Geology 12 Syllabus House, Fall 2010

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1 INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Dr. Martha House; Office E210B; Office hours posted at office; Voice (626) ; REQUIRED MATERIALS: Textbook Essentials of Oceanography (Thurman and Trujillo) Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow Colored pencils A number 2 pencil with an eraser Course Pack (purchase at bookstore or download from online Blackboard site) Access to Blackboard ( Absolutely no CELL PHONE or COMPUTER use is allowed in class unless arranged by the PCC Disabled Students Programs office. Turn these items OFF before coming to class. Failure to comply will result in confiscation of the device for remaining class period. Persistent violation of this policy will result in removal from class and a student misconduct report filed on your behalf. Blackboard/ Web Enhanced Course: Geology 12 is a web enhanced course. That means that we will use Blackboard for all course related materials including this syllabus, outline lecture notes, study guides, and practice exams. Please use all the study materials provided, these will help you succeed! Outline lecture notes are provided for your convenience and are not a substitute for coming to lectures. Study guides are provided to let you know what content is fair game. Practice exams are provided to help you get familiar with the format of the exam (and quizzes) and the types of questions that could be asked. I will also use Blackboard for MOST assessments and assignments for this course including online exams, assignments, rubrics, assessments and s. GET FAMILIAR WITH USING BLACKBOARD!. You will be expected to login to Blackboard at least once a week to access study aids, take assessments, or turn in assignments. Online Assessments and Assignments are mandatory and must be completed and turned in via Blackboard during a specified time and duration or you will receive a zero. Rubrics for applicable assignments and assessments are also available on Blackboard so you can see exactly how you will be assessed for a given assignment. Blackboard/CE6 is available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, meaning it is always available to you. THE ONLY EXCUSE FOR NOT COMPLETING ASSIGNED WORK ON TIME VIA BLACKBOARD IS THAT IF PCC S IT STAFF INDICATES THAT BLACKBOARD HAS GONE OFF LINE FOR A SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF TIME. 1

2 Significant period of time means a full day, not two or three hours for maintenance or upgrades. If you delay completing the assignments and assessments until the last minute and your computer crashes or your Internet connection goes down for hours, or you have a family emergency, you will not receive credit for the work. I will answer any questions about course content via Blackboard . IF YOU HAVE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WITH BLACKBOARD (logging in, browser issues) YOU SHOULD CONTACE THE PCC HELPDESK at helpdesk@pasadena.edu or Online Assessments, Online Assignments, & Hard Copy assignments: Assessments, Assignments and Extra Credit I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK OF ANY KIND!! Assessments are online tests that you will complete on Blackboard by clicking on the Assessments icon in the Menu Bar on the Blackboard Course Homepage. Assessments for this course are described in the schedule. These assessments will be automatically graded and you will be able to see your score right away, and your detailed results at the end of the assessment week. All Assessments are 'OPEN BOOK, 'OPEN NOTES,' and once you start them you have a limited amount of time to finish. You are not given enough time to look up the answers, so you must study and do preparatory work. All Assessments are available for you to take from the first Monday at 9 AM of the week that the activity is scheduled until the following Monday morning at 9 AM. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete an assessment! Assignments include homework exercises and all extra credit work. Hard Copy Assignments and Quizzes In addition to the online work described above, there will be several assignments that you are required to hand in during class. These paper assignments are indicated in the schedule and will not be accepted late. There will also be two in-class quizzes that you will complete as indicated on the schedule. GRADING Your course grade will be based on the exams, homework, projects, and quizzes as described above. I will grade based on scale of: A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=7079%, D=60-69%. 2

