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I teach this class every two years (next time is Fall 2009) and the information below is just meant to give a general course overview. This is not an up-to-date syllabus for any particular semester. When the class is taught, current information for the semester can be found on eCollege at:

www.tcuglobal.edu

Instructor: Dr. Helge Alsleben
Office: SWR 219
Phone: (817) 257-5545 (TCU office)
Email: click here
eCollege: http://www.tcuglobal.edu/

Text
No Textbook required

Course Description Geol 50413 Global Tectonics and Basin Analysis
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Explores the relationship between plate motion and the evolution of sedimentary basins.

Course Objectives

Teaching Philosophy & Instructor’s Responsibilities

• I love sharing my enthusiasm for geology, while trying to maintain a comfortable learning environment.
• Understanding how the dynamic Earth works and changes are complicated subject matters, which are best conveyed in a series of lecture presentations that form the basis of this class.
• I encourage students to challenge my statements and ask questions when clarification is needed and think that these interactions make the classroom experience more fun and more satisfying.
• Reading the assigned textbook and putting the obtained knowledge to work in ‘hands-on’ lab sessions are fundamental for a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
• Students can expect me to be punctual, prepared, and consistent in my assessment of their performance.

Course Policies

Disability Services at TCU
Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. No otherwise qualified individual shall be denied access to or participation in the services, programs and activities of TCU solely on the basis of a disability. The University shall provide reasonable accommodations for each eligible student who (a) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, (b) has a record or history of such an impairment, or (c) is regarded as having such an impairment.
Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall 11. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-7486.

Academic Misconduct (Sec. 3.4 from the Student Handbook)
Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life. Specific examples include, but are not limited to:

Cheating: (1) Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files and listings; (2) Using, during any academic exercise, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; (3) Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without permission; (4) Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; (5) Substituting for another student or permitting another student to substitute for oneself.

Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit therefore.

Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.
Should any academic misconduct be detected, the action to be taken is at the discretion of the instructor. If you are caught cheating on an exam in Geology 50143, at the very least, you will be given a zero on that exam.

Cell Phones
Cellular phones of all types should be turned off and you should never use your phone during class, laboratory, and field trip activities. Any use of cellular phones or other electronic device during any testing is considered a form of cheating. Cellular phones must remain turned off and put away during class times. Violations of this rule can result in your removal from the classroom. In general please be considerate of your colleagues and their learning environment.

TCU Campus Resources for Students
Many resources exist on the TCU campus that may be helpful to students: Mary Couts Burnet Library (257-7117); Center for Academic Services (257-7486, Sadler Hall. 11); the William L. Adams Writing Center (257-7221, Rickel Bldg. 244); Student Development Services (257-7855, Student Center Rm. 220); and University Ministries (257-7830, Student Center Rm. 111).

Email Notification
Only the official TCU student e-mail address will be used for all course notification. It is your responsibility to check your TCU e-mail on a regular basis.

Course Requirements

Grading
Lecture                                                                                                       70%
  [2 Exams (20% each)                                        40%]
  [Final Exam                                                       20%]
  [Class participation and discussion                     10%]
Other                                                                                                         30%
  [Term Paper & Presentation                              15%]
  [Homework problems                                       15%]                                        
Total                                                                                                        100%

Letter grades are assigned only at the end of the course as follows:

• No extra credit is given and there will be no curve.
• Final letter grade is based on average of your course performance.
• You will be able to examine the grade distribution on any particular exam.
• Your class grade is based on performance, NOT effort. Come and talk to me if you are performing below your own expectations.

Exams
Exams will contain a variety of essay questions. There are no make-up exams unless you missed an exam and have a valid, verifiable excuse.

Classroom Discussion
Following the basic introduction early in the semester, we will critically evaluate a recent paper (or papers) regarding a tectonic problem and/or issue each Friday. The paper(s) will be chosen by me and we will spend 10 to 15 minutes to evaluate and discuss the tectonic problem, data, assumptions, and interpretations in the paper(s).

Homework
Throughout the semester I will have homework assignments that you should try to complete on your own. However, you can ask me or one of your classmates for help, if needed.

Field Trip
There is no official field trip associated with this class.

Class Attendance, Participation, and Behavior

• Attendance will be taken and in small classes absences are particularly obvious.
• You are strongly encouraged to ask questions at any time during or immediately after class or to obtain help from me outside of class.

Dropping
By University policy you have up to six (6) weeks to drop a class. After that time you must consult a Dean about dropping a class.
Check the academic calendar for other important dates including those regarding dropping a course.

You are required to prepare a term paper or poster. The topic and guidelines will be given early in the semester.

Lecture Schedule - Geology 50413
Global Tectonics and Basin Analysis

Some Reference Books

Tectonics books

Busby, C. and R. V. Ingersoll, (Eds.), 1995, Tectonics of sedimentary basins: Blackwell Science, Cambridge, Mass., USA, 579 p.

Cox, A., and Hart, R.B., 1986, Plate Tectonics: how it works: Palo Alto, CA, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 391 p.
           
Moores, E.M. and Twiss, R.J., 1995, Tectonics: W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, NY, United States.

Structural Geology textbooks
Hobbs, B.E., Means, W.D., and Williams, P.F., 1976, An outline of structural geology: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y., United States.

Park, R.G., 1988, Geological structures and moving plates: Blackie, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Ramsay, J.G., 1967, Folding and fracturing of rocks: McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, N.Y., United States.

Twiss, R.J., and Moores, E.M., 1992, Structural geology: W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, NY, United States.

Van der Pluijm, B.A., and Marshak, S., 2003, Earth Structure: An Introduction to Structural Geology and Tectonics, 2nd Edition: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY, United States.

Sedimentary Basin Analysis Textbooks
Allen, P. A., and Allen, J. R., 2005, Basin Analysis: Principles and Applications: Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, U.K., 550 p.

Miall, A. D., 2000, Principles of sedimentary basin analysis: Springer, Berlin, Germany, 616 p.