Professor Office E-mail Office Hours
Feb. 8
Feb. 10
Feb. 15
Feb. 17
Feb. 22
Feb. 24
Feb. 29
Mar. 2
Mar. 7
Mar. 9
Mar. 11
Mar. 14
Mar. 16
Mar. 21
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Mar. 28
Mar. 30
Apr. 4
Apr. 6
Apr. 11
Dr. Margaret Fraiser Lapham mfraiser@uwm.edu
Mon.
10:00-11:00 am
Wed.
10:00-11:00 am
356 or any time by appointment
Textbook: Evolution of the Earth, Prothero and Dott, 8 th Edition (or earlier).
LECTURE SCHEDULE: MW 9:00-9:50AM; Lapham Hall 160
No weapons are permitted in any building on the UWM campus.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
DATE
Jan. 25
TOPIC
Introduction; Early Historical Geologists
Jan. 27
Feb. 1
Feb. 3
Early Historical Geologists (continued)
Sedimentary Rocks
Depositional Environments
PAGES IN TEXT
Ch. 2 (16-17, box on p. 18)
Ch. 2 (16-17, box on p. 18)
PDF on D2L
PDF on D2L
Apr. 13
Apr. 18
Apr. 20
Apr. 25
Apr. 27
May 2
May 4
May 9
May 10
May 12
Scientific Methods & Modern Concepts of Hist. Geo. Ch.1,2,4:pp. 9-13,17,22-35, 67-77,80-83
Faunal Succession, Biostratigraphy, Numerical Dating Ch. 2 (18-22); Ch. 4 (78-80); Ch. 5
Plate Tectonics and Origin of the Earth Ch. 6, 7 catch-up, review session
EXAM 1 (Jan. 25-Feb. 17)
Evolution
Precambrian and Early Life
Cambrian Explosion
Marine Paleoecology
Late Paleozoic catch-up,
EXAM 2 (Feb. 24-Mar. 30)
Mesozoic I
Mesozoic II
Cenozoic review
Cenozoic II
Pleistocene
Mass extinctions
Human Evolution
Future Predictions catch up session
Ch. 3
Ch. 8 (165-177); Ch. 9 (181-191)
Ch. 9 (192-205)
no reading
Early Paleozoic Ch. 10 (210-229)
Learning Journal I DUE VIA D2L DROPBOX (see Grading section)
SPRING BREAK —NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK —NO CLASS
Early Paleozoic II
Middle Paleozoic
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 13
Chapter 14 (351-382)
Chapter 14 (382-404)
Chapter 16 (489-499)
Ch. 17 catch up; review session
Learning Journal II DUE VIA D2L DROPBOX (see Grading section)
FINAL EXAM (Apr. 6-May 9), 10:00AM-12:00PM, Lapham 160
Ch. 15 (413-440)
Ch. 15 (443-461)
Chapter 16 (465-488)
(p. 404-411)
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COURSE GOALS :
The primary goals of this course are to introduce you to the history of the Earth and the life that inhabits it, as well as the methodologies that geologists and paleontologists use to understand
Earth’s history. I hope that you come away from this course with a deeper understanding and appreciation for how geological and biological processes have shaped our modern world.
EXPECTATIONS:
You can expect me to:
1) present information as clearly as possible. All of my lectures will be made using PowerPoint, and I will use the chalkboard and overhead projector a lot, too.
2) make lecture notes available on D2L (Desire2Learn) before class (see section about D2L below). I highly recommend that you print the class notes before lectures. I will be presenting a lot of information and you need to be able to keep up with me. Lectures will be available as PowerPoint files
ONLY. (NOTE: The lecture notes posted online contain only the figures, key words and processes that we will cover in class. The rest of the information can be obtained and filled-in during class.)
3) hold review sessions during the class period before exams.
4) meet with you either during my office hours or during an appointment if you wish to discuss any aspect of the course.
5) welcome questions at any time before, during, or after class.
6) be kind to you and respectful of you at all times.
I expect you to:
1) attend class. There is a direct correlation between class attendance and course grade. (The more classes you attend, the higher your course grade.)
The exams will be written assuming you’ve attended class. Some of the material presented will be new science and will not be available in textbooks yet.
2) read (or at least scan) the appropriate pages in the textbook before lecture.
3) get notes from missed classes from D2L or from a classmate, NOT from me.
It is my responsibility to present information every class period (twice a week), and it is your responsibility to go to class to obtain that information. I will not e-mail notes and I will not print them out for you.
