Instructor: Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Room: Chemistry Building (091 CHM) 1225B
Office Hours: Thurs. 12:30-1:30 pm, or by appointment
Phone: (301) 405-6965, Email: ELMS or tholtz@umd.edu
3 Credits

NOTE: It is your responsibility as a student to completely read through and understand this syllabus. If you have questions about it, please contact Dr. Holtz. You will be held responsible for following all requirements of this syllabus.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the semester, every student should be able to:

• Identify the major techniques used by geologists to assess the paleoenvironments and sequence of events found in the rock record
• Recognize the sequence of and interrelationships between major events in the history of the Earth, its surface, and its life forms
• Properly classify different types of sedimentary rocks & structures and major groups of fossilizing organisms from hand samples
• Correctly interpret geological cross-sections, fence-diagrams & other stratigraphic charts, and geologic maps

Required Resources:

• Course Websites: https://elms.umd.edu and this website
• Book: Earth System History 4th Edition by Steven M. Stanley & John A. Luczaj (2015, W.H. Freeman & Co., ISBN-13 978-1429255264)
• Additional Equipment: For the lab, it would be helpful to have a 10x handlens for observing specimens (higher magnifications are also useable). There is a very reasonably priced set of handlenses you can get on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLPJ1PG/ref=dp_prsubs_2, but you can find them at other sources, too. A colored pencil set and a ruler/straight edge will be helpful for labs. Access to a flattop scanner to make uploadable versions of your maps and charts would be useful: most printers have this function.
• Total Estimated costs of required course materials: $20.00 + textbook (options vary)

Course Structure: Lectures: 3 per week (MWF 9-9:50 am, CCC 1115); Labs: 1 per week (W 2-5 pm, GEO 2107); 1 optional field trip on April 6th.

Lectures lost due to University late openings or cancellations or instructor absence will be made up as Panopto video recordings on the ELMS page.

Attendance in lecture is expected. The individual PowerPoints will not be provided to students, although there are detailed lecture notes online and Panopto recordings of the lectures will be available on ELMS. Furthermore, the Questions of the Day (QotDs) will only be provided during lecture. If you want to achieve a good grade in the course, the time to start working towards that is from the very beginning! Keep up with the material as it is presented rather than "cramming" to study it right before exams.

Attendance in labs is mandatory. Some materials will only be available during the lab session (for fear of loss or breakage). Additionally, the start of each lab will be an explanatory lecture of the methods and issues to be examined. Please make certain you are present for these; if not, make sure you get notes from classmates and make arrangements with Dr. Holtz if there are particular specimens you'll need to see.

NOTE: Attendance means more than mere presence: it means "paying attention". Please take out your ear buds and refrain from texting/web-browsing/doing homework/etc. in class.

1. Participate. I invite you to engage deeply, ask questions, and talk about the course content with your classmates. You can learn a great deal from discussing ideas and perspectives with your peers and professor. Participation can also help you articulate your thoughts and develop critical thinking skills.
2. Manage your time. Students are often very busy, and I understand that you have obligations outside of this class. However, students do best when they plan adequate time that is devoted to course work. Block your schedule and set aside plenty of time to complete assignments including extra time to handle any technology related problems.
3. Login regularly. I recommend that you log in to ELMS-Canvas several times a week to view announcements, answer your Questions of the Day, keep up with the lecture notes, and answer the weekly online homework.
4. Do not fall behind. This class moves at a quick pace and each week builds on the previous content. If you feel you are starting to fall behind, check in with the instructor as soon as possible so we can troubleshoot together. It will be hard to keep up with the course content if you fall behind in the pre-work or post-work.
5. Use ELMS-Canvas notification settings. Pro tip! Canvas ELMS-Canvas can ensure you receive timely notifications in your email or via text. Be sure to enable announcements to be sent instantly or daily.
6. Ask for help if needed. If you need help with ELMS-Canvas or other technology, IT Support. If you are struggling with a course concept, reach out to me and your classmates for support.

Policies and Resources for Undergraduate Courses

It is our shared responsibility to know and abide by the University of Maryland's policies that relate to all courses, which include topics like:

• Academic integrity
• Student and instructor conduct
• Accessibility and accommodations
• Attendance and excused absences
• Grades and appeals
• Copyright and intellectual property

Please visit https://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html for the Office of Undergraduate Studies' full list of campus-wide policies and follow up with me if you have questions.

