Geology 101 Online - California State University, Northridge



Geology 101

Geology of Planet Earth

Fall 2014

Instructor: Karen Savage

Phone: (818) 677-2511 Office: Live oak Hall 1220, Office Hours: 12:30-1:30pm TuTh and by appointment

Email: karen.savage@csun.edu

Meeting Time: TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm

Textbook: Physical Geology: The Science of Earth, 2nd edition, by Fletcher with WileyPlus Learning Space (online accompaniment to text) YOU MUST HAVE THIS TEXT AND YOU MUST BUY IT FROM THE CSUN BOOKSTORE.

Course Objectives:

Geology of Planet Earth is a general survey course on the science of the Earth. The course is intended to provide you with a basic understanding of your natural surroundings so that you may better enjoy them and make informed decisions about the myriad of problems facing your physical environment. When you have completed this course you will have gained a basic understanding of Earth materials (minerals and rocks) and of Earth processes such as plate tectonic theory. You will have learned about resources derived from the environment (fossil fuels and mineral ores) and hazards inherent in that same environment including earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides. You will understand how Geology applies to you as a resident of southern California and the world. The level of difficulty of the material presented is appropriate for a college freshman who is not a science major, thus anyone in the course should be able to earn a C or better if willing to put in the necessary study time. Most students find that they earn better grades when they participate in study groups and complete extra credit activities.

Geology is experiencing a boom-time growth surge in the areas of engineering geology, environmental geology, and groundwater geology, and there are many jobs available here in southern California and other places. The twin issues of energy and environment are critical to the world and are likely to remain so for many years to come. So if this course interests you, you may want to consider geology for your future career.

Tentative Schedule: Chapter(s)

Week 1 Aug 25 Introduction to Geology, Solar System 1, 2

Week 2 Sep 1 Plate Tectonics 3

Week 3 Sep 8 Minerals 4

Week 4 Sep 15 Igneous Rocks and Volcanoes 5, 6

Week 5 Sep 22 Weathering, Exam 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4) 7

Week 6 Sep 29 Sedimentary Rocks 8

Week 7 Oct 6 Metamorphic Rocks 9

Week 8 Oct 13 Mountain Building 10

Week 9 Oct 20 Earthquakes, Exam 2 (Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) 11

Week 10 Oct 27 Geologic Time and Earth’s History 12, 13

Week 11 Nov 3 Mass Wasting 16

Week 12 Nov 10 Streams 17

Week 13 Nov 17 Groundwater, Exam 3, (Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 16) 18

Week 14 Nov 24 Coastal Processes, Thanksgiving Holiday 20

Week 15 Dec 1 Coastal Processes 20

Week 16 Dec 8 Review

Exam 4, Dec 16, 10:15-12:15pm (Chapters 17, 18, 20, and cumulative material)

The four exams will cover only the 4 or 5 chapters that precede them in the schedule. The final is semi-cumulative. They consist of multiple choice, true-false and fill in the blank. (15% each, with the last (final) exam worth 20/%.

Homework: There will be occasions when homework is assigned. This will comprise 20% of the semester grade.

WileyPlus Learning Space is the website where most of the homework assignments are found. The course website is . You will receive a registration code for Learning Space when you buy the required text at the bookstore.

Semester Project: Instructions during the first few weeks of classes (worth 10% of the semester grade).

Class Participation: Everyone is expected to add to the class discussions. This will also include discussions on Learning Space. You will receive up to 5% during the semester. The more you participate the more points you will earn.

Exam schedule and breakdown of semester grade:

Exam 1 Sep 25 15%

Exam 2 Oct 23 15%

Exam 3 Nov 20 15%

Exam 4 Dec 16 20%

Semester Project 10%

Class Participation 5%

Homework 20%

Total 100%

Dropping - Read the Schedule of Classes. If you decide that you don’t want to continue with this course, you must drop the class– you will not be automatically dropped if you simply stop doing the work.

Additional Information-

I adhere to CSUN’s policy on academic dishonesty. Cheating and plagiarism will result in the assignment of a zero for the exam and notification to the Dean of Students which may result in disciplinary action. Plagiarism is knowingly representing work done by others as one’s own.

NO Cell phones will be tolerated in the classroom. They should NOT be out during class. If you use them during class you will be asked to leave. Laptops and Notebooks are to be used to take notes only, not for anything else that is not related to our class.

Other Key Points–

It is the responsibility of each student in this course to know and follow all written guidance given by the instructor in this class.

These policies and schedules are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

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