What is this course about?
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Extra credit Opportunities to earn extra credit are available to you in the following format. At any point prior to each of the three exams in the course, you may elect to turn in to me a two-page typewritten paper on a topic that interests you, based on independent research that is not based on the textbook or class notes. This may be a report on a field trip that you take on your own or with friends; an analysis of some current hot question in geology, based on your reading of journal articles, newspapers, or information provided on the Web; or a report on a recent important event in earth science (such as an earthquake, volcanic eruption, flood, etc.) The topic may be inspired by something you read in the textbook or hear in class, but the content of the paper needs to make use of additional sources that go beyond the scope of what you read in the text or hear in class. These papers may earn up to 10 points each, which can make a very substantial difference in your grade for the class. However they will be graded on the basis of grammar, spelling, and evidence that some careful thought has gone into both the research and your own comments on what you learned. Please note that topics must have some direct connection to geology. I reserve the right to judge whether the topic you have chosen is appropriate to the class. I am generally quite broad-minded on this, but if there is any question you might want to ask me in advance. I may even to be able to point you toward some sources of information that could be helpful. Also please make certain that you provide adequate citations of source materials in a reference list at the end of your paper. You may cite journal articles, books, technical reports, web pages, or interviews with individuals. For web pages, make sure you include the complete address, the name of the author and the title of the page being cited, and the date when you consulted that source (needed because some web pages change frequently). Keep in mind that this opportunity is most useful to you if you start planning for it
at the beginning of the semester. If you play your cards right you may be able to bring
your grade up substantially. If you wait until after the first exam, there are only two
opportunities remaining; if you wait until after the second exam, only one opportunity
will be available for extra-credit work. |