GEOLOGY 202
Physical Geology (4 credits)
Winter 2008

Location: Portland Community College, Sylvania
P.O. Box 19000, Portland, OR 97280-0990
                  Lecture (CRN 10513): ST 305 11:00 am-12:20 pm M W

Instructor: Dr. Melinda Hutson
                    Sylvania ST 312
                    (503) 977-4146
                    e-mail: mhutson@pcc.edu
                    Office Hours: 10:00-10:50 am M W
                    Please call for an appointment if you need to see me at
                    a time other than my office hours.

Web site: http://spot.pcc.edu/~mhutson/

Course Description: Introduces physical geology which deals with mass wasting, streams, glaciers, deserts, beaches, groundwater, and use of topographic maps. There is no prerequisite for this course.

Text: Lecture: Geology: An Introduction to Physical Geology, by Chernicoff and Whitney, a custom edition for PCC with additional content, Pearson Publishing Co.

E-mail Policy: Because I get a huge volume of unwanted e-mails, I delete many without looking at them. If you want to reach me by e-mail, please indicate G202 in the subject line of your message. Also, I do NOT open attachments. If you are sending me something, include it in the body of the text (you can cut and paste).

Exams: There will be three lecture exams during the term. In addition, there is a comprehensive final on Monday March 17, from 11:00 am -1:00 pm. The lowest of the four exam scores is dropped. Consequently....

No make-up exams will be given for any reason. The final exam is your make-up exam.

Laboratory: Lab will be taught by Frank Granshaw and will make up 25% of your total course grade for G201. You will receive a separate syllabus for lab from Mr. Granshaw.

Project: This class examines processes that shape the landscape. Examples of the features that we discuss in class can be found in and around Portland. You will explore the Portland area (including Mt. Hood and the coast) to find examples of features discussed in class (see list below). You may go by yourself or with others in a group (I strongly recommend going with others). You will need to take pictures documenting each of the features that you find (you may use duplicates of photos taken by a group member if you go out in a group). When you are done, you will put together a journal describing your explorations and illustrated with the pictures you have taken. You should include information such as where you went, when you went, what the weather was like, with whom you went. You should also include some personal reflection (this is a journal). While you may go exploring in a group, your journal must be your own (individual) work. You may not turn in joint projects. The journal must be typed with one inch margins all around, using a 10 or 12 pt. font. Your illustrations should be informative and well-documented (you need figure captions). If you use digital images, be sure they are good quality images. Small fuzzy pictures are not easy to interpret. If you use outside references, they should be listed in a references section. You will be graded on content (did you find an acceptable number of different features), quality (do your pictures do a good job of showing the reader the features you’ve seen; are your descriptions informative), and personal voice (do you have an interesting and readable narrative of your search for your features).

You need to document features from any TWO of the following four subject areas (note that the list of possibilities does not include all possible features):

I. Mass Movement (find 3 examples of mass movement features):

Possibilities include:

-evidence of creep

-scarp

-slump block

-earthflow

-a “toe” of a flow

-lahar deposit

II. Streams (find 3 examples of stream features):

Possibilities include:

-point bar

-cut-bank

-mid-channel bar

-meander

-oxbow lake

-stream terrace

III. Shorelines (find 3 examples of shore line features):

Possibilities include:

-marine terrace

-wave cut platform

-tombolo

-spit

-sea stack

-sea arch

-sea cave

-jetty or groin

-beach

IV. Glaciers (find 3 examples of glacial features):

Possibilities include:

-till

-u-shaped valley

-hanging valley

-cirque

-glacier

-crevasse

Your project will be easy to do IF you work on it a little bit each week. It will be almost impossible to do if you wait until the last minute. Your project is due at the start of class on Monday February 25. “Start of class” means before I start lecturing. Once I’ve started lecturing, your project is late. Projects can be turned in late for partial credit as follows:

Turned in after start of class February 25, but by start of class on March 3 – project loses 20% of grade

Turned in after start of class March 3, but by start of class on March 10– project loses 40% of grade

No projects accepted after start of class on Monday March 10.

Grades: PCC officially defines grades as follows – see http://www.pcc.edu/edserv/acadpol/acad20.htm

A Superior. Honor grade indicating excellence. Earned as a result of a combination of some or all of the
following as outlined by the instructor in the course handout: superior examination scores, consistently accurate and prompt completion of assignments, ability to deal resourcefully with abstract ideas, superior mastery of pertinent skills, and excellent attendance. Probable success in a field relating to the subject or probable continued success in sequential courses.

