Geology 150 - Earth Revealed Laboratory

Winter Quarter 2006 (11686, SEC 5)	Instructor: Sonjia Leyva

Hours: M. 5:45 - 7:45 PM	Office: PS 221, 323-343-2149

Room: PS 215	Office Hours: M. 5:00 – 5:40 pm

Webpage: www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva	Email: sleyva@calstatela.edu

Course Description: Origin and nature of earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, the seafloor, deserts, mountains, and beaches. Students may choose either classroom or field trip laboratory. Laboratory 3 Hours. Partially satisfies G.E. block B2 requirement (must take concurrently with a lecture)
Course Objectives: This general geology laboratory is an introduction to minerals, rocks, maps and plate tectonics. In the first half of the course, students learn to identify various rocks and mineral, in addition to discussing how and where they form. The second half of the course will focus on map reading, geologic rocks, relative ages of rocks, and seismology. Students are given assignments that focus on how to determine the relative ages of rock, how to determine the location of an earthquake, and how to read various types of maps.
Text & Materials:

1.	Geology 150 Laboratory complied by Sonjia Leyva, available in the bookstore. Or, you may download them BEFORE THE START OR EACH CLASS SESSION at www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva.

2.	Color pencils (not crayons or markers)

3.	Ruler (combination metric/standard scale)

4.	Calculator (not the one on your cell phone)
WEEK	TOPIC	WEEK DUE
1	Mineral Identification Sets #1 & #2	2
2	Igneous Rock Identification	3
3	Sedimentary Rock Identification	4
4	Metamorphic Rock Identification	5
5	MIDTERM MINERAL AND ROCK IDENTIFICATION
6	Topographic Maps	7
7	Geologic Maps and Relative Dating	8
8	Plate Tectonics	9
9	Seismology	10
10	FINAL EXAM!

REQUIREMENTS

Class Attendance – Students are expected to attend each laboratory period and to arrive on time. The laboratory period will start with a brief discussion on the techniques and concepts needed for the day's laboratory assignment. Since it will not be possible to go over these materials more than once during the laboratory period, it is necessary for students to arrive on time. It will be difficult to make up missed laboratory periods. However, if you miss a laboratory period of valid reasons (illness), it will up to you to make arrangements to complete the lab exercise.

Lab Reports (10 to 15 points per lab) – Students will participate in a variety of laboratory experiments/exercises designed to introduce you to various aspects of Geology. The assignments will be due the following week at the beginning of class. Students are encouraged to work together in completing the laboratory work. However, each student should be sure to understand the techniques and concepts involved because midterm and final exam test problems will be very similar to laboratory problems. Labs are due the following week. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Exams – Two equally weighted exams are scheduled for the course: one midterm and one final. Each exam counts 50 points. Make-up exams will be given only to those who can verify a valid excuse for missing an exam. The make-up will be given at a time that is mutually agreeable to both the student and myself, but must be arranged prior to the initial exam. Failure to take the make-up will result in the missed exam counting in as a zero. In addition, the exam question sheet must be returned to me after the exam and after the exam review. Failure to do so will result in a ten (10) point reduction in the student's grade for that exam. Your grades will be available on the class website, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva/grades/index.html.

Field Trip – If your lab is scheduled to have a field trip, attending the field trip is an absolute requirement. What we learn in class is geared to what we will observe during the field trip. Missing the field trip will result in you failing the course. The University charges a fee of $10 for field trips that require transportation. This fee will cover the cost of transportation only. Meals, for example, are not included. You must pay this fee at the Cashier's office. In addition, students are required to complete and sign a waiver before attending the field trip. The waiver and a copy of your paid fee is required prior to the trip

Internet Access - Internet access is suggested for this class because much of the course content will be posted on the class web site, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva. Access at home or work is fine as long as you can view the web pages regularly and have a reasonably fast connection. If you don't have access at home or work, you can get free access through an account here at Cal State LA. To get a computer account at Cal State LA, go to the Academic Technology Support (ATS) Office in (basement) King Hall D140. You will need identification and proof of registration.

