Instructor: Kathryn Schubel, Ph.D. Contact information: Phone: 831-392-7852 E-mail: kschubel@jhu.edu The Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Advanced Academic Programs: Environmental Science and Policy Program Spring Term 2016 SYLLABUS Geological Foundations of Environmental Science 420.601.81 If you need to be in touch with me outside of Blackboard, email is the best way to reach me. If you need an immediate please call me. Include the title and section number of the course in the subject field (JHU Geology Section 81). You can expect to hear back from me with 48 hours. If you don t hear from me in that time please send me another email. I am in the Pacific Time Zone. Please call between 11:00 am and 9:00 pm ET. Course Description This course provides an overview of Earth materials, processes, and resources for environmental scientists and policymakers. Topics include minerals, rocks, sediments, stratigraphy, structure, geomorphology, and geologic environments. Emphasis is placed on understanding geologic principles and methods as applied to environmental science, Earth resources, and public policy. Course Goals and Learning Objectives: This course is designed as an introduction to earth materials and processes. Lectures will be cast in the framework of general geologic principles and processes, whereas some of the threaded discussions will be cast in the framework of natural resource occurrences, exploitation and related consequences. The goals of the course are to give you a basic understanding of modern geology and geological materials, a better appreciation of the nature of science and scientists, a global perspective on earth resources and the background necessary to move on in the Environmental Earth Science and Policy Program. The principle role of this course is to provide the basic geological background needed to pursue more detailed study of geological topics covered in the program electives, while giving you a view of the breadth and importance of earth science as a foundation for environmental science. The general structure of the course is to work from the basics of geologic materials--rocks and minerals, through the dynamic processes that control the earth we inhabit and exploit, plate tectonics, weathering, sediment transport processes and depositional environments, and ore formation to resource assessment, utilization and waste disposal. Class activities include lectures, threaded discussions, assignments and student projects and presentations. Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 1
It is impossible to cover every aspect of the geological sciences in a single course, therefore, I have selected specific topics based on their general importance to learning more geology in the electives; direct significance to environmental issues; or illustrations of geologic processes that yield materials exploited as resources or provide understanding of environmental degradation. Your input during this class is critical to bridging the gap between what is covered in lectures and what is discussed online. When you see connections or have peripheral questions please bring them to everyone's attention. Course Materials (Required textbook): Marshak, S., 2015, Earth: Portrait of a Planet, 5 th edition, W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., New York. ISBN 13: 978-0-393-93750-3. ISBN 10: 0-393-93750-X. Older versions are fine as well. Any format will do (you can get an e-version or buy used online or purchase from the bookstore). If you use an older version you will need to confirm that the chapters line up with the assigned topics. Grades: Your grade in this course will be based on the formula below. There are no extra credit assignments. Midterm exam 20% Final exam 20% Discussions 20% Assignments (due throughout the semester, see description of course work below and schedule at the end of the syllabus) 15% Project and Presentation (due week 14 or 15, see description of course work below and schedule at the end of the syllabus) 25% TOTAL= 100% Grading Scale 98-100% A+ 94-97% A 90-93% A- 88-89% B+ 84-87% B 80-83% B- 70-79% C <70% F About This Course Course Engagement You are expected to have an active presence in discussions, and complete course activities as noted in the Schedule of Topics, Readings, Assignments and Exams to maximize your learning. Participation in activities should be consistent, of high quality, and reflect both a high level of academic thinking and your own personal perspectives, opinion, and ideas. Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 2
Exams There will be two closed-book, closed-note, timed (3 hours) exams, a midterm and a final. Each exam is worth 20% of your final grade. Exams may include the following types of questions: short answers, essays, and labeling diagrams. You will submit your exams through Turnitin online. Details will be presented in the Introduction for the Units where this is applicable. You many take the exams anytime during the exam period. You must return your completed exam to me as soon as you are finished. The exam is due no later than noon on the last day of the exam period in question. Late exams will NOT be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made. Discussions Discussions are an important tool that allows us to stay connected with each other. Participation constitutes 20% of your total grade. There will be