Course Guidelines

Names/Pronouns and Self-Identifications:
The University of Maryland recognizes the importance of a diverse student body, and we are committed to fostering inclusive and equitable classroom environments. I invite you, if you wish, to tell us how you want to be referred to in this class, both in terms of your name and your pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them, etc.). Keep in mind that the pronouns someone uses are not necessarily indicative of their gender identity. Visit trans.umd.edu to learn more.

Additionally, it is your choice whether to disclose how you identify in terms of your gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, and dis/ability, among all aspects of your identity (e.g., should it come up in classroom conversation about our experiences and perspectives) and should be self-identified, not presumed or imposed. I will do my best to address and refer to all students accordingly, and I ask you to do the same for all of your fellow Terps.

Communication with Instructor:
Email: If you need to reach out and communicate with me, please email me at tholtz@umd.edu or (preferred) using the Inbox email function of ELMS. Please DO NOT email me with questions that are easily found in the syllabus or on ELMS (i.e., When is this assignment due? How much is it worth? etc.) but please DO reach out about personal, academic, and intellectual concerns/questions.

While I will do my best to respond to emails within 24 hours, you will more likely receive email responses from me on morning after you send an email message.

ELMS: I will send IMPORTANT announcements via ELMS messaging. You must make sure that your email & announcement notifications (including changes in assignments and/or due dates) are enabled in ELMS so you do not miss any messages. You are responsible for checking your email and Canvas/ELMS inbox with regular frequency.

Communication with Peers:
With a diversity of perspectives and experience, we may find ourselves in disagreement and/or debate with one another. As such, it is important that we agree to conduct ourselves in a professional manner and that we work together to foster and preserve a virtual classroom environment in which we can respectfully discuss and deliberate controversial questions. I encourage you to confidently exercise your right to free speech--bearing in mind, of course, that you will be expected to craft and defend arguments that support your position. Keep in mind, that free speech has its limit, and this course is NOT the space for hate speech, harassment, and derogatory language. I will make every reasonable attempt to create an atmosphere in which each student feels comfortable voicing their argument without fear of being personally attacked, mocked, demeaned, or devalued.

Any behavior (including harassment, sexual harassment, and racially and/or culturally derogatory language) that threatens this atmosphere will not be tolerated. Please alert me immediately if you feel threatened, dismissed, or silenced at any point during our semester together and/or if your engagement in discussion has been in some way hindered by the learning environment.

Midterm Exams (20% each): Two online exams on Feb. 27-28 and April 11-12, respectively. For each of these there will be a section comprised of true/false, matching, multiple choice, and similar type questions, as well as a few short answer questions and an essay. These exams are open note but timed (60 minutes) and are subject to the University's Honor Pledge; you may not seek help from students or other people in doing these. If you encounter a technical problem, please contact ELMS@umd.edu for help (and Dr. Holtz so that he is aware of your situation.

Final Exam (20%): The online final exam during the regularly scheduled exam season. It is cumulative for the entire course, although it focuses on material from the second exam onward. Format is similar to the mid-term exams, but will be timed for 120 minutes. The exam will be available TUESDAY to WEDNESDAY MAY 14-15: please plan your end-of-semester travel (if any...) accordingly!! (It that means informing your parents about this now, please do so!).

Labs (25%): Essentially every week there will be a lab. Labs are due the week after they are assigned, allowing students time to examine specimens over the course of the week if they wish. There is no separate lab manual for this course: lab materials (pdfs) are provided on ELMS. Labs are turned in on ELMS: either as entries or uploads in an ELMS "quiz".

Pre-Course Knowledge Survey (2%): In order to assess your current knowledge and memory of the pre-requisite knowledge for this course, an ELMS survey is assigned covering issues of basic physical geology. This must be completed by the end of the first Thursday of classes (Jan. 25). The goal here is to see what you know and remember: you are graded for having completed the survey, not your answers on the survey. DO NOT PANIC! But do not use outside sources: the task here is to see what you remember of previous geology courses.

Quizzes (10%): Weekly quizzes will be given on ELMS, starting in the second Thursday of classes (except for weeks in which there is an also a mid-term exam). The quizzes might include information from the labs but emphasizes the material from the lectures. These will typically be multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, or true/false. The lowest two quizzes will automatically be dropped: this is how missed quizzes will be accommodated.

Questions of the Day (QotD) (8% total): During each lecture there will be one or more brief question shown on the board. Depending on the particular question, you might submit your answer on your own to ELMS, or after discussing it with a classmate nearby. You will have only a short window in which to answer the question. The format of the question can be true/false, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, or more open-ended. In some cases, we'll review your submissions as a point of in-lecture discussion. For the pre-recorded Panopto lectures, the QotDs will be Panopto quizzes.

