CONTENTS

1. Important Announcements
2. Contact Information
3. Prerequisites and Transfer
4. Intended Learning Outcomes
5. Readings
6. Important Dates
7. Class Policies
8. Assessments

(a)    Warm-ups
(b)    Daily Quizzes
(c)    Lecture Exams
(d)    Final Grades

9. Class Schedule
10. FAQ

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. KNOW POLICY: What you must know about class policies is in this syllabus. If you have questions, please ask.

2. KNOW SCHEDULE. You must read your email, consult the website, ask other students, read the syllabus, or ask me. If you have trouble, please ask me. The most important dates are in the section called Important Dates.

3. CHANGE HAPPENS: I reserve the right to alter the syllabus within reason.

4. PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: Don't! UWS 14.03 describes conduct subject to disciplinary action. UWS 14.04 describes the procedures for handling academic misconduct.

5. ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH: A UW Colleges-wide assessment program has been put into place to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum, programs and services of the institution. The following areas of proficiency will be assessed because they are of primary importance in the education of our students: Analytical Skills, Quantitative Skills, Communication Skills, and Aesthetic Engagement. The Geography & Geology Department has also determined a number of core proficiencies for students enrolled in geography and geology classes. For more information, go to www.uwc.edu/resources/assess/.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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PREREQUISITES AND TRANSFER

There are no prerequisites for this course. This class partially fulfills a natural science credit for both an AAS and a Bachelor degree. To see how this course transfers to other Universities, go to the University of Wisconsin Transfer Information System.

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INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and Understanding: On completing the course, students will demonstrate that they:

1. Can recall the most basic minerals and explain their relationship to rocks;

2. Can describe the most basic rocks and explain their formation and their relationship to plate tectonics;

3. Can recall and explain the basic structure of the earth;

4. Can recall and explain basic geophysical principles of seismic waves, magnetism, gravity and isostasy;

5. Can describe, explain and use principles of relative and absolute age dating;

6. Can describe and explain major plate boundaries and their associated physical features;

7. Can describe and explain earthquakes and their relation to landforms and tectonics;

8. Can describe and explain geologic structure, associated landforms and relation to tectonics and rocks;

9. Can describe and explain formation and destruction of plates and continents;

10. Can describe and explain basic surface processes such as mass movement, running water and glaciers and their relationship to landforms.

Skills: On completion of this course, students will demonstrate that they:

1. Can read, summarize and interpret the appropriate texts;

2. Can communicate ideas orally;

3. Can interpret maps, diagrams and graphs pertaining to physical geology;

4. Can interpret photographic and other images pertaining to physical geology.

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READINGS

1. HARDCOPY TEXT: How Does Earth Work? (1e) by Smith and Pun is in the bookstore. Most of your readings come from this text. I will assign readings by email after each lecture. You must find the assignments by reading email or using D2L. Readings from the text are prefaced with an SP.

2. WEB TEXT: Readings from Fundamentals of Physical Geography by Pidwirny are online at http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/contents.html. Find the assignments by reading email or using D2L. Readings are prefaced with a P.

3. OTHER: As necessary, I will provide handouts, direct you to other websites through this website, or provide links through email.

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IMPORTANT DATES

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CLASS POLICIES

1. ATTENDANCE: I do not grade attendance. However, if you are absent, you get no points for missed warm-ups or Daily quizzes (see WARM-UPS, or DAILY QUIZZES). You are responsible for finding out what you missed.
    

2. ABSENCE DURING EXAM: If you miss a lecture exam, I give a new one (see LECTURE EXAMS).
    

3. EXTENDED ABSENCE: I automatically drop the two lowest grades for warm-ups and the two lowest grades for the Daily quiz. While I do no allow make-ups on any of these I do make allowances for extended absences. If you are absent longer than a week, see me!
    

4. SCHEDULE: The syllabus and Website has a complete schedule (see CLASS SCHEDULE).
    

5. READINGS: Readings are from the text and, occasionally, other sources. A list is in the CLASS SCHEDULE.
    

6. GRADING: I estimate class grades after every lecture exam, at midterm, and, sometimes, after lab exams. I will provide this on paper and through email. A 65% on an exam is a C. For all other work a 75% is a C. See FINAL GRADE for the grading for the entire course. I adjust the grading if tests are more difficult than I intended.
    

7. QUESTIONS ON GRADES: See me about your grades at any time. However, if you think there is any problem with the grading, please see me immediately!
    

8. EXTRA CREDIT: I give extra points on warm-ups. I may give extra credit for certain University Lectures. It never accounts for more than 3% of your grade. I will not take research or other papers for extra credit.
    