4) BE RESPECTFUL OF YOUR CLASSMATES. Everyone taking this course is working hard to do well in school and to pay tuition. On behalf of your hardworking classmates, please TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND LEAVE
THE CHIT-CHAT IN THE HALLS WHERE IT BELONGS. Lecture attendance is not required. Arriving late and/or leaving early are inconsiderate of your colleagues.
5) refer to this syllabus for the answers to frequently asked questions before you ask me what chapters the exams cover, the date of the final exam, etc.
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6) follow the simple rules of E-mail etiquette. Do not e-mail me questions or comments that you would not ask me or tell me in person. I will try to reply to your e-mail messages within 2 days. If you have a serious question about class or a complaint, please see me before or after class (I always show up early and stay late), during my office hours, or make an appointment to meet with me. I am happy to discuss any aspect of the course with you in person!
7) be respectful of me.
GRADING:
1. Lecture Examinations: There will be 3 lecture exams based on material covered in the lecture portion of the class; each is worth 15% of your final grade. The lecture exams will consist of ~50 multiple-choice and short-answer essay questions. I recommend at least 1 hour of studying for each lecture that is covered on each exam.
For example, Exam 1 covers 8 topics, so plan to study at least 8 hours for Exam 1.
Extra credit on exams: Students will have the option of taking a quiz on D2L before each lecture exam in order to earn up to 5 points on each lecture exam grade.
The online quizzes will consist of 5 multiple-choice questions each. Each quiz will be made available between the end of each exam’s review session and the exam itself.
There will be no opportunities to make-up the quizzes after the lecture exam has begun, so please do not ask to do this.
These quizzes are optional but are intended to be a way for you to gauge your understanding of the course material.
Please tak e the optional “trial quiz” on D2L before February 10 to ensure that you understand how quizzes and exams work on D2L!
2. Learning Journals: Studies have shown that students learn science more effectively and gain greater confidence in the subject material when they conduct scientific writing.
‘Writing-to-learn’ will help you gain a deeper understanding of concepts and scientific thinking, and will help you move away from simply memorizing facts.
In the middle and at the end of the semester you are expected to complete and submit a Learning Journal assignment.
The assignments, tips for writing a Learning
Journal, and the rubric I will use to evaluate the learning journals are available in the
Geosciences 102 course pages on D2L. Submissions should be a word-processing file that is double-spaced; typed; and in a 12-point font. Each learning journal is worth 5% of your final grade. Due dates for the learning journals are listed in the schedule above.
I recommend at least 3 hours to write a good Learning Journal.
Keep in mind that I can access any website that you can access, so do not plagiarize! Check out this information from the UWM Libraries on how to NOT plagiarize: http://guides.library.uwm.edu/content.php?pid=217260&sid=1806375 .
3. Laboratory: A major part of this course is the 2-hour lab section you will attend each week. Your lab TA and syllabus will have more details.
Laboratory Exercises: Exercises will be performed, completed, and turned in to the TA each week during your lab session. These exercises will comprise 25% of
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your final grade for GEO SCI 102. The lab exercises will also be your best form of preparation for the lab exams. THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP LABS FOR ANY REASON,
SO DO NOT ASK . TAs have too much to do to cater to individual scheduling conflicts or personal whims.
Laboratory Exams: There will be 2 lab practical exams; each is worth 10% of your final grade. Each examination will be centered on what you observed and performed in lab. Your TA and your laboratory syllabus will be able to provide you with more information on the lab exams. I recommend at least 1 hour of studying for each laboratory that is covered on each laboratory exam. For example, if Lab Exam 1 covers 5 topics, plan to spend at least 5 hours studying for that exam.
4. Regarding conflicts: Students can make up missed lecture and laboratory exams for official university activities, medical conditions, family emergencies, religious observations, or military duty ONLY . Excuses like forgetting the date of the exams, being on vacation, etc. are not acceptable for making up any exam or lab so DO NOT
ASK . If you are going to miss an exam for an official university activity or military duty, you must inform me in advance and give me the proper documentation from a coach or other university official. If you miss an exam due to illness, you will need to present a doctor’s note to me when you return in order to make up the exam.
TECHNICAL
DIFFICULTIES WITH D2L and/or WITH YOUR COMPUTER ARE NOT VALID
EXCUSES FOR NOT COMPLETING YOUR WORK.
ALL ISSUES PERTAINING TO
EXAMS, MAKE-UP EXAMS AND EXTRA CREDIT MUST BE RESOLVED BEFORE
THE FINAL EXAM.
