Geoscience 106 syllabus (fall offering) Environmental Geology Class meetings: Three 50-minute meetings per week, typically MWF 9:55-10:45 A.M. Classroom: AB20 Weeks Hall Textbook: Environmental Geology 10th edition, by C. Montgomery Grading: Grades will be based mostly (70%) on a series of online quizzes and possibly inclass exams. Lecture attendance and participation will count for 30% of your grade and will be based on responses gathered from TopHat or other clicker-based devices and software. Letter grades will be assigned on a percentage scale based on your cumulative course score, as follows: A = 93-100 ; AB = 88-92 ; B = 83-87 ; BC = 78-82 ; C = 70-77 ; D = 60-69 ; F = below 60. The grading curve may be adjusted downward depending on the spread of the course scores at the end of the semester. The grading curve will not be adjusted upward from that stated above. Attendance: Lecture attendance is strongly encouraged because students will be awarded attendance and participation points per lecture. Course format: Expect Mondays to be formal lectures about that week s text chapter, Wednesdays to introduce a relevant case study, and Fridays to range widely and include videos, discussions, and possible guest speakers. Course description: The goal of this course introduces students to the present and historical importance of geological processes and resources to humanity and the effects of human activities and population growth on Earth s geosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Course content: (see following pages) Course objectives and learning outcomes: (see following pages)
Content The table below approximates the material covered during a typical semester. Particular topics may be advanced or delayed depending on the rate that we progress through the material. CS below indicates case study. Date Topic Chapter Assignment Sep. 2 (Wk 1) Course overview 1 & Appdx A QUIZ: Chp 1/Appdx A Sep. 4 (Wk 1) Rocks & Minerals 2 QUIZ: Chap. 2 Sep. 7 (Wk 2) Labor Day break Chap. 3 Sep. 9 (Wk 2) Plate tectonics 3 New Yorker article Sep. 11 (Wk 2) Discussion of the Big One and resilience - QUIZ: Chap 3 Sep. 14 (Wk 3) Earthquakes 4 Read Chap 4 Sep. 16 (Wk 3) Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown: Video 4 Chap 4 quiz Sep. 18 (Wk 3) Nuclear power discussion - Outside research Sep. 21 (Wk 4) Volcanos 5 Read Chap 5 Sep. 23 (Wk 4) Streams 6 Chap 5 quiz Sep. 25 (Wk 4) Discussion: Dam rivers or damn dams? Article Read Chap 6 Sep. 28 (Wk 5) Flooding 6 Chap 6 quizzes (2) Sep. 30 (Wk 5) Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans Article Article & Chap 7 Oct. 2 (Wk 5) Coastal processes 7 Chap 7 quiz Oct. 5 (Wk 6) Sea-level rise, Hurricane Sandy & resilience article Web research Oct. 7 (Wk 6) Mass movements 8 Read Chap 8 Oct. 9 (Wk 6) Chasing Ice video by J. Balog Chap 8 quiz Oct. 12 (Wk 7) Glaciers & deserts 9 Chap 9 & extra Oct. 14 (Wk 7) Glaciers/deserts continued Chap 9 quiz Oct. 16 (Wk 7) Thin Ice video by S. Lamb
Date Topic Chapter Assignment Oct. 19 (Wk 8) Earth climate - controls on natural variation 10 Read Chap 10 Oct. 21 (Wk 8) Climate and greenhouse gases 10 Chap 10 + extra Oct. 23 (Wk 8) Climate changes and feedback discussion Chap 10/climate quiz Oct. 26 (Wk 9) Population & resources Chp 1 11-17 lecture + pages 11-17 Oct. 28 (Wk 9) Climate: ocean warming and acidification Discussion material Oct. 30 (Wk 9) (NO CLASS) Watch Merchants of Doubt Online quiz Nov. 2 (Wk 10) Water resources 11 Chap 11 Nov. 4 (Wk 10) Drought in the West articles Online quiz (Chp 11) Nov. 6 (Wk 10) Soils and weathering 12 Chap 12 + quiz Nov. 9 (Wk 11) Climate tipping point discussion articles Nov 11: Wk 11 Mineral and rock resources (mining) 13 Chap 13 & quiz Nov 13: Wk 11 Discussion: Coal - is the end in sight? See discussion guide Nov 16: Wk 12 Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) 14 Chap. 14 + quiz Nov 18: Wk 12 Discussion: The hydrofracking revolution See discussion guide Nov 20: Wk 12 Discussion: Alberta tar sands & Keystone See discussion guide Nov 23: Wk 13 Alternative energy sources 15 Chap 15 + quiz Nov 25 & 27 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING Nov 30: Wk 14 Nuclear energy 15 Chap 15 + quiz Dec. 2: Wk 14 Debating our energy future: Preparation 10-point debate+prep Dec. 4: Wk 14 In class team debate: Our Energy Future 10-point team debate Dec. 7: Wk 15 Water quality and pollution 17 Chap 17 + quiz Dec. 9: Wk 15 Lake Erie/Iowa water quality See discussion guide Dec 11: Wk 15 Discussion: The future & upsides (students) See discussion guide Dec 14: Wk 16 NO LECTURE Waste disposal Chapter 16 Chap 16 + quiz
Course objectives The objective of this course is to introduce students to the present and historical importance of geological processes and resources to humanity and the effects of human activities and population growth on Earth s geosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Specific objectives include the following: 1. Learn the major categories of minerals and rocks, the rock cycle, and the central role of plate tectonics in shaping Earth s surface and driving the rock cycle. 2. Learn what constitutes a tectonic fault and its earthquake cycle, and the hazards associated with major earthquakes. 3. Learn the major types of volcanos, their geological settings, and the numerous hazards associated with volcanic eruptions 4. Learn the hydrologic cycle and how streams shape the surface and constitute flood hazards. Learn how human activities may affect flood magnitude and frequency. 5. Learn the effect of wave action on shaping and eroding coastlines, both during normal weather and during storms and hurricanes. 6. Learn the basics of glaciers and deserts, the climatic conditions that give rise to both, and the natural and anthropogenic processes that cause them to wax and wane. 7. Learn broadly about geo-resources such as fossil fuels and minerals, how they form, and how they are extracted and processed. 8. Learn broadly about water and soil resources and the ways they can be exhausted, replenished, and managed sustainably. 9. Learn about the concepts of resilience, stewardship, and sustainability as useful evidence-based approaches to problems in environmental geology.
Learning outcomes At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to 1. Describe the theory of plate tectonics and its relationship to the rock cycle, the earthquake cycle, and volcanic eruptions. 2. Describe the hydrological cycle and the interrelationships between surface waters, groundwater aquifers, and fresh water resources. 3. Define flooding, mass wasting, and coastal erosion and describe how human activities impact all three. 4. Describe the natural and human factors that influence the global distribution of glaciers and deserts. 5. Describe how variations in Earth s orbit and greenhouse gas concentrations influence climate, and how human activities influence the concentrations of several major greenhouse gases. 6. Describe how fossil fuels and mineral ores originate and the means by which they are extracted and refined. 7. Define the merits and drawbacks of energy production from fossil fuels, nuclear fission, and renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar. 8. Describe major sources of water pollution and methods of mitigating water pollution from both point and non-point sources. 9. Assess existing or proposed environmental or resource policies in a framework of resilience, stewardship, and sustainability. 10. Define soil and the primary methods of soil conservation. 11. Describe the distinction between resource reserves and sub-economic resources and the factors that influence both. Evaluate the impact of population and economic growth on resource availability.