GEOLOGY 102 – 7A7
HISTORICAL GEOLOGY
SPRING 2008
Spring 2008
Mon Fri – 1.30 – 4.30 PM
BEA 235
3 credits
Instructor name: Dr. Graziela da Silva
Office location: 234 Beauregard
Phone number: 448-4254
Email: graziela.silva@nicholls.edu
Office hours: Wed 03.00 – 05.00 PM or by appointment
Catalog Description: GEOL 102. Historical Geology. 3-3-0. A survey of the origin and
development of life on earth as revealed by the fossil record (40.0601).
Prerequisites: GEOL 101, Physical Geology.
Required Text and Other Materials: Levin, H. 2006. The Earth Through Time, 8th Edition, Wiley.
Student Outcome Objectives: The student must demonstrate an understanding
of the following subjects:
a) The basis of scientific theory and the scientific method, the 3 basic rock groups and the rock
cycle, composition and physical structure of the earth, plate tectonics.
b) Relative and absolute dating, geologic time, principles of Steno, radioactive decay, neptunism,
catastrophism, uniformitarianism.
c) Facies, stratigraphic relationships, transgression and regression, process of fossilization.
d) Environments of deposition, paleogeographic reconstruction and paleoclimatic inferences.
e) Darwin’s and Wallace’s theory of natural selection, Mendelian concept of inheritance, speciation,
fossil record evidence.
f) Continental drift, seafloor spreading, plate boundaries, driving mechanism for plate tectonics,
mountain building.
g) “Big Bang” theory, evolution of the earth, types of meteorites, origin of the earth and moon.
h) Precambrian history, Archean eon, greenstone belts, origin and evolution of the atmosphere and
oceans, fossil record and Archean ore deposits.
i) Proterozoic eon, ophiolites, glacial deposits, banded iron formations, first appearance eukaryotes,
multicellular life.
j) Paleozoic era, major cratonic sequences, Appalachian mobile belt, reef development.
k) Paleozoic life, Burgess Shale, marine food web, Permian extinction, evolutionary history of
invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants.
l) Mesozoic era and breakup of Pangaea, changes in life forms, Cretaceous extinction.
m) Cenozoic era life, diversification of mammals.
Learning Strategy
I strongly encourage you to (a) attend every class and take notes, (b) keep up with the reading, and
(c) ask questions in class if you wish to (your classmates will appreciate this), (d) see me after class
or come to my office hours (that's what they are for) if you have further questions.
The goals of this course is to Understand the material and NOT only to Memorize Facts!!
To help with the note-taking process, I will make a “template” of each chapter’s lecture notes
available for students to print and bring to class. I will not post the full lectures notes online, nor
will I give them out to students by request. Therefore, you must attend class and take notes if you
wish to have all the material for the exams covered. If you miss a class, you will need to get the
notes from a classmate, not from me! All of the exam questions will be drawn directly from
material presented in lectures and textbook; thus, the note “templates” can serve as a very useful
study guide for each of the exams.
So that all students can benefit from the lecture, I ask that you observe a few simple rules. Try your
best to be on time, but if you are late, tiptoe in. If you absolutely, positively must leave early, please
quietly tiptoe out without disturbing your fellow students. Please turn off cell phones, iPods, and
other electronic devices.
Course Requirements and Methods of Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the basis of 5
examinations, four mid-term tests and a final examination worth 20% each. Test dates are provided
in the schedule below. The format for the tests and exams is multiple choice and true/false
questions. Exam material is from lecture notes AND textbook. You will need a scantron sheet for
each exam. The final exam will not be cumulative; instead, the material covered in the examinations
will be spaced throughout the semester. There will be NO extra credit assignments for this
course.
The final grade will be determined on a ten point scale (90-100%A; 80-89%B; 70-79%C; 60-69%D;
below 60%F). Only the final course grades will be curved.
Students should keep in mind that grading is an assessment of quality, not a measure of effort.
Please do not interpret my attempt to make the classroom environment friendly and welcoming as
any indication of relaxed academic expectations. On the contrary, you should expect a rigorous
learning experience, and I will set a high academic standard for the class.
Make-up Procedure: Make-up exams will only be allowed in cases where a test was missed for a
documented, University approved reason (medical condition, bereavement, travel for an athletic
event or other university business etc). Mark test dates on your calendar now!! If you miss a test for
any University-approved reason, you must notify me by e-mail or telephone before the exam
begins or, when that is logistically impossible, very soon afterwards on the same day. Use the same
study guide, notes, and text readings as the regular exam to study for any make up exam. You must
also be able to prove your excuse in writing (doctor’s note, towing receipt with time listed, etc.).
Conflicts with jobs, other classes, and your personal life are not satisfactory excuses. Personal
travel is not, in any circumstance, a legitimate excuse. Please plan to be in attendance for each
exam.
Students requiring specialized classroom or test-taking accommodations should make arrangements
with the Office of Disability Services .
FINAL EXAM MAKE UP POLICY
There will be no early or late finals administered. There are no exceptions to this rule! If you miss
the final exam, (1) provide me with a valid excuse within one day of missing the exam and (2) are
passing the course at the time of the final, you will be given a grade of "I" (Incomplete) for the
course. If you fail in either of these simple tasks, your grade will be based upon your total exam
scores taken before the final plus a ZERO for the final exam.
Academic Honesty Policy: The University’s cheating policy as stated in the “Code of Student
Conduct” booklet will be followed. Students are encouraged to share ideas and skills and to freely
discuss the principles and applications of course materials. However, the guiding principle of
academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. There is no place or
tolerance for cheating in this course. Cheating could result in a course grade of F and referral to the
Dean of Students.