B Above average. Honor grade indicating competence. Earned as a result of a combination of some or all of the following as outlined by the instructor in the course handout: high examination scores, accurate and prompt completion of assignments, ability to deal well with abstract ideas, commendable mastery of pertinent skills, and excellent attendance. Probable continued success in sequential courses.

C Average. Standard college grade indicating successful performance earned as a result of a combination of some or all of the following as outlined by the instructor in the course handout: satisfactory examination scores, generally accurate and prompt completion of assignments, ability to deal with abstract ideas, fair mastery of pertinent skills, and regular attendance. Sufficient evidence of ability to warrant entering sequential courses.

D Substandard but receiving credit. Substandard grade indicating the student has met only minimum requirements as outlined by the instructor in the course handout. Earned as a result of some or all of the following: low examination scores, generally inaccurate, incomplete or late assignments, inadequate grasp of abstract ideas, barely acceptable mastery of pertinent skills, irregular attendance, insufficient evidence of ability to make advisable the enrollment in sequential courses. Does not satisfy requirements for entry
into courses where prerequisites are specified.

F Failure. Non-passing grade indicating failure to meet minimum requirements as defined by the instructor in the course handout earned as a result of some or all of the following: non-passing examination scores, inaccurate, incomplete or late assignments, failure to cope with abstract ideas, inadequate mastery of pertinent skills, repeated absence from class. Does not satisfy requirements for entry into courses where prerequisites are specified.

For this class, grading is done on a straight scale (90% and above = A, 80-89% = B,
70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, and below 60% = F).

Grades will be determined from performances on:

3 best exams 60%
Project 15%
Lab 25%

Instructional withdrawal policy: Faculty may deny registered students access to a class if they do not attend the first class session or stop attending class anytime through the end of the fourth week. Faculty denial of access will not remove student tuition charges. From the fifth week on, faculty may withdraw a student for lack of attendance and a "W" grade appears on the student transcript. Instructor withdrawals do not remove charges -- students are billed for unpaid tuition and fees.

Students who withdraw from a class by the second Friday of the term will be refunded 100% of the charges associated with that class.

Grading Policy: PCC policy allows students to request "Audit" status or a "Pass/No Pass" grade in lieu of a letter grade within the first three weeks of class. If you wish to receive an audit or pass/no pass grade, you must submit a written request to your instructor during the first three weeks of class.

PCC's policy on incompletes is as follows: When the quality of the work is satisfactory, but some minor, yet essential, requirement of the course has not been completed, and for reasons acceptable to the instructor, a report of "I" may be made and additional time granted for the completion of the work. If the course is not completed within a year, the "I" will be administratively changed to an "NP" unless the instructor submits another grade. The conditions for completion of the work should be stated in writing, signed by the instructor and the student, and kept on file in the department or program office.

I do not generally give "I" grades.

Academic Integrity: "Students of Portland Community College are expected to behave as responsible members of the college community and to be honest and ethical in their academic work. PCC strives to provide students with the knowledge, skills, judgment, and wisdom they need to function in society as educated adults. To falsify or fabricate the results of one’s research; to present the words, ideas, data, or work of another as one’s own; or to cheat on an examination corrupts the essential process of higher education." This statement is taken from the College’s Academic Integrity Policy. Please see the Academic Services web site for more information on plagiarism:
<http://www.pcc.edu/pcc/abt/rights/student_rights/integrity.htm>. The penalty for academic dishonesty in this course is automatic failure of the assignment in question and possible failure of the course.

Disability: If you have a disability and need an accomodation, please make arrangements to meet with me outside of class. PCC students requesting accommodations must provide documentation of disability and work with The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) at 977-4341.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. Each student is responsible for all of the content of all of the classes, including lecture material which may not be in the text. If you miss lecture or lab, then it is YOUR responsibility to learn the material covered. I will not be grading on attendance, but will keep track of who is attending. Please be sure to sign the attendance sheet each class period.

Announcements: The lectures may include announcements, scheduling of exams, changes in the tentative class schedule as well as material that is not included in the textbook. You are responsible for ALL of the lecture content, whether you are present or not.

The course outline given below is TENTATIVE and may be subject to revision. Any changes will be announced in class and are your responsibility.

Week	Lecture/Text
1	Introduction: Chapter 1
2	Weathering & Soils: Chapter 5
3	No class on Monday January 21-MLK day Mass movement: Chapter 14
4	EXAM1 – Monday January 28 Streams: Chapter 15
5	Streams: Chapter 15
6	Groundwater: Chapter 16
7	Exam 2 – Monday February 18 Glaciers: Chapter 17
8	Glaciers cont’d. Winds: Chapter 18
9	Shorelines: Chapter 19
10	EXAM3 – Monday March 10 Resources: Chapter 20
Finals	Final Exam (Monday)