assigned every week and is due at the beginning of the next class period. |
| Makeup policy: | You must contact me before 10:30 a.m. on the scheduled day of an exam if you must miss an exam. Please briefly explain the nature of your absence, and when you expect to be able to make it up. Please be aware that I will not return graded exams until all makeups have been given. I generally expect makeups to be taken within a week of the scheduled exam (a test given on a Monday will have all make-ups done before class on the following Monday). In-class quizzes cannot be made up. I will allow for one missed quiz for the homework/quiz portion of the grade. |
| Cheating: | You are expected to
turn in your own work. You are to take all exams based on what
you remember from studying (no notes, textbooks, or anything
else will be available). Anyone caught cheating may face one or
more of the following penalties: no grade for the assignment, an F for
the course, probation or suspension from the college. Plagiarism
is also a category of cheating that may be punished
in the same manner mentioned above. Please consult the CRC Honor Code here for further related discussion. |
| Attendance policy: | There is no specific
penalty for absences, but with excessive absences you risk
understanding the class material, not being able to take class quizzes
or exams, or being dropped from the class roster. If you must be
absent, please leave a message indicating what the nature of your
absence is, and what arrangements you can make to make up the necessary
work. |
| Grading: | Homeworks
and quizzes 30% Midterms 50% Final 20% Optional project: replaces lowest test grade Other projects may be announced later. Grades will be calculated on the following scale: 90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C, 60-69% D, <60 oops!There is no curving of grades for individual assignments. Final grades might be curved at my discretion, but at a minimum, the above grade intervals are guaranteed. At any time, current individual grades are available from the gradebook option on D2L. Grades are a measure of your performance on assignments and tests in this class, and are not to be interpretted as any reflection of what I think of you as a person. We hope that this measure of performance shows how well you understand and master the class material. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact me. |
| Grade
Discrepancies: |
If you think that I have made a mistake in calculating your
grade, please see me. Please save your tests and homework if you
wish to bring a grade discrepancy to my attention. |
| Note: | Students with individual needs or accomodations should contact me as soon as possible outside of class. |
| Field trip: | There is no formal or required field trip for this class, however I propose leading a voluntary field trip on a weekend day in October and. There is no extra credit for going on the field trip, but it can help you with the optional project mentioned above. |
| Classroom environment: |
Please end all
private conversations once class begins. Arrive on
time to class. If you arrive late, please enter quietly and take
a seat near the door.
If you must leave early, please tell me before class that you will
leave
early and take a seat near the door. Please also turn off all
cell
phones, watch alarms, and pagers during class. Please do not eat
food
during class. Please respect your fellow classmates in their
efforts
to learn the material (no disrespect, raise hands for questions). |
Last update 8/23/2016
Webpage designed by Hiram Jackson.
Contact Geology webmanager, Hiram
Jackson, at jacksoh@crc.losrios.edu