New Orleans: Geology and Jazz

Dale Easley and Jim Sherry

DRAFT Syllabus

Spring and Spring Break, 2014

This is a combined course and field trip to New Orleans. In class, we will study the geology and jazz of the New Orleans. On the field trip, we will tour much of New Orleans and listen to some great music.

In order to achieve these objectives, the course will have short writings (30% total), a trip journal (25%), a presentation (20%), an in-class test (10%), and a participation grade (15%).

After calculating your average with the above weightings, letter grades will be assigned as follows:

This syllabus, assignments, review questions, and a course outline will be posted on the web:

In order to do well in this course, you will need to do the following things:

• Attend class. Generally, lectures are as important as readings from the text. The lectures will highlight important points from the text and incorporate additional material. Missing class more than once will result in a lowering of your final grade by one letter grade.

• Do assignments on time. Any problems with turning things in should be discussed before the assignment is due. Except in rare cases, we will not accept late assignments, and if we do, they will be penalized at least 10% per day.

• Use the websites.

• Come see us if you need help. We will post our office hours, but the best way to contact us is by email.

• Be enthusiastic. We hope you'll enjoy this course.

Course Administrative Information

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this semester you should be able to do the following:

1. Plan a trip, including obtaining information in advance of history, climate, and available resources,
2. Discuss Jazz music, its history and status, before and after attending live performances, both orally and in personal journals,
3. Identify significant trends in 20th-century Jazz,
4. Recognize major New Orleans music subgenres while listening,
5. Discuss coastal and riverine geology,
6. Identify the major influences of geology upon New Orleans history, growth, and flooding,
7. Evaluate alternative responses to hurricane destruction after visitng areas seriously impacted by Hurricane Katrina,
8. Articulate and analyze two or more distinct worldviews or fields of study using examples, facts, or theories, and
9. Formulate a lifestyle ethic consistent with an appreciation of the environmental hazards.

Attendance:

So that you may most efficiently achieve the learning goals of the course, your presence at all class sessions is necessary. Knowing that we all sometimes have good reasons for falling short of this expectation, we have instituted the following attendance policy: absences from class will lower your final grade after you have accumulated one (1) unexcused absence from the eight sessions planned. Please speak with us if you have any questions about what constitutes an unexcused absence.

Cheating:

Read carefully the section on Academic Dishonesty in the UD Student Handbook. You are responsible for adhering to the University's standards for honesty in your academic work.

Academic Success Center:

The Academic Support Center is located on the second floor of Myers Library. I urge you to make use of this service provided free of charge by the University. To make an appointment at the Center, contact its director.

Subject to Change Clause:

This syllabus, course calendar and other attending documents are subject to change during the semester.

Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Statement:

A student who has a disability that might affect his or her performance in this course should consult with the instructor and the campus ADA compliance office in the Academic Success Center, in confidence, by the second class session. .