online discussions every week. The discussion topic will be opened Monday at 12 noon ET and will close the next Monday at 12 noon ET. You are required to post a minimum of three times during the week. Please try to post on at least a couple different times during the week. A continual flow of content helps move the discussion along. You will be graded on the quality of your posts. Five is full credit and represents an A, 4 is a B, 3 is a C, 2 is a D, and 1 is and F. I will pose questions that are designed to kick off the discussion. You should read earlier postings and respond to them or continue the discussion in light of these earlier postings. Please do not repeat what has already been said. If topics have been exhausted or you want to start a new thread related to the topics that week you are more than welcome to do so. In order to receive full credit for such a posting you must go beyond a simple question and demonstrate what you understand and where that understanding breaks down, or you may go in a new direction and provide new insights. Please do not simply cut and paste information from the Internet. This is plagiarism. Use multiple scientific sources and synthesize information into a cohesive post. Please include your references in your postings. Assignments Assignments will be posted on Blackboard throughout the semester. The average grade from all of these assignments will constitute 15% of your total grade. Assignments are designed to help apply concepts that are discussed in lecture materials. Project and Presentation You will be required to investigate your local geology, applying what you ve learned to understand the geology of your local area. You will prepare and present a PowerPoint presentation (12-15 slides) with accompanying notes that you will present to the class during the 14 th or 15 th unit of the semester. I will post an assignment that I think is A- quality work. Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 3
The class will be split into two groups, one presenting each week. Students who are presenting will be responsible for leading a section of the discussion that week. You will need to post two or three discussions questions, answer questions that come up in your discussion thread, and contribute the normal number of responses to other threads in order to meet the total discussion posting requirements for that week. Your project and presentation will be worth 25% of your final grade. You will need to obtain a geologic map of your area and, if at all possible, visit some real live rock outcrops. If you don't have access to outcrops that is okay, we can work around that, however to understand the different rock types there really is no substitute for seeing real rocks. You will work on understanding earth materials and the geologic history of your local area during the semester and present the results of those investigations during the 14 th or 15 th unit. By the end of Unit 3, you will need to send me an email indicating the area that you will be studying and giving me an update on progress of locating written resources, maps and possible outcrops to visit. Directions for Students Next Steps: Carefully review the remaining sections of the syllabus before beginning the Lesson 1 activities, which are located in the Lessons folder in your online course. Once you feel that you are ready to dive into the first week s activities, click on the Lessons button on the left-side navigation menu. Then, click on Unit 1 to begin with the Course. Links to Discussions are available through a Link within each Unit (under Lessons button) or directly through the Discussions button on left-side navigation menu. Assignment Guidelines Assignment Submissions Directions for submitting individual assignments will be provided in the Introduction to the Unit under the Lessons link. Assignments will be available within the Lessons Area on a unit-by-unit basis. When submitting documents please follow the naming convenction specified in the Assignment, generally First name_last name_assignment name.docx or.pptx. Be sure to only include one period in file names. The period should be between the file name and the extension. For example: Kathryn_Schubel_assignment1.docx Assignment Due Dates Assignment and activity due dates are listed in Schedule of Topics, Readings, Assignments and Exams later in this. I will announce any changes to due dates via an announcement in Blackboard. This is not likely to occur. Return of Assignments I aim to return assignments within 5-7 days after the due date, depending on the length of the assignment. You will receive feedback under the My Grades link in the left-hand menu of your course. In some cases I will return a document with comments to you via email. Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 4
