>Syllabus

GEOL 100: Introdcution to Geology (Values Section)

Joe T. Elkins, Ph.D.

Office Hours: Mondays, 3:00 PM-4:30 PM (or by appointment) 
Book: Earth: Portrait of a Planet by Stephen Marshak

Attendance: I will not take attendance; however, it has been shown that students who do not come to class regularly and on time do not perform well in this class.

Academic Honesty: The University Academic Honesty Policy applies to this class. It is the individual student's responsibility to know what conduct violates the Academic Honesty Policy (refer to the Student Affairs Handbook ). Violation of that policy is a serious affair and ignorance is not an excuse. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to your respective College Dean.

GRADES: A variety of assignments will be used to assess student performance.
Exam 1: 11%
Exam 2: 11 %
Final: 22%
Values Reading Assignments: 11%
Ishmael Paper: 11%
Building Assessment Project: 34%

Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:

1.) Evaluate buildings' safety with regard to placement in the context of geological hazards provided that they understand the bedrock, the surrounding topography, geographic setting and climate.

2.) Analyze the energy requirements of a technological society and determine the global consequences of exploiting those varieties of sources of energy, renewable and nonrenewable, available to that society.

3.) Deicide if civilizations in arid climates can exist using the same water demands as civilizations with abundant resources and summarize the limits to urban growth in desert regions.

ISHMAEL CRITICAL PAPER: This assignment is to serve as a critical essay on the book Ishmael . It should be no longer than two pages, single spaced with 12 point font. It is not a book report. I want to know what you think about the book's content and apply what you learn from the book to either modern or historical examples. Primarily, you should use the definitions of "Takers" and "Leavers" as the author defines them as the primary focus of your paper. Once you have selected examples of these cultures, identify the values, value conflicts and value preferences specific to your example. We will discuss it in greater detail as the class goes on.

 Cadillac Desert Paper : This assignment is to serve as a book report that will cover pages 1-168 (Introduction through Chapter 5), 255-305 (Chapter 8) and at least one additional chapter of your choosing. The paper is to be no longer than 10 pages doubled spaced, twelve point font. Choose one chapter to identify the values, value conflicts and value preferences of that chapter's key figures. Extra Credit will be given for papers that deal with the entire book.

BUILDING ASSESSMENT PROJECT: This assignment is a group project for which you will assess the suitability of a building's location and design in the United States . Each group will consist of 3- 6 people which you will choose after the first week of class.

The project will require:

1. A written summary report.

The report will include but is not limited to:

a. a photocopy of a 1:25000 topographic map with the building's exact location.

b. a physical description of the geographic setting (city, population, altitude, climate, etc.)

c. a copy of a geologic map with the building's exact location

d. a short summary of the underlying bedrock (including the name and type of lithology, the age of the lithology, how the lithology was deposited or formed).

2. You will also need to research:

a. where the electrical supply for the building comes from and how it is produced (does it come from renewable or non renewable resources, what percentage is taken from each group, where does the company that provides this energy mine the coal that it burns in its coal-fired plants),

b. the water supply (where does it come from, a river, a lake, groundwater? How much is used daily? How much is returned?),

c. the governing municipality's handling of solid waste (including recycling).

3. You will need to assess the building for the following geological hazards:

earthquakes
volcanoes
floods
mass wasting
coastal hazards
water shortages
sinkholes

You should include a ranking of these hazards from least severe to most severe and provide the group's recommendation on solving the potential problems associated with the structure.

4. an in-class Power Point presentation that will take no longer than thirty minutes to present.

I will not provide an "example" of how to do this project. Its purpose is to get you to think critically about the building design, location, flaws, benefits, etc. I give you full creative license with this project. I consider it to be the most important part of this class because it tests you highest order cognitive processes. There is no 'right answer'. It is open-ended. It mimics what scientists do on a daily basis.