Syllabus for Geology 3000 Geologic Maps Spring 2009 Instructor Office Hours Office Phone E mail Jim Miller Tues and Thurs 12 2 or by appt 211 Heller Hall 726 6582 mille066 umn edu Teaching Asst Jason Aronson TBA MWAH 74 726 7716 or 6568 Jarons1 d umn edu Class Meeting Time Location Lecture 8 00 8 50 PM Monday Labs 2 00 3 50 PM Tues and Thurs Location Chem 207 Computer Internet Access Room 108 Heller Hall after hours get key from Kirby Information Desk between Kirby Bookstore and lower level of Heller Hall Class Text The Map that Changed the World William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology By Simon Winchester 2001 Harper Collins publishers Available at most commercial bookstores or may be ordered on line Other assigned readings will be posted as pdfs on the class website Class Website www d umn edu mille066 Teaching geomaps09 html CHECK THIS SITE OFTEN This site will be updated weekly as handouts assignments and related information are posted for downloading Any Powerpoint lecture presentations given in class may be downloaded from the website Attendance Participation Since most information will be conveyed through lecture discussion and hands on lab exercises rather than through a textbook and because you will often work in groups it is critical that you attend each and every class and that you actively participate The material in this course also builds on itself day to day and week to week it is critical that all students keep up all along the way Material covered in lecture relates conceptually to the material covered in lab concepts covered in each part of the course are critical to the other Do yourself and your classmates a favor and do not fall behind and please ask questions all along the way What you get out of the class will depend very much on what you and your classmates put into the class investigative discussions are key Lecture and Lab Topics A tentative list of lecture and lab topics is posted on the class website Again the website will be updated with reading assignments notices downloadable information handouts and powerpoint lectures as the course progresses so check it often Lab Exercises Most lab sessions will involve hands on work with geologic maps that can be completed in class If more time is needed to complete a lab exercise a schedule of when the room is available will be posted If you find the door locked get a key from the Kirby Information Desk Lab exercises will count for 50 of your grade Equipment for Lab Bring to every lab Most of this can be purchased from the Kirby bookstore a calculator with trig and inverse trigonometric functions unless you love using the old tables b metric ruler 15 cm minimum length also divided in tenths c 180 or 360 protractor 180 recommended or d Ruler protractor combination can be substituted for b c clear is best check for division in 10ths rather than 8ths e drafting pencils 2H 4H 0 5mm mechanical pencils are good as they are always sharp f colored pencils set of eight or more Sanford Col Erase work best and are available in the UMD store art supply area Homework Homework assignments will be given out intermittently throughout the course and will count for 15 20 of your grade Homework assignments will be due one week from when they are assigned Labs and homework assignments will be counted 25 off for every day late unless permission to turn it in late is requested and given in advance of the due date Homework assignments count for 20 of your final grade Exams There will be no midterm or final exam for this class Book Report A book report on the assigned text The Map That Changed The World will required in lieu of a midterm exam This report will count toward 10 of your grade and will be due the Monday after Spring Break March 23 Final Field Mapping Exercise Over the final three weeks of the class our focus will be directed toward conducting geologic field mapping an area just west of Duluth This final exercise will require two days of mapping Saturday and Sunday April 18 19 but will not require an overnight Students are encouraged to revisit the field area on their own if they require more time to complete the mapping project This mapping exercise will count for 20 of your final grade Grading To summarize final grades will be tentatively based on the following percentage breakdown We will notify the class of any significant changes as they occur Percentage Lab exercise 50 Homework Assignments 20 Midterm Book Report 10 Final Mapping Exercise 20 TOTAL 100 Students with Disabilities Individuals who have any disability either permanent or temporary which might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform the instructors at the beginning of the semester Adaptations of methods materials or evaluations may be made as required to provide equitable participation This syllabus is subject to change