Earth Sciences
GEL 1300G §3

Instructor: John Stimac
Office: 1039 Physical Science
Telephone: 581-7016
Email: cfjps@eiu.edu
Class time: MWF 1300 - 1350
Office hours: M-F 1000 - 1145 and TW 1800 - 1900, and by appointment - contact me via email to setup an appointment, or talk with me after class.

TUTORING
The Geoscience Club will be offering free tutoring to any GEL 1300 student in room 1060 Physical Science.  They are offering a very good service and are willing to help with class material or labs.  If you cannot stop by my office hours for help, I suggest that you try to stop and talk with them.

Tutoring will be offered Monday and Thursday evenings in room 1060 from 8 - 9 PM.
CURRENT GRADES
These will be your current grades as I have posted them on the web.  Note: if the majority of class handed in a lab early I will count it in the total, even though it's not officially due yet - that will help explain some of the low scores.

PRACTICE QUIZZES
Links to practice quizzes will be found here - remember, however, the actual quizzes will NOT be multiple choice, but will instead be short answer, completion, and draw or label the diagram.

Practice sheet for quiz #1 - to be given 23 January.
Practice sheet for quiz #2 - to be given 6 February.
Practice sheet for quiz #3 - to be given 20 February.
Midterm review sheet - midterm to be given 5 March.
Practice sheet for quiz #4 - to be given 26 March.
Practice sheet for quiz #5 - to be given 9 April.
Practice sheet for quiz #6 - to be given 23 April.
Question breakdown on final examination to be given on 5 May (Wednesday) at 12:30 - 2:30 PM.

General course information

Required texts
Physical Geology, 3rd edition, Monroe and Wicander

Publisher's companion web site for the book:         http://www.brookscole.com/cgi-brookscole/course_products_bc.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0534572227&discipline_number=30

GeoScience Laboratory Manual, 3rd edition, Freeman - must be purchased during first week of classes

Scope of Course
During this course, I hope that you'll gain an appreciation of science and the world around us - specifically how geology can, and does, relate to your life and the community.  Everyone should be able to discuss, and give examples of, geology's significance to our everyday life and why it's important.  There are a number of geologically important issues that will affect the way you live the rest of your life, such as natural hazards, global warming, and life on other planets: I want you to be able to critically assess those issues, so you don't have to depend on Rush Limbaugh, Al Gore, or Ralph Nader to do your thinking for you.  You will also be able to identify the common rock-forming minerals and be able to identify rocks that are found locally and discuss their significance.  Concepts covered will include geologic time, the Earth's structure and origin, common rocks and minerals, and plate tectonics.  Finally, a number of you will use geology in your careers, and I want you to be prepared for that.
 
Students with Disabilities (Whether learning, physical, hard of hearing, psychiatric, or sensory)
Eastern Illinois University promotes equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. If you have a disability and may need any assistance, please notify your instructor and make an appointment immediately with the Office of Disability Services (Buzzard House, or call 581-6583)


Makeups, Missed, and Late Assignments:
No makeups will be allowed for missed questions of the day or quizzes or labs; examination makeups will only be allowed for unusual circumstances that are discussed with the instructor, preferably ahead of time.  Late assignments will be docked 5 percent of the grade per class, or lab, missed.

Classroom policy
I assume you are in this class to learn so disruptions will not be tolerated.  Not only is this disruptive to me, but also to your fellow classmates.  With this in mind, I ask that you arrive to the class on time and that there be no classroom conversations or other distractions.  If you must talk, please take it outside, or I will ask you to do so.

Grading
Grading will be based on merit; that is, you will be graded primarily against your fellow students.  The "grade" breakdown will be approximately 90 percent for an "A", 80 percent for a "B", and so on.  A tentative breakdown is as follows:

Questions of the Day
3 pts. each
102
Labs
10 pts. each
140
Quizzes
50 pts. each
300
Mid-term examination
150 pts.
150
Report
100 pts.
100
Lab final exam
100 pts.
100
Final examination
200 pts.
200
Total Points Available
1092

Questions of the Day: 3 pts. each.  The Questions of the Day will be handed out at the beginning of each class and are due at the end of class.  The question will concern some aspect of that day's lecture.  Total value: approximately 102 pts.

