G209 Earthquakes PCC Rock Creek                                 Summer 2009 CRN #33193

 Time & Place:            Tu & Th  noon – 1:50 pm BLDG 7-227        
Instructor:                   Eriks M. Puris    email: eriks.puris@pcc.edu     ph: (503) 614-7627
Office Hours:              Tu & Th  2 pm-3 pm and by arrangement; 7-202
Required Text:            Earthquakes (5^th ed.) by Bruce A. Bolt
                                  http://www.whfreeman.com/earthquakes
Class Web Site:          http://www.pcc.edu/staff/eriks.puris
Admin. Assistant:       Sheryl Butler is a wonderful administrative assistant who can help you if you have
                                 difficulties reaching me or have general questions. Sheryl works in 7-202; 
                                 sheryl.butler@pcc.edu ,  (503) 614-7500.

On occasion the earth shakes violently causing destruction and death.  What causes earthquakes?  Where do earthquakes occur?  When do earthquakes occur? Can earthquakes be predicted? How do we prepare for earthquakes?  These are the questions we will be answering in this course.

Catalog Description  3.0 Cr.- Covers the nature and origin of earthquakes, the characteristics of seismic waves, how earthquakes are measured, the hazards of earthquakes and the historical and geological record of earthquakes. No prerequisites.

G209 Course Outline
 

1) Introduction Why study earthquakes? 2001 Nisqually earthquake case study.

2) Causes of Earthquakes The relation betweens faults and earthquakes, how faults create earthquakes.

3) Measuring Earthquakes How seismometers work, determining the location and size of earthquakes.

4) Earthquake Waves and the Earth’s Interior How seismic waves can be used to reveal the Earth’s internal structure.

5) Plate Tectonics How the theory of plate tectonics explains the global distribution of earthquakes, how earthquakes provide evidence for the theory of plate tectonics.

6) Earthquake Hazards How earthquakes injure and kill people and destroy property.

7) Earthquake Prediction Is it possible to predict earthquakes?

8) Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest Past earthquake activity in the Pacific Northwest and the possibility of future earthquakes.

9) Preparing for Earthquakes Given what we know how can we as individuals and as a society prepare for earthquakes?

Grading Policies

COURSE GRADE  =  20% Activities + 30% Projects + 50% Tests

Grading Score Sheet

TO CALCULATE COURSE GRADE

               __________   +  ________     +    _______   =  __________
                activity avg.        project avg.         test avg.       100 possible
                  (w/o low) 

GRADING SCALE 

100-90% = A    89-80% = B   79-70% = C      69-60% = D       below 60% = F

LATE WORK In class activities will be completed during class time and can not be made up. Take home activities will be marked down 10% each class period they are late.

MAKE UPS No make ups!  However, I will drop your lowest activity grade. If you know ahead of time that you will be absent for a test please talk to me as soon as possible, it may be possible to schedule an alternative time which is prior to the scheduled time.

EXTRA CREDIT No extra credit.

INCOMPLETES I do not encourage and rarely give incompletes. Please see me outside of class if you feel you need to pursue this option.

IMPORTANT DATES

6/26     End of First Week         Last day to drop with a refund.

7/10     End of Third Week       Last day to drop with out a W.

7/24     End of Fifth Week        Last day to withdraw with a W or request a P/NP grade.

ADD/DROP POLICY

1. Students who miss 50% or more of the first week of classes without contacting the instructor may be dropped to add wait list students.

2. It is the student’s responsibility to drop the class if they stop attending.

Course Components

Reading Completing the assigned readings before coming to class is the first step to doing well in this course. Reading a science textbook is not like reading a novel, newspaper or humanities text.  I will work on helping you develop this skill by stressing the importance of figures, diagrams, and maps.

Lectures Lectures will expand upon the readings and will cover some material not covered in the text. I will spend a lot of time discussing figures, maps, and diagrams from your text; take note of the figure numbers and expect questions about figures to show up on tests. I recommend reviewing your notes after each class while your memory is still fresh. When reviewing your notes expand, annotate and add headings so that they make sense to you. I will review the previous lecture at the beginning of each class; this is a good time to check your notes and to ask questions. Please ask questions at any time during lectures! 

Activities There will be frequent activities to help develop your understanding of the class material. Many of these activities will be completed during class and will involve group work.  In class activities must be completed during class and can not be made up. Some activities will be take home assignments which will often involve using web resources. Take home activities will be marked down 10% each class period they are late. Each activity is worth 20 points.  I will drop your lowest activity grade.
 

Tests Tests will cover material from the reading, lectures, activities and labs. A variety of question types will be used for the tests including; multiple choice, fill in the blank, labeling, sketching, brief response questions, and essay questions. There will be two 50 minute tests.  The tests will not be cumulative, however the course material will naturally build upon itself and concepts developed early in the class will be used later in the class. Each test is worth 50 points.

Projects You will work on several projects during this course including; a poster project for which you will investigate an earthquake of your own choosing and report your findings to the class in the form of a poster and a written abstract (2 pages: 1 page text + 1 page references), an earthquake map project in which you will track earthquakes which occur during the course of the class and possibly a field trip project. Each project is worth 30 points.

Course Policies

We are here to learn and to enjoy the processes of learning; the following policies are designed to create a positive and safe learning environment for all of us where we can succeed in learning together.

Class Room Environment  I expect you to respect the right of your fellow classmates to a positive learning environment. Any behavior which diminishes your classmates’ learning experience is inappropriate; this includes acting disrespectfully towards your classmates, as well as disrupting class by arriving late or leaving early, talking out of turn and allowing your electronics to emit sounds.

Missing Class  Regular attendance is expected and is important to your success in this class. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to get class notes and handouts from your fellow classmates.  I will not be grading directly based on attendance, however you will be handing in work to be graded almost every class session. Students who miss more than 10% of the class (which is 2 class periods) should expect their absences to negatively impact their course grade. I will be taking roll the first few weeks to learn your names, after that it is up to you!

Academic Integrity Learning is your responsibility; nobody can do it for you. I expect you to approach learning with self honesty and integrity so that you gain the greatest benefit from your hard work. The PCC academic integrity policy states it this way, “To falsify or fabricate the results of one’s research; to present words, ideas, data or work of another as one’s own; or to cheat on an examination corrupts the essential process of higher education” Academic dishonesty may result in a grade of an F on the assignment and will be reported to the division dean. For further information consult the Student Rights and Responsibilities policies at : http://www.pcc.edu/about/policy/student-rights/ .

Special Concerns  I encourage students with special concerns or needs to meet with me outside of class so that we can work together to create a positive learning experience. PCC is committed to supporting all students.  If you have a disability and need an accommodation, 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.

Flexibility Statement  Please keep in mind that the course calendar along with test and lab dates may change in response to changing conditions and class needs.