INSTRUCTOR:         Donald E. Hallinger
OFFICE:                     To be announced
TELEPHONE:            on campus:  To be announced.  Off campus:  (562) 860-2451 X 2663
E-MAIL:                     on campus: To be announced.
                                     off campus: dhallinger@cerritos.edu (day) and dhallinger@earthlink.net
                                     (night and weekends)
OFFICE HOURS:       I will be available 1/2 hour before class and 1 hour after class
TEXTBOOK:             Earth system History by Stanley, S.M. (1999) including CD-ROM
STUDY AIDS:            There is a CD-ROM included with your text which contains figures from the
                                     text, movies, quizzes and information to enhance your learning of the science
                                     of historical geology. The publisher of your text also features an Internet
                                     support site at http://www.whfreeman.com/geology/. This site contains review
                                     exercises, explanations and illustrations to assist you in learning the course
                                     material. I may take questions form this material for the exams.

This is a lecture/laboratory combination class.  You earn 4 credits, 3 for lecture and 1 for laboratory work.

I think it appropriate to summarize the objectives that I have for you in this course. These are in addition to your mastering the subject matter of the course.

1. This is a science class and I hope to show you that science can be fun. I hope that you will have as much fun in this class as I will have in teaching it. It may surprise you how much about the subject matter you already know. One of my jobs is to bring out what you already know and show you how it becomes the base of knowledge in this class.

2. This is a class about history, the history of the earth and all that have lived on it. But it is different than the other history classes you have taken. This history covers a very long period of time, 4.6 billion years to be exact. A time for which we have no eye witnesses as to events. So we have to infer this history by the traces left behind. These traces can be interpreted in various ways, which complicates our endeavor. Thus one of the most important parts of this class is to learn how we interpret the traces and why we make the interpretation that we do.

3. Finally, I hope that after taking this class you will never look at the scenery around you without thinking of its history, how it formed, and how it is likely to change in the future.

Our School and Society have several objects for you as well.

1. Become Educated. Our Republic depends upon an informed citizenry. This requires that our people become educated. What is an educated person? Does just knowing facts make us educated?

2. Develop Critical Thinking Skills. Whatever your career interests are, they will be advanced with the development of good analytical reasoning and communication skills. You will be able to hone these skills on homework assignments, hands-on class work, the research paper and exams. Yes, the exams are also a learning experience.

3. Develop a Sound and Accurate General Knowledge of Science. Scientists and scientific ideas have had and will have a powerful influence on the world we live in. Will that influence be good or bad? By knowing how science differs from other categories of human knowledge, you will be in a better position to judge.

I will have an Exam after each unit or theme block on the day indicated in the course outline. My Exams contain true/false, multiple choice and matching questions as well as some thought problems. For the later, I usually start with some easy fill-in-the-blank questions to focus your attention, followed by questions requiring short statements or paragraph answers.

Sketches or labeling diagrams can also be a part of this type problem. You will NOT be graded on your artistic ability. I only ask that you make them legible and understandable.

Each of the Exams will concentrate on the material covered in lecture since the last Exam. Note that I said lecture. I will be presenting some material that is not in your textbook. I may however, have some questions from the subject matter covered by the prior exam. For instance, if the majority of students miss questions on a topic, we will go over that material again and you will see it or some version of it on the next Exam. Plate Tectonics is very important so you will see that one every Exam after it has been covered.

I will provide Exam study guides. They will highlight the material that I think is important. Exam questions will be drawn from the study guide. Because of time constraints, however, not everything on the study guide will appear on the Exam. Time permitting I will offer some review on the last class before the Exam. By this I mean I will answer your questions. I will not just repeat my lectures. I will also offer an opportunity for questions prior to the Exam itself.

During the next class period following the Exam I will go over the questions with you.

I will allow you to have one 8 ½ by 11 inch sheet of paper on your desk during the Exam. You may put on this paper whatever you wish and on both sides. This is your Cheat Sheet.

All students should take the exams at the scheduled times. However, makeup exams will be given for special circumstances only if you contact me before the exam. You must present documentation verifying the reason you were absent in order to receive a makeup exam. The make up exam will not be the same as the exam given to the rest of the class. Make up exams must be taken by the end of the week following the regularly scheduled exam. There will be NO makeup final exam.

As indicated below I will be dropping the lowest exam grade. That is I will drop the lowest of the grades you have earned. Not taking an exam does not earn a grade and I will not drop that exam from consideration in your final score.

This is a science class and all sciences have their own technical terms. In geology, most technical terms are from Latin or Greek roots. It is important that you understand and be able to use these terms. Therefore they will be the subjects of quizzes.

There will be 10 word quizzes. These will come mostly from the bold faced words in your textbook. Most of them also appear in the glossary of terms at the end of the textbook. These are your new vocabulary. At the top of this page is a linkage to the general Word Quiz page. On this page, listed by quiz number, you will find the Chapters for each quiz, linkages to a separate page for each quiz listing the words I will draw from, linkage to the individual quiz, and a listing of when each quiz will be available.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER, OR IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH TAKING THE QUIZZES ON-LINE, YHOU MUST SEE ME IMMEDIATELY. We have a computer lab for those who do not have access to computers.

