Contact information
- Instructor: William Hirt
- Office: LS-15
- Office hours: MWF 10:00-10:50 AM, TTh 12:30-1:20 PM and by appointment
- E-mail: hirt@siskiyous.edu
- Phone: 530·938·5255
- Fax: 530·938·5506
Course logistics
- Meeting times: MWF 1:00-2:15 PM and W 1:00-3:50 PM
- Meeting place: LS-16
- Units: 4.0
- Degree applicability: UC, CSU and COS
Student success
Success in Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) courses like Physical Geology (GEOL 1210) depends on a student's preparation and participation as well as on the format of the course.
- Preparation: ENGL 1001 (College Composition) and MATH 0850 or 0851+0852 (Elementary Algebra or Beginning Algebra I and II ) are advisories for this course. Students who have successfully completed these advisories succeed in ESS courses like GEOL 1210 at a rate (68%) more than twice that of students who have not (32%). If you have not successfully completed ENGL 1001 and MATH 0850 or 0851+0852 you are strongly encouraged to do so before you enroll in GEOL 1210.
- Participation: Students who participate in their Geology classes at least 85% of the time (as measured by attendance and the submission of assignments) succeed at a much higher rate (82%) than do students enrolled in the class as a whole (57%).
- Format: Students who enroll in online ESS courses are significantly less likely to complete them (57%) than are students who enroll in face-to-face or lab courses (70 and 72%, respectively). If you are a student who learns best by hands-on experience or in a group setting you are encouraged to take a lab or face-to-face class rather than an online class if possible.
Course materials
- Textbook (required): Geology, 4th ed. by Chernicoff and Whitney (ISBN 0-13-147464-2)
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course a student is expected to be able to:
- Interpret the origin of geologic features in terms of a balance between tectonic processes driven by the release of Earth's internal heat and surface processes driven by gravity and solar energy;
- Identify common rocks and minerals and correctly interpret their significance for local geologic processes;
- Read a compass and topographic map and navigate using them;
- Formulate, solve and correctly interpret the results of problems relevant to the introductory geology;
- Determine whether a proposed observation, experimental result, or explanation is consistent with a scientific hypothesis for a natural phenomenon and effectively communicate that analysis to others.
Fall 2012 course schedule
Dates |
Lesson topic(s) |
Reading |
Exercise |
| 20-Aug : 24-Aug | Earth's origin, structure, and dynamics | 1:10-35 | plate boundary exercise |
| 27-Aug : 31-Aug | Minerals and mineral resources | 2 and 20 | mineral identification |
| 5-Sep : 7-Sep | Igneous rocks and processes | 3 | igneous rock identification |
| 10-Sep : 14-Sep | Volcanoes and volcanic processes | 4 | Shasta Valley field trip |
| 17-Sep : 21-Sep | Mechanical and chemical weathering | 5 | sediment size analysis |
| 24-Sep : 28-Sep | Sedimentation and sedimentary rocks | 6 | sedimentary rock identification |
| 1-Oct : 5-Oct | Metamorphic rocks and processes | 7 | metamorphic rock identification |
| 8-Oct : 12-Oct | Relative and absolute geologic time | 8 | geologic dating |
| 15-Oct : 19-Oct | Crustal deformation and geologic structures | 9 | fold and fault structures |
| 22-Oct : 26-Oct | Earthquakes and Earth's interior | 10 and 11 | Earthquake |
| 29-Oct : 2-Nov | Plate tectonics and continental structure | 12 and 13 | pace and compass mapping |
| 5-Nov : 9-Nov | Landslides and other mass movements | 14 | topographic maps and profiles |
| 14-Nov : 16-Nov | Streams and flooding | 15 | geologic map and cross-section |
| 19-Nov : 21-Nov | Groundwater and caverns | 16 | Virtual River—Discharge |
| 26-Nov : 30-Nov | Glaciers and ice ages | 17 | Shasta Caverns field trip |
| 3-Dec : 7-Dec | Deserts and geologic work of the wind | 18 | glacial and desert landforms |
| 10-Dec : 14-Dec | Shorelines and coastal processes | 19 | tsunami/storm surge exercise |
| 19-Dec | final exam, 1:00-2:50 PM | all | --- |
Evaluation
Grades will be based on total scores for:
- daily clicker questions (90 total points);
- two online assignments (20 points);
- three midterm exams (60 total points);
- three writing assignments (50 total points);
- a comprehensive final exam (40 total points);
- 16 weekly lab reports (scaled to 90 total points, about one third of the lecture total).
There will be no alternate or "extra credit" assignments. For the writing assignment a student will read an article of their choice from a set of three selected for the class and write an outline, abstract and revised abstract of that article. The final grade will be computed from a total of 350 points, and will be scored as follows: > 90% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; and < 60% = F. The instructor reserves the right to adjust these percentages if such an adjustment is warranted by the class average, but under no circumstances will a student who earns a score of <65% or fails to turn in any of the writing assignments receive a satisfactory (A, B, or C) grade.
In addition to class time, a student should expect to spend about 6 hours per week reviewing their notes and text and studying for exams. Completion of the writing and online assignments will require about an additional 12 hours during the course of the semester.
Attendance, withdrawal, and incomplete policies
Regular participation and punctual submission of assignments are required for satisfactory completion of this course. Up to four absences will be excused if the student: (1) notifies the instructor by e-mail or phone, (2) schedules a time to make up the missed work before their next class session, and (3) makes up the work as scheduled. If a student incurs four unexcused absences he or she will receive a warning from the instructor; eight unexcused absences will result in the student being dropped from the class. A student may withdraw before 20-Nov-2012 without receiving a grade, and is responsible for notifying the admissions office and completing all necessary forms. Arrangements for an incomplete must be made with the instructor, and an "I" will be granted only in the case of an unforeseen personal or family emergency.
Learning Disabilities
If you have a disability (learning, physical, psychological etc.) that may require classroom or testing accommodations please let me know as soon as possible to ensure these accommodations are implemented in a timely manner. If you have not already done so, please contact Disabled Students Program and Services (DSPS) in Eddy Hall, or call 938-5297, for authorization and coordination of disability verification and accommodation assistance.
Make-up policy for missed work
Writing assignments, homework exercises, midterm exams, lab reports and daily clicker questions may be made-up if: (1) prior arrangements have been made with the instructor; and (2) they are completed before the next class period or before graded exercises are returned to the class (as appropriate). Field trips and the final exam may not be made up.
Late assignment policy
Writing and homework assignments will be penalized 1 point for each class period they are late and will not be accepted after the graded assignments have been returned to the class.
Academic integrity
Students are encouraged to collaborate with one another as they work on their lab exercises and homework assignments, and as they prepare for exams. I expect that a student will work independently, however, when he or she submits exercise results, takes quizzes and the final exam, and writes his or her outlines and abstracts. If I find evidence that any students are not living up to this code of academic integrity (for example, because they submit identical or nearly identical writing assignments) I reserve the right to drop them from the class unless it is after the fourteenth week, in which case the students will receive F grades regardless of accumulated points.