The lowest five (5) grades of your QotDs will be automatically dropped. This is how absence from lecture will be handled. In other words, you don't separately ask for an excused absence for these. NOTE: facilitating fellow students who are not present in answering these questions remotely is absolutely an Honor Code violation and will result in action taken against you and the student receiving the at-a-distance help. Individual these are low-point assignments, so it is much better to lose a few points than to risk a course grade of "XF" on your University transcript!

Extra Credit: No separate extra credit assignments as such planned for this course, although individual exams and quizzes may have extra credit questions that add up in the final course grade.

Academic Integrity

The University's Code of Academic Integrity is designed to ensure that the principles of academic honesty and integrity are upheld. In accordance with this code, the University of Maryland does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Please ensure that you fully understand this code and its implications because all acts of academic dishonesty will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of this code. All students are expected to adhere to this Code. It is your responsibility to read it and know what it says, so you can start your professional life on the right path. As future professionals, your commitment to high ethical standards and honesty begins with your time at the University of Maryland.

It is important to note that course assistance websites, such as CourseHero, or AI generated content (such as ChatGPT, Meta's Llama 2, and the like) are not permitted sources. Material taken or copied from these sites can be deemed unauthorized material and a violation of academic integrity. These sites offer information that might be inaccurate or biased and most importantly, relying on restricted sources will hamper your learning process, particularly the critical thinking steps necessary for college-level assignments. The point of assignments is for you to be able to develop your skills in marshalling arguments and understanding the techniques of paleontology, not for you to simply provide me with answers I already know.

Additionally, students may naturally choose to use online forums for course-wide discussions (e.g., Group lists or chats) to discuss concepts in the course. However, collaboration on graded assignments is strictly prohibited unless otherwise stated. Examples of prohibited collaboration include: asking classmates for answers on quizzes or exams, asking for the questions on QotDs when you are absent, etc. Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Studies' full list of campus-wide policies and reach out if you have questions.

Finally, on each exam or assignment you must write out and sign the following pledge: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this exam/assignment." If you ever feel pressured to comply with someone else's academic integrity violation, please reach out to me straight away. Also, if you are ever unclear about acceptable levels of collaboration, please ask! To help you avoid unintentional violations, the following table lists levels of collaboration that are acceptable for each graded exercise. Each assignment will contain more specific information regarding acceptable levels of collaboration:

Assignment	Open Notes?	Use Book?	Learn Online?	Gather Content with AI?	Ask Friends?	Work in Groups?
Pre-Course Survey	No	No	No	No	No	No
Quizzes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Questions of the Day (QotDs)	No	No	No	No	No	No
Labs	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes1	Yes1
Midterm Exams	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Final Exam	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No

Grades

All assessment scores will be posted on the course ELMS page. If you would like to review any of your grades (including the exams), or have questions about how something was scored, please email me to schedule a time for us to meet and discuss.

Late work will not be accepted for course credit so please plan to have it submitted well before the scheduled deadline. (Please contact me as soon as possible if some issue came up that prevented your timely submission of an assignment.) I am happy to discuss any of your grades with you, and if I have made a mistake, I will correct it as soon as possible. Any formal grade disputes must be submitted in writing and within one week of receiving the grade.

Final letter grades are assigned based on the percentage of total assessment points earned. To be fair to everyone I have to establish clear standards and apply them consistently, so please understand that being close to a cutoff is not the same as making the cut (89.99 ≠ 90.00). It would be unethical to make exceptions for some and not others.

Final Grade Cutoffs: The numbers given represent the thresholds that must be passed in order to reach that grade (for example, A+ is 97.000... and any number greater). There is no rounding for letter grades; the thresholds must be passed. F is any grade below D-. Thresholds: 97, A+; 93, A; 90, A-; 87, B+; 83, B; 80, B-; 77, C+; 73, C; 70, C-; 67, D+; 63, D; 60, D-; < 60, F.

The Final Grade is the algebraic sum based on the numerical grades.

See here for the schedule of lectures and assignments, and links to the online lecture notes.

See here for the policy and schedule for the labs.

Resources & Accommodations

Accessibility and Disability Services
The University of Maryland is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational, working, and living environment for people of all abilities. The University of Maryland is also committed to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University, or be subjected to discrimination. The Accessibility & Disability Service (ADS) provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals to provide equal access to services, programs and activities. ADS cannot assist retroactively, so it is generally best to request accommodations several weeks before the semester begins or as soon as a disability becomes known. Any student who needs accommodations should contact me as soon as possible so that I have sufficient time to make arrangements.

