Course Syllabus
ISI Website | indepst@uidaho.edu | 208-885-6641
GEOL 1102 Historical Geology
Course Format: Independent Study in Idaho (Online, Self-Paced)
Sponsoring Institution: University of Idaho
Course Availability: 365 Days
Credits: 3
Instructor Information
Course Instructor: Kate Morrison
- Email: broo4823@vandals.uidaho.edu
- Office Hours: Contact me via email
- Copy the ISI office at indepst@uidaho.edu on all communications.
Welcome, I want to introduce and tell you a little about myself. I graduated with my BS degree from University of Idaho in geology and earned my MSc from the University of Michigan in earth and environmental sciences. I am currently earning my PhD at the University of Idaho in geology/paleobotany. I look forward to being your instructor and hope you enjoy the content of this course. It integrates plate tectonics, the fossil record, climate, and major global events through geologic time.
Course Description
“The world is the geologist’s great puzzle-box; stand before it like the child to whom the separate pieces of their puzzle remain a mystery till you detect their relation and see where they fit, and then their fragments grow at once into a connected picture beneath your hand.”
-- Louis Agassiz
On a human timescale, we see the earth as mostly unchanging. However, looking at the earth with a geologic lens, we see that it is a dynamic planet that is ever changing in dramatic ways. The one norm for the earth is that it has always been in a constant flux and change. Like the quote above, geologists put together puzzle pieces of the past to decipher these dramatic changes through earth history. Sometimes puzzle pieces are missing but eventually those pieces will be discovered to give a more complete story of the puzzle.
The earth is about 4.6 billion years old. That is 4,600,000,000 years old! Generally humans think in a hundred year to several hundred-year time-scales, not billions of years. It is hard to grasp how long that is on a human time-scale. Geologists use the principle of uniformitarianism, meaning that the present is key to the past, to determine past earth conditions during its long history.
Throughout geologic history, mountains have been built and then eroded into rivers, flowing to the sea. Continents have moved and collided with one another, then moved apart. Giant canyons have been cut by rivers, and glaciers spanning whole continents have formed and melted again. The earth around us can look unchanging because, from human perspective, most geologic change is slow. This course will introduce you to what is called deep time and give you a feeling for the forces which are constantly, if slowly, reshaping the earth around us. Geology is an applied science and you can see examples of what you will be reading about in the world around your home and town.
If you complete this course successfully, the rest of your life will be different. The rocks you see along the roadside will have new meaning to you. If you visit a national park, you will see much more than the scenery. You will be able to understand how mountains form. You may be able to say something about the rocks or what part they have played in the geologic history of North America.
To describe the earth and the forces which change it, geologists have developed a specialized vocabulary. Each lesson will focus on a different topic important to evaluating earth through time. You are expected to read the corresponding chapters in your book (Earth System History by Steven M Stanley and John A Luczaj) to be prepared for labs, quizzes, and exams. Please contact me regularly with any and all questions by email.
Coreq: GEOL 1102L or permission. U of I Gen Ed: Natural and Applied Sciences Lab is not a required part of this class, but it is highly recommended that you take it with the lecture. Sign up for the Geol 1102L if you haven't already. It will reinforce some of the major concepts that you will be expected to learn in the class.
Course Learning Outcomes
What you will learn in this class is the history of the earth.
- How the earth was formed and what early earth was like
- How mountains and some valleys are connected to catastrophic events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
- How continents were in different places on the planet than what we see today
- How to interpret geologic—including evolutionary and climatic—information from the rock and fossil record
- How geologists date rocks and events in the history of the Earth
- What evolution is and what the evidence for evolution is in the fossil record
Required Materials
Stanley, Steven M. and John A. Luczaj. Earth System History, fourth edition, 2015. ISBN-10: 1-4292-5526-9; ISBN-13: 978-1-4292-5526-4.
Course Rules and Requirements
Read all the material and do all the assignments. Focus on the materials presented. Take responsibility for your actions and efforts, take responsibility for your education. I recommend that you spend, on average, at least 3 hours of study time on textbook reading, reviewing class notes, etc., for each class credit hour. There is additional time devoted to researching and writing papers, and to developing projects.
Lessons
There are 6 lessons in this course. Each lesson contains assigned chapters to read, lecture presentations to review, lab assignments, and quizzes. To prepare for the midterm and final, review each of these items in each lesson.
Lab Assignments
Lab is not a required part of this class, but it is highly recommended that you take it with the lecture. Sign up for the Geol 1102L if you haven't already. It will reinforce some of the major concepts that you will be expected to learn in the class.
Each lab assignment follows each lesson and can be submitted through the 'Lab Assignments' link under your Geol 1102L class. These labs will help you understand the main concepts in this course that are presented in lecture and the book.
You can ignore the reading assignments for the lab associated with each lecture in the chart below if you decide not to take the lab course.