Quizzes:  50 pts. each.  Quizzes will primarily cover material taught since the previous quiz or examination, but may also include earlier material.  Format will be short answer, label the diagram, multiple choice, and completion.  Quizzes will last approximately 30 minutes and will be given at the end of class.  Total value: 300 pts.

Labs:  10 pts. each.  Labs will cover the rock-forming minerals, the three major rock types, structural geology and physics of the earth's interior.  Labs will be approached in a hands-on type of atmosphere -- the same manner in which the Lab Final will be given.  There will be fourteen (14) labs.

Mid-term Examination: 150 pts.  The mid-term examination will have the same format as the quizzes and will cover everything up to, and including, metamorphic rocks and processes.  The mid-term examination will last one hour.  Total value: 150 pts.

Lab Practical Examination 100 pts.  There will be a practical lab final.  The final will test the student's ability to correctly identify hand specimens of the basic rocks and minerals - there will be approximately 25 samples and each will have a variety of questions to answer.   The final will also test the student's ability to correctly identify and solve basic geologic exercises using topographic and geologic maps as well the identification of various geologic features from slides.  The exam will last one hour and forty minutes.  Total value: 100 pts.  To be given Monday, 26 April.  No make-ups allowed.

Final Examination: 200 pts.  The final examination will have the same format as the mid-term examination and will cover the entire course.  This may include ideas presented in lab.  The final exam will last two hours.  Total value: 200 pts.  To be given Wednesday, 5 May.

Report:  100 pts.  There will be one report due from each student.  Topics can be anything covered in class or agreed upon with the instructor.  Topics must be approved no later than Wednesday, 4 February.  A reference list is due to me no later than Friday, 25 February.  You must have least five (5) references with a maximum of 40 percent (2 out of five) from the web.  Additional references are allowed.  Your final report is due on Friday, 2 April.  Citations must be in a standard format, e.g., MLA, Chicago-style, AGU, etc.  Total value: 100 pts.  The report must be less than seven pages in length.  There is no minimum length.  All references, including web sources, must be cited.  Figures can be included and do not count towards to the total page length.

Grading of the reports will be done using the following scale.  I will assign two grades varying between 0 and 5 then will scale those to the total value of the assignment.
 

Content
 
grade
criteria
5
outstanding explanation with superior supporting information; unusual
insights and flashes of brilliance; creative and original analyses and thoughts; 
goes well beyond minimum required for assignment.
4
good solid job on explanation with excellent support from examples, data 
figures, etc., excellent reasoning, or excellent explanations; goes beyond
minimum required for assignment.
3
good solid job; does what the assignment asks; decent reasoning or
explanations; decent support by data, examples, figures, etc.
2
decent explanation but too general or some inaccuracies or flaws in
reasoning or coverage is accurate but cursory and does not meet the 
minimum required for a complete answer.
1
doesn't effectively address assignment; fails to support assertions
with data or examples; unclear explanations; inadequate 
understanding; majors flaws in reasoning or explanations.
0
answer missing or does not answer the question.
   
Writing
 
grade
criteria
5
meets criteria for 4, but also has a sense of style, going beyond 
grammatical correctness to real readability.
4
excellent paper/paragraph organization, interesting sentences, 
good grammar, very few spelling errors, does not read like 
a first draft.
3
decent organization; serviceable prose; reads like a first draft; 
a paper with excellent writing will still earn a 3 if it contain 
many spelling errors and is clearly not proofread.
2
disorganized; awkward sentence structure; poor grammar; 
poor spelling.
1
similar problems to 2, but worse.
0
no paper, or just random thoughts



Class Schedule
The following is a tentative course schedule with links to online lecture notes.  The notes are meant only as an aid to studying and should not replace class attendance.  This schedule may change.