METHODS OF EVALUATION

Total possible class points will come from the following assignments. YOUR LAB GRADE IS WORTH ONE QUARTER (25%) AND YOUR LECTURE GRADE IS WORTH THREE QUARTERS (75%) OF YOUR OVERALL GEOLOGY 150 GRADE.

For labs without a field trip:

Exams	2 tests @ 50 points each	100	33.3%
Labs	10 - 15 points each	200	66.7%
300	100.0%

For labs with a field trip:

Points possible	Total Points Possible	% of grade
Field Trip	100 points	100	33.3%
Exams	2 tests @ 50 points each	100	33.3%
Labs	10 - 15 points each	100	33.3%
300	100.0%

You may do up to 15 points of extra credit work to raise your total points earned. All extra credit is due the last day of class – not the day of the final! Your grade is based on your percentage score out of 300 points:

Points applied to lecture grade (100% = 25 points)
A = >90%	>270.0 points	22.5 - 25.0 points
B = 80-89%	240.0 – 269.9 points	20.0 - 22.5 points
C = 70-79%	210.0 – 249.9 points	17.5 - 20.0 points
D = 60-69%	180.0 – 209.9 points	15.0 - 17.5 points
F =< 60%	<180.0 points	< 15 points

Your grades will be available on the class website, .

Want to get a good grade? Here's how:

1.	Attend every class.

2.	Take notes and review them after class and before exams.

3.	Read your textbook / do the assignments

4.	Turn in all work on time

5.	Ask questions.

6.

:

The Department of Geological Sciences faculty members fully support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The members of the faculty will provide reasonable accommodation to any student with a disability who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) who needs and requests accommodation. The faculty may wish to contact the OSD to verify the presence of a disability and confirm that accommodation is necessary. The OSD will arrange and provide for the accommodation.

Reasonable accommodation may involve allowing a student to use an interpreter, note taker, or reader; accommodation may be needed during class sessions and for administration of examinations. The intent of the ADA in requiring consideration of reasonable accommodation is not to give a particular student an unfair advantage over other students, but simply to allow a student with disability to have an equal opportunity to be successful.

•	:

◦	Student conduct is viewed as a serious matter by the faculty members of the Department of Geological Sciences. The Department faculty members assume that all students will conduct themselves as mature citizens of the campus community and will conduct themselves in a manner congruent with university policies and regulations. Inappropriate conduct is subject to discipline as provided for in Title 5, California Code of Regulations (see student conduct: rights and responsibilities, and student discipline, CSULA General Catalog). Academic honesty is expected of all students in the Department, in accordance with University policy. There are established university reporting procedures if a student is suspected of committing an academically dishonest act.

◦	The University has a clearly defined policy on Academic Honesty. This policy will be enforced in this class. Cheating and plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Students caught plagiarizing and/or cheating will be subject to the consequences and set forth in the University Catalog, Appendix D - Academic Honesty. You can access it online at: http://catalog.calstatela.edu

•	Make-up exams will be given only to those who can verify a valid excuse for missing a quiz. The make-up will given at a time that is mutually agreeable to both the student and myself. Failure to take the make-up will result in the missed exam counting in as a zero.

•

◦	University policy allows a grade of incomplete to be given only to those who have been sick, injured, or have a similar valid excuse. A grade of "incomplete" will not be given after poor performance in the course.

◦	If you are repeating any Cal State L.A. course in order to remove a D or an F from your transcript, you must file an academic renewal petition in Administration 101 no later than the last day to add a class. Instructions for doing this may be found under "Academic Renewal" in your Schedule of Classes.

◦	University policy requires that all students shall be graded in exactly the same fashion. What does this mean? You may not ask for extra assignments or to repeat an exam to improve your grade, or additional assignments after the course is completed.

•	Avoid the hassles. Take the Writing Proficiency Examination (WPE) after you have completed your English Composition and prior to the completion of 135 units in order to avoid a registration hold. The dates for the WPE are published in the Schedule of Classes. Enroll by registering in UNIV 400 and paying the $15 exam fee. Do it now!!!