3 NO MAKE-UP TESTS will be given under any circumstances, regardless of how valid your excuse! DO NOT SCHEDULE TRAVEL DURING THE FINALS WEEK. I WILL NOT OFFER ALTERNATE EXAMS DURING THIS TIME! If caught cheating, you will receive grade of F for the assignment and a student misconduct report will be filed on your behalf, regardless of circumstances. This includes plagiarizing material from other students or from the internet (even on homework)! ATTENDANCE Funding for this college is based on student attendance, therefore YOU MUST ATTEND CLASS if you wish to get credit for this course (or learn anything). If you miss 4 classes you may be dropped. However, it is your responsibility to drop if you do not wish to continue in the course. PREREQUISITES There are no prerequisites for this course. Enrollment in Geology 12F - Oceanography Field Studies is highly recommended and will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the course. PURPOSE OF THIS COURSE The purpose of this course is to expose you to a broad range of topics in the ocean sciences, familiarize you with scientific methods and terminology, and provide a basic understanding of how the earth works. Whatever profession or vocation you choose, as a citizen and a voter you will have to make decisions concerning problems either directly or indirectly related to the earth sciences, and the oceans in particular. STUDENT GOALS Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: 1. Explain the fundamental differences between continents and ocean basins, and explain how ocean basins originate, develop and are destroyed on the basis of plate tectonic models. 2. Know the physiographic subdivisions of the ocean basins and how the characteristics of each are related to plate tectonic, depositional and erosive processes. 3. Be able to explain how the seas originated during the early geologic history of the earth. 4. Know the chemical composition and range of physical properties of seawater and those processes that regulate it. 5. Relate seawater circulation and composition to biological productivity and the distribution of organic life. 6. Explain how horizontal oceanic circulates affects vertical circulation. 3

4 7. Understand the coupling between atmospheric and oceanic circulation with respect to wind-driven and geostrophic currents. 8. Explain how waves originate, propagate, and refract and reflect on coastlines to produce longshore currents, littoral drift and depositionalerosional features. 9. Explain how man's engineering structures can impact natural balanced coastal processes. 10. Explain how tides develop and how they are classified. 11. Explain how marine sediments are classified and which chemical and physical principles determine their distribution. 12. Be able to read and interpret bathymetric maps. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES In a broader sense, students will finish this class with the following: 1. A knowledge of the scientific method and an ability to apply it in critical evaluation of oceanographic observations and trends in ocean science. 2. A basic knowledge of the evolution, characteristics, and spatial variability of the world s oceans. 3. An appreciation for mankind s changing relationship to the oceans. 4

5 Wk Lecture Reading Assignment/Assessment due dates 1: 8/30: Introduction 9/1: Formation of Earth/Solar System 2: 9/6: Labor Day (No Class) 9/8: Sea floor Bathymetry 3: 9:13: Maps; Map Atlas pt 1 maps due in class 9:15: Bathymetric map activity 4: 9/20: Continental Drift & Sea Floor spreading 9/22: Plate Tectonics; Map Atlas pt 2 maps due in class 5: 9/27: Plate Tectonics; In Class Tectonics Quiz 9/29: Flex Day (No Class) 6: 10/4: Sediments 10/6: Sediments 7: 10/11: Sand Lab 10/13: Sand Lab 8 10/18: Water 10/20: Water Ch 1 Ch 3 Online Syllabus Quiz Monday 9/6 at 9 AM Ch 3 Bathymetry Map Assessment Monday 9/20 at 9 AM Ch 2 Ch 2 Ch 4 Ch 4 Tectonics Assessment Monday 9/27 at 9 AM Sand Lab Assessment Monday 10/18 9 AM Ch 5 Midterm Exam Assessment Monday 10/25 at 9 AM 5

6 : 12: /25: Start Projects/Current Events 10/27: Library 11/1: Global Winds 11/3: Wind belts Map Atlas part 3 maps due 11/8: Climate Change 11/10: Climate Change 11/15: Ocean Circulation 11/17: Ocean Circulation; In Class Current/wind Quiz 11/22: Waves 11/24: Waves 11/29: Tides 12/1: Tides 12/6: Coasts 12/8: Coasts Final Exam ; no class Ch 5 Ch 6 Project topic Assignment Monday 11/8 at 9 AM Ch 16 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Waves Assessment Monday 11/29 9 AM Project Assignment Monday 12/6 at 9 AM Final Exam Assessment Wednesday 12/15 at 9 AM 6

7 Grade Summary (also available online) Poss. Pts Assessments Bathymetry 50 Tectonics 50 Waves 50 Sands 50 Act. Pts Map Atlas Pt 1 15 Map Atlas Pt 2 15 Map Atlas Pt 3 20 Midterm Exam 250 Final Exam 250 Project 150 Tectonics Quiz 50 Currents/Winds Quiz 50 Extra Credit: Syllabus Assessment 30 Beach Visit 30 7