| Geology 1305-003 Professor Robert H. Blodgett |
Summer 2005
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A study of earth processes and natural hazards and their influence on rocks, soils, fluids, and life in ways that either affect or control man's environment. A field trip will be required.
As the world's population grows and expands, humans are placing a greater demand on earth resources, increasing the volume and extent of environmental pollution, encountering natural hazards more frequently, and are causing a rapid change in the world's climate. College-educated consumers, voters, and decision-makers need to understand the scope and impact of these changes and the limitations that science and technology have in reducing their negative effects. Studying environmental geology provides a valuable perspective for this understanding. This is a general survey course that does not count towards a major in the geological sciences.
This course will be taught in a lecture/discussion format illustrated with videos, numerous transparencies and 35 mm slides, and a field visit to locations in the Austin area.. Student learning will be assessed with three in-class examinations and a take-home assignment.
Section 25678- Lecture - 8:00-9:50 A.M. Monday through Thursday in NRG Rm. 2228
Prerequisite - Reading proficiency on Texas Success Initiative (TSI) testing or are TSI exempt; A knowledge of high school and middle school mathematics is required. This is an accelerated, 5.5-week course that is not suitable for all students. Please complete the "Who Succeeds in Accelerated Courses?" self-assessment to determine if this course is appropriate for you.
Textbook - Keller, Edward A., 2005, Introduction to environmental geology (third edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 583 p.
Multimedia - King, Hobart M., 2005, Hazard city: assignments in applied geology (second edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 1 CD packaged with Keller (2005).
Materials - two #2 pencils, a plastic paper/film eraser (e.g. Staedler Mars), and a hard surface (notebook or clipboard) to take field notes on
You must take an environmental geology field trip to pass this course. Our class field trip will leave the Northridge Campus at 9:45 AM on Saturday, July 30, 2005 in transportation provided by the College and return no later than 5:00 PM on the same day. Students unable to attend the class trip must make arrangements with the professor by Monday, July 18, 2005 to take a self-guided trip. Self-guided field trips generally take more than one day to complete and require a report to be submitted no later than 8:00 AM Monday, August 8, 2005 to receive credit for the course.
Professor: Robert (Bob) H. Blodgett, Ph.D., Professor
Office Hours: 10:00 -11:30 A.M. Monday and Wednesday and 10:00-11:00 A.M. Tuesday and Thursday, or by appointment in NRG Rm. 2212. Appointments can be arranged in person, by telephone or by e-mail
Telephone/ voice mail: 223-4892
Electronic mail: rblodget @ austincc.edu - checked at least daily Monday through Friday
Web page: http://www.austincc.edu/rblodget
All examinations will be in-class, closed-book tests that contain varying proportions of multiple-choice, matching, and short-answer questions drawn from lectures, handouts, reading assignments, and the field trip. Review questions will be distributed before each examination. A final exam on the last day of class will emphasize the material covered since the last mid-term exam. No examinations will be given early for any reason. If a single mid-term exam is missed, the final exam score will be recorded for that missed exam. Scores of 70 or greater on the final examination will substitute for the lowest mid-term examination score.
Your final course average will be calculated as follows:
25% Midterm Exam 1 15% Hazard City Assignment
25% Midterm Exam 2 35% Final examination
There is no "extra credit." The following scale will be used to determine your course grade:
90-100% - A 70-79% - C Below 60% - F
80-89% - B 60-69% - D
Students whose final course average is 59%, 69%, 79%, or 89% will be advanced to the next higher grade if their final examination score shows improvement over their mid-term examination scores.
Students are expected to attend lectures and participate in class discussion. Those students who do not attend class during the first week of the semester may will be administratively withdrawn. You are expected to work with the professor and your classmates in both the classroom and on the field trip. This may include distributing and collecting course materials in the classroom and on the field trip, setting up and logging off of computers, participating in class demonstrations, and cleaning up the classroom and field trip vehicles.
If you decide to drop this class, you must protect your academic record by withdrawing no later than Tuesday, July 26, 2005. The professor, however, reserves the right to withdraw a student for not meeting course objectives. Departmental policy forbids the instructor from withdrawing you from this class after the withdrawal date. It is your responsibility to verify that you have successfully withdrawn from the class before the Final Withdrawal Date. You are strongly encouraged to keep copies of paperwork should there be a problem in the computer records.
An incomplete (grade of "I") will only be given if extenuating circumstances, such as illness or death of a loved one, keep a student from completing the final examination. Incompletes must be requested in writing with documentation of the extenuating circumstances. If a grade of I is given, the final examination must be taken by a date set by the student and professor. This date must be at least two weeks before the end of the 2005 Fall Semester.
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students With Disabilities (NRG Rm. 1220 / 223-4726) on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester. Students who are requesting accommodation must provide the professor with an Approved Accommodations and Academic Adjustments form at the beginning of the semester before any accommodations can be made. All information regarding your special needs is confidential.
Science courses commonly require a different approach to studying than other courses. In this course you will be asked to conceptualize things in three dimensions, understand complex concepts, and learn a whole new vocabulary for describing your planet. You will improve your performance if you take notes from both the textbook and the lecture, answer the study questions in each chapter, and go over the summary, revisiting fundamental concepts, and key terms at the end of each assigned chapter. Many students find it useful to make flash cards for terms and their definitions. You may also use the Companion Web Site for the textbook, http://www.prenhall.com/keller, for reviewing concepts and terms.
You are expected to be seated and ready for class on time. If you arrive late or need to leave early, please sit near the door. Please notify the professor if you have to arrive late or leave early on a regular basis. As common courtesy, do not interrupt the professor or classmates when they are speaking, do not carrying on conversations during lectures, and turn off audible sounds on your cell phone, pager, or computer before you come to class.
GEOL 1305 Course Schedule*
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| Saturday - July 30 |
Austin Area Field Trip |
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*Schedule changes may occur during the
semester.
Any changes will be announced in class.
Attachment 1