Natural Disasters: SYLLABUS

Course Policies – The course is based mainly on the lectures. The topics of the lectures are also covered in the textbook, although lectures include material not covered in the textbook, and the textbook includes material not covered in the lectures. If you rely on the textbook without attending lectures, you will not receive all of the information that is covered on the exams. Also material cover in the videos will be considered for the exams.

You are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty. Any student found in violation of these standards will earn an automatic F and be reported to the Deans Office, no exceptions made. In accordance with FIU's policy on academic honesty, as set forth in Section 2.44 of the Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual (http://academic.fiu.edu/polman/sec2web.htm#two-forty-four), it is expected that students in GLY3034 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 other student's work.

Students are required to attend all the lectures, it is rare that a student who does not regularly attend the lectures will learn enough to get a final grade of A or B. This includes students who make arrangements for others to take notes for them, because other people's notes are not usually as useful as your own.

Discipline during the lecture will be strictly enforced: No disruption of lecture will be tolerated.

Exams and Grading – Exams will take place as scheduled unless university classes are canceled. The format of the regular and final exams is multiple choice. The regular exams and the final exam count 100 points each. Hourly exams cover all lectures and the corresponding material in the textbook covered since the previous exam. The final exam covers all lectures and corresponding textbook material not covered in the previous exams.

In most cases, if you miss an exam you earn a 0. Makeup exams will be given only in extreme circumstances and if you have valid, documentable proof justifying your absence, such as a doctor's note explaining a bad illness, police report verifying a car accident or a death certificate of an immediate family member. University sponsored events away from campus, family trips out of town, and a car that wouldn't start do not qualify for makeup exams. In the case of a valid reason that can be documented for missing an exam, you will be given a makeup exam at the end of the semester but before the final exam. In such a case, you must contact the professor as soon as possible after missing the exam. The format of makeup exams is essay and short answer.

During the semester there will be opportunities during class to earn extra credit by answering questions based on the last several lectures.

FOR FULLY ONLINE SECTION. Exams: This course does not make use of exams or tests for the evaluations of students rather students’ performance in the course is determined by the individual accomplishments and performance based on abilities acquired and research essays. The course is divided into seven sections, corresponding to natural groupings of the topics covered in class. These divisions also correspond to the presentation of the topics in the textbook. Every unit contains an ASSIGNMENT consisting of a set of abilities (a list of competencies) that the student should have acquired by doing the specified activities. Performance in the abilities will count 40 percent towards the final grade. Assignments are regarded as individual effort and are to be done individually.

Assignments and essays should be submitted electronically using the corresponding link in the "Assignments" section of the Course Menu. Check the "My Grades" section of the Course Menu to view your grades. Grades will be posted within the following 8-10 days.

Work not completed is assigned the grade of 0. Any student missing a deadline must contact me the day before to explain the reason for the absence; verification will be required. You can always reach me by e-mail. If you do not contact me before the day before the due date, you will not be eligible for an extension.