General Requirements and Expectations
-
You
will need to review,
in your own time in the first 2 weeks, the material covered at the 100
level:
geologic principles, materials (rock types), processes (tectonics,
earthquakes/volcanoes, surface processes). (Montgomery chapters 1-3,
Appendices
A & C.)
-
You will
need to spend a
minimum of two hours per
credit
hour on this course outside of 'lecture' time (i.e. 8 hours per week).
This
time will include the readings, project and lab/field write-ups.
-
You need
to read the
assigned material before coming
to class. You will need the
information in order to complete in-class assignments.
Labs (~40%)
-
There will
be both
in-class labs and field trips in the scheduled lab times.
-
You should work on your
own in labs, reaching your own answers. However, for methodology, you
may
collaborate with other students. You must be able to reach the answer
on your
own (or you will have difficulty on the final exam).
-
I do not require you to
type up your in-class labs; just turn in what you did in class, as long
as it
is well organized and legible (or else points will be deducted).
In-class labs
are due ASAP, no later than the beginning of the following week.
-
Each of the
four field
trips will result in a written report (minimum 4 pages each), based on
field
observations but supplemented by additional research. These reports
will be
submitted as drafts, which will receive feedback from the instructor,
and then
the final version submitted. Field reports are due ASAP, no later than the beginning of the
following week.
Geological Journals (10%)
-
You will keep a journal
from Day One until the Final Exam, recording a minimum of five entries
per
week; entries can include new peer-reviewed articles that make the
news, or
geological events that make the news (e.g., significant earthquakes or
volcanic
eruptions). At the end of the semester you will submit a reflection
piece.
-
Scope of entries: must
be related to the course (i.e., natural hazards, geologic resources,
paleoclimate/climate change).
-
See handout
on Moodle.
Group Project (25%)
-
There will
be several
small groups (4 people), each of which will be assigned a topic related
to the
course. The members of the group will take on different roles and work
throughout the semester to research different aspects of the topic.
Topics will
be framed around "an environmental geologist's suggestions on planning
the
future of xxx" – e.g., New Orleans, Atlantic City, New York City, Cape
Hatteras, Los Angeles, Las Vegas. Investigations will consider the
geology of
the area, it's recent geologic history, 21st-century climate
change,
as well as the perspectives of business leaders, homeowners,
recreation/tourism, and entities such as the ACE.
-
Each project will result
in a written report, each team member responsible for different
aspects; drafts
of the report will be evaluated by team members and the instructor.
Each group
will present their findings to the rest of the class near the end of
the
semester.
Final Exam (20%)
Writing Intensive Course
Writing will be
integrated
into the life of this course. You will receive comments, direction, and
support
as you work on strengthening your writing skills. Your writing will be
evaluated and returned in a timely fashion, allowing you to incorporate
my
comments into your future work. You will be able to draft, revise, and
resubmit
five written assignments: the individual component of the group
project, and
the four field reports. For help outside the classroom, please see me
during my
office hours and/or work with a writing tutor in the Center for
Academic
Success (CAS), Room: E-230 and Alcove, x7557.
Additional Information
Lecture Notes
•
The PowerPoints used in lectures are provided on Moodle. Use these
lecture notes as a skeleton from which to flesh out your own notes –
the slides are primarily to organize me during the class!
• Either print out the lecture notes before class, or
download to a laptop and bring that to class. (If you like the planet,
please bring a laptop rather than killing 3 trees for the notes…)
• Do not rely solely on the text book for studying -
take good notes!
• Organization is always useful. I suggest a sturdy
3-ring binder and using loose-leaf paper instead of a spiral-bound
notebook.
Moodle
• Access the course page from http://moodle.ramapo.edu/
• Outline lecture notes are available in two formats, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat.
• Documents (e.g. syllabus) are available as .doc files.
• Grades for each assignment will be posted on Moodle, but infrequently. Occasionally I mis-type and I won’t catch it, so do not take these grades as the “truth”; however they are correct on my grade sheet (and therefore when I calculate final grades), and on the assignments that are returned to you. Typically I will only update grades once a month.
To use Luminis and Moodle, you will need to set up and activate a Ramapo email account in order to log on. For both, your login name and password are your email username and password.
Policies
Attendance:
Attendance
is mandatory. Your first absence will suffer no penalty; after that,
every
missed class will reduce your course grade by 2%. If you miss no
classes, you
will receive an extra 2%. (If you have extenuating circumstances,
provide
documentation: doctor's note, death certificate, etc.) A late arrival
or early
departure will constitute half an absence and will be penalized
correspondingly.
