GLG110 Geologic Disasters and the Environment

GLG110 Geologic Disasters and the Environment
Syllabus
Fall 2002

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:40-11:55 am, PS F123
Schedule Line Number: 80570

Course personnel

Professor
Ramón Arrowsmith Associate Professor of Geology Department of Geological Sciences Arizona State University (480) 965-3541 OFFICE (480) 965-8102 FAX ramon.arrowsmith@asu.edu Office Hour: Thursdays 12-1 or by appointment		Chief Teaching Assistant: Mimi Diaz, Office: PSF481, Phone: 480-965-4053, email: introlab@hotmail.com Lecture Teaching Assistant: Tom Foltz, Office: PSF574, email: thomas.foltz@asu.edu

Course description

This one semester course will provide students with knowledge about the causes, phenomena, and responses to geologic disasters and that scientific approaches to studying the environment are the first steps in understanding natural and human-induced processes and their interactions. Though they can be tragic, natural disasters provide an excellent and fascinating set of events that force us to take notice of Mother Nature and learn more about her.
Class format will consist of lectures, in-class discussions and exercises, take-home assignments, and exams. I expect that you will pay attention, ask questions, work hard, and hopefully have fun!

Course objectives

To understand basic natural processes that control the Earth's environment and in particular how their actions can be disastrous. We will examine geologic phenomena that impact humans (e.g., volcanoes, earthquakes, floods; climate change) as well as human processes that impact the Earth (e.g., chemical contamination, soil degradation, energy use and abuse, climate change).
To examine interrelationships among different physical, chemical, and biological systems that operate within and on the Earth, to see how Earth environmental processes affect our daily lives, and to look at human use of Earth's renewable and non-renewable resources.
To gain an appreciation of how scientists study the Earth's environment, and how scientific reasoning is applied to the understanding and interpretation of natural phenomena.

Course Requirements

Your performance in the lecture portion of the class will be evaluated from in-class exams, from a written project, and from in-class and take-home assignments. There will be a total of four exams given in the course, three midterm exams and a final exam. You may take any three of the four exams for credit. The final exam is optional and cumulative, but you must take it if you miss any of the midterms. There will be no make-up exams. If you choose to take all four exams, the three highest scores will be used in determining your grade. Exams will emphasize the material covered in lectures and readings from the text that pertain to the lecture material. The written project, which will be described later, is not optional and is due before Thanksgiving break.

Lecture grading

3 out of 4 exams (300 points)
Written project (100 points)
In-class and take-home assignments (100 points)

Total: 500 points

Required Textbook

Introduction to Environmental Geology [2nd ed.] by Edward A. Keller

Policies and other information

Attendance: I expect that you will attend the lecture regularly. I get excited about this subject and try to put a lot of effort into the lecture to help explain and illustrate important points. We will occasionally have in class exercises which will be graded.

Due dates: All due dates will be strictly adhered to and late assignments will not be accepted.

Classroom policies: Please be considerate of your classmates! All cell phones, pagers, and other noisemakers should be off during the entire class. Please do not disrupt class by arriving late or leaving early. You are expected to attend class and to take your own notes, and/or to consult the notes on the Web page. I am retaining copyright of my lectures, including the Web page postings. Any professional lecture notes for this class are being sold without my permission and are illegal. Cheating and plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary action according to University policies.

Disability and Conflict Accommodations

If you need disability accommodations for this class, please see me during the first week of class. Information regarding disability is confidential. If you have a religious or personal conflict with any of the scheduled exams, please see me the first week of class.