Syllabus114

GEOS 114 — Historical Geology — Spring 2004

Instructors: Dr. Michael A. Kruge (lecture) and Ms. Christin Cifelli (lab)

Lecture: Mon. & Thurs 2:30 to 3:45, Mallory 360
Lab: Mon. 11:30-1:20, Mallory 353

Office Hours:
Mon. & Thurs. 1:15-2:15 in ML 255 or by appt. (973-655-7668) in RI 264.

E-Mail: krugem@mail.montclair.edu
Instructor’s Website: www.csam.montclair.edu/earth/eesweb/krugeindex.html
Textbook Website: www.whfreeman.com/ESH/STUDENT.HTM

Required Book:
S.M. Stanley, Earth System History, 1999 (Freeman, New York, ISBN 0-7167-2882-6)

Scope:
The class is intended to serve several functions. It satisfies the “Natural/Physical Science Laboratory” general education requirement (2002 revision) and the “Natural/Physical Science” general education requirement (1983 revision). It is a required foundation course for the Geoscience major and minor, as well as being a prerequisite for advanced Geoscience courses. It is an optional collateral course for the Applied Mathematics concentration.

The class is suitable for students of any major who simply wish to learn more about their home planet and its history.

Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this class, students will have acquired a familiarity with the fundamentals of the scientific method, geology, geochemistry, geophysics, paleontology and environmental earth science. Students will have developed a sense of appreciation for the vastness of geologic time relative to the human lifespan, how the earth and its inhabitants evolved to their present state, the concept of the “earth as a system”, and how organisms and their environment have interacted. Students will be able to more fully appreciate and critically assess items in the news media and current political discourse related to the earth and environmental sciences.. Students will be able to comprehend many of the technical terms used in professional earth science publications. Geoscience and environmental science students will have established a foundation for further studies in their major fields.

Grading:
Lab (25%), one midterm exam (20%), one final exam (25%), quizzes (20% total), attendance and class participation (5%), field trip (5%). You may also chose to do an optional original research project (term paper) for up to five (5) bonus points.

Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory for all lectures, quizzes and examinations. If you are planning to be away for a valid personal reason, present your case to the instructor beforehand. Other absences must be justified to the instructor. Make-up exams and quizzes will be given only if these conditions are met.

Field Trip:
A required all-day field trip is planned to nearby areas of interest (North Jersey, NE PA). It will be held on Saturday, April 3 . For those who regularly have a Saturday job or are unable to come for medical reasons, a term paper (on a topic approved in advance by the instructor) will substitute for the field trip requirement.

Computer Resources:
The textbook website has a very good study guide, which you should use as we go through each chapter. The textbook includes a free CD-ROM, but the website is more comprehensive. For those students who do not have a computer, they may use the MSU computer learning centers (Sprague Library and Student Center).

Time Commitment:
At a university, it is expected that for every hour of credit that you receive for a course, you will spend two to three hours per week on preparation outside of class. GEOS 114 is a 4 credit hour course, thus you should plan on spending 8 to 12 hours per week on reading and homework for this class.

MSU Plagiarism Policy:
You should be aware of the serious problem of plagiarism and academic dishonesty on campus. Plagiarism occurs when a writer misrepresents the work of another as his/her own. You are responsible for reading and understanding the MSU plagiarism policy.

To Assure Your Success:

During lecture sit in the front of the classroom and take lots of notes.
When doing the assigned readings, also take notes (instead of marking the book with a highlighter).
In the textbook, the key words and concepts appear in bold face type. You will see many of these on the quizzes and exams, so be sure that you understand them. As you encounter each of these for the first during your reading, write them in your notebook, along with the definition or explanation in your own words. If you are unclear about the meaning, make note of that also and check the textbook website or bring your question to class or office hours.
Find a quiet place (library?) to study without distractions.
Do the assigned readings before each class (about a dozen pages twice a week).
Use the textbook’s website to help you learn vocabulary, to make sure that you have met the objectives for each chapter and to prepare for quizzes and exams.

Lecture and reading schedule

Chapter sections to be read BEFORE the lecture.

	Date	Topic	Reading
			(pages in Stanley)
Mon.	19-Jan	No class - Dr. Martin Luther King Day
Thurs.	22-Jan	Earth as a System	1-13
Mon.	26-Jan	Earth as a System	13-26
Thurs.	29-Jan	Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks	29-40
Mon.	02-Feb	Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks	40-54
Thurs.	05-Feb	The Diversity of Life (Quiz 1)	57-70
Mon.	09-Feb	The Diversity of Life	70-88
Thurs.	12-Feb	Environments and Life	91-105
Mon.	16-Feb	Environments and Life	105-118
Thurs.	19-Feb	Sedimentary Environments	121-137
Mon.	23-Feb	Sedimentary Environments	138-148
Thurs.	26-Feb	Correlation & Dating of the Rock Record (Quiz 2)	151-163
Mon.	01-Mar	Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record	164-177
Thurs.	04-Mar	Evolution and the Fossil Record	181-191
Mon.	08-Mar	Evolution and the Fossil Record	191-204
Thurs.	11-Mar	Midterm Exam
Mon.	15-Mar	No class - Spring Break
Thurs.	18-Mar	No class - Spring Break
Mon.	22-Mar	The Theory of Plate Tectonics	207-228
Thurs.	25-Mar	Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains	231-254
Mon.	29-Mar	Major Chemical Cycles (Quiz 3)	257-282
Thurs.	01-Apr	The Archean Eon of Precambrian Time	285-311
Mon.	05-Apr	The Proterozoic Eon of Precambrian Time	315-338
Thurs.	08-Apr	The Early Paleozoic World	341-366
Mon.	12-Apr	The Middle Paleozoic World	369-396
Thurs.	15-Apr	The Late Paleozoic World (Quiz 4)	399-431
Sat.	17-Apr.	Field Trip
Mon.	19-Apr	The Early Mesozoic Era	435-462
Thurs.	22-Apr	The Cretaceous World	465-491
Mon.	26-Apr	The Paleogene World (Quiz 5)	495-516
Thurs.	29-Apr	The Neogene World	519-556
Mon.	03-May	The Holocene	559-582
Thurs.	06-May	Final Exam	1-3 PM

Updated 2004.03.22
Michael Kruge, Ph.D.
Dept. of Earth & Environmental Studies
College of Science & Mathematics
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey, USA