The quizzes are administered before we cover the material in class. This is done on purpose as I want you to read the material before coming to class. Also, I can by this method identify any misunderstandings of the written text and modify my lecture to clarify those points.

Click on the quiz during the time it is available and you will be taken to a quiz form. Answer the questions in the boxes provided. The text box will expand if you get wordy. When finished, click on the "submit" button at the bottom of the page and your quiz will be e-mailed to me. Do not just copy the URL for a quiz and think that you will be able to access it at a later date. I will e-mail you your results and I will keep a copy of my e-mail for record keeping.

If you have any question as to whether you are completing the quiz correctly on-line, you may print a copy of your quiz. This copy will have the date and time you attempted to submit it to me. I will accept this print out in lieu of receiving your e-mailed submission.

Some answers may be taken out of the textbook. Some answers will have to be phrased in your own words. Quizzes from multiple people with the same answers, word for word including typos, misspellings, and incorrect answers will be deemed to have been worked on as a group. This is cheating! No points will be awarded for such work!

These quizzes will total one Examination grade. Thus I will be able to drop the lowest of the Examination grades.

Classes are required to have a written component. This provides continuing exercises to improve your written communication skills. Your report will be on a specific group of organisms. You will include a general description of this group and any distinguishing characteristics used to separate it from other similar groups. You will include information on any systematic changes that occur in this group through time. You will have a bibliography. You will be graded on content as well as grammar and spelling. Reports are due on 5/4. If you want me to look at a draft before the due date, I will.

There will be two scheduled field trips. We will discuss in class when these will be held. One trip will be a one-day and the second trip will be over a weekend.

Cheating and plagiarism are defined in your Schedule of Classes and more fully set forth in documents available through the Office of Judicial Affairs. A good rule of thumb in regards to cheating and plagiarism is DON’T. You are really just hurting yourself. The penalties for this can be sever, up to expulsion from the University.

The college of Natural Sciences and Mathematics" (CNSM) withdrawal policy is different from the general CSULB withdrawal policy. If you decide to drop the course, you may pick up a drop form from the Geology Department office.

I will have office hours from 4:45 to 5:30 on Tuesday and Thursday. On Thursday I will be on campus from approximately 2:00 PM until my evening class at 5:30. I do teach at Cerritos College and therefore cannot be on campus prior to the times listed.

January 25, 2004 Last day to drop or withdraw from all classes and receive full refund for fees and
             tuition.
February 9, 2004 Last day to drop classes without a "W" grade.
February 16, 2004 Last day to file for CR/NC grade option.

I have not had, fortunately, and do not intend to have a problem with electronic devices and other things that go beep, ring, or make a noise in class. However, I have found that they are a great distraction to other students. Cell phones are especially bothersome because we all talk louder on the phone than we do in ordinary conversation. Your time and my time during the class is suppose to be directed towards the subject matter, not conversing with someone. Therefore, electronic devices must be turned off or turned to

The silent mode in class. Failure to do so and if it goes off will result in my confiscating the device for the duration of the class. I will consider exceptions in the event that a family emergency necessitates their use.

Your final grade will be based upon the following:

Exams and Quizzes (total of 4 grades)     300     43%
Final Exam                                              150     21%
Participation                                              20       3%
Report                                                      25       4%
One day field trip                                      10        1%
Weekend Field trip                                   20        3%
Laboratory                                             175       25%
Total Points                                            700     100%

I will assign letter grades to your Exams based on the following: A = 95; B+ = 89; B = 85; B- = 81; C =75; D = 65; and F = 55. Using this scale you may compute your grade at any time by totaling the points you have earned and dividing by the possible points up to that time. Compare this percentage with the following:

A greater than 89% B 79 – 88.9% C 69 – 78.9% D 59 – 68.9% F less than 59%

For success in this class, three things are extremely important. First is the taking of complete notes. Much of the material to be tested on in the Exams will come from lectures, handouts, and films. As much as possible I will attempt to follow the organization in the Textbook so that you may use those headings as a general outline for note taking in class. If you must miss a lecture, be sure to get notes from a friend. Remember, however, that most people take notes on what they do not know, so be sure to talk over with your friend what is not in their notes. You may use a tape recorder.

Secondly, you must be at class on time. I will begin my lectures at the time specified for this class. Being late will cause problems with your note taking. Films, when shown, will frequently start at the beginning of the class period. Questions on the exams will come from my lectures and films. Habitual lateness will therefore make it more difficult to earn the grade you desire.

And finally, talking with your instructor. I am here not only to lead you in a classroom discussion of the material, but also to help you learn. Yes, I was in school once. Yes, I had to learn to take notes. Yes, I had to learn how to study and how to prepare for and take exams. I have many suggestions that I will be happy to share with you along these lines. And don’t forget to ask questions in class. Don’t be shy or bashful. As far as I am concerned, the question you do not ask is the only stupid one, because you cannot get an answer to it. I guarantee that someone else in class wants to know the answer to that same question that you are afraid to ask. You will not break my train of thought if you ask a question. Asking questions helps me help you. By asking the question, you are telling me that I am not explaining things so that you understand. I have many different

ways of explaining the subject matter, so give yourself the chance. Ask questions. Pain and suffering are optional. They are not designed into this course.