For assistance in obtaining an accommodation, contact Accessibility and Disability Service at 301-314-7682, or email them at adsfrontdesk@umd.edu. Information about sharing your accommodations with instructors, note taking assistance and more is available from the Counseling Center.

Student Resources and Services
Taking personal responsibility for your own learning means acknowledging when your performance does not match your goals and doing something about it. I hope you will come talk to me so that I can help you find the right approach to success in this course, and I encourage you to visit UMD's Student Academic Support Services website to learn more about the wide range of campus resources available to you.

In particular, everyone can use some help sharpening their communication skills (and improving their grade) by visiting UMD's Writing Center and schedule an appointment with the campus Writing Center.

You should also know there are a wide range of resources to support you with whatever you might need (UMD's Student Resources and Services website may help). If you feel it would be helpful to have someone to talk to, visit UMD's Counseling Center or one of the many other mental health resources on campus.

Notice of Mandatory Reporting
Notice of mandatory reporting of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking: As a faculty member, I am designated as a "Responsible University Employee," and I must report all disclosures of sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, and stalking to UMD's Title IX Coordinator per University Policy on Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct.

If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact one of UMD's confidential resources, such as CARE to Stop Violence (located on the Ground Floor of the Health Center) at 301-741-3442 or the Counseling Center (located at the Shoemaker Building) at 301-314-7651.

You may also seek assistance or supportive measures from UMD's Title IX Coordinator, Angela Nastase, by calling 301-405-1142, or emailing titleIXcoordinator@umd.edu.

To view further information on the above, please visit the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct's website.

Basic Needs Security
If you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or lack a safe and stable place to live, please visit UMD's Division of Student Affairs website for information about resources the campus offers you and let me know if I can help in any way.

Veteran Resources
UMD provides some additional supports to our student veterans. You can access those resources at the office of Veteran Student life and the Counseling Center. Veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill requirements, disabilities) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor.

Netiquette Policy
Netiquette is the social code of online interactions. Students share a responsibility for the course's learning environment. Creating a cohesive online learning community requires learners to support and assist each other. To craft an open and interactive online learning environment, communication has to be conducted in a professional and courteous manner at all times, guided by common sense, collegiality and basic rules of etiquette.

Participation

• Given the interactive style of this class, attendance will be crucial to note-taking and thus your performance in this class. Attendance is particularly important also because class discussion will be a critical component for your learning.
• Each student is expected to make substantive contributions to the learning experience, and attendance is expected for every session.
• Students with a legitimate reason to miss a live session should communicate in advance with the instructor, except in the case of an emergency.
• Students who miss a live session are responsible for learning what they miss from that session.
• Additionally, students must complete all readings and assignments in a timely manner in order to fully participate in class.
• Since we have the Questions of the Day each lecture, you should have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop available when you are in class. However, during classtime, please refrain from email, social media, online shopping, streaming videos, and other such communication outside the scope of the course, or from working on material for other courses. In other words, please restrict your computer use to the activities of THIS class.
• As part of the nature of the course, there will be a lot of memorization (less than a foreign language class, but more than that found in more mathematically-oriented introductory science classes). This will include lots of anatomical, geological, and paleontological terms, as well as evolutionary and temporal relationships. If you have difficulty memorizing, this may not be the class for you. Also, if there are words or concepts with which you are not familiar, feel free to ask Dr. Holtz (in class, after class, over email, etc.) for an explanation or clarification.

Course Evaluation
Please submit a course evaluation through Student Feedback on Course Experiences in order to help faculty and administrators improve teaching and learning at Maryland. All information submitted to Course Experiences is confidential. Campus will notify you when Student Feedback on Course Experiences is open for you to complete your evaluations at the end of the semester. Please go directly to the Student Feedback on Course Experiences to complete your evaluations. By completing all of your evaluations each semester, you will have the privilege of accessing through Testudo the evaluation reports for the thousands of courses for which 70% or more students submitted their evaluations.

Copyright: © 2024 Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. as to this syllabus, all lectures, and all written material provided in this course. Students are prohibited from copying and selling course materials, from selling lecture notes, and from being paid to take lecture notes without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. Violations of this prohibition will be treated as violations of the University Honors Code and reported and dealt with accordingly.

Copyright Notice
Course materials are copyrighted ©2024 Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. and may not be reproduced for anything other than personal use without written permission.

For a formatted printable copy of the complete syllabus, click here.

Last modified: 14 January 2024