Scope of the Course: Historical geology is the study of the Earth's history, from its formation along with the rest of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago up to the present time. We'll begin the semester by learning some basics of geology, biology, and physics -what rocks can tell us about Earth's past, the fossil record that lets us reconstruct prehistoric life, and how radioactive decay has allowed scientists to determine how long ago events took place. We'll then run through Earth history, looking at the arrangement of the continents, climatic conditions, and (especially) the long history of life on our planet - from the earliest bacteria to the development of modern humans. That story of life is punctuated by a handful of major mass extinctions, the most famous (but, not the largest!) of which led to the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Our existence appears to have been contingent on a myriad of earlier events, at least some of which (like the cosmic collision of 65 million years ago) appear to have been more or less "random". As with all kinds of history, this course should enhance your appreciation of the present, and your view of the future, by showing you how we reached our current state!

Course Goals: By the end of the semester it is my expectation that each of you will

1. have a good understanding of the nature and limitations of scientific knowledge, and will be able to discuss the links between science, technology and society.
2. be able to demonstrate a familiarity with some basic principles of geology, biology, and physics and to apply those principles to enhance your understanding of Earth history.
3. be able to discuss current ideas about the physical history of our planet, including changes in climate and the positions of the continents, and the evidence on which those ideas are based.
4. be able to discuss current ideas about the history of life on the Earth, and the evidence on which those ideas are based.

Textbook: Stanley, S.A. (2005) Earth System History (2nd edition). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company (approximately $67 new, "notebook" style). A copy of the first edition of the text is on reserve in the library, along with a couple of other introductory historical geology textbooks.

Course Roles and Responsibilities: Your primary responsibility in this course is to actively engage in learning geology. Among other things, this means attending class regularly and being well-prepared for class (for example, by completing assigned readings or homework problems - in general, you should expect to spend 1-2 hours outside of class for each hour in class). Active engagement also means monitoring your own understanding of course concepts, being willing to ask questions when you recognize that you don't follow something, and being willing to change your ideas about things if the evidence suggests that some of your earlier notions were incorrect! My primary responsibility is to help you achieve a good understanding of Earth history. To that end, I'll be presenting a variety of ways for you to approach the material (including mini-lectures, small-group activities, and readings), frequently punctuated by questions or other opportunities for you to assess your understanding. I will also strive to return your graded work in a timely fashion, almost always at the class meeting after which the work was submitted.

Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. An attendance sheet will be passed around at the beginning of each class period. It is your responsibility to make sure that you initial that sheet. Three "unquestioned absences" are allowed without penalty, and are intended to cover minor illnesses, family or work obligations, and other similar issues. Only absences for a documented (physician's note) illness will be considered "excused". Good attendance (fewer than 3 absences, excused or not) will be rewarded by increasing your semester average for the course prior to the assignment of grades. The following scale will be used: 0 absences = +12 pts (2.0%), 1 absence = +8 pts (1.4%), 2 absences = + 4 pts (0.7%). More than three unexcused absences may result in a reduction of your final course average.

Classroom Behavior: Please arrive for class on time and ready to participate, and be sure to turn off cell phones and other potentially distracting electronics when you arrive. If you are unavoidably a few minutes late, please enter quietly and take a seat, causing as little distraction as possible to the class. Please do ask questions at any point during the class! Please do volunteer answers to my questions by raising your hand - I'll usually wait a while until a number of people are prepared to answer before calling on someone, so be patient! Please do participate actively in think-pair-share questions and in group activities - that participation will be essential to your success in the course! Class will usually last throughout our allotted time - please do not start putting away your things until I signal that we're done for the day.

Grading: Grades will be based on the following work (percentages approximate):

• 262.5 pts. (45%) - four 15-minute quizzes and three "hour" exams
• 150 pts. (26%) - class participation (homework/reading journal, activities)
• 125 pts. (21%) - comprehensive final exam (20% group portion)
• 50 pts. (8%) - rock and fossil quizzes

Quizzes will count 25 points, with the "hour exams" each counting 75 points. The best three quiz grades will be combined to give a fourth "hour exam" grade. The lowest of the four "hour exam" grades will count only half as much as the others. There will be approximately a dozen group activities, and the two lowest scores will be dropped. Homework assignments (mostly responses to assigned readings) will be completed in a journal, which will be collected randomly during the semester (see separate handout). At the end of the semester, course grades will be assigned based on the following scale (out of a total of 587.5 possible points):

Quizzes and Exams: The quizzes and exams will be based primarily on material covered in class, but will also include questions related to assigned readings in the textbook and other sources. Each exam will cover material from throughout the semester, but with a stronger focus on the material since the previous exam. Detailed course review sheets are available for the material to be covered on each exam, and can be found at the Resources page. The exams will include a variety of question styles, with approximately 40% multiple choice, and 60% written (including "fill-in-the blank", 2-3 sentence answer, and short essay questions). Essay questions will always be related to one of the orange, bold, underlined, italicized major topics from the review sheets. Most questions (of all styles) associated with material from previous exams will also be related to those topics. The final exam will be similar in style to the earlier exams, but 20% of the grade will be based on a second attempt on the non-essay portions of the exam - during which you will have the advantage of discussing the questions in small pre-assigned groups. The group will complete its own copy of the test, but each member may submit their own response for up to two multiple-choice questions on which they disagree with the group answer.

