Time and Place:
Lecture: 8:00 - 8:50am MW, Science 019;
Laboratory: 2:00 - 3:50pm W, Science 019
Instructor: Roger G. Olson; Office: Science 018;
Phone: x6295; E-mail: rogero
Office Hours: 10:00-11:30am M, 3:30-5:00pm W, 1:30-4:00pm R, or by appointment
TEXT
Norris W. Jones, Laboratory Manual for Physical Geology, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Ed., 2001
COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION
This course is a survey of physical geology from the perspective of human interaction with the environment.
Topics covered in the two hours of weekly lecture include: Plate tectonics and its consequences: volcanoes, earthquakes,
and mountain building; the rock cycle; weathering and erosion, mass wasting, stream landscapes and flooding, wind processes,
shoreline erosion and deposition. The weekly two hour laboratory includes the study of typical rocks and minerals, topographic
maps and survey systems, and an introduction to aerial photographic interpretation.
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
- Examinations: There will be three examinations, and each will count 20% of your
final grade. Each will consist of both short answer (fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice or true/false) and essay questions.
Each exam will have questions from both lectures and reading assignments.
- Quizzes: There will be a short (5-10 minute) quiz every Wednesday in the lab period The quiz will cover
material on the reading and lectures from the previous week. Altogether the quizzes will count 15% toward your final grade.
There will be NO make-up for any quiz. To compensate for any excusable absences, I will drop the lowest TWO quiz scores.
- Science Olympiad: : Participation in the 2001 Science Olympiad, either through preparation or in supervising/grading
an event is a required part of this course. Your participation in either the Rocks and Minerals or the Road Scholar events
will count 10% toward your final grade. The actual contest takes place on Saturday February 17, so if you cannot be on campus that day,
please let me know ASAP so that I can schedule you for pre-contest preparation.
- Laboratory: We will do ten - twelve lab exercises selected from the lab manual you have purchased
and using materials provided by the Geology department. For grading purposes, you will turn in answers to questions from
both the lab manual and instruction sheets that I will provide. In total the labs will count 15% toward your final grade.
The lab experience is very important, and it is essential that you attend. Make-ups for labs are given under only extreme
circumstances.
- Attendance: You are required to attend classes as per college policy (see the catalog).
You will do better in the course if attend all lectures and labs. I will take attendance at each class session and
attendance will affect your grade in borderline situations as much as three percent in either direction.
For example, if you miss frequently, I may deduct as much as three percent from your final course average.
Let's say you have an 88.7% average (B+) in the course, then this grade adjustment would bring you down to 85.7% (B).
A summary of the grading criteria follows:
| Criterion | Percent |
| Examinations | 60 |
| Quizzes | 15 |
| Science Olympiad | 10 |
| Laboratory | 15 |
| Attendance | +/-3 |
SCALE FOR FINAL GRADE
| Letter Grade | Overall Percent |
| A | 93 - 100 |
| A- | 90 - 92 |
| B+ | 87 - 89 |
| B | 83 - 86 |
| B- | 80 - 82 |
| C+ | 77 - 79 |
| C | 73 - 76 |
| C- | 70 - 72 |
| D+ | 67 - 69 |
| D | 60 - 66 |
|