Welcome to the Spring, 2017

EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME
GEOL 11042  a distance-learning course
at KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

 

morrison dinosaur solar CapitalReefCliffs

  Outcrops show the Jurassic-aged Morrison Formation in southern Capitol Reef National Park.   The Morrison Formation is world-famous for its dinosaur fossils.  Images courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA

In this web page you will find information to help you succeed in Earth & Life Through Time

COURSE SYLLABUS WITH IMPORTANT DATES

How to Calculate Your Grade

Grading Policy, Make-Up Exam Policy, Academic Honor Code

Academic Calendar
CLICK HERE FOR A STUDY GUIDE FOR THE FIRST MIDTERM CLICK HERE FOR A STUDY GUIDE FOR THE SECOND MIDTERM
What kind of course is Earth and Life Through Time, anyway? Tips on Communication in a dl course!

 

Welcome and General Guide

Welcome to Geology 11042 –Earth & Life Through Time, a 3 credit course designed for the Spring semester.   This course is entirely on line, including the 2 Midterms and Final Exam.  You will be listening and viewing the lectures, and taking the quizzes on line.  The Midterms and Final Exam are open book/open notes multiple choice exams. The course syllabus, grading plan, and useful links  are all here on this course webpage and in your course materials folder.

Required Texts are:

 Benton, Michael J., 2008.  The History of Life-A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press,

ISBN 978-0-19-922632-0,  AND 

Redfern, Martin, 2003.  The Earth-A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press,

ISBN 978-0-19-2803007-8. 

Each paperback is about $12.00, and both are also available as Kindle downloads.  Total cost is about $24.

 

  In the syllabus, you will find the lecture schedule, lecture topic summaries, assigned readings, and the course grading plan.  You will find that each week is packaged as a module, and each module typically contains 2 lectures and a quiz, or some combination of lecture, and quiz.    There are 11 quizzes, (lowest quiz score will be dropped) and and these count for 30% of your grade in the course.  The two midterms are each worth 20% (total = 40%) and the final exam is worth 30% of the final grade, and it is a comprehensive final exam. 

 

Instructor cyber-office hours and email address are posted at the top of the syllabus webpage.  A discussion page dedicated to this course provides you with an opportunity to post questions about the material or alert the instructor to any technical issues.  We will review and answer those questions periodically each week, and so everyone will benefit from seeing the answers to questions raised by class members.

 Did you know?  The Geological Sciences are a hot area of employment in Ohio and Nationwide!  Here at KSU you can earn a B.S. or a B.A. in Geology, or you can create a minor!  To see the roadmaps for the bachelor degrees in Geology, click here for the traditional B.S.,  or the B.S. with Environmental Focus, or click here for the B.A.  Salaries with the bachelor's degree in Geology are very competitive-see the posters with employment facts posted in our department!

Where do Geologists work?  National Parks, Environmental Companies, Mineral & Mining Companies, Energy Companies, Federal government (EPA, NASA, NOAA, USGS, DOE...), Universities, Museums, Engineering companies...check it out! 

Have you considered a minor to compliment your major?  You could complete a minor in Geology!  -click here to see how to do this.   Three hours are completed by successful completion of THIS course (or any of the other CORE GEOL courses)

 

USEFUL LINKS

U.C. Berkeley Museum of Paleontology Web Page:  Interactive Geologic Time Scale with Great Fossil images!

The Paleontology Portal:  Explore the Fossil Record of the U.S.A., State by State

Explore the Solar System on NASA's web page

Find about about active research in Paleoclimatology on this NOAA web page

 See Photo Images of Meteorite Craters with Age Dates at this Lunar & Planetary Society Web Page

Read about Gas Hydrates (Clathrates) and their role in abrupt climate change on this U.S.G.S.  web page

Read about the Snowball Earth Hypothesis  here in this online Geotimes article

Looking for a Good Book On...

See plate tectonic maps of the world with the continents in past positions at this University of Northern Arizona website.
Visit the Virtual Fossil Museum-See Gorgeous Fossils and Learn How They Track the Record of the Diversity of Life on Earth
Take the Virtual Fly-Through Tour of the Grand Canyon, courtesy of The National Park Service and NASA
Love Pterosaurs?  Here's the Pterosaur Website
Interested in Petrified Wood?  Here's a website devoted to it:  The Virtual Petrified Wood Museum!


 

Rationale and Learning Objectives

The Earth has a long natural history and a rich record of that history.  The processes and events of Earth's Past drive legacy effects that reach us now, and that the modern world experiences daily.  The physical and biological history of the Earth are strongly linked, with each area influencing the other to produce distinct patterns through time, which can be observed.  By understanding these processes in play through time, you can become informed with a planetary view.  An informed society, knowing about Earth history, has a better chance of making wise decisions about how to manage, develop, protect, and preserve critical features of the planet.  An informed society can become a successful steward of the planet's resources; its members can live enriched lives and will be better able to hand those resources onward to their children.

Learning Objectives: The student will, upon completion of this course, come away with...

1) a general understanding of the sequence of events in the development of life on Earth, and how this can be observed.

2) a general understanding of the physical processes driving the changing position of the continents through time, and how these can be observed.

3)  a general understanding of evolution, and the links between biological and physical changes on Earth through time, and how these can be observed.

4) some knowledge of the principles of stratigraphy and correlation, which are the underlying rules governing the field of geology, and how these can be observed.

Student Accessibility Policy

 

University Policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content.  If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments.  Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).  For students registered with SAS, Student Accessibility Services, please let me know by email if you need to make arrangements to have extra time on quizzes  and exams- a separate download can be arranged for you.  If you wish, a standard paper copy of a final exam can be taken in the SAS office on the Kent Campus.

 

 

Registration Requirement

Registration Requirement: The last day to add a full term class or change sections of a class is January 22nd. The last day to withdraw from any or all courses before a grade of "W" is assigned is January 29th.  University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashFast) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.  The last date to drop this course and receive a "W" is March 26th.