Course Schedule
| Lesson | Reading | Labs/Assignments | Quiz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ch. 1: Earth as a System, Ch. 8: The Theory of Plate Tectonics | Familiarize yourself with the syllabus and requirements in this class; order your book | |
| 1 | Ch. 9 Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains | Lab 1: Geologic Time Scale | 1 |
| 2 | Ch. 2 Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks | Lab 2: Plate Tectonics and Paleogeography | |
| 2 | Ch. 4 Environments and Life, Ch. 5: Sedimentary Environments | Lab 3: Minerals and Rocks | 2 |
| 3 | Ch. 6: Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record | Lab 4: Relative Dating and Biostratigraphy | |
| 3 | Ch. 11 The Hadean and Archean Eons | Lab 5: Precambrian of Idaho and Absolute Dating | |
| 3 | Ch. 12 Proterozoic | Lab 6: PC and Paleozoic Life Geohistory | 3 |
Deadline #1
- Before taking the midterm exam, everything from lessons 1-3 must be submitted
- Time to take your Midterm exam!
| Lesson | Reading | Labs/Assignments | Quiz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ch 3: Diversity of Life, Ch. 7: Evolution and the Fossil Record | Lab 7: Fossils! | |
| 4 | Ch. 13: Early Paleozoic, Ch. 14: Middle Paleozoic | Lab 8: Sea Level Changes through Time and Paleography |
4 |
| 5 | Ch. 15: Late Paleozoic | Lab 9: Mesozoic History | |
| 5 | Ch. 16: Early Mesozoic, Ch 17: Cretaceous | Lab 10: Climate Change using Fossil Plants | 5 |
| 6 | Ch. 18: The Paleogene World | Lab 11: Cenozoic History | |
| 6 | Ch. 19 Late Cenozoic, Ch. 20, Glaciers and the Holocene | Lab 12: Geologic History of Idaho | 6 |
| Finish everything up! | Assignment 2: Virtual Field Trip |
Deadline #2:
- Before taking the final exam, everything from lessons 4-6 must be submitted
- Time to take your Final exam!
Quiz Guidelines
- Open-note and open-book.
- Each quiz contains 20 multiple choice questions.
- Before taking any quiz in this course you should thoroughly read all assigned chapters in your textbook and review all PowerPoint lectures for that lesson.
- Some students also find it helpful to complete the practice questions and review the important terms at the end of each chapter. The practice questions in your text are meant to quickly test your understanding and to locate any gaps in your understanding.
- The lectures are also posted to help you focus on the important concepts in each chapter.
- Use these quizzes to study for the midterm and final.
Exam Guidelines
- There will be a midterm and final in this course.
- The midterm will cover chapters 1-12 (except chapter 10) and the final will cover chapters 13-20.
- Quizzes and lab assignments are meant to help you prepare for these exams.
- There will be 50 multiple choice questions on each exam. You will have two hours total to complete each exam.
Grade Information
The course grade will be based upon the following considerations:
- 6 quizzes ( 20 pts each) = 120 pts
- Midterm and Final (100 pts each) = 200 pts
- One Virtual Field Trip = 80 pts
400 total points possible
Grading Scale
- A 90-100%
- B 80-89%
- C 70-79%
- D 69-69%
- F Below 60%
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
I expect my students to adhere to the highest academic standards of honesty and integrity. I assume students will do their own work. Plagiarism—passing off someone else's work as your own without citing the source—is not tolerated. This includes direct copying, rephrasing, summarizing, taking someone else's idea, and putting it in different words. Students must fully cite their sources—this is the best avenue for avoiding plagiarism issues. See the U of I Academic Honesty Student Policy.
AI Use Prohibited
As artificial intelligence tools become more widely available, it is important to clarify how they may or may not be used in this course. The following policy is designed to support your learning and ensure academic integrity.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools—including but not limited to ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, Grammarly, image generators, and automated coding/writing assistants—is not permitted in this course. Unauthorized use of AI tools is considered a form of unauthorized assistance and undermines the core learning objectives of the class.
This course is intentionally designed to build foundational skills—such as critical analysis, discipline-specific reasoning, original writing, and independent problem-solving—that require your direct engagement. Using AI tools to generate or revise work may hinder the achievement of these objectives and may compromise the integrity of your academic development.
Any use of AI tools for coursework, unless explicitly allowed by the instructor for a specific assignment, will be treated as a violation of academic integrity and may result in sanctions as outlined in the University of Idaho Student Code of Conduct. Students are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all university policies regarding academic honesty and should consult the Student Code of Conduct for further guidance.
Learning Civility
It is expected that everyone in this course will be treated with mutual respect and civility, with an understanding that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants) will be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning. Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to schedule a meeting with me to discuss your concerns. Additional resources for expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students office and staff (208-885--6757), the University of Idaho (U of I) Counseling & Testing Center's confidential services (208-885-6716), the U of I Office of Equity and Diversity (208-885-2468), or the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations (208-885-4285).
Center for Disability Access & Resources (CDAR)
Center for Disability Access & Resources (CDAR) Students with disabilities needing accommodations to fully participate in this class should contact the U of I Center for Disability Access and Resources (CDAR). All accommodations must be approved through CDAR prior to being implemented. To learn more about the accommodation process, visit CDAR's website or call 208-885-6307.
Inclusivity Statement: I acknowledge the importance of diversity and inclusion and how these attributes contribute to promoting a positive educational experience. I intend to facilitate a healthy, productive, and safe learning environment that welcomes diverse thoughts, perspectives, and experiences.
Vandal Food Pantry
The Vandal Food Pantry is a free resource stocked with food, grocery bags, and hygiene items. It is accessible during open building hours, and is open to all.
Green Dot Safety Program
The Vandal Green Dot program helps students learn about the power of the bystander, how to recognize potentially risky situations, and realistic ways to intervene. Learn more at UI's Green Dot Safety Program or greendot@uidaho.edu.
Additional Help and Resources
Refer to the ISI Policies for the most current policies and procedures, including information on setting up accounts, student confidentiality, exams, transcripts, course exchanges, refunds, academic integrity, library resources, disability support and other services.
U of I Moscow is located on the homelands of the Nimiipu (Nez Perce). Join the U of I in acknowledging and extending gratitude to the indigenous people.