COURSE SYLLABUS


Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Natural Hazards

GEO 1030

Fall Semester, 2006





GEO 1030, Earthquake and Volcanoes, Natural Hazards, is a general education class for non-science majors. The basic principles of geology are introduced by examining geologic hazards, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, among others. Co-requisite: GEO 1035, Earthquake and Volcanoes, Natural Hazards Lab.



Instructor: Mark Colberg, SC 014, 865-8331, colberg@suu.edu, www.suu.edu/faculty.colberg


Class Meetings (SC 016): Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 9:00-9:50 am

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday; 10:00 - 11:00 am, and 2:00-4:00 pm. Otherwise catch me when you can. Outside of set office hours, appointments are encouraged.


Required Text: Keller and Blodgett, 2006, Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.


Course Structure: At SUU, geology courses are often subdivided into a lecture component and a laboratory component. These two components are listed as separate courses - THEY ARE CO-REQUISITES AND MUST BE TAKEN TOGETHER. The lecture portion of the class will meet in a traditional classroom setting where we will discuss various aspects of geology and how Earth processes can adversely effect human culture. A separate syllabus will be prepared by the lab instructor.


Course Fees: There are no extra fees required for this course (However, a $20.00 lab fee is required for the co-requisite lab (GEO 1035)).


Course Objectives: Geology is a very broad science and encompasses a very wide range of topics. This course is an introductory course that will use geologic hazards as a background to introduce you to the basic concepts of geology. In this course, you should gain an understanding basic geologic concepts, and how the Earth (and the study of geology) effects our daily lives. The goals and objectives of this course and lab include:







Requirements and Grading: Grades for the lecture component will be assessed through performance on homework of class exercises, 3 exams, and an optional comprehensive final exam. The laboratory component will be assessed through performance on a rock and mineral exam as well as grades from lab exercises. Grades will be weighted as follows;


Lecture Grades

Exams (3) and optional final

70%

Exercises/Homework

15%

Class Participation

15%


Final grades will be based, in part, on the average of three class exams. An optional comprehensive final exam will be offered to students who wish to increase their averages. Exam averages will be posted by the instructor by noon on Study Day (12/11) so students may decide if they need to take the final exam. In order to maintain confidentiality, students will provide the instructor with a unique code name to be used for posting averages.


Grades will be assigned according to the following scale.


A 93 - 100 C 73 - 76

A- 90 - 93 C- 70 - 72

B+ 87 - 89 D+ 67 - 69

B 83 - 86 D 63 - 66

B- 80 - 82 D- 60 - 63

C+ 77 - 79 F < 60


Test Policy: It is departmental policy that students do not receive completed tests to keep. Tests will be returned in class for review only, and must be returned to the instructor by the end of the class period. Grades will be held for unreturned tests. Students may review their tests at any time in the instructors office

Attendance: Students should attend all classes. Attendance will not be monitored. However, because material covered in the latter portions of the course is dependent on material from the early portions of the course, missing classes can be VERY detrimental to your understanding and your performance in class. DO NOT MISS EXAMS! MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL NOT BE GIVEN EXCEPT IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES (I.E. ILLNESS, DEATH IN FAMILY, ETC.). YOU MUST PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION (DR'S EXCUSE, DEATH CERTIFICATE / OBITUARIES ETC.) IN ORDER TO TAKE AN EXAM LATE. IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU MUST MISS AN EXAM ON A GIVEN DATE, YOU CAN MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO TAKE THE TEST AT ANOTHER TIME.


Disruptions: Please respect your instructor and fellow students and limit class room disruptions by observing the following; 1) Please do not arrive to class late. 2) Unless you are an emergency responder, please turn off cell phones. 3) Do not have a conversation with your neighbor. Your instructor reserves the right to ask you to leave in the event of continuous disruptions.


Academic Integrity: Academic (scholastic) dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the appropriate section of the student handbook (published by Student Services) regarding student responsibilities and rights, and the intellectual property policy, for information about procedures and what constitutes acceptable on-campus behavior.


In short, don't cheat - it's not worth it! If you are caught, the consequences can be BAD. If you are not caught, remember that by being dishonest in a class you are being dishonest with yourself since you are not allowing yourself to learn, and learning is why we are at this institution in the first place.


Students with Disabilities: Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids must contact the Southern Utah University Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center, or phone (435) 865-8022. SSD, not your instructor, determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of these services and aids


Class Schedule: A schedule for both the lecture and laboratory components of this course follows on the next page. Note that this schedule is subject to change.


Disclaimer: Information contained in this syllabus, other than grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change without notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.