Quiz/Exam Behavior: Please turn off cell phones and other electronics, and put away any headphones prior to the start of the exam. Please keep your eyes on your own paper during quizzes or exams. Please raise your hand or come to the front of the room to ask questions if you are unsure about how to interpret a question or think you've spotted an error on the test. Any numerical calculations will involve simple numbers, so calculators will not be allowed at the quizzes or exams. Quizzes will take about 15 minutes - if you finish early, please check over your answers, making sure that you've attempted all questions and that you've not made a simple error. When you're finished, please put your quiz face down on your desk and wait until the papers are called for. You may take out a book for another class or recreational reading as long as you can do so quietly, so as not to disturb other students who are still working on the quiz. You'll have the entire period to work on exams - if you finish early, please check over your answers, making sure that you've attempted all required questions and that you've not made a simple error. When you're satisfied, please bring your exam to the front of the room and submit it.

Group Activities: Group activities will have a variety of formats and will be completed in groups of 2-4, depending on the activity. All members of the group will receive the same grade for the activity, so the group should strive to arrive at consensus answers. Grading for the activities will be based on this rubric:

Make-Ups: There will be no make-ups for quizzes or exams. Please note carefully the dates and times of all quizzes and exams and be careful not to schedule appointments or make travel plans that would conflict with them. If you should have to miss an exam (due to illness, for example), some accommodation may be possible provided that you (1) contact me prior to the date of the exam if at all possible, and (2) provide documentation of a reasonable excuse (e.g. doctor's note). There will be no make-ups for in-class activities.. If you miss an activity, you should download it from the Resources page and work through it on your own to make sure that you understand the concepts that were covered.

Homework/Reading Journal: As part of your class participation grade you are required to keep a journal in which you complete occasional homework assignments and respond to questions about the assigned readings for the course. Those questions will be found at the Reading Questions web page (see Resources page) and are NOT the same as the questions at the end of each chapter in the textbook!! The journal must be kept in a separate 8.5 x 11 spiral notebook devoted exclusively to your entries for this assignment. All journal assignments will be posted on the Journal Archive web page (also available on the Resources page, and updated by noon on each day that we have class), which will also indicate which journals were collected at each class meeting. While you are encouraged to discuss these assignments with others, each student must write up their own entries using their own words (copying others' summaries or using the words of the author without proper citation is plagiarism will result in a minimum penalty of a 0 for the assignment).

Plagiarism: According to the WSC 2006/2007 Bulletin (p. 39): "Plagiarism is the act of presenting the intellectual work of others (words, ideas, artwork, computer programming code, etc.) as if it were one's own. Some common forms of plagiarism are (1) submitting someone else's paper as one's own; (2) copying a passage from another source without citing the source; (3) expressing a published idea or theory in different words, without crediting the source of the idea. Plagiarism constitutes intellectual dishonesty and undermines trust between members of the college community." Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course, and will result in a minimum penalty of a zero on the assignment for which the plagiarized work was submitted

Rock Quiz: You are required to learn to identify some common rocks (listed below). A handout detailing the characteristics of those rocks will be provided in class. Specimens are available for inspection on the back table of Wilson 304 (the Geology Museum), and photos are available online through the Resources page. You will demonstrate your skills at a practical quiz, to be taken by Wednesday, February 7. At the quiz you will be asked to identify six samples and will need to provide the following information for each of them: (1) the category to which the sample belongs (igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic), (2) a feature of the sample that allowed you to identify its category, (3) the name of the sample, and (4) a feature of the sample that allowed you to recognize it as that particular rock (you'll need a feature that's apparent in that sample). Those who attempt the quiz by Wednesday, January 31 may have a "retake" if desired.

• Igneous Rocks: granite, gabbro, andesite, basalt
• Sedimentary Rocks: conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, limestone
• Metamorphic Rocks: gneiss, schist, slate, marble, quartzite

Fossil Quiz: You are required to learn to identify some common invertebrate fossils (listed below). A handout detailing the characteristics of those fossils will be provided in class. Specimens are on display in the cases at the back of Wilson 304 (the Geology Museum), and photos are available online through the Resources page. You will demonstrate your proficiency at a practical quiz, to be taken by Wednesday, April 18. At the quiz you will be asked to identify six samples and will need to provide the following information for each of them: (1) the common name of the group to which the sample belongs (e.g. "trilobite"), (2) a feature of the sample that allowed you to recognize it (you'll need a feature that's characteristic of that particular fossil group), (3) the animal's mode of life (attached to the sea floor, swimmer, etc.), and (4) the animal's feeding style (deposit feeder, carnivore, etc.). Those who attempt the quiz by Wednesday, April 11 may have a "retake" if desired.

• Arthropods: trilobite
• Brachiopods: brachiopod
• Bryozoans: bryozoan
• Cnidarians: rugose coral, tabulate coral
• Echinoderms: crinoids
• Molluscs: bivalve, gastropod, nautiloid, ammonoid, belemnite

Extra Credit: Some extra credit for the course may be earned by participating in geology-related activities (including occasional field trips led by the instructor, visiting a museum on your own, reading and summarizing an additional article on a geological topic, etc.). Extra credit must be arranged with the instructor prior to the activity unless the activity was arranged by the instructor. The details of what is to be done and the amount of extra credit to be earned will be worked out on an individual basis. As a guideline, activities requiring up to 2 hours of your time (exclusive of transportation time) will generally earn up to 5 extra credit points. A maximum of 10 extra credit points may be earned for the semester. All independent extra credit projects must be approved by Monday, April 30 and completed by Monday, May 7.

Sources of Help: Should you have questions about the course material, please ask! I also encourage you to discuss the course concepts with other students. Trying to explain something to someone else is a good way to expand and/or check your level of understanding, so asking a classmate is likely to help both of you! You may also want to consider getting a free tutor for the course through Student Support Services (Wilson 234) or help from the Reading and Writing Center (Parenzo 218, 572-5569).