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Historical Geology 201. Everything you wanted to know about your Earth’s History. (Probably more than you wanted to know.). Instructor: Eric Hovanitz Office: SC-217 Phone: 714-628-4747 E-mail: hovanitz_eric@sccollege.edu Web page: http://www.hovanitz.com
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Historical Geology 201 Everything you wanted to know about your Earth’s History. (Probably more than you wanted to know.) Instructor: Eric Hovanitz Office: SC-217 Phone: 714-628-4747 E-mail: hovanitz_eric@sccollege.edu Web page: http://www.hovanitz.com Office hours: Monday: 15:00-17:30 Tuesday: 11:20-11:50 and 16:50-17:30 Wednesday: 15:40-17:30 Thursday: 11:20-11:50 and 16:50-17:30 epidote Class: 11:50 - 13:15 TTh Lab: Th 13:30 - 16:40 Room: SC-206 Text: The Earth Through Time, 9th ed., Harold Levin SCC Historical Geology 201
Student Learning Outcome This course aims to provide a deeper understanding and awareness of natural processes and systems of the world we live in through methods of scientific inquiry and the scientific method. It also provides a basis for making informed judgments regarding environmental and natural resource policies and to further develop abilities in critical thinking so as to be able to make reasoned judgments based upon a deeper understanding of cause and effect. )
Why are you here? Jean Morrison - Gold Do you have to be here? No. Are you here to be successful? Yes. My advisor: Jean Morrison. 58 pound gold nugget from Australia.
Your Professor Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Cal State University, Los Angeles. Ph.D. from University of Southern California Worked through college as a roofer. In four years (mostly summers) put on 21 roofs. Good plumber and electrician. Ceramist. Age dating of rocks. Geologist. Computer programmer. Enjoy teaching.
Exams and Grades Quizzes (12; 10 points each) 100 points Exams (3; 100 points each) 200 points Final Exam (1; 100 points) 100 points Total points possible 400 points I drop your lowest two (2) quizzes and lowest exam but not the final exam. There are no make-up or late exams. The date of the exam will not be changed so you can determine your appoint-ments and vacations based on the schedule.
Grading Continued Your grade may be modified by up to 5% based on class participation. Positive class participation includes answering questions in class, coming to office hours, and bringing interesting geology or earth science articles into class. Detrimental class participation includes talking out-of-turn in class, coming to class late, passing notes, cell phone use (even ringing), or anything that is disruptive to the class.
Exams and Quizzes Exams may consist of a combination of true/false, multiple choice, matching, fill-in the blank, short answer and essay questions. There is something for everyone, no matter what your leaning style is. Please bring a scantron to exams. Quizzes will take about 5 minutes and can be given anytime after the beginning of class. Quizzes are true-false and multiple choice. You do not need to bring anything except a pencil.
Attendance and Cheating School policy states that you may be dropped from this class if you have over 2 unexcused absences. If you have an excused absence please e-mail me before class. Cheating is not tolerated. A cheating report will be made to the dean of students among other penalties. You will likely receive an “F” in this class and you may be suspended.
Class Etiquette This is a college class. Please act like the college students that you are. No talking in class, no cell phones in class (at anytime before or after class too), no passing notes, or other disruptive behavior. Turn-off cell phones before entering class. Please don’t turn them back on until you are through the door on your way out.
Accommodations for Disabilities Students with verifiable disabilities who want to request academic accommodations are responsible for notifying their instructor and Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) as early as possible in the semester. Notice at least one week before accommodation is required. To arrange for accommodations, contact DSPS at (714) 628-4260, (714) 639-9742 (TTD for students who are deaf) or stop by the DSPS Center in E-105. DO NOT wait until exam day to inform me of your needs since that is too late for me to help you. Before an exam, please send an e-mail reminder of your exam location. Magnetite
Tentative Class Schedule On the back side of the syllabus. This is tentative, except for the exam dates. Please read the material before coming to class. It makes understanding lecture much easier.
A Successful College Career The following are a few simple suggestions to guide students in the beginning of their college career. They are not meant to be all-inclusive, and not all of these ideas will work for everyone. Most should be obvious, but it will ease the conscience of your instructor if you take a few minutes to read them over. These suggestions for achieving your college educataion are based solely on the college experience of the author and several of his friends and relatives, any resemblance to reality is strictly coincidental.
Economic Value of College Education Education Income No H.S. 23,000 H.S. 30,400 A.A. 38,200 B.A. 52,200 M.A. 62,300 Professional 109,600 Ph.D. 89,400
Go To Class The importance of this is often underestimated by beginning students. Your college instructor WILL NOT hound you about attending class, and you will probably NOT be counted off for absences like you were in high school. HOWEVER, regardless of what your instructor says, his lecture will ALWAYS be emphasized more than “the book”, and undoubtedly your grade will reflect your attendance. Be MENTALLY as well as physically present. Try and understand as much of the material being presented as possible WHILE IN CLASS. A fatal mistake is to rely too heavily on “the book”. Approach lecture as if this is the first and last time you will ever hear this material. Don’t converse, sleep, daydream, flirt, meditate or do your homework while the teacher is lecturing, YOUR INSTRUCTOR WILL NOTICE!
