Professor John M. Hughes
321 Delehanty Hall jmhughes@uvm.edu
Teaching Assistant:
Ms. Gina Accorsi
314 Delehanty Hall
Office Hours: MWF, 10:00-11:00 and by appointment GAccorsi@uvm.edu
Class: T-R, 8:30-9:45 Office Hours: TBD
Course Goals: For obvious reasons, throughout history humans have been fascinated by the Earth; fundamental questions of early Philosophy and Religion revolved around Earth composition and history.
In the past 150 years, understanding of Earth processes has advanced greatly, although there is still much we don’t understand about the Earth. Coincident with this increased understanding of the Earth is humankind’s ability, through technological advancements, to bring about change to the Earth at rates that are much greater than other natural agents. Society is just now beginning to realize the impact that it can have on the Earth, often detrimental, and this realization has come about principally through a more general awareness of the various dynamic processes on Earth. For this reason, the main objectives of this course are to:
1.
Make you a more educated citizen of the planet Earth.
2.
Afford you an understanding of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere of the Earth and their interactions.
3.
Afford you an awareness of the constancy of geologic events in the news.
4.
Afford you an understanding of the Earth processes that have shaped the planet throughout its history.
5.
Make you aware of the recent impact of humans on the Earth.
Course Evaluation: Your grade in the course will be determined on the basis of ten quiz grades and two brief current event papers. During the semester, after the add/drop date (September 9), there will be a total of 11 quizzes (on dates marked with “*”). You will be allowed to drop your lowest quiz grade, and the ten highest quiz grades will count for 80% of your grade; no makeup quizzes will be offered. In addition to the 10 quizzes, during the term you will be required to submit two brief papers (1.5 pages maximum, double spaced) on current geologic events, each counting 10% of your final grade. The first current event paper must be handed in, electronically, before class on October 17; we will discuss the format of those brief papers early in the semester.
Textbook: Essentials of Geology, 4 th
Edition , by Stephen Marshak. W.W. Norton & Company.
Lecture
1
2
3
4
5*
6
Date
8/27/2013
8/29/2013
9/3/2013
9/5/2013
9/10/2013
Tentative Topic
Introduction to the Earth
The Macroscopic Earth
Geologic Time
Geologic Time
Plate Tectonics
9/12/2013 Plate Tectonics
Reading____________
Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 10
Interlude E, Chapter 10
Chapter 2
Chapter 2

7*
8
9*
10
11*
12
13*
14
15*
9/17/2013 Elements, Atoms, Minerals Chapter 3
9/19/2013 Elements, Atoms, Minerals Chapter 3
9/24/2013 The Rock Cycle; Igneous Rocks Interludes A, C, Chapter 4
9/26/2013 Volcanoes Chapter 5
10/1/2013 Sedimentary Rocks
10/3/2013 Metamorphic Rocks
10/8/2013 Crustal Deformation
10/10/2013 Earthquakes and Seismicity
Interlude B, Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 8
Interlude D 10/15/2013 Earthquakes and Seismicity;
The Earth’s Interior
10/17/2013 Weathering and Erosion
10/22/2013 Rivers and Streams
10/24/2013 Ground Water Systems
10/29/2013 Glacial Systems (?????)
Interlude F, Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
16
17*
18
19
20
21*
22
23*
24
25*
10/31/2013
11/5/2013
11/7/2013
11/12/2013
Ocean Basins
Coastal Processes
Deserts
Climate, Climate Change
11/14/2013 Energy and Resources
11/19/2013 Energy and Resources
11/21/2013 Environmental Geology
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter 17
Chapter 19
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
--- 26
T H A N K S G I V I N G B R E A K
12/3/2013 Geology and Society --- 27*
Academic Integrity: The University of Vermont maintains a Code of Academic Integrity, which can be viewed at: http://www.uvm.edu/policies/student/acadintegrity.pdf
. As a student at the University, you are required to adhere to the policy. If you are not familiar with the policy, you should access it at the above site and review its contents.
Religious Holidays: As quoted from UVM Policy, Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester. Faculty must permit students who miss work for the purpose of religious observance to make up this work. To access the policy, please visit: http://www.uvm.edu/academics/catalogue2006-
07/?Page=allpolicies.php&SM=policymenu.html&category=academic_policies&policy=Rights%20and%
20Responsibilities%20of%20Undergraduate%20Students .