All Sections at the Brandon Campus

EARTH SCIENCE GLY 1001 CLASS SYLLABUS (ALL SECTIONS AT THE BRANDON CAMPUS)

CLASS LOCATION: H.C.C. Brandon Campus, building BSCI, room 101

COURSE INSTRUCTORS:

Prof. Jim Wysong - [email protected]

Website: http://www.hccfl.edu/facultyinfo/jwysong/

Mr. James Fatherree – [email protected]

INSTRUCTOR’S OFFICE HOURS AND PHONE NUMBERS:

Within the first two weeks of class, the instructors will post a copy of their schedules, including office hours. Prof. Wysong’s office is located in BSCI building, room 108A. Mr. Fatherree’s office is BSCI107A. Prof. Wysong’s office phone number is 253-7805. Mr. Fatherree will announce his office phone number in class.

Earth Science 11th Ed, by Tarbuck and Lutgens (required)

Textbook Support website: http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_tarbuck_escience_11

Instructor's Course website:

http://www.hccfl.edu/facultyinfo/jwysong/GLY1001.html

1 GLY1001-REV2006/SP COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is a one-semester course for non-science majors which fulfills the physical science requirement for the A.A. degree. This course also meets the “Gordon Rule” standards mandated by the State (1500 words of written work). The course will provide the student with an overview of some of the major topics from the disciplines of geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy. Some of the most important scientific ideas of the past and present will be discussed, including “Plate Tectonics,” the “Greenhouse Effect” and the problem of stratospheric ozone depletion.

SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Please refer to Addendum A for the Institutional Course Objectives for GLY1001. The course textbook support website (listed above) also has learning objectives for each chapter listed. The website also offers a multitude of sample quizzes and tests to allow students to self-assess their mastery of the objectives prior to class exams. Students are encouraged to investigate the additional resources available at both the textbook website as well as those linked to the instructor's website.

COURSE MECHANICS:

This course will be taught primarily as a lecture/discussion class. Reading assignments from the text will support and augment the lecture material.

Four exams with a total value of 500 points will be administered during the semester. Exams 1-3 will consist of 50 questions valued at 2 points each for a total of 100 points per exam. Exam 4 (the final) will be in two parts. The first part of exam 4 will be similar to exams 1-3. It will consist of 40 questions covering the last unit discussed in class (see course calendar for chapter numbers). Part 2 of exam 4 will consist of 60 questions, 40 of which will be taken from the first three exams, with the remainder of the questions presented in the form of a map quiz. Exam 4 will be worth 200 points total.

An additional 40 points of your course point total will come from four type-written scientific journal abstracts (details and instructions are provided on an attached sheet). These abstracts are more important than their point weight indicates – you will not receive a passing grade for the course unless they are completed.

Your final course grade will be calculated by dividing your point total (exams + abstracts) by 5.40

NOTE: Tests are scored on Scantron answer sheets provided by the student. They are available for purchase in the college bookstore. You must have an answer sheet within the first two weeks of class.

GRADING SCALE:

A = 100-90%, B = 89-80%, C = 79-70%, D = 69-60%, F = 59% and below

Final course grades will not be curved. However, exam scores 1-3 will be curved up (if necessary) to attain a class median of 76%. The maximum curve for any given exam will be 10 points. The curve will be calculated based on the performance of all sections of the course taught by a given instructor. Please note that there are no provisions for student initiated extra credit work for this course.

>>>>>>>>>> REMEMBER: Grades are earned, not “given”.<<<<<<<<<<<

2 GLY1001-REV2006/SP ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Students are expected to be on time and in attendance at all class meetings. (If you arrive late, please take a seat close to the door so as not to further disrupt the class.) Make-up exams for unexcused absences* will be discounted by 10% and may differ in form from the regular exam. Make-up exams must be taken on the next class day following the student's absence or there will be an additional late penalty of 10% per week imposed. If an absence is anticipated, arrangements should be made with the instructor to take the exam early without penalty.

