Lectures: T/TH 10:05am 11:20 pm, BTW 201 Labs: Meet individually by section, EWS 105 Instructor: Christian Cicimurri (pronounced chee- chee- more- ee) Office: EWS 511 or MCKS 311 Phone: 777-4477 Email: cicimurri@sc.edu (this is your best option) Office hours: by appointment (email me with times you re available and GEOL 103 in the subject) BULLETIN INFORMATION GEOL 103 Environment of the Earth (4 credit hours); 2 lectures and 1 laboratory session each week COURSE OVERVIEW This course describes the earth as a system, the various processes that affect humankind. It explains the makeup of the earth, its resources and their various uses and misuses. This course will provide you with an excellent background on basic concepts of geology, rocks, minerals and earth processes; information on natural hazards; relationships between natural resources and pollution and environmental management of human activities and earth resources. Topics include: 1. foundations of environmental geology 2. hazardous earth processes 3. human interactions with the environment 4. minerals, energy and environment 5. global change, land use and decision- making LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, you will: 1. Have a basic understanding of the scientific method 2. Be able to explain the main processes that formed and change the Earth 3. Comprehend the basic concepts of the rock cycle, geologic time, and natural hazards 4. Discuss water and energy resources including the formation of oil and natural gas and pollution of surface and groundwater 5. Discuss the evolution of the global climate over geological time and the influence of humans on the present day climate REQUIRED MATERIALS: Lecture Textbook: Environmental Geology, 9th edition, by Edward A. Keller (ISBN 978-0- 321-64375- 9) Any format of this text is fine. Lab Manual: NONE. Handouts for each lab will be provided. i>clicker remote to participate in lecture. You can use any i>clicker product (i>clicker, i>clicker +, or i>clicker 2). I>clicker GO has been discontinued; however REEF polling via a mobile app may be offered. 1
GRADING Lecture Participation 10% (evaluated by i>clicker) Exams 60% Quizzes & Homework 5% Laboratory Participation 25% Extra Credit maximum of 5 points to final average Grades will be assigned as follows, rounded up or down to the nearest hundredth by Microsoft Excel. For example, 89.48 will be rounded to 89, however 89.58 will be rounded to 90. 90-100% A 80-89% B 70-79% C 60-69% D Below 59% F CLASS PARTICIPATION I will monitor your attendance and participation in lectures by using i>clicker response systems. This system will help me evaluate what concepts you understand, as well as record your class participation. Questions will be drawn from lectures and readings, and should help you to review important concepts for exams. You ll get ½ point for each response, and an additional ½ point for a correct response (1 pt for correct answers; ½ pt for incorrect answers). Your i>clicker points will be used to determine your course participation points. Anyone with 85% or more on i>clicker points will receive full participation credit (10 points) for this segment. An i>clicker response device is required for this class, and should be brought to every class. You will not receive any points if you are in class without your device. I will begin to record participation through i>clicker on Thursday, January 21 st. For this to work, it is important for everyone to participate fairly each student should only have THEIR OWN i>clicker remote. I fully understand the desire to send your remote in with a friend to preserve participation points, but this is cheating. Any student found with more than one remote will lose participation points for themselves AND for the owners of other remotes, and will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity. Attendance Policy: When you miss class, you miss important information. If you are absent, you are still responsible for any announcements and material covered in class. You will not be able to recover participation points if you are not in class. I will make the lecture slides available on Blackboard, however I do this as a courtesy and to help you study. You can find all course materials in the merged course Environment of the Earth: GEOL103 (all sections) Spring2016 on Blackboard. EXAMS Exams will be based on lecture material, lab exercises, and readings. There will be four non- cumulative, 1- hour exams consisting of 50 questions. The first three exams will be given during the normal class meetings, while the fourth mandatory exam will be during Final Exam week on SATURDAY, April 30 th, at 12:30pm in BTW 201 (the lecture room). Make up exams will only be considered if you notify me (at least 1 week) BEFORE the scheduled exam, or you have medical confirmation (a doctor s note) for missing an exam. 2