5. Grading Summary :
Assignment
Lecture Exam I
% of Grade
15%
Lecture Exam II 15%
Lecture Exam III (Final Exam) 15%
Learning Journals
Lab Exam I
Lab Exam II
Laboratory Exercises
TOTAL
10%
10%
10%
25%
100%
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT AND PLAGIARISM: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Acad_Aff/policy/academicmisconduct.html
“Academic misconduct is an act in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation, uses unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise, forges or falsifies academic documents or records, intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others, engages in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student's academic performance, or assists other students in any of these acts. Prohibited conduct includes cheating on an examination; collaborating with others in work to be presented, contrary to the
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stated rules of the course; submitting a paper or assignment as one's own work when a part or all of the paper or assignment is the work of another; submitting a paper or assignment that contains ideas or research of others without appropriately identifying the sources of those ideas; stealing examinations or course materials; submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course; tampering with the laboratory experiment or computer program of another student; knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above, including assistance in an arrangement whereby any work, classroom performance, examination or other activity is submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or performed.”
The first offense will earn you a score of 0 on the assignment. Any infraction thereafter will get you an F for the course.
D2L AND GEOSCIENCES 102:
Many students wish to print lecture notes before class starts and to take notes on the print-outs during class
—
I highly recommend doing this . I will make the lectures available as PowerPoint files only . In order to find and browse the course Web site:
1. Call up your Web browser and go to the UWM home page: http://www.uwm.edu
2. From the UWM home page, click on the “ E-learning, D2L ” link near the top right of the screen.
3. On the next screen, click on the Desire2Learn logo .
4. This will bring up the Desire2Learn welcome screen. You will see a location to enter your
Username and Password .
5. Your Username is your ePanther username (the same username as your ePanther campus email), without the “@uwm.edu” part. Do not hit Enter after you have typed in your username! Either hit the
Tab key on your keyboard, or use the mouse to click in the box next to Password.
6. Your Password is your ePanther password. After you have typed in your ePanther password, then please hit Login.
7. You should then see a My Home screen. You will see on the screen a list of My Milwaukee
Courses . There is a + next to the words Fall 2014 ; click on the + sign. You will then see a + next to the name of any department in which you are enrolled in a course that uses D2L, for example, + BUS-Business Management or + L&S-Biological Sciences. Click on that + too.
Finally, you will see a course title underlined in blue. That is a hot link: click on it and you will enter your course Home Page.
8. Once you are on the My Home screen, you will see links on the left side of your screen that allow you to change your ePanther password or forward your ePanther email to your preferred private email address.
9. If you have any difficulty getting on the course Web site, please close down your Web browser completely and open it up again, then try logging on again using the instructions above. If you do not know your ePanther username or password, please get help as indicated below.
10. When you are finished looking around the course Web site, always click on Logout if you are in a computer lab, or at least shut down your Web browser. Otherwise, the next person who uses the machine will be using your course account!
What to do if you have problems with Desire2Learn (D2L)
If you have problems with your login (e.g., you forgot your password, or if you just can’t get on) or if you run into any other typical Desire2Learn difficulties, help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may do one of the following:

Send an email to help@uwm.edu

Pick up a phone and call 414.229.4040 if you are in Metro Milwaukee (or just 4040 on a UWM campus phone)

Go to Bolton 225 (this lab is not open all day or on weekends – check for specific hours)
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
Go to EMS E173A (this is a 24/7 lab)

If you are calling from off campus but within Wisconsin or within the USA, call 1.877.381.3459.
 http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/student_help/student.help.htm
C. University Policies
1. Students with disabilities.
Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of alternate materials and test accommodations can be found at the following: http ://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/SACltr.pdf
2. Religious observances.
Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to religious observance are found at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S1.5.htm
3. Students called to active military duty.
Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active military duty should be noted. http://www3.uwm.edu/des/web/registration/militarycallup.cfm
4. Incompletes. The conditions for awarding an incomplete to graduate and undergraduate students can be found at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S31.pdf
5. Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment ) .
Definitions of discrimination.
Harassment, abuse of power, and the reporting requirements of discriminatory conduct are found at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S47.pdf
6. Academic misconduct.
Policies for addressing students cheating on exams or plagiarism can be found at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/OSL/DOS/conduct.html
7. Complaint procedures.
Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy.
8. Grade appeal procedures . Procedures for student grade appeal appear at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S28.htm
9. Final examination policy.
Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/acad%2Badmin_policies/S22.htm
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