*Any absence not cleared at least one day in advance will be considered an unexcused absence.

CELL PHONES AND PAGERS:

Cell phones and pagers must be turned off or placed on silent mode while in class. It is disruptive and rude when these devices "go off" during lectures or exams.

DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES:

HCC’s Offices of Services for Students with Disabilities provide a wide range of free services to meet the needs of disabled students. Students with disabling conditions that require special academic accommodations must submit documentation of their disability and specific needs to a campus Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities. Additional information may be obtained at the college website for disabled students:

http://www.hccfl.edu/dm/studentservices/disabilities/index.html

Students may contact the Brandon Campus Coordinator in room BADM 217. The phone number for the coordinator is 253-7914.

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY AND CONDUCT:

As should be expected in a college class, the student assumes responsibility for keeping up with his/her standing in the class. The instructor will not routinely issue grade warnings. Furthermore, it is not up to the instructor to follow up on missed exams or assignments - it is your grade, and thus your responsibility. It is also expected that students will conduct themselves in an academically honest and ethical manner. Cheating, plagiarism, and disruptive, disrespectful or inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated. These activities will result in penalties including, but not limited to, your expulsion from the class and/or the college. Please take time to reread this syllabus, it is your guide1 to the way class is conducted. The syllabus and the course calendar are very important, take care not to lose them. Copies of the syllabus and calendar will be posted on the course website for your reference online. The URL is: http://www.hccfl.edu/facultyinfo/jwysong/GLY1001.html

For matters not covered in this syllabus, please consult the professor or refer to the college catalog/student handbook: http://www.hccfl.edu/student/catalog/index.html

It is not intended that this syllabus be all inclusive of classroom or college policies and procedures.

1 The Syllabus is not, however, a binding legal contract. It is subject to change and revision unilaterally by the instructor and/or administration with appropriate notice.

3 GLY1001-REV2006/SP H.C.C. Operational Calendar (Important dates and holidays):

It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of important dates for registration, payment, withdrawal, and dropping of courses. These dates are posted in the college operational calendar, which may be found in the current term's published schedule as well as at the website listed below:

http://www.hccfl.edu/student/academics/calendar/

A FINAL NOTE:

It is our goal to make this class both interesting and informative for you. With a reasonable amount of effort, it should be possible for everyone to meet the course objectives and earn a passing grade. With additional effort, aptitude, and investment of time, students may earn even higher course grades. If at any time you run into difficulties with the material, or need assistance or clarification, please do not hesitate to ask for help. We are here for you, and we will be glad to entertain any reasonable requests.

J.W. et al ______

ADDENDUM A – Institutional Course Objectives for GLY1001

By its nature, the Earth Science curriculum addresses a broad and voluminous body of subject matter. The Sciences of Geology, Astronomy, Meteorology and Oceanography are all included within the purview of Earth Science. Consequently, the following objectives will be included in the overall curriculum but may be weighted to varying degrees in individual course sections.

1. Describe the scientific method.

2. Define what a mineral is and discuss the importance of minerals in geology.

3. Discuss the origin and classification of rocks and explain the rock cycle.

4. Identify and explain the processes acting at the earth's surface that create and shape landforms.

5. Summarize the causes and effects of earthquakes and diagram the earth's interior structure.

6. Describe and discuss intrusive and extrusive igneous processes and features.

7. Discuss the theory of plate tectonics.

8.Describe the significance of geologic time, state the age of the earth, and explain relative and chronological dating methods.

9. Discuss global concepts such as locating positions on the earth, e.g. latitude and longitude, the earth's orbit around the sun, and seasonal variations.

10. Discuss the composition and circulation of earth's oceans and the geology of the seafloor.

11. Describe the composition, structure and circulation of the earth's atmosphere.

12. Describe and discuss the various weather elements such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind, clouds and precipitation.

13.List and describe the components of our solar system and discuss its origin. 14. Describe the universe beyond our solar system and discuss current ideas about its age and origin

4 GLY1001-REV2006/SP