EvolutionGeology 57Fall 2006Required Texts: Stanley, Earth System History, 2e (ESH)
Lecture: Gladfelter L021MWF, 10:40-11:30Gastaldo, Savdra, Lewis, Deciphering Earth History. 3e (DEH)
Labs: Beury 122M or W, 11:40-12:30 or 12:40-1:30
Instructor:Dr. Allison Tumarkin-DeratzianOffice: Beury 315, Phone:215-204-3907, Email:
Office hours: 1:00-2:30 MW; 12:00-1:30 F
Course Description:
The course is divided into two parts. The first half introduces geological, chemical, and biological concepts necessary for understanding our dynamic planet. The second half applies these concepts to a guided tour of earth history (aka “4.6 Billion Years in 7 Weeks”), from the formation of the solar system to recent human-induced environmental changes.
Policies:
Attendance: You are responsible for attending the required lectures and laboratory sections. Attendance sheets will be passed around during lecture and lab; be certain to sign in on the class list next to your name.
Labs: All students must register for a laboratory section. Labs do not meet during the first week of classes.
Lab exercises are due in the following week’s lab period unless otherwise noted. There will be a 10% grade reduction for each day an assignment is overdue.
Lecture Slides: The Powerpoint slides foreach week’s lectures will be posted on the course Blackboard site by Friday of the previous week. It is your own responsibility to print slide sheets if you want to use them for note-taking. In order to save paper, I will not be providing handouts in class.
Grading and Exams:
Lecture Midterm 1 (Friday 9/22 In class)20%
Lecture Midterm 2 (Friday 10/20 In class)20%
Lecture Final: (Friday 12/15 8:30-10:30 AM)30%
Lab Exercises 15%
Lab Midterm (Wednesday 10/18 and Monday 10/23 In lab)7.5%
Lab Final(Monday 11/27 and Wednesday 11/29 In lab)7.5%
Lecture exams will be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, and matching questions based on material covered in lecture. Lecture exams are graded electronically. You must fill out the forms correctly; otherwise your answers will be counted wrong. I do not check your forms.
Lecture exam scores will be posted outside of our lecture hall. Your grade will be listed next to your TempleID number.
Lecture midterms and lab exams are not cumulative.
The lecture final is technically not cumulative—I will not specifically ask questions drawn from the first half of the semester on the final exam. Keep in mind, however, that the second half of the course builds on material covered in the first half, so concepts from the first half will carry over and are fair game for the lecture final.
Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will only be given under extreme circumstances with a valid, documented excuse (e.g. severe illness, death in the family). This applies to all exams, including the lab exams and the lecture final. Should such a circumstance arise, contact me (or the TA, for the lab exams) immediately and prior to the scheduled exam dateto schedule a make-up exam. Simply not showing up for the exam and waiting until later to talk to me or the TA is notacceptable, and I cannot guarantee a make-up under those circumstances.
Extra Credit: Not an option. Non-negotiable.
Final Grades: Final course grades will be assigned based on the following scale: A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ = 87-89, B = 83-86, B- = 80-82, C+ = 77-79, C = 73-76, C- 70-72, D+ = 67-69, D = 63-66, D- = 60-62, F 60. I do not curve grades.
Incompletes: Incomplete grades may be given only after a written incomplete contract is completed andit is approved by the CST Dean. Students must have completed most of the work for the class.
Disabilities: Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Contact Disability Resources and Services (100 Ritter Annex, 1301 C.B.Moore Ave; 215-204-1280) and schedule an appointment with me (as early in the semester as possible) if you have needs that require accommodation. I must have a copy of your DRS accommodation letter before I can grant accommodations.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
WEEKDATELECTURE TOPICREADINGS (ESH pages)LAB (DEH exercises)
18/28Introduction3-6, 20-24NO LAB
8/30Minerals27-36NO LAB
9/1Rocks6-8, 36-47
29/4NO LECTURENO LAB
9/6Sedimentary Environments I103-113Minerals (handout)
9/8Sedimentary Environments II113-118
39/11Sedimentary Environments III118-126Minerals (handout)
9/13Tectonics I13-18, 189-195Description & Classification of Sedimentary Rocks (1)
9/15Tectonics II177-189
49/18Tectonics III199-212Description & Classification of Sedimentary Rocks (1)
9/20Geologic Time & Relative Dating9-13, 129-135, 137-139Interpretation of Sedimentary Rocks (2)
9/22LectureMidterm 1
59/25Absolute Dating135-136, 140-146Interpretation of Sedimentary Rocks (2)
9/27Environments Life I79-87Relative Time & Sequence of Events (3)
9/29Environments Life II87-100
610/2Biogeochemical Cycles I18-20, 221-229Relative Time & Sequence of Events (3)
10/4Biogeochemical Cycles II229-238Lithostratigraphy (4)
10/6Biogeochemical Cycles III238-243
710/9Basic Evolutionary Biology I153-161, 165-166Lithostratigraphy (4)
10/11Classification of Organisms54-61Biostratigraphy & Evolution (5&9)
10/13Basic Evolutionary Biology II161-165, 166-174
810/16An Overview of Life61-76Biostratigraphy & Evolution (5&9)
10/18NO LECTURELab Midterm
10/20Lecture Midterm 2
910/23Archean I247-258Lab Midterm
10/25Archean II258-270Preservation, Taphonomy & Paleoecology (8&13)
10/27Proterozoic I273-280
1010/30Proterozoic II281-286, 288-289Preservation, Taphonomy & Paleoecology (8&13)
11/1Proterozoic III / Early Paleozoic I290-296, 312-313, 318-323Early Paleozoic Life (10)
11/3Early Paleozoic II299-312, 315-318
1111/6Middle Paleozoic327-344, 346-347Early Paleozoic Life (10)
11/8Middle/Late Paleozoic344-345, 348-350, 369-373Later Paleozoic Life (11)
11/10Late Paleozoic355-369, 374-376
1211/13Early Mesozoic387-397, 402-414Later Paleozoic Life (11)
11/15Late Mesozoic I398-401, 417-428Post-Paleozoic Life (12)
11/17Late Mesozoic II428-441
1311/20Early Cenozoic I445-455Post-Paleozoic Life (12)
11/22Early Cenozoic II455-466NO LAB (Friday schedule)
11/24NO LECTURE
1411/27Late Cenozoic I469-488Lab Final
11/29Late Cenozoic II488-502Lab Final
12/1 Late Cenozoic III502-512
1512/4Holocene I515-525NO LAB
12/6Holocene II515-537NO LAB
SOME FREE ADVICE
1. Show up to class.
2. Do not just take notes when I write something down. What I say is often as or more important than what I write.
3. Focus your notes and your studying on concepts and processes, not just on definitions of terms.
4. Make flash cards for terms from lectures.
5. Recopy and revise(or at least reread) your notes as soon as possible after class when the information is still fresh in your mind. This will help you make sense of the thoughts you wrote down during the lecture. It will also help you pin downwhat you understand and what you don’t, so that you can either look in the textbook for the answer, or ask me or the TA to clarify a definition or concept.
6. Read the summaries and do the questions at the end of each chapter in the text.
7. Use the resources on the text’s website:
8. Make use of the Math and Sciences Resource Center (MSRC) located at1810 Liacouras Walk, Rooms 201 & 208. They provide individual and group tutoring services.