Texts

• We will be using the text "An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology," by John D. Winter, with supplementary material provided as needed, primarily via the web site.

Research Paper and Presentation

Geology 407a has been designated as a "writing intensive" course. This means that a large part of your grading is based on how well you can communicate the results of an individual research project in petrology or petrography. This involves writing and rewriting a term paper. The complete term paper due on May 19 should be your best effort. It is not meant to be a draft. If it is satisfactory, this can be your final version. If it isn't, you will need to turn in a revised version. The deadlines for doing this work are as follows:

Field Trips

There will be one required field trip for the class. An intensive write-up will be required for this trip. As with the research paper, the write-up will be graded both on content and writing style. There may be other field trips as well.

Online resources

This document is available online, as are many others revelant to the course (linked below, in part). You can get to the course's home page by going to http://www.davehirsch.com (click Geol 407a in lower-left), and it is also linked from the "Courses Online" section of the Geology Department's site (http://geology.wwu.edu)

• The tentative schedule of labs and lectures is available.
• The web contains superb resources for this course and for general earth science. Check out these links and others.
• I have posted an anonymous feedback form. In this way you can give me feedback on my teaching. If you don't want to fill out the whole survey, you can just skip to the end of the form and write a comment in the space provided.
• You can check your course scores online, interactively!

Email

I must be able to contact you through email. You can make this happen in one of three ways:

1. Use your WWU email address on a regular basis. For those of you who require web access, there is a web email interface that is part of MyWestern. However, I realize that many of you prefer to stick with your old email addresses, or just don't like the MyWestern email.
2. Forward your non-WWU email to your WWU email account. This will re-send all email received at your current address instantly and automatically to your WWU email address. You will need to check with your current email provider to see how to do this; not all providers will allow it.
3. Forward your WWU email to your current email account. This will probably be the best option for most of you. There is an easy way to do this, in the email section of MyWestern. I've made a brief guide to help you with this.

There may be important announcements sent out over email this way. I strongly encourage you to be sure that you actually get mail sent to your official email address!

Lab

• Lab exercises are provided for your learning, and will not be graded. If you wish to turn them in, I will look them over. Experience has shown that failure to complete the lab exercises will likely result in poor performance on the lab exams.
• Exams - There will be two lab practical exams during the quarter, which will focus on topics and techniques covered in the lab sessions.
• You will need a hand lens for all labs (10x or 12x magnification is best, 18x or 20x is too much). These (10x) can be obtained cheaply at the WWU Bookstore. Also, there are numerous Geological Supply catalogs that carry excellent hand lenses - ask me.

Grades

Late assignments will be docked 2% for each day late. All exams will be taken at the assigned times (no early exams). Make-up exams will not be offered except by prior arrangement with the instructor and must include an official excused absence from Student Support Services (OM 100, x3844), the Health Center (x3400), or your coach.

• 30% of the grade (300 points) will be based on your laboratory exams.

There will be two exams, one covering igneous rocks, and the other covering metamorphic rocks.

• 30% of the grade (300 points) will be based on the lecture exams.

There will be a midterm and a final. The final exam will be non-cumulative.

• 40% of the grade (400 points) will be based on non-exam work.

This portion of the grade is calculated from your scores on the field trip writeup (100 pts) and the research paper (300 pts), as well as any quizzes or homework assignments.

• The exam grades will be curved if necessary, by multiplying all grades by a value necessary to raise the mean grade to 70%. If the mean grade is greater then 70%, then the grade for that exam will not be curved.

Based on the above distribution, the maximum number of points possible will be (1000). Letter grades will be assigned by reference to the scale below. In unusual circumstances, the scale can, at my discretion, be made more generous.

Important Dates

• Exams
  • First in-class lab exam - Tuesday, May 6
  • First in-class lecture exam - Wednesday, May 7
  • Second in-class lab exam - Tuesday, June 3
  • Course finals - Wednesday, June 11, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
• University deadlines
  • First day that drop privilege is required in order to drop - Monday, April 14
  • University regulations allow a drop without incurring a "W" on or before Monday, April 7.
  • Last day for late course withdrawal is Friday, May 16

Other Important Notes

• Studying & Time Expectations
  • A standard benchmark for studying for a college science class is 2-3 hours of work outside of class for each hour in class. Part of that time you will be reading, part will be working on labs, part will be working on the term paper or the field trip writeup..
• Papers
  • Do not give a peer or a professor any kind of paper unless you have kept a copy! The professor reserves the right to ask for a second copy of anything you have handed in.
  • As a general rule, all writing assignment must be typed. I will inform you of any exceptions. Do not use binders or folders. Make a cover page with your name and the title of the project. One staple in the upper left corner is best.
• Group work & Academic Honesty
  • There will be a number of occassions for group work, and group activities. Furthermore, I encourage you to form study groups, discuss questions about the material, and quiz each other on lab and lecture topics. There may even be some group assignments, where a group grade is assigned for work completed. However, you must do your own work on exams and on most assignments. If it is ever unclear what collaboration is acceptable on an assignment, ask your professor!
  • Anyone caught cheating on an exam or turning in work that is not his or her own will be dealt with in accordance with the General Catalog's Appendix D - Academic Dishonesty Policy and Procedure. If you're not familiar with this section, you may want to review it.
• Special exam conditions
  • If you have a condition verified by the Office of Student Life that requires non-standard exam conditions, you must notify me at least one week before the exam in question. I would prefer notification as soon as possible, preferably within the first two weeks of class.