9. DROPS: It is better to drop the class than to simply stop attending and earn a failing grade. But this is a decision better made sooner than later. The deadline is November 10.
    

10. INCOMPLETES: UWWC grants incompletes to those in good standing when illness of the student or a family member prevents the student from taking the Final. You must talk to me before I can give an incomplete.

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ASSESSMENTS

A.    WARM-UPS

1. DESCRIPTION: After class, I email questions and post them on D2L. You answer the questions and turn them in at the beginning of class. We discuss the answer in class so you can make corrections.

2. PURPOSE: I base questions on material you read before class. I use warm-ups as a source of Exam questions. Thus your answers are both research and a rough draft for answering exam questions.

3. SUBMISSION: Write or type answers on a clean sheet. Make two copies. Turn in one copy at the beginning of class. Keep one copy. No questions accepted after first 10 minutes. If you cannot get to class, you can email answers until 2:35pm. I accept only 6 emailed answers a semester.

4. FORMAT: Most questions include a multiple choice question. Then they ask for explanations of features and processes in outline form. A few questions involve original thinking.

5. CITATION: Always state your sources. If you use the assigned text, list the authors’ last names, the date and the title. For any other source, use a complete citation.

6. GRADING: Warm-ups are worth 2 points (see IMPORTANT DATES). A good faith effort gets 2 points. You lose points when do not turn in answers or because your questions are inadequate. For extremely detailed outlines that include drawings, I give extra credit of 0.5 points.

7. MISSED WARM-UPS: I do not accept late warm-ups. Instead, I drop the two lowest scores to provide for excused absences. If you are absent longer than a week, please see me.

B. DAILY QUIZZES

1. DESCRIPTION: These are short (1-2 question) multiple-choice or short answer quizzes at the start of each class. Come in late and you miss the quiz. I do not give make-ups. I drop the lowest quiz automatically. On the first class day after a major exam, the quiz consists of an evaluation of the exam.
    

2. PURPOSE: I base questions on material covered since the last quiz. I use these questions to get you to review your notes, practice test questions and attend class.
    

3. GRADING: Each quiz is worth 4 points (see IMPORTANT DATES).
    

4. ABSENCES: I drop the lowest two scores. That should provide for a weeklong absence. If for some reason you are absent longer than a week, please see me.

C. LECTURE EXAMS

1. DESCRIPTION: Exams take an entire period. Bring a pencil for multiple choice. You can use a pen on the rest. Exams cover material listed in the schedule (see CLASS SCHEDULE). Each is a mix of multiple choice, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, matching and and/or essay questions. Daily questions are the most important source of test questions.

2. QUESTION FORMAT: Each exam has a mix of multiple choice, short answer, diagrams, fill-in-the-blank, and essay questions. Many questions involve interpretation or creation of images and diagrams. NOTE: Warm-ups provide most of test questions.

3. REVIEW QUESTIONS: There is a section for REVIEW QUESTIONS on the website. These cover significant topics. Use questions to organize relevant information from the book and the lecture. I provide some sample answers with the first set of questions.

4. ONLINE REVIEW: Reviews are run as discussion boards on D2L so that everyone can see the answers that I provide. The boards are also open all year so that you can start asking questions on the very first day of class. I tend to sign off no later than 1:30pm the day of an exam.

5. RETURNING TESTS: I return tests as quickly as possible. I discuss written questions in class. If there is a problem with the grading, tell me as soon as possible.

6. EXAM CURVE: I have curves on all graded work, but I adjust this curve based on the difficulty of the exam. The final curve for the course is the weighted sum of all previous curves.

7. LATE LECTURE EXAMS: Contact me after you miss an exam and keep in contact until you take it. I will try to create the exam as soon as possible, but I cannot make it a higher priority than regularly scheduled class preparation. Late exams have new questions that are short answer and essay.

8. FINAL EXAM: The Final is comprehensive. Part of it derives from the first three exams. I provide review questions. I do not return Finals but you can see yours up to a year after the end of class.

9. NO FINAL OPTION: Whoever has 96% of the total points on the last day of class OR whoever has an A and the highest point total does not take the final and will get an automatic A in the course. In the latter case, anyone within 1% of the top grade also gets out of the Final Exam.

D. FINAL GRADE

DESCRIPTION: I calculate the total points you accumulate divided by the total points possible. Your grade then depends on the curve. The curves I use are below. The difficulty of a particular test or other factors may affect the actual curve. 

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 CLASS SCHEDULE

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