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GS106 Physical Science (Geology) Fall 2007 CRN #41990 & #43106 Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus Time & Place: #41990 Tu & Th 8:30 am
-11:20 am in room 7-227 This course is about our miraculous home, the planet Earth. We will explore what the Earth is made of, how the Earth works, and how the Earth has changed over time and examine how geologic events (earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions) and geologic resources (coal, oil, gas, minerals) impact your life. My goal in this course is to increase your knowledge, understanding and appreciation of our home planet.Catalog Description 4.0 Cr. Covers minerals, rocks, volcanism, earthquakes, plate tectonics, erosion and deposition by wind, glaciers, weathering, fossils and geologic history. Fee: 12$. No prerequisites.Course Outline1) Methods of Geology, Earth Materials & Volcanoes- what methods geologists use to study the Earth
- how rocks and minerals form
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Activities
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Laboratories
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Article Reviews |
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Tests |
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TO CALCULATE COURSE GRADE
________ + _______ +
_____________ + _______ = _______
activity avg.
lab avg. article review avg. test
avg. 100 possible
(w/o
low) (w/o low) (w/o
low)
GRADING SCALE
100-90% = A 89-80% = B 79-70% = C 69-60% =
D below 60% = F
Borderline cases (within 1% of border) will be decided on the basis of
effort, attitude and improvement.
LATE WORK
- In class work (labs and most activities) is due at the end of class and can not be made up.
- Take home work (article reviews and some activities) will be marked down 10% each class period it is late.
MAKE UPS No make ups! However, I will drop your lowest activity grade, your lowest lab grade, and your lowest test grade. If you know ahead of time that you will be absent for a lab or quiz 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 contact me outside of class if you feel you need to explore this option.
Course Components
READING The first step to doing well in this class is to keep up with assigned readings. See the class calendar for the assigned readings, reading should be completed before the class they are assigned for.
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 during lecture, take note of the figure number and expect questions about figures to show up on tests. At the beginning of each lecture I will review the previous lecture which is a good time to check your notes from the previous lecture and to ask questions. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the material during lectures!
ACTIVITIES There will be frequent activities to help you develop your understanding of the class material. Activities will typically consist of in class questions however, some will be take home activities. Some activities will be completed in groups, some individually. Each activity is worth 10 points. I will drop your lowest activity grade.
LABORATORIES Labs will give you experience working with rocks and maps. Lab exercises are designed to be completed during class and will be due at the end of class. Please bring a pencil for lab, also a ruler and calculator if you have them. Each lab is worth 30 points. I will drop your lowest lab grade. No food in lab!
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE PROJECT To acquaint you with our local geology you will investigate the geology of the Columbia River Gorge either by participating in a field trip to the Columbia River Gorge or by writing a guided research paper on the geology of the Columbia River Gorge. The field trip is scheduled for all day Saturday 10/27 or Sunday 10/28 with each student being be responsible for providing their own automobile transportation. The Columbia River Gorge Project will count as two labs.
ARTICLE REVIEWS You will be writing two brief typed reviews of current articles relating to geology. The articles will be of your choosing and each review will be worth 10 points. Specific guidelines for the reviews will be handed out during the second week of class. The first article review will be due 10/25, the second 11/29.
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. Please bring a scantron sheet (882-E) to the tests. There will be four 50 minute tests. The final test 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. I will drop your lowest test grade if you get a grade of C or better on the final test.
Course Policies
We are all here to learn and to enjoy the processes of learning. This section explains some policies designed to create a positive and safe learning environment for all of us where we can succeed in learning together.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
I expect you to be in class to learn and that you will 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 class mates, as well as
disrupting class by arriving late, leaving early talking out of turn and
allowing your electronics to emit sounds.
ATTENDANCE
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 code of conduct section of the Student Rights and
Responsibilities policy
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. 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 quiz, lab and
assignment dates may change in response to changing class needs and to
events such as campus closures.
Course Goals
· Introduce you to the landscape of our planet on a local scale (Willamette Valley), regional scale (Oregon State), and global scale.
· Develop your understanding of plate tectonics so that you can use plate tectonics to explain the geographical distribution of volcanoes, earthquakes and mountains.
· Acquaint you with the processes that build up and renew the Earth’s landscape including volcanism, earthquakes, uplift, and mountain building.
· Acquaint you with the agents of erosion that constantly wear down the Earth’s landscape including rivers, slope processes and glaciers.
· Teach you how geologists deduce past Earth events, climates and geographies by studying the landscape, sediments and rocks of today.
Course Outcomes
After successfully completing this course you will be able to:
· explain the origin of the Cascade volcanoes and asses the hazards they pose
· differentiate between the various types of earthquakes which rattle the Pacific Northwest and asses the hazard associated each type of earthquake
· describe and identify common rocks and minerals and infer how they formed
· describe sediments and rocks in the field and be able to infer a plausible series of events which led to their formation
· develop a personal conception of the vastness of geological time
Preparation
This is a college level course which assumes you are able to do the following:
o read and understand the text.
o create a typed one page document consisting of structured paragraphs with grammatical sentences and correct spelling in 24 hours.
o perform basic math operations including: adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, averaging, balancing a check book, converting units.
o plot data and interpret simple graphs.
o access and navigate web sites.
o check your my.pcc e-mail address regularly.
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.
IMPORTANT DATES
10/5 End of Second Week Last day to drop with a refund.
1019 End of FourthWeek Last day to drop with out a W.
11/16 End of Eighth Week Last day to withdraw with a W or request a P/NP grade.