Course Content:
Lect
DATE
LECTURE TITLE
1
Jan 14
2
25
Introduction, The Science of Historical Geology,
Early Geologists Tackle History s Mysteries
Time and Geology,
Rocks and Minerals: Documents that Record
Earths History
3
28
TEST 1
4
5
6
Feb 8
11
22
7
8
25
March 7
9
10
The Sedimentary Archives
Life on Earth: What do Fossils Reveal?
Plate Tectonics Underlies All Earth History
TEST 2
Earliest Earth: 2,100,000,000 Years of the Archean
Eon
The Proterozoic: Dawn of a More Modern World
Early Paleozoic Events
Late Paleozoic Events
Chapter 5: 77 – 117
Chapter 6: 119 - 159
Chapter 7: 161 - 205
Chapter 8: 207 – 241
Chapter 9: 243 - 265
Chapter 10: 267 – 293
Chapter 11: 295 - 325
TEST 3
Life of the Paleozoic
Mesozoic Events
Life of the Mesozoic
Cenozoic Events
Global Climate and Glacials
10
April 4
11
7
12
18
TEST 4
21
May 5
Life of the Cenozoic
Human Origins, Movie
FINAL EXAM
13
Levin, H. TEXT
(8th Edition)
Chapter 1: 1 – 9
Chapter 2: 11 - 25
Chapter 3: 27 – 45
Chapter 4: 47 - 75
Chapter 12: 327 - 371
Chapter 13: 373 – 403
Chapter 14: 405 - 449
Chapter 15: 451 – 483
Chapter 15: 480 – 483,
Lecture
Chapter 16: 487 - 523
Chapter 17: 525 - 547
1 – 3 PM
Attendance Policy: Attendance should be considered mandatory, but you're on your honor. I do not
take a roll. I figure you're paying to be here, and it's up to you whether or not you would like to get
what you pay for by coming to class. Attend class and TAKE NOTES. I cannot stress this enough:
“A” and “B” students come to class; “C”, “D”, and “F” students come less frequently. No other
variable correlates as well with student performance. While attendance will not be taken, and
although no explanations are needed for missed lectures, the evaluation of student performance will
be based largely on material and activities presented during class lectures. Therefore, it will be
nearly impossible to earn a high grade in this course without coming to class on a regular
basis. Note that the lecture notes posted on blackboard are only an outline of what is actually said in
class, and that anything said in class or in the text readings is fair game for exams. A huge part of
learning material in GEOL 102 is self-motivation and a willingness to truly apply yourself.
Email Policy: Email will be a primary means of communication for this course. Students must
ensure that their email address on Blackboard is accurate, as important course information will be
provided periodically via the Blackboard email interface. Students must also make it point to check
their email regularly (at a minimum, 2-3 times per week) to stay informed of any course news and
announcements.
I encourage students to use email as their primary means of contacting me outside of the classroom.
Whenever possible I will respond to a student email inquiry within 24 hours. In return, I ask that
students observe some basic guidelines regarding email etiquette:
Address your email message professionally (e.g., “Dear Dr. da Silva”, “Prof. da Silva”,
etc.)
- When making requests for information or assistance, always be polite (hint: “please” and
“thank you” are effective)
- Do not make demands of myself (e.g., “I want to know why…”), instead make a polite
request (e.g., “Could you please let me know…”)
- Be flexible and accommodating (e.g., “Can I come by your office sometime this week?”)
- Sign your name at the end of the email –it is often difficult to identify a student solely by
email address
In addition, in order to make class-related email exchanges as efficient as possible, I will not
respond to emails requesting basic course information that is in the syllabus. This includes, but is
not limited to, questions about exam dates/times, grading policies, requests for extra credit, requests
for missed class notes, etc.
-
DROP DATE: The last day to drop a course with a “W” is: Friday, April, 4th, 2008.
Americans With Disabilities Act:
If you have a documented disability that requires assistance, you will need to register with the Office
of Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Office of Disability
Services is located in Peltier Hall, Room 100-A. The phone number is (985) 448-4430 (TDD 4497002).
Academic Grievances:
The proper procedure for filing grade appeals or grievances related to academic matters is listed in
Section 5 of the Code of Student Conduct and at the following link:
http://www.nicholls.edu/documents/student_life/code_of_conduct.pdf.
Continued Learning following an Extreme Emergency:
In order to make continued learning possible following an extreme emergency, students are
responsible for:
 reading regular emergency notifications on the NSU website;
 knowing how to use and access Blackboard (or university designated electronic delivery
system);
 being familiar with emergency guidelines;
 evacuating textbooks and other course materials;
 knowing their Blackboard (or designated system) student login and password;
 contacting faculty regarding their intentions for completing the course.
Faculty are responsible for:
 their development in the use of the Blackboard (or designated) software;
 having a plan for continuing their courses using only Blackboard and email;
 continuing their course in whatever way suits the completion of the course best, and being
creative in the continuation of these courses;
 making adjustments or compensations to a student’s progress in special programs with labs,
clinical sequences or the like only in the immediate semester following the emergency.
This syllabus is not a contract and I reserve the right to change the schedule of the classes and/or
mid term exams during the semester if necessary or appropriate. If changes in the dates of the
midterm exam occur you will be notified in advance. The policy regarding attendance, missed
exams, grading, academic integrity, email etiquette etc will not be changed during this course or
reconsidered.