Office Hours
I require you to meet with me,
individually, twice during the semester during office hours (or other
pre-arranged times), to touch base with you, about your progress in the
course,
address any concerns you may have (about the course, general education,
and any
other college-related matters), etc. These meetings are mandatory. (You
are, of
course, also encouraged to come to office hours whenever you need to –
you are not limited to two meetings!)
Classroom behavior
Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.
Please
respect both the instructor and the other students by not holding your
own
conversations, leaving and returning, offering remarks not related to
the
subject matter, using electronic devices, etc. Treat everyone in the
classroom
with respect. Beverages are permitted (but be sure to remove containers
to the
trash/recycling as appropriate), but no food. Please leave the tables
clean at
the end of class.
Field Behavior
Students should NOT view class time spent in the field as an
opportunity to socialize. Students are expected to be prepared for
spending the entire class period outside, sometimes hiking and
conducting fieldwork away from cleared trails (i.e., “bushwhacking”).
Appropriate clothing are thick and strong enough to resist thorns, etc.
Field trips will not be canceled or postponed except for cases of heavy
rain, so students must be prepared for moderately inclement weather.
Hiking boots and long pants are required for field excursions, and rain
gear (jackets, ponchos, pants) is recommended on days of light rain or
when vegetation is wet from recent precipitation or condensation.
Students should bring their Rite-in the-Rain field notebook, two
pencils (pens may run on write-in-the-rain paper when wet), and water
for drinking in the field. Food is permitted on field trips, but it
should be eaten only while traveling in the van or during scheduled
breaks in the field.
Students are encouraged to take measures to reduce the likelihood of
tick bites. Tick prevention generally includes one or more of the
following: wear long pants that are a light color to easily spot ticks;
tuck and tape your pants inside your socks, and tuck your shirt inside
your pants; apply insect repellants on shoes, socks and pant legs, and
inspect your body and clothing at home for ticks. Please do not apply
volatile repellants before the trip, and at the field site do not apply
volatile repellants upwind from the class.
Use of Electronic Devices in Classroom
Laptops may be used to facilitate
note-taking. Other
electronic devices, including (but not limited to) cellphones, PDAs,
iPods/mp3
players, blackberrys, are not to be used in the classroom. Please turn
cell
phone ringers off in class time.
Communication
-
If I need to
contact you
individually, I will do so by e-mail, to your Ramapo email account (per
College
policy).
-
General class
announcements will be posted to the class Luminis page and/or by email.
I strongly recommend checking email the evening before class in case
there are last-minute announcements.
• All written assignments (paper, journals, field reports) are to be submitted by e-mail, as attached documents.
• You will receive an emailed acknowledgement that I have received your assignment within 48 hours; if after that time you have not received an email from me, it means I did not receive your email to me. In order to not have a late penalty assessed, ensure you save copies of all outgoing emails to your Sent Mail folder in case you need to retrieve them to prove to me when you sent them.
• I can only open documents saved as .doc (Microsoft Word), .rtf (rich text file) or .txt (text file without any formatting). If you create your document in a program other than Word (e.g. Microsoft Works, Word Perfect), please “Save As” an .rtf or .txt file, because I can not open their default file formats (.wps or .wpd files).
• Assignments (other than labs) will not be accepted in other formats, including hard copy.
Revisions
• The paper will be submitted first as a draft, and then a revised version. This is mandatory.
• Field reports (and other labs, to an extent) can be revised if you receive a low grade – with the caveat that I may not get around to grading the revision. Do not rely on the revision process as a way to get a good grade; low grades will generally occur because you failed to follow the written directions for the assignment, so I will not point out all the things you missed – you will have to refer back to the directions to figure out where you went wrong. (That is, I am not going to tell you the correct answer so you can revise your assignment and get a better grade.) Because of that, I will not prioritize grading revisions, and they may not get graded at all. Bottom line: do the best job you can first time around so you do not have to rewrite it and risk not getting the revision graded at all.
• In some cases, revision is mandatory (for example, if you get a zero because you lack citations or bibliography, or if the entire document consists of copied-and-pasted text rather than paraphrased material). These revisions will definitely, eventually, be graded.
• Revisions are generally due at 11:59 pm on the tenth day after I return the graded original by email (not 10 days after you get the email - if you only check your email every two weeks, you may miss the deadline). If you miss the deadline, your original assignment grade will be the one that counts (this is a different deadline policy to the general one stated below).
