Earth Through Time, GLY
3112
Prof. Laurel Collins
Spring 2013, MWF 9-9:50am, GC 275B
Course Description – The physical and biological history of Earth are inextricably intertwined into one great dynamic system. The first half of the course (covering chapters 1-10) investigates the basic principles and processes for understanding Earth’s history, including the rock cycle, biodiversity and the classification of life, environments of sediment deposition, correlation and dating of the rock record, evolution and the fossil record, plate tectonics and global geochemical cycles. The second half (chapters 11-20) applies the principles to interpreting Earth’s history and future.
Course Objectives – To understand how tectonic, lithologic, geochemical and biological systems have affected one another through time, from Earth’s origins until the near future.
Learning Outcomes –
Instructor – Dr. Laurel Collins, Department of Earth and Environment, and Department of Biological Sciences, email collinsl@fiu.edu, telephone 305-348-1732, office hours Mondays and Fridays 10-11:30 in PC 435. If a course or work conflicts with regular office hours, please email to make an appointment.
Textbook – Stanley, Steven M., 2009, Earth System History, 3rd ed., W.H. Freeman (at FIU bookstore $146 new, $110 used, $72 e-textbook rental). There is a separate Online Study Center package (http://bcs.whfreeman.com/esh3e) that is an excellent way to test yourself.
Course Policies on Attendance, Homework and Exams – Attendance at lectures is not required, but students who do not regularly attend lectures rarely learn enough to earn an A or B. It is a good idea to read in advance the textbook chapter we are discussing. We cover a lot of material and the homework assignment deadlines (1 week after the lecture) help you keep up with it. Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty, and to answer homework and exam questions with their own work. Any student found in violation of these standards will earn an automatic F and be reported to the Provost's Office, no exceptions made. In accordance with FIU's policy on academic honesty, set forth in the Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual (http://academic.fiu.edu/polman/sec2web.htm#two-forty-four), it is expected that students will neither submit the academic work of another as their own, nor provide work they have done for another student to be submitted as that student's work.
Grading on Homework and Examinations – The homework (hard copy only, typed or written neatly in print) requires answering five questions at the end of each chapter using complete sentences. The deadline for homework is the beginning of the class 1 week following the chapter covered, except for the last week of class (see Homework Deadlines column, below). Assignments are worth 100 points total (20 chapters, 5 points/chapter, 1 point/question). Late assignments lose 1 point per week. The two exams include questions requiring short answers and short essays. Makeup exams are given only in circumstances of personal emergencies for which you have documentable proof, such as a doctor’s note for an illness or a police report for a car accident. Out-of-town trips and the sniffles are not valid reasons for missing exams. The midterm and final exams count 100 points each, and each covers half of the course. Final grades are based on the following numbers of total points: A = 277–300, A- = 268–276, B+ = 259–267, B = 247–258, B- = 238–246, C+ = 229–237, C = 217–228, C- = 208–216, D+ = 199–207, D = 187–198, D- = 178–186, F = 0–177.