Dr. Karen Bartels  Office: Main Campus, Science Building Room 142  Phone: (773) 442-6052  E-mail: K-Bartels@neiu.edu Web page: http://www.neiu.edu/~kbartels/bartels.htm

Office Hours:  Monday and Wednesday. 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.  and 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. Or by appointment

Course Description	Objectives	Outline of Topics
Textbook	Structure of the Course	Requirements
Grading Policy	Handouts & Study Guides	Links
	Link to Photos

Course Description:  [From NEIU catalog]  Earth, its structure, composition and resources.  Mineral and energy resources, their formation and distribution, their supply and demand projections for the future.  Water resources and water quality.  Environmental impact of resources, nuclear and other waste disposal, geologic aspects of earthquake and volcanic hazards.  Lecture 3 hours.  PREREQ: MATH 102  

Required text: Environmental Geology, (seventh edition) by Carla W. Montgomery (McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2005).   Visit the companion website at  http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072528168/information_center_view0/

Course Objectives:  By the end of this course you should be able to do the following:

1. Explain the basic structure of the earth and the nature of solid earth materials.
2. Describe several major physical processes that reshape our dynamic planet.
3. Explain the causes of geologic hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and floods, and describe how the effects of these hazards can be mitigated.
4. Explain how geologic resources (soil, groundwater, mineral ores, fossil fuels and other energy sources) form, and describe the roles that geologists play in locating and protecting these resources.
5. Discuss benefits & drawbacks of societal choices in using geologic resources & coping with hazards.

COURSE OUTLINE (subject to revision)

May 23:  Introduction to the course. Origin of the earth and universe.  Geologic materials: minerals and rocks.	Ch. 1-2
May 25:  Large-scale movements of the earth: plate tectonics and earthquakes.  Quiz over chapters 1 and 2.	Ch. 3-4
June 1:  Origin of volcanoes; volcanic hazards.	Ch. 5
June 6:  Surface water: streams, flooding, & coastal erosion.  Quiz (ch. 3-5)	Ch. 6-7
June 8:  The ground beneath our feet: soil formation, stability, & resources	Ch. 8, 11
June 13:  Mid-Session EXAM (Ch. 1-7);  Air pollution and climate change.	Ch. 9, 17
June 15:  Water resources: finding & protecting sources of fresh water.  Quiz (ch.  8, 9, and 11)	Ch. 10
June 20:  Mineral resources: “If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined.”   Energy resources I: coal, oil, and natural gas.	Ch. 12-13
June 22:   Energy resources II: alternatives to fossil fuels.  Quiz (ch. 10, 12-13)	Ch. 14
June 27:  Waste disposal: what do we do with all of our garbage?   Review for final exam.	Ch. 15
June 29:  Final EXAM  (Ch. 8-15)

COURSE STRUCTURE:  Class sessions will typically be a combination of lecture, discussion, group work, and hands-on activities.   To check that we are making good progress in the class, we will use a type of classroom assessment technique called “Muddiest Points” or “Minute Paper.”  The assessments are designed to check whether I am communicating concepts clearly and whether you are learning the concepts effectively.  They are completely anonymous –it is not a test of what you know, but rather a check on how we are progressing.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance is expected.   There are many class discussions and in-class activities in this course, so it is crucial that you attend regularly.  No make-up exams or make-up assignments will be given.  If you miss the midterm for some unavoidable reason, your final exam will be comprehensive and will count for twice as much.  No points are given for attendance, but in cases of borderline grades, students with good attendance records will be awarded the higher grade.

EXAMS: Two exams (mid-session and final) will be given.  For the exams, you will be writing short essays, solving problems, and interpreting geologic maps and diagrams.  In addition, four quizzes will be given.  Most quiz questions will be “short-answer” or “fill-in-the-blank” types of questions.

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS: There will be from one to three in-class activities or assignments every day.  These are required and cannot be made up, so regular attendance is crucial. 

GRADES: 

Incompletes will be given only in accordance with University policies as published in the catalog.    

Important information useful for all of your courses:

Drop Date for Summer IA is Friday, June 17.

Student Responsibilities and Academic Integrity:

“Each student is responsible for knowledge of, and adherence to, all University requirements and regulations.” [From NEIU 2002-2003 catalog, p.30]

“NortheasternIllinoisUniversity students are expected to exhibit the highest standards of academic integrity.Academic misconduct such as plagiarism or cheating is unacceptable and will be investigated in accordance with University policy on academic misconduct. (See Student Survival Kit)” [From NEIU 2002-2003 catalog, p. 31]

EXPECTATIONS:  My expectations for students in my classes are pretty standard.  Basically they are the same as outlined in this list of guidelines copied from the Sociology Home Page at NEIU 

(http://orion.neiu.edu/~sociolgy/guidelines.html)

© 2005Karen S. Bartels
Last updated May 23, 2005.
 

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