Introduction to Earth Science

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Apply quantitative analysis to understand the natural world.
• Analyze and interpret quantitative data to evaluate and test hypotheses about the natural world.
• Construct and interpret data tables, charts, graphs, or other representations of scientific data.
• Describe how Earth’s major subsystems are connected
• Describe the nature and makeup of Earth’s major inorganic subsystems
• Explain and describe the key process that occur within Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
• Understand and articulate the nature and significance of important local and global environmental challenges
• With a basic knowledge of the Earth and the processes that shape it, students will have a greater appreciation of our home—planet Earth.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Four Exams	55%
Fifteen MG Assignments	25%
Attendance	20%

Grading Scale: 60-62=D-; 63-67=D; 68-69=D+; 70-72=C-; 73-77=C; 78-79=C+; 80-82=B-; 83-87=B; 88-89=B+; 90-92=A-; 93-100=A

Attendance/Participation:

Students are required to attend every class meeting. I will take attendance intermittently throughout the semester. If you are not present when I take attendance you will automatically lose two percentage points from the attendance portion of your grade. The only acceptable excuse for not attending class is a valid note from your doctor’s office, which must be sent to me within 24 hours of your missed class. Nothing else is acceptable and just informing me that you are sick will not suffice. I have very little tolerance for missing class.

Cell Phone Etiquette: Please turn-off cell phones before entering the classroom. They must remain off and placed in a bag or pocket for the entire class meeting. Students who do not observe this rule will have two percentage points subtracted from their final grade for the first infraction, five percentage points for the second infraction, and ten percentage points for each additional infraction.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

UNCG’s First Day Complete Program for Course Materials Access: This course is part of an inclusive access model called First Day. You can easily access the required materials for our course at a discounted price, and benefit from single sign-on access in our Canvas site with no codes required. UNCG Cashiers Office will bill you at the discounted price as a course charge for this course.

If you choose not to be part of this program, you will be responsible for purchasing your course materials at the full retail price and access to your materials may be suspended and your course grade possibly impacted.

Required online text from Pearson Publishing, entitled "Earth Science" by Tarbuck and Lutgens (15th ed.) is housed on Pearson's "Mastering Geology" (MG) online platform. Access is provided through the Canvas course site via the “Course Materials” link.