Geology 101
Geology of Planet Earth
Fall 2014
Instructor: Karen Savage
Phone: (818) 677-2511 Office: Live oak Hall 1220, Office Hours: 12:30-1:30pm TuTh and by appointment
Email: karen.savage@csun.edu
Meeting Time: TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm
Textbook: Physical Geology: The Science of Earth, 2nd edition, by Fletcher with WileyPlus Learning Space (online
accompaniment to text) YOU MUST HAVE THIS TEXT AND YOU MUST BUY IT FROM THE CSUN BOOKSTORE.
Course Objectives:
Geology of Planet Earth is a general survey course on the science of the Earth. The course is intended to provide
you with a basic understanding of your natural surroundings so that you may better enjoy them and make
informed decisions about the myriad of problems facing your physical environment. When you have completed
this course you will have gained a basic understanding of Earth materials (minerals and rocks) and of Earth
processes such as plate tectonic theory. You will have learned about resources derived from the environment
(fossil fuels and mineral ores) and hazards inherent in that same environment including earthquakes, volcanoes,
and landslides. You will understand how Geology applies to you as a resident of southern California and the
world. The level of difficulty of the material presented is appropriate for a college freshman who is not a science
major, thus anyone in the course should be able to earn a C or better if willing to put in the necessary study time.
Most students find that they earn better grades when they participate in study groups and complete extra credit
activities.
Geology is experiencing a boom-time growth surge in the areas of engineering geology, environmental
geology, and groundwater geology, and there are many jobs available here in southern California and other
places. The twin issues of energy and environment are critical to the world and are likely to remain so for many
years to come. So if this course interests you, you may want to consider geology for your future career.
Tentative Schedule:
Week 1
Aug 25
Week 2
Sep 1
Week 3
Sep 8
Week 4
Sep 15
Week 5
Sep 22
Week 6
Sep 29
Week 7
Oct 6
Week 8
Oct 13
Week 9
Oct 20
Week 10
Oct 27
Week 11
Nov 3
Week 12
Nov 10
Week 13
Nov 17
Week 14
Nov 24
Week 15
Dec 1
Week 16
Dec 8
Chapter(s)
Introduction to Geology, Solar System
1, 2
Plate Tectonics
3
Minerals
4
Igneous Rocks and Volcanoes
5, 6
Weathering, Exam 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4)
7
Sedimentary Rocks
8
Metamorphic Rocks
9
Mountain Building
10
Earthquakes, Exam 2 (Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11
Geologic Time and Earth’s History
12, 13
Mass Wasting
16
Streams
17
Groundwater, Exam 3, (Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 16)
18
Coastal Processes, Thanksgiving Holiday
20
Coastal Processes
20
Review
Exam 4, Dec 16, 10:15-12:15pm (Chapters 17, 18, 20, and cumulative material)
The four exams will cover only the 4 or 5 chapters that precede them in the schedule. The final is semicumulative. They consist of multiple choice, true-false and fill in the blank. (15% each, with the last (final) exam
worth 20/%.
Homework: There will be occasions when homework is assigned. This will comprise 20% of the semester grade.
WileyPlus Learning Space is the website where most of the homework assignments are found. The course
website is http://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/class/cls406954/. You will receive a registration code for
Learning Space when you buy the required text at the bookstore.
Semester Project: Instructions during the first few weeks of classes (worth 10% of the semester grade).
Class Participation: Everyone is expected to add to the class discussions. This will also include discussions on
Learning Space. You will receive up to 5% during the semester. The more you participate the more points you
will earn.
Exam schedule and breakdown of semester grade:
Exam 1
Sep 25
15%
Exam 2
Oct 23
15%
Exam 3
Nov 20
15%
Exam 4
Dec 16
20%
Semester Project
10%
Class Participation
5%
Homework
20%
Total
100%
Dropping - Read the Schedule of Classes. If you decide that you don’t want to continue with this course, you
must drop the class– you will not be automatically dropped if you simply stop doing the work.
Additional InformationI adhere to CSUN’s policy on academic dishonesty. Cheating and plagiarism will result in the assignment of a zero
for the exam and notification to the Dean of Students which may result in disciplinary action. Plagiarism is
knowingly representing work done by others as one’s own.
NO Cell phones will be tolerated in the classroom. They should NOT be out during class. If you use them during
class you will be asked to leave. Laptops and Notebooks are to be used to take notes only, not for anything else
that is not related to our class.
Other Key Points–
It is the responsibility of each student in this course to know and follow all written guidance given by the
instructor in this class.
These policies and schedules are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.