| 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. |
|---|---|
| Class objectives: | To learn the composition of the Earth (three rock groups, interior of the Earth), plate tectonics (how continents move & change over time), and surface processes. The origin of Earth and its place in the solar system, weather and marine processes, and how these systems interact. |
| Class time: | Monday through
Thursday, 9-10:30 AM. There will be no class on Wednesday, July 4, in
honor of the Fourth of July holiday. The last day of regular
class is Wednesday, Aug. 8.
The |
| Class room: | Cosumnes River College, LRC106 |
| Instructor: | Hiram Jackson tel: (916) 691-7605 (rollover to voice mail) e-mail: jacksoh@crc.losrios.edu |
| Teaching style: | interactive lecture,
that may include videos, overhead transparencies,
slides, computers animations, and maps. Your questions are
generally welcome throughout the lecture |
| Notes: | Copies of some class notes may be available on the class webpage at http://crc.losrios.edu/~jacksoh . If you do not have access to the World Wide Web, 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 Mondays
through Thursdays, 10:45-12:10 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: | M-Th, 12:15-1:15 pm or by appointment, room LRC128 Please see my class schedule for more information. |
| Textbook: | Earth Science,
12th ed. (2009) by Tarbuck and Lutgens which sells for about $100 in
the
bookstore.
A Student Study Guide is optional. If you have little or no experience taking physical science classes, or you think that science has not been a very strong field for you, I suggest you consider getting it to help you review and study between classes. |
| Exams: | There will be three
midterms -- June 17, July 6, and July 21 -- and a final on
Thursday, July 29 from 9 to 10:30 AM |
| Expectations: |
You are expected to
read at a level (college level) that will allow you to understand the
concepts presented in your textbook. You are also expected to
attend every class (unless you have an emergency situation), keep up
with the reading assignments and materials in the textbook, bring your
textbook to class, bring materials to take notes, and take appropriate
measures to study in a way that allows you to understand the course
concepts and perform well on the tests. You may expect that this class will require, on average, about 2-3 hours of outside study for each hour of class lecture for an 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. |
| Homework: | Homework is assigned every week and is due at the beginning of the next class period. |
| Makeup policy: | You must contact me before 9 am 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 2 days of the scheduled exam. 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. |
| 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 This project on a movie, can add up to 10 points to your midterm exam average. Grades will be calculated on the following scale: 90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C, 60-69% D, <60 oops!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 feel 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 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 in mid July. There is no extra credit for going on the field trip, but it can help you with the optional project mentioned above. |
| Classroom rules: |
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 ringers, beepers, alarms, or other
noise-producing devices when class begins. Please do not eat food
during
class. If you have to arrive late or leave early during class, I
appreciate an advance courtesy notice. |
Last update 6/18/2018
Webpage designed by Hiram Jackson.
Contact Geology webmanager, Hiram
Jackson, at jacksoh@crc.losrios.edu