Geol 117 The Oceans. Contacting Dr. Stewart : Instructor: Dr. Stewart

Transcription

1 Geol 117 The Oceans Instructor: Dr. Stewart Excerpt from commentaries exploring various educational issues produced by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching << George Kuh at Indiana University Bloomington, who directs the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), says Someone ought to tell students how unimportant good g rades are once they leave the campus. Grade-obsessed students probably assume that high grades lead to better jobs and more money, things they care about. In 1993, 57 percent of students said that the chief benefit of a college education is increased earning power, and that number has been going up. Thirty-seven percent of students say they would drop out of college if they didn't think they were helping their job chances. What is correlated with success is what is c alled "engagement," genuine involvement in courses and campus activities. Engagement leads to what's called "deep learning," or learning for understanding. That's very different from just memorizing stuff for the exam and then forgetting it. As Russ Edgerton of the Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning notes, "What counts most is what students DO in college, not who they are, or where they go to college, or what their grades are. Contacting Dr. Stewart : See the syllabus for the following info: stewart1@illinois.edu Phone: Office Hours: Friday 2-3:30 ( for appointment) Office 317 Natural History Building 1

2 Majority of you are non-science majors Here to fulfill requirements Some here out of interest Shameless Plug Majors Careers Why are you here? Our Goals: Develop understanding of science Develop appreciation of Geologic and Marine Sciences Learn processes that govern the oceans and Earth Three Essays 3.33% each Your Grade: Class Participation (through I-clicker) 10% Be certain to register your clicker at using your NetID Weekly on-line quiz 15% total Three Lecture Exams 15% each Final Exam 20% 2

3 Class Syllabus & Outline: See Syllabus at First quiz: Print Syllabus and take quiz from Compass page. You must complete this quiz by September 6th. Class Organization First part of class - Marine Geology or How and why oceans form. Second part of the class - Physical Oceanography or How oceans circulate and effect climate Last part of the class - Life in the Oceans Now, let s begin 3

4 Study of Oceans (Duh!) How they form How they operate Life cycles Oceanography includes all the sciences Why study Earth s Oceans? They cover >70% of Earth Oceans have existed for ~4 billion years, and sediments from the oceans record much of Earth s history Sediments from the oceans produce oil The oceans control Earth s climate What is Oceanography? Science Fundamental assumption of science: This concept was termed Uniformitarianism by Hutton Thus the universe behaves consistently and predictably Examples of Laws: Snell s Law of refraction: sinθ 1 / V 1 = sinθ 2 /V 2 Newton s Law of gravity: F g =G(m 1 m 2 /r 2 ) Science is a Fundamental belief system - an epistemological philosophy. Am I a fundamentalist? Scientific Method How it works Identify problem Hypothesize cause Investigate with predictions, experiments & observations Reject or accept hypothesis Theory: verifiable, testable accepted hypothesis Revisit with new data Reject old theory as incomplete Propose new theory Saturn devouring his sons (by F. Goya). An analogy of how new theories encompass old ones. 4

5 Scientific Theories Examples of Theories (Big ones): You bet your life on them Theories are complex models that explain existing data. Saturn devouring his sons (by F. Goya). An analogy of how new theories encompass old ones. Scientific Laws Scientific Laws = statements of how Universe operates Mathematical expressions Inviolate (otherwise universe would crumble!) Examples of Laws: Law of Gravitational Attraction Laws of Thermodynamics Newton s Laws of motion Topic Summary Questions: What is Uniformitarianism? What is Catastrophism? How is Uniformitarianism fundamental to Science? Contrast the concept of a scientific law with that of a Theory How is the concept of a scientific law fundamental to the philosophy of science? 5

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