Go To Class (continued) Many students believe, incorrectly, that attendance is unnecessary and a waste of time. They are wrong. Most exam and quiz material is taken from lecture. If you didn’t attend class you won’t know the material. If you attend 70% of the classes and know 100% of the material from those classes you attend you will earn 70% in the class; a C-. You will NOT be able to make up all the material from the book like you did in high school. I cannot give you an individual lecture if you miss a class. Ask a fellow student for class notes. Class handouts will only be passed out one time. If you miss a class and a handout, ask a fellow student to copy the handout.
Take Notes • Taking good notes is a SKILL that is developed with experience and practice. • Different approaches work for different people. • Strive to strike a balance between: • Listening and absorbing the material presented. • Copying down the important aspects of the lecture. • Avoid taking notes that are lengthy, and which use a lot more words than are really absolutely necessary to get all the really totally important main ideas across. You are unlikely to pass this class without taking notes.
Participate in Class Make sure your instructor has a face, (the CORRECT face), to go with your name in the roll-book. Regardless of what the instructor tells you, class participation counts (even if it is only in the instructor’s sub-conscious). Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you think the answer is obvious to everyone else (it probably isn’t). However, if the instructor has just explained something in copious detail and you still don’t understand, save the question for after class. It is a good idea to try and see the instructor at least once outside of class during the term.
Read the Directions In my opinion, this is the single most common mistake college students make. It is also probably the most frustrating. Read ALL the instructions FIRST, before starting any lab work, homework, quiz or exam. You WILL save yourself a LOT of time and aggravation somewhere down the road. You may also save yourself a lot of those precious points on a homework assignment or lab project. Don’t underestimate the disasters that can occur to yourself (especially in geology) or your grade simply from not carefully following directions. Do NOT assume you know what is being asked of you before reading the directions.
Do the Assigned Work Several successful college graduates I know live by the motto: “DO EVERYTHING THEY TELL YOU TO DO, NO MATTER HOW STUPID IT IS”. I found I rarely had enough time to get everything done. However, it is usually quite obvious what things are important and which are not—if you’re not sure, ASK! One thing I have discovered is that it is almost always better to have turned in an imperfect but complete assignment ON TIME than to have a perfect, partially completed one sitting in the back seat of your car.
Use the BOOK! Invest the money in yourself and purchase the textbook for the course. If you have a lousy instructor, “the book” may be your only hope for getting anything out of the class. PUT YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK! I can’t believe how many people leave their $130 textbooks lying around the classroom. Different people use “the book” in different ways. Ideally, “the book” should be read BEFORE the lecture material on the subject is presented. However, I found that being able to read “the book” ahead of time was a luxury I could rarely afford. Instead, I used “the book” primarily to clarify and supplement the lecture material, and as a reference source. A copy of the text is available for your use in the library.
Study for Tests If possible, try not to wait until the night before the test to begin studying—you’ll regret it. Don’t study while watching TV, listening to anything but classical music at low volume, or lying on the couch with your girl/boyfriend. Assemble your paper, pencil, calculator, notes, books, munchies and go to the bathroom BEFORE you start to study. Everyone has their own system for studying. The system that works for many people involves putting all relevant pieces of information of flash-cards. These people often have a good AUDITORY memory and benefit from saying or explaining things out-loud to themselves. I have seen them sit on the floor, and assemble the cards in piles around them in a Stonehenge patterns. They then mumble to themselves in a mantra-like fashion, often facing to the east. But HEY, if it works, don’t knock it!
Study for Tests (continued) If possible, try to form a study group with your fellow students. You will all benefit. If one of your study group is a slacker, ditch them because they will slow you down. You don’t need to be nice to slackers. I post possible exam questions on the web. Use them. They are for you! Don’t answer the possible questions by guessing! I think I know the answer to this one.) Use your lecture notes, my class outline, and your textbook to answer the questions. IF you can’t determine what the answer is, please, please, please come to my office and I will go over the material with you. If, however, I find out you haven’t tried to answer the questions using your notes, book and outline, I’ll suggest you do these first.
Studying You probably noticed SCC isn’t high school. You attend class much less but are still expected to learn more material per week than you did in H.S. How is this so? You are expected to study two to three hours outside of class for every hour you spend in class. This is part of a college education. Learning on your own. You will be expected to do this for any jobs that require a college education.
