12991: GEOL 301
Environmental Geology Lab
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Objectives | |
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This lab course is designed for persons enrolled in the Geology 300 lecture or for persons needing a science laboratory credit. The objective of this course is to compliment the ideas learned from the lecture through the use of experiments, demonstration, lecture, and explanation. |
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Requirements | |
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Class attendance is mandatory. If you will be unable to attend a class I will need to be notified in advance. Only an emergency will be an acceptable excuse for missing a class and I will need to see proof from a doctor, lawyer, police, court, etc. in order to excuse the absence. Only three excused absences will be allowed during the semester, after which your grade will be affected. The lab meets only once a week and is not easily made up. You are responsible for any materials missed and making up any labs on your own time. Six unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course.
Eating and drinking are not allowed in the classroom. While I do have office hours in order to resolve any problems or to answer a question, I will not repeat what I have covered during the class so make sure you pay attention. Office hours are there to resolve simple things, not as a second lecture or a time for me to tutor you. All cell phones and pages must be set to silent or turned off while in this classroom. If your cell phone or pager goes off or you take it out for any reason during a test you will have to leave immediately and you will not be able to finish the test.
NOTE: Wikipedia is NOT a legitimate source for any class, especially not this one. It is an encyclopedia ANYONE (including you) can edit with completely inaccurate information and as such is not a reliable source of information. |
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Labs | |
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Always bring your lab manual to class. Make sure to read the pages assigned on the calendar below BEFORE coming to class. I will introduce and explain the lab procedures and any necessary information to complete them in the class, but you will need to have a general idea what we will be doing before coming to class. On some labs you may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups. I will inform you of those times in class. Even when you are allowed to work on the lab with others, each person is responsible for turning in a lab in their own words reflecting their own work. There will be a total of 13 labs during the semester. Each lab is worth 15 points and must be handed in at the end of each class. Two points will be deducted from the total lab score for each day it is late. Absolutely no labs, extra credit, or any other sort work will be accepted via email, there are no exceptions to this. |
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Quizzes | |
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There will be two quizzes during the semester, each worth 10 points. These serve to both prepare you for the midterm and final as well as to give you a chance to improve your grade. There may be occasional pop quizzes if lack of class participation warrants it. Quizzes will be drawn from laboratory material as well as what I present to you in class. While there will be study guides for the midterm and final, there are no quiz study guides. There will be no makeup quizzes or exams without proof of an emergency involving you. Quizzes will be done individually and not cheating will be allowed. If I find evidence of cheating, the students involved will be asked to leave and will receive the grade of F for the semester. For more information, see the university policy on academic dishonesty in the course catalog. |
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Exams | |
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There will be a midterm and a final in this course. The midterm (see Midterm Study Guide) and final (see Final Study Guide) are each worth 50 points. The final will be cumulative, with an emphasis on the material covered since the midterm. Bring a scantron 882-E, a number 2 pencil, and a calculator to each exam. You will not be allowed to take the test without them and I will not have extras. The exams may include a variety of question types including short answer, essay, fill-in-the-blank, true-false, diagrams, and multiple choice. There will be no makeup quizzes or exams without proof of an emergency involving you directly. Exams will be done individually and not cheating will be allowed. If I find evidence of cheating, the students involved will be asked to leave and will receive the grade of F for the semester. For more information, see the university policy on academic dishonesty in the course catalog. |
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Grading | |
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Grading will be on a plus/minus basis. Grading in this course will be earned as a percentage of total possible points:
92% - 100% = A
90% - 91% = A-
88% - 89% = B+
82% - 87% = B |
80% - 81% = B-
78% - 79% = C+
72% - 77% = C
70% - 71% = C- |
68% - 69% = D+
62% - 67% = D
60% - 61% = D-
0% - 59% = F |
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Extra Credit | |
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There will be opportunities to do extra credit throughout the lab course, which will be announced in class. Each project will be worth 1 or 2 points, up to a maximum of 15 total extra credit points. There will be one additional extra credit assignment, worth up to 10 points in addition to the points listed above. That assignment and its due date can be found on its own extra credit page. Please note that all extra credit is optional. |
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Program Changes | |
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If you decide to drop this course, you must do it yourself. Under normal circumstances, you cannot drop the course after the second week. Only with proof of a serious and compelling reason will a student be allowed to drop after the second week. A change in the basis of grading will not be allowed after the third week under any circumstances. |
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Academic Dishonesty | |
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While some lab work may be done in groups, each person is responsible for turning in their own work, written in their own words. Cheating and/or directly copying work will not be tolerated and will result in an F for all persons involved in the matter. Please refer to University policy on Academic Dishonesty for more information on additional potential consequences. |
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Calendar | |
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This is a tentative schedule and may change as the course dictates. Changes will be announced in class prior to the date when possible. Reading is to be done before the class date to prepare you for that lab.
CLASS DATE |
LAB TOPICS & READING |
NOTES |
Week 1 |
Introduction
Reading: No Reading Assigned |
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Week 2 |
Plate Tectonics
Reading: Pages 1-20 |
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Week 3 |
Maps
Reading: Pages 21-48 |
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Week 4 |
Minerals
Reading: Pages 49-62 |
Quiz |
Week 5 |
Igneous Rocks
Reading: Pages 81-94 |
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Week 6 |
Sedimentary/Metamorphic Rocks
Reading: Pages 81-94 |
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Week 7 |
Weathering/Slopes/Subsidence
Reading: Pages 107-138 |
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Week 8 |
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Week 9 |
Streams and Rivers/Groundwater
Reading: Pages 139-178 |
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Week 10 |
No Class (School Holiday)
Reading: No Reading Assigned |
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Week 11 |
Waste Water/Hazardous Waste
Reading: Pages 179-192 and 203-220 |
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Week 12 |
Atmosphere and Oceans/Coastal Processes
Reading: Pages 221-260 |
Quiz |
Week 13 |
Geologic Structures and Maps
Reading: Pages 261-282 |
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Week 14 |
Earthquakes
Reading: Pages 283-296 |
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Week 15 |
Landscape Geology
Reading: Pages 297-318 |
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Week 16 |
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