Week Date Day Topics Assignments Lab
1 12-Jan Monday Introduction, class policies, nebular hypothesis for Earth's formation Introduction
Chapter 1, 8
Isochron lab
Carbon dating lab
14-Jan Wednesday Continue formation of Earth; introduction to plate tectonics
16-Jan Friday Intro to plate tectonics (cont.); plate locations; geologic laws
2 19-Jan Monday No classes - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday
21-Jan Wednesday Begin minerals Chapter 2 Lab 4
23-Jan Friday Quiz #1 (Introduction and minerals)
3 26-Jan Monday Atoms and bonding; Igneous rocks and their classification Chapter 3 Lab 5
28-Jan Wednesday Igneous rocks (cont.); link to igneous terms
30-Jan Friday Igneous rocks (cont.); link to igneous images
4 2-Feb Monday Volcanism Chapter 4 Volcano lab
(hand out)
4-Feb Wednesday Volcanic hazards; Topics due
6-Feb Friday Quiz #2 (Igneous rocks and volcanism)
5 9-Feb Monday Sedimentary rocks Chapter 6 Lab 6
11-Feb Wednesday Sedimentary rocks (cont.)
13-Feb Friday No classes - Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
6 16-Feb Monday Metamorphic rocks Chapter 7 Lab 7
18-Feb Wednesday Weathering, erosion, and soils Chapter 5
20-Feb Friday Quiz #3 (Metamorphic rocks, weathering and soils)
7 23-Feb Monday Structural geology Chapter 13 Lab 17
25-Feb Wednesday Structural geology (cont.); References due
27-Feb Friday Structural geology (cont.)
8 1-Mar Monday Mass wasting Chapter 14 Lab 8
3-Mar Wednesday Mass wasting (cont.)
5-Mar Friday Mid term examination
9 8-Mar Monday Running water Chapter 15 Lab 9
10-Mar Wednesday Running water (cont.)
12-Mar Friday Running water (cont.)
10 15-Mar All week Spring Break
11 22-Mar Monday Groundwater Chapter 16 Lab 10
24-Mar Wednesday Groundwater (cont.)
26-Mar Friday Quiz #4 (mass wasting, rivers)
12 29-Mar Monday Earthquakes and the Earth's interior Chapter 9, 10 Lab 16
31-Mar Wednesday Earth's interior (cont.)
2-Apr Friday Earth's interior (cont.); Papers are due
13 5-Apr Monday Deserts Chapter 18 Lab 14
7-Apr Wednesday Deserts (cont.)
9-Apr Friday Quiz #5 (earthquakes, earth's interior, deserts)
14 12-Apr Monday Shoreline processes Chapter 19 Lab 15
14-Apr Wednesday Shoreline processes (cont.)
16-Apr Friday Shoreline processes; oceans
15 19-Apr Monday Glaciers - continental
Glacier photos
Chapter 17 Lab 13
21-Apr Wednesday Glaciers - alpine
Glacier photos
23-Apr Friday Quiz #6 (shorelines and deserts)
16 26-Apr Monday Wrap up Review! Lab Final Exam
28-Apr Wednesday State of the Earth today and tomorrow
30-Apr Friday Review
17 5-May Wednesday Final Examination from 12:30 - 2:30 PM

 
Fieldtrips
We will try to have at least one, and maybe two fieldtrips this semester.  The first field trip is scheduled for Fox Ridge Park.  Since this is an optional fieldtrip, extra credit is offered, but transportation is up to you (see me if that's a problem).  The Geoscience Club may also be offering a trip to Charleston Stone Quarry (fossil collecting), Fox Ridge State Park, and Lake Charleston.  Details will be announced.  Both fieldtrips are optional, however, you will receive some extra credit points.  More importantly it helps you learn the material that is presented in class.
Please direct comments about this page to John Stimac
URL http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfjps/1300/1300index.html
Revised 5/3/04
© 2004 John Stimac and Eastern Illinois University