NSCC Syllabus-revised

1. Chapter Questions (CQ); 8 @ 25 points = 200 points possible.

Each week (1 – 8) you will have homework consisting of a short set of questions drawn from the textbook chapter(s). These are intended to help you focus on aspects of a chapter deemed of greatest importance and will only be lightly graded. When I receive a set of chapter questions, I will scan your answers for general accuracy and completeness and will highlight errors, but will not otherwise comment on your work. You will then receive a grade out of 25 points. The answer key will be posted the following day; combined with your own work, this provides a set of study guides for the weekly quizzes (see below).

Note the change here: The Quizzes (see #4 below) will still be based on the Exercise questions at the ends of the chapters, but these questions are not assigned, thus they will not be graded, and answer keys will not be provided. Instead, you are strongly advised to answer these questions in order to create your Quiz Study Guides, and you can certainly ask questions in class or by email if you do not find the answers in the Chapters.

1. Active Planet Projects (APPs); 2 @ 50 points = 100 points possible.

These 2 projects are short (2-3 pages plus one page for bibliography) written reports based on important topics of Earth’s active crust. The textbook can comprise one resource on the bibliography, but you must use 3-4 additional web or print resources.  APP1 will be described and assigned in Week 3 and will be due in Week 5; and APP 2 will be described and assigned in Week 5 and due in Week 7.

2.  Labs in class; 8 @ 25 = 200 points possible.

Labs conducted in class will consist of the following general topics, per the weekly schedule. If they cannot be completed during class time, they are due on the next class day.

Week 1           Plate Tectonics: Subduction and Benioff-zone earthquakes

Week 2           Minerals: Identification

Week 3           Igneous Rocks: Identification

Week 4           Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks: Identification

Week 5           Geologic Time: Block Diagrams and Geologic Maps

Week 6           Maps: Intro to Topographic Maps and Glaciation

Week 7           Maps: Rivers and Ground Water

Week 8           Coastlines and The Surf Zone

3. Labs as Homework; 8 @ 25 = 200 points possible.

This set of labs takes the place of the Chapter Questions (CQ) homework (deleted) above. Each of these is either based on web resources as indicated, or based on handouts from class, but they are to be done as homework and turned in within one week of receipt.

Week 1           Plate Tectonics: Web Resource

Week 2           Minerals: Birthstones & Crystal Forms

Week 3           Igneous Rocks: Classification

Week 4           Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks: Classifications

Week 5           Geologic Time: Scaling 4.67 Gy of Earth History

Week 6           Sequence Stratigraphy: The North American Craton

Week 7           Rivers: Web Resource

Week 8           Earthquakes: Web Resource

4.  Quizzes; 8 @ 25 questions/points = 200 points possible.

We will have a weekly series of web-based multiple-choice quizzes based on the Chapter Questions and Answers. Quizzes will open at 7:00 am on Mondays of each week following a Chapter reading, and will close at midnight on Tuesdays. You will have one hour to take each quiz.

5. Field Trips (the planet itself is the best teacher!)

            A. One of our campus labs will occur off campus “in the field” within the class hours. The field trip date has yet to be decided but will most likely be on a Thursday; transportation will be provided, and you will be back on campus by 2:50 pm that day. You will submit a one page summary of the experience for the same credit as the other labs (max 25 points).

There is one field trip outside of class time, on Saturday (date to be decided)  August 6, that will take us out I-90 to Vantage and the Columbia River. Transportation will be provided. You will submit a 2-3 page report on your experience for a maximum of 50 points. Please note that field trip details may change but will be finalized within the first 2 weeks of the course.