Deadlines
-
Deadlines
are to be
adhered to. I will not remind you when deadlines are. Extensions may be granted under exceptional circumstances.
• If you miss a deadline for a lab or an original assignment (i.e. not a revision), turn in the assignment anyway: I will grade it if possible, although you will get a 10% penalty for that assignment.
- If you miss a deadline, turn in the assignment anyway: I will grade it if possible, although you will get a 10% penalty for that assignment.
Academic Integrity
-
Students are expected to read and understand
Ramapo
College's academic integrity policy, which can be found in the College Catalog. Members of the Ramapo
College
community are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic
endeavors.
Students who violate this policy will be referred to the Office of the
Provost.
-
My
penalties
are as follows (subject to review by the
Provost in each instance): first occurrence, zero grade for assignment;
second
occurrence, failing grade for course.
-
For written assignments
you will have the opportunity to correct any plagiarism before it goes
to the
Provost. If it is not fixed adequately in a timely fashion, it will be
referred
to the Provost.
Incompletes
College Policy: Incompletes are
given in
exceptional circumstances when approved by the instructor, and when requested
by a student
who has satisfactorily
completed at least two-thirds of course requirements prior to the end of a term,
for reasons
of illness or other emergency. When the work is completed
prior to announced dates (at the
latest, 5 weeks prior to the end of the next semester), the grade
assigned
replaces the I. If work is not satisfactorily completed by that date,
the grade
is changed to F.
Special needs
If you have a disability or
special need that has been documented with the Office of Specialized
Services,
and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please see me as soon as
possible.
All such requests will be treated confidentially. Also, please let me
know if
you are colorblind (as rocks are different colors).
Schedule with readings and
assignment
deadlines
As a
refresher, you should review Montgomery chapters
1-3 and appendices A & C within the first week of semester.
Bring to lab sessions:
• For all labs (but not fieldtrips), bring lab
supplies as outlined at the top of the syllabus.
• For fieldtrips, wear appropriate field clothing
(enough to be warm), hiking boots/sturdy sneakers, rain gear, and bring
notebook, pencils, eraser, pens, handlens, camera, and water.
|
Dates TBD! |
Topic |
Chapter(s)*
|
|
Module 1:
Geologic Resources |
||
|
Lec 1 |
Land use,
planning |
19 (474-90) |
|
Lec 1 |
Water Resources |
10, 18 (451-2) |
|
Lab
1 |
Lab:
groundwater |
|
|
Lec 2 |
Mineral
resources, mining |
12,
18 (452-7) |
|
Lab 2 |
Field lab 1: Franklin mining
district ($10 entry fee) |
|
|
Lec 3 |
Energy
Resources: Fossil Fuels |
13 |
|
Lab 3 |
Lab: Topographic Maps |
|
|
Lec 4 |
Energy
Resources: nuclear, hydro, renewables |
14 |
|
Lab 4 |
Field
lab 2: Warwick/W. Milford mining district |
|
|
Lec 5 |
Pollution,
Waste Management |
15-17,
18 (457-64) |
|
Lab 5 |
Field lab 3: Philips Mine |
|
|
Module 2:
Geologic Hazards |
||
|
Lec 6 |
Landslides |
8, 19
(490-3) |
|
Lab 6 |
Lab: Landslides |
|
|
Lec/lab
7 |
Coastal
environments – lec will be in the field Field lab 4: Sandy Hook, Atlantic
Highlands This will be an all-day trip |
7, 18
(464-8) |
|
Lec 8 |
Streams,
floods |
6 |
|
Lab 8 |
Lab: floods |
|
|
Lec 9 |
Volcanoes |
5 |
|
Lab 9 |
Lab: volcanic hazards |
|
|
Lec 10 |
Earthquakes |
4,
handouts |
|
Lab 10 |
Lab: earthquakes |
|
|
Module 3:
Global Change |
||
|
Lec 11 |
Paleoclimate |
9
(208-12), handouts |
|
Lab 11 |
Project Time |
|
|
Lec 12 |
Current
and future climate |
9
(212-20), handouts |
|
Lab 12 |
Lab: future climate |
|
|
Lec 13 |
Soils,
Desertification |
11, 9
(212-20) |
|
Lab 13 |
Lab: soils |
|
|
Lec 14 |
Group presentations |
|
|
Lab 14 |
Field lab 5: Meadowlands |
|
Field labs 2 and 3 should be combined into one all-day field trip
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