HOMEWORK & QUIZZES Periodically, I will assign homework assignments that reinforce a current topic. I expect these assignments (a reading, worksheet, or short essay) to take about an hour. Occasional quizzes will also serve to keep you on track with readings and lecture material. LAB ACTIVITIES This course has a REQUIRED laboratory component, and you are automatically registered for a lab section. Attendance in all lab meetings is MANDATORY, so any absences will significantly affect your lab grade. Lab meetings begin the week of January 25 th. Lab grades are evaluated by performance on in- class assignments and activities. There are no lab exams, however material covered in lab will be included in lecture exams. If you miss a lab for any reason, contact your IA or the Lab Coordinator immediately to discuss make- up opportunities. It s usually best to let us know ahead of time. Lab Coordinator: Amanda Williams awilliams@geol.sc.edu Instructional Assistants: Caroline Corbett ccorbett@geol.sc.edu (Sections 001, 002 & 008) Will (Shep) Schroer wschroer@geol.sc.edu (Sections 004, 005 & 008) EXTRA CREDIT Class participation can count toward potential extra credit points. See the section on class participation above for details. I will also periodically offer extra credit activities during the semester (details will be announced as opportunities arise). Extra credit assignments are optional, and will contribute no more than 5 points to your grade. No individual extra credit will be assigned that is not available to the entire class. HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS Readiness to learn means that you will come to class having read the assigned material and are prepared to participate. In addition, successful students will: Take notes during class and while completing reading assignments. Attend lab and complete all lab assignments. Prepare for exams by reviewing lecture presentations, readings, and lecture notes, and by utilizing chapter study guides. Consider studying with a partner or small study group. Self- tests are more useful than just reading notes. Check Blackboard often for announcements and posted course content. CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR You are expected to behave in a manner befitting a university student in class. Any deviations that produce distractions for other students or the instructor may result in ejection from the class. This prohibition includes the use of computers and other electronic devices to monitor Twitter or Facebook, watch movies, play video games or any other recreational activity. It might be quiet, but the students behind you will watch what you are doing and, therefore, be distracted. If a student is discovered using an electronic device (laptop/ipad/phone) during class time for anything other than taking class notes will lose the privilege of using electronics, and will therefore forfeit participation points for that day. All you should need is a notebook, pen/pencil, and your own i>clicker response device. 3
IMPORTANT DATES 1/19 Last day to drop without a grade of W 1/21 i>clicker participation begins 1/26 Labs begin this week 2/1 last day to apply for May graduation 2/4 EXAM 1 3/1 EXAM 2 3/3 Semester midpoint 3/3 - Last day to drop without a grade of WF 3/5-3/13 SPRING BREAK, No classes 3/31 EXAM 3 4/18 - Last week of labs 4/21 Last day of lecture 4/30 FINAL Exam, 12:30pm (Saturday) ACADEMIC INTEGRITY You are expected to practice the highest possible standards of academic integrity. Any deviation from this expectation will result in a minimum academic penalty of your failing the assignment, and will result in additional disciplinary measures including referring you to the Office of Academic Integrity. Violations of the University's Honor Code include, but are not limited to submitting another student s work as your own, using another student s i>clicker in class, and any other form of academic misrepresentation. For more information, please see the Honor Code at http://www.housing.sc.edu/academicintegrity/honorcode.html. Remember that the first tenet of the Carolinian Creed is, I will practice personal and academic integrity. DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to fully participate in this class, contact the Office of Student Disability Services: 777-6142, TDD 777-6744, email sasds@mailbox.sc.edu, or stop by LeConte College, Room 112A. All accommodations must be approved through the Office of Student Disability Services. https://www.sa.sc.edu/sds/ I reserve the right to adjust or make changes to this syllabus and the schedule as necessary during the semester. 4
WEEK DATE TOPIC READING LAB 1 Tuesday 1/12 Course Overview & Syllabus INTRODUCTION Thursday 1/14 Earth Science Basics Chapter 1 2 Tuesday 1/19 Minerals Chapter 2 Thursday 1/21 Rocks Chapter 2 3 Tuesday 1/26 Soil & Environment Chapter 3 Thursday 1/28 Ecology & Geology Chapter 4 1- Minerals 4 Tuesday 2/2 Wrap up ES Foundations - - - - - - - - - - - Thursday 2/4 EXAM 1 2- Rocks 5 Tuesday 2/9 Natural Disasters Chapter 5 3- Geologic Time Thursday 2/11 Mass Movements Chapter 7 6 Tuesday 2/16 Earthquakes Chapter 8 Thursday 2/18 Volcanic Hazards Chapter 9 4- Soil Properties 7 Tuesday 2/23 Meteor Impacts Chapter 11 Thursday 2/25 Wrap up Natural Disasters I - - - - - - - - - - - 5- Earthquakes 8 Tuesday 3/1 EXAM 2 6- Topo Maps & Thursday 3/3 Rivers & Flooding Chapter 6 Landforms 9 Tuesday 3/8 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS - - - - - - - - - - - Thursday 3/10 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS - - - - - - - - - - - 10 Tuesday 3/15 Rivers & Flooding Chapter 6 Thursday 3/17 Coastlines (erosion & hurricanes) Chapter 10 7- Soil Infiltration 11 Tuesday 3/22 Groundwater Chapter 12 Thursday 3/24 Pollution & Treatment Chapter 13 8- Surface Tension 12 Tuesday 3/29 Wrap up Natural Disasters II & Water - - - - - - - - - - - 9- Groundwater Thursday 3/31 EXAM 3 Flow & Contam n 13 Tuesday 4/5 Mineral Resources Chapter 14 10- River Thursday 4/7 Energy Resources Chapter 15 Discharge 14 Tuesday 4/12 CHASING ICE video - - - - - - - - - - - 11- Flood Thursday 4/14 Global Climate Change Chapter 16 Frequency 15 Tuesday 4/19 Future of Global Climate Chapter 17 Make- up Labs Thursday 4/21 Wrap up Resources & Climate - - - - - - - - - - - (if permitted) FINAL SAT 4/30 FINAL EXAM @ 12:30, BTW 201 5