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:  Tues. 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.  Weds. 1:30 - 5:00 p.m.  Or by appointment

Link to BlackBoard

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

 Course Description:  ESCI 325: Seminar in Earth Science (3 cr.):  Volcanism in the Ring of Fire.  Study of volcanic processes, landforms, and hazards in subduction zone settings around the Pacific rim.  This course is sponsored by the International Studies Program, and it includes a two-week geological field-study trip to the North Island of New Zealand.

*Note on Scheduling:  Because of the instructional time spent in New Zealand, our course schedule is altered somewhat from the Tues./Thurs. schedule listed in the schedule of classes.  In the weeks leading up to the trip, we will meet only on Tuesdays, with the exception of the first week of classes and the week immediately before the trip, when we will meet both days.  The week after the trip we will not meet.  For the remaining four weeks of the semester, we will go back to meeting on Tuesdays only, with the exception of the week of April 19/21, when we will meet both Tuesday and Thursday.  (However, I encourage students to use the time on Thursdays “off” to work on Group Projects).  See the course outline on the next page for specific dates.

Required text: Volcanism, Hans-Ulrich Schmincke, 2004 (Springer-Verlag).  Chapter readings in the course outline below refer to this textbook.
Recommended travel guide: Lonely Planet Guide to New Zealand.  Any recent edition will be acceptable.  (Lonely Planet Publications).
Texts will be supplemented with handouts from other sources throughout the semester.  Reading assignments are required, and should be completed before the start of the class period listed (with the exception of the first day, of course).

Course Objectives:  By the end of this course you should be able to do the following:
•    Explain the connections between magma composition, lava properties, eruption dynamics, types of volcanic landforms and plate tectonic setting.
•    Recognize volcanic landforms, volcanic rocks, and volcanic deposits in the field.
•    Examine individual volcanoes, evaluate potential volcanic hazards, and develop preliminary land-management and risk-management plans.
•    Synthesize all of the above into a written report and oral presentation about a particular volcano in New Zealand.

COURSE OUTLINE (subject to revision)

Jan.      11 (T)  Course outline and policies.  Introduction to Volcanology	Ch. 1
13 (R)  Plate tectonics	Ch. 2
18 (T)  Plate tectonics and volcanism, continued.	Ch. 2
25 (T)  Magma and volcanic rocks	Ch. 3
Feb.       1 (T)  Magma and gases	Ch. 3 and 4
8 (T)  Rheology and triggering of eruptions	Ch. 4
15 (T)  Subduction zone volcanoes	Ch. 8
22 (T)  Subduction zone volcanoes; volcanic deposits	Ch. 8 and 9
Mar.       1 (T)  Volcanic edifices and deposits	Ch. 9
8 (T)  Eruption styles	Ch. 10
10 (R) Prep for trip
March 11-26 Geological Field Study in New Zealand
No class March 29 or March 31
Apr.       5 (T)  Post-trip photo-sharing and storytelling (with refreshments)
12 (T) Volcanic hazards and disaster mitigation	Ch. 13
19 (T)  Presentations and discussion
21 (R)  Presentations and discussion
26 (T)  Wrap-up and study session
May 4 (W)       FINAL QUIZ 6:00-7:50 p.m.

COURSE STRUCTURE:  Course Structure:  Class meetings will be a mix of lecture and active learning exercises.  Outside of class time, you will read the textbook, take online quizzes and post comments on BlackBoard (http://neiu.blackboard.com/),  and work on various aspects of a group project.  The group project is highly structured with points given for many small steps that build toward a final report and presentation.  An individual’s grade for the group project will be based on both the group products and individual efforts.  During the trip in New Zealand, you will be responsible for reading the text and other reading assignments, keeping a trip journal, and presenting information related to the group project.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 

• Attendance:  Regular attendance is expected.  
• Email and BlackBoard:  Each student is expected to have an active email address and access to computers that are connected to the internet.  There will be a BlackBoard site for this class for announcements, quizzes, and class communications.
• Quizzes:  There will be five quizzes, administered during weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 13.  Quizzes will be given online, using BlackBoard.  They will be available on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and will be due by Saturdays at 11:30 p.m.  Due dates for quizzes are January 22, February 5, February 19, March 5 and April 16.  You may take the quizzes as many times as you wish; your grade will be the grade you receive the last time you submit the quiz.  It will not be possible to submit a quiz after the due date deadline.  I will count the highest 4 quizzes toward your course grade.
• Group term project: You will work in teams of three on a multi-part, semester-long group project.  Details are provided on a separate handout.
• Trip Journal:  During the geological field-study trip in New Zealand, you will keep field notes, answer daily questions, and record your thoughts and experiences in a trip journal.
• Expectations for International Studies Trip:  In general, patience, respect for each other, and a good sense of humor are required!  More details about trip expectations, planning, and logistics are provided on a separate handout.
• Assessments:  At the end of most class periods, you will fill out a short “Muddiest Point” assessment form.  Occasionally, there will be other classroom assessments as well.  As part of the Earth Science Departments Assessment Program, each Earth Science major will need to keep a copy of your group project in a portfolio.  See the attached handout for more information on this.

GRADING POLICIES: All course requirements must be completed to pass the course.

*For your group project, you will investigate and report on a particular volcano or volcanic field in New Zealand.  The group project will consist of several parts:  You will receive points for minutes of group meetings and other group logistics (80 pts), a written pre-trip guide for your volcano (110 pts), field discussions while in New Zealand at your volcano (40 pts), a written post-trip report (110 pts), and an oral presentation on your post-trip report (60 pts).  Your grade will be based on the group grade, but will be adjusted to account for individual contributions. 

The grading scale is as follows:
A 100-90%; B 89-80%; C 79-70%; D 69-60%; F 59% and lower.

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:The last date to drop a course in the Fall 2004 semester is Friday March 18.

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]

© 2005 Karen S. Bartels
Last updated January 15, 2005.