Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
Grading
Policy: Sedimentology and Stratigraphy is required of
Geology BS majors at Kent State University. Class assignments,
and in particular Midterm #3, will require you to employ and
integrate concepts from the class prerequisites (Earth
Materials II and Invertebrate Paleontology) with the material
covered in this class. Students are thus expected to attend
all class sessions, keep up with the reading, consult the
online resources provided by the instructor, and complete all
of the exam and class assignments.
Grades will be
determined as follows:
Three Midterms (each worth 15%)
45%
Average Grade on Lab Assignments
15%
Grade on Field Guide/Report
15%
Cumulative Final Exam
25%
Total
100%
Grading may be on a curved scale at the
discretion of the instructor, but each student has the potential
to succeed in this course. When grades are available, they will
be posted to the University's secure server using Blackboard
Vista. To access Blackboard Vista, login to the flashline portal
(http://flashline.kent.edu),
then click to "My Classes" and login to Blackboard Vista to
access your grades online. Assignments will also be passed back
to help students prepare for the cumulative final.
Exam Dates: Please contact the
instructor immediately if you have a conflict with the exam
dates as listed in the class schedule attached to the syllabus
or as listed on the website.
Assignment due
dates, group activities, and late policy: Lab and Field
Assignments are due at the beginning of the lab period
following the one in which they were handed out unless
otherwise specified. Lab assignments for reading and
discussion days will be typed, critique of the reading handed
in at the beginning of the lab session, and active
participation in the class discussion. Many lab
assignments will be conducted in groups. Each group may turn
in one copy of their group assignment with each member’s name
listed. All group members are expected to contribute equally
to all components of the assignment. You are required to know
all of the material assigned as part of the labs and readings.
If there are any concerns regarding your lab group, please
contact the TA or instructor as soon as possible. Unexcused
late assignments will be docked 1/3 grade per day (i.e., A
=> A- => B+ => B…).
Make up Exams: Students who miss an
exam must provide a written documentation in order to receive
a make up assignment. Legitimate excuses include the
following: your own illness, a death in the family, military
or official university athletic commitments. If you are
involved in military or official university athletic
activities, review the exam schedule at the beginning of the
term and consult with the instructor prior to the exam if you
have a conflict. If an illness, personal crisis, or family
tragedy causes you to miss an exam, you must contact the
instructor by phone or email no later than 48 hours after the
scheduled start time of the exam. It is very important that
you provide your full name, email address, and a telephone
number where you can be reached in your phone or email
message.
Field Trips:
At least two
weekend field trips are required for this course. We will
discuss proper report organization and professional writing in
lab. Please contact the instructor immediately if you have a
conflict with the dates for the field trips as listed in the
class schedule attached to the syllabus or as listed on the
website. Please note that weather is often quite variable
during spring term. We usually camp during the extended field
trip, but we will stay in hotels if the weather does not
cooperate. Please plan ahead in terms of your finances in the
event that we need to change our plans on short notice.
University Policies: The following University policies apply to
anyone enrolled in this course:
1.
University Calendar: The
official university calendar, which provides information on
deadlines for university-related transactions can be found
at: http://www.kent.edu/registrar/calendars/stu_spring.cfm
2.
Enrollment Status: Students are responsible for
ensuring that they are properly enrolled in their classes. The official registration deadline for this
course is January
22, 2012 (see the university calendar for late
registration deadlines and late fee information, etc.). You are advised to review your
official class schedule during the first two weeks of the
semester and prior to the drop and withdrawal dates to ensure
that you are properly enrolled in this class and section. University policy requires all students to be
officially registered in each class they are attending.
Students who are not officially registered for a course by
published deadlines should not be attending classes and will
not receive credit or a grade for the course.
3.
Academic Honor Code:
All students in the course are expected to abide by the
academic honor code, as specified in the University's Policy Register. The use of other's intellectual property without
giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.
This includes copying answers, misrepresenting the source,
nature or other conditions of your academic work to get
undeserved credit. At a minimum, students caught
cheating during exams will receive a midterm grade of zero,
which will count for 50% of their overall average midterm
score, and the incident will be reported to the
university. It is the University's policy that cheating
or
plagiarism can result in receiving a failing grade for
the course or other more serious disciplinary action depending
on the nature of the offense. Repeat offenses can result in
dismissal from the University. For complete information see the: Kent
State University Policy Register, Chap. 3, section 3-01-8
4.
Withdrawal: For Spring term, the last day to drop a class
before a grade of W is applied is January 22, 2012.
Withdrawal from any or all courses is permitted up to the
withdrawal date for the semester, or until the prorated
deadline for flexibly scheduled sections. For the Spring term
the deadline to withdraw with a grade of W entered on your
transcript is
March 18,
2012. After that time
5.
Students with Documented
Accommodation needs:
Students who require health-related accommodations must verify
their eligibility through the Office of Student Accessibility
Services (SAS) on the Ground Floor of the DeWeese Health
Center (330-672-3391 or http://www.kent.edu/sas). In accordance with University policy
6.
Final Exam Dates: Please check the final exam schedule for the
classes in which you are enrolled. This can be found on the
web at:
http://www.kent.edu/registrar/calendars/spring_finalsch.cfm In the event that you have two exams scheduled
at the same time, the instructor will make suitable
arrangements. Students who have conflicts or more than three
examinations on the same day should consult with
the Dean of his or her college at the earliest possible time
for assistance in making alternative arrangements.