GEOSCIENCES
Senior Seminar:
GEOS 480
SYLLABUS: Fall 2008
Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Karl W. Leonard
Office: King 204
Phone: (218) 477-2682
e-mail: leonardk@mnstate.edu
url: http://web.mnstate.edu/leonard
office hours: M, T, F 2:00-4:00, TW,
Th 8:30-10:30 am, or whenever IÕm in my office
Textbooks: None - Readings will come from articles
provided by the instructor.
Class web page can be found on: http://web.mnstate.edu/leonard
Course
Description: GEOS
480 Senior Seminar
Student
and faculty participants will give oral presentations of their own independent
research and/or critical evaluations of professional literature. The course will review methods of
library research and Geoscience research.
Objectives:
1)
Provide
a review of library and geoscience research methods.
2)
Provide
an opportunity to use knowledge gained in the geosciences to evaluate research
results or published scientific literature.
3)
Provide
practice in presenting research findings in an understandable way.
Instruction
Strategies:
Instruction will be by seminar style discussion, question/answer research
presentation, and direct participation.
Course
Requirements: Regular attendance, participation in
discussion, reading and preparation of materials, short written reports, an
oral research report, and an exit test.
Evaluation
Standards:
- Daily
participation: For each day that you attend and have at least 1
significant comment or question bearing on the subject matter – 10%
of total grade
- Reading and Subject
Quizzes – 10% of total grade
- Short reports
- 3 or 4 short reports based
on seminar presentations - 25% of total grade
- Oral report –
seminar presentation on a research topic of your choosing – 45% of
total grade
- Exit Test –
10% of total grade
Grading Scale: A > 92; A- 90-92; B+
86-89; B 83-85; B- 80-82; C+ 76-79; C 73-75; C- 70-72; D+ 66-69; D 63-65; D-
60-62; F < 60
Attendance: Students are expected to attend all
class meetings.
Special
Accommodations:
Students who believe that they may need accommodations in this course (note
takers, etc.) should contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services
at 477-5859, CMU 222, as soon as possible to ensure accommodations can be
implemented in a timely fashion.
Academic
Honesty: (See MSUM Student Absence Policy,
Student Handbook: http://web.mnstate.edu/sthandbook/
(under bookmark Student Policy Info).
Schedule Fall 2005 (Tentative)
August
27 Introduction
Sept.
3 Seminar
Discussion – types of geoscience research. Testing
Sept.
10 Seminar
discussion – general science journal ariticle
Sept.
17 Seminar
discussion – precursor and follow up publications to the previous weeks
article
Sept.
24 Seminar
discussion – geoscience journal article
Oct.
1 Seminar
presentation with questions – geoscience faculty presentation –
short summary report
Oct.
8 Seminar
presentation with questions – geoscience faculty presentation –
short summary report
Oct.
15 Seminar
presentation with questions – geoscience faculty presentation –
short summary report
Oct.
22 Student
presentations – 18 minute presentation – 8 minutes Q&A, 1
–2 presentations per period
Oct.
29 Student
presentations – 18 minute presentation – 8 minutes Q&A, 1
–2 presentations per period
Nov.
5 Student
presentations – 18 minute presentation – 8 minutes Q&A, 1
–2 presentations per period
Nov.
12 Student
presentations – 18 minute presentation – 8 minutes Q&A, 1
–2 presentations per period
Nov.
19 Student
presentations – 18 minute presentation – 8 minutes Q&A, 1
–2 presentations per period
Dec.
3 Testing
Dec.
15 noon
- (final exam period) Complete
exit testing