Policy for Late Assignments You must to contact me in advance if you think you cannot meet an assignment deadline. If you have a valid excuse, I will consider extending the deadline. However, if an assignment is late, and prior arrangements have not been made, you will receive a zero. Course Protocols: Changes to the Course Any changes to the course will be announced in the Announcements section. Please check announcements every time that you log into the Bb. Communication with Professor or Other Students The majority of communication will take place within the Discussion forums. When you have a question about an assignment or a question about the course, please contact me (kschubel@jhu.edu or call me at 831-392-7852) or post your question in the & Assignment Question forum. You can expect to hear back from me with 48 hours. If you don t hear from me in that time please don t hesitate to send another email. In all online communication it s important to follow proper rules of netiquette network etiquette. "Etiquette" means the social and culture norms of communicating with others in a proper and respectful way. In other words, netiquette is a set of rules for behaving and interacting properly online. The Netiquette Core Rules linked below are a set of general guidelines for cyberspace behavior. They probably won't cover all situations, but they should give you some basic principles to use in communicating online For Netiquette Core Rules visit The Core Rules of Netiquette web page. Emails When you send an e-mail message to me or to another participant in the course, please observe the following guidelines: Include the title of the course in the subject field (JHU Geology Section 81). Keep messages concise, and check spelling and grammar. Sign your full name (the sender s email is not always obvious). Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 5
Schedule of Topics, Readings, Assignments and Exams Date Topic Reading Assignments Introduction to the Course Unit 1 Formation of the Universe and Chapter 1 1/9-1/16 the Earth-Moon System Internal Structure of Earth Unit 2 Plate Tectonics 1/16-1/23 Plate Boundary Interactions Chapters 2, 3 & 4 Unit 3 1/23-1/30 The Mineral Kingdom An Introduction to Rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary & Chapter 5 Interludes A & C Metamorphic Unit 4 1/30-2/6 Igneous Rocks and Processes Chapters 6 and 9 project. Weathering and Erosion Sedimentary Rocks and Unit 5 Chapter 7 Sedimentary Structures 2/6-2/13 Interlude B Depositional Processes and Environments Metamorphism and Chapters 8 Unit 6 Metamorphic Rocks Chapter 10 2/13-2/20 Earthquakes Interlude D Earthquakes Unit 7 2/20-2/27 Midterm Exam Unit 8 Deformation & Mountain 2/27-3/6 Building Chapter 11 Geologic structures Unit 9 3/6-3/13 Unit 10 3/13-3/20 Unit 11 3/20-3/27 Unit 12 3/27-4/3 Unit 13 4/3-4/10 Unit 14 4/10-4/17 Unit 15 4/17-4/25 Unit 16 4/25-5/1 Stratigraphic principles Relative-age dating Absolute age dating Earth History Spring Break Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water Groundwater Energy Resources Student Presentations Student Presentations Final Exam Interlude E Chapter 12 (p. 434-453) Chapter 12 (p. 453-465) Chapter 13 Chapter 17 Chapter 19 Chapters 14 & 15 Email me regarding Ordering geologic events Absolute age dating Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 6
University Policies General This course adheres to all University policies described in the academic catalog. A few to pay close attention to are noted below. Students with Disabilities Johns Hopkins University is committed to providing reasonable and appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities. Students with documented disabilities should contact the coordinator listed on the Disability Accommodations page. Further information and a link to the Student Request for Accommodation form can also be found on the Disability Accommodations page. Ethics & Plagiarism JHU Ethics Statement: The strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this course you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments, forgery and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair competition. Report any violations you witness to the instructor. Read and adhere to JHU s Notice on Plagiarism. Dropping the Course You are responsible for understanding the university s policies and procedures regarding withdrawing from courses found in the current catalog. You should be aware of the current deadlines according to the Academic Calendar. Copyright Policy All course material are the property of JHU and are to be used for the student's individual academic purpose only. Any dissemination, copying, reproducing, modification, displaying, or transmitting of any course material content for any other purpose is prohibited, will be considered misconduct under the JHU Copyright Compliance Policy, and may be cause for disciplinary action. In addition, encouraging academic dishonesty or cheating by distributing information about course materials or assignments which would give an unfair advantage to others may violate AAP s Code of Conduct and the University s Student Conduct Code. Specifically, recordings, course materials, and lecture notes may not be exchanged or distributed for commercial purposes, for compensation, or for any purpose other than use by students enrolled in the class. Other distributions of such materials by students may be deemed to violate the above University policies and be subject to disciplinary action. Getting Help You have a variety of methods to get help. Please consult the help listed in the "Blackboard Help" link in the online classroom for important information. If you encounter technical difficulty in completing or submitting any online assessment, please immediately contact the designated help desk listed on the AAP online support page. Also, contact your instructor at the email address listed atop this syllabus. Geological Foundations of Environmental Science Spring 2017 page 7