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PIERCE COLLEGE PUYALLUP
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Spring Quarter, 2010
Item #7963
Section SA
SQUINT! DON’T PRINT! In an effort to move towards a more sustainable society,
please do NOT print this syllabus! Instead, copy it to your computer hard drive or
flash drive where you may refer to it as needed. The Earth thanks you!
To access the Syllabus Quiz, in the GEOL& 110 web page in Angel:
Modules ► Syllabus Quiz and Chapter Study Questions ► Syllabus Quiz
IInnssttrruuccttoorr
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Tom Bush
Professor and Department Coordinator, Earth and Space Sciences
LSC 110, Library/Science Building, Pierce College Puyallup
253-840-8484
tbush@pierce.ctc.edu
M 1:00-4:00 p.m.
TWTh, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
F 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Other times gladly by appointment. Office hours may occasionally be
precluded by meetings  or field trips .
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Class
MTWTh 11:00-11:50 a.m., LSC 108, Pierce College Puyallup
LLaabb
T 1:00-2:50 p.m., LSC 108, Pierce College Puyallup
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Credits
5 college quarter credits
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Apppplliiccaattiioonn General Education Requirements-Natural Science (GER-NS) and Lab
Science with grade of 1.5 or better
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Start
M March 29, 2010
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Enndd
T June 8, 2010
Please do NOT ask for accommodations if you make travel plans that conflict with the quarter’s schedule.
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Suucccceessss
Your success in this course is entirely up to you. By fully engaging yourself as an
active learner, and through thorough preparation, you should not only achieve your
academic goals but also develop a greater appreciation of your surroundings. I hope
you find this course enlightening and enjoyable. “Geology rocks!”
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Coouurrssee D
Deessccrriippttiioonn
A study of the interaction of humans and the Earth, with emphasis on geologic hazards
such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, and flooding; resources such as oil,
gas, coal, and minerals; disposal of wastes such as municipal, industrial, and nuclear
wastes; and pollution. Appropriate for non-science and science majors. Field trip
required. Lab included.
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Coouurrssee P
Prreerreeqquuiissiitteess
There are no prerequisites for this course. With dedication and diligence, it is possible
for the student with no prior background in this field to excel in this course.
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Reeqquuiirreedd TTeexxttss
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Montgomery, 2011, Environmental Geology, 9th Edition
King, 2005, Hazard City: Assignments in Applied Geology (CD)
GEOL& 110 Lab Manual
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Maatteerriiaallss
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5 scan-tron forms for exams
#2 pencils for exams and labs
Calculator with basic functions (cell phone is okay)
Set of colored pencils with 4 colors (for color drawings in lecture notes)
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Use of cell phones or other communication devices during class, lab, or field
trip times may result in expulsion for the day.
Please do NOT bring food to class, as eating during class can be a distraction.
Beverages are acceptable, but please recycle or dispose of containers
appropriately, and clean up after yourself if you spill.
Neither food nor beverages are permitted during lab sessions.
Please raise your hand if you wish to respond to a question in class, ask a
question, or make a comment, and wait to be called upon. Please do NOT speak
out during class unless called upon.
Attendance is NOT a direct part of your grade. However, responding to my inclass questions when called upon IS, and you must be present to be awarded
your participation points when called upon. Absences also mean that you
loose the opportunity for learning beyond what is provided by the textbook.
Absences from labs or field trips mean that you loose the points for those
activities and they may not be made up.
Punctuality for class and lab is a fundamental element of professional behavior.
I consider tardiness a rude and unnecessary classroom disruption. So is leaving
early or getting up during class for any but the most extreme of reasons.
Additionally, if you arrive late, you are not eligible for participation points that day
(see Assessment of Student Learning below).
You are expected to conduct yourself at all times in this class (lectures, labs,
field trips) in a manner that is respectful of all and conducive to the learning
process in a multicultural educational environment.
If you need require any disability accommodations, please contact the Access
and Disability Services (ADS) office in ADM 115 or at 253-840-8335.
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Prroocceedduurreess
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Imminent threat to persons and property: call 911 and then Campus Safety at
253-840-8481.
Evacuation (intermittent horns and strobes): gather all personal belongings
and leave the building using the nearest available safe exit. Be prepared to be
outside for one hour and stay a minimum of 200 feet from any building or
structure. So long as it is safe to do so, students are expected to stay on
campus and return to class after evacuations that last less than 15 minutes. Do
not attempt to re-enter the building until instructed by an Evacuation Director
(identified by orange vests) or by three horn blasts or bell rings. Please notify the
nearest Campus Safety Officer or Evacuation Director of any one left in the
building or in need of assistance.
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Grraaddiinngg P
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Your course grade is determined by your total points as a percentage of the
total points possible according to the grading scale below.
A grade of 1.5 (C-) or better is required for this course to count as GER-NS or
GTE.
With a grade of 0.7 (D-) to 1.4 (D+), this course applies GE only.
There are five exams in this course. Your lowest exam OF THE FIRST FOUR
EXAMS is dropped from your course grade. Exam #5 counts regardless of its
score.
Exams must be taken according to the schedule provided, which may be
modified by the instructor to fit the lecture schedule needs of the course. Exams
MAY NOT be taken early or late if you are unable to take an exam as scheduled.
If you miss an exam for any reason (of the first four), it may NOT be made up.
This will be your dropped score. If you missed Exam #5, you will receive a zero
and this counts towards your grade.
Late assignments are generally NOT ACCEPTED (unless under extreme
circumstances, and you contact me about your situation on or before the due
date).
Extra credit opportunities are generally not a part of this course, unless
otherwise stated elsewhere in this syllabus or announced in class.
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Wiitthh IInnssttrruuccttoorr
Please consider all emails with me to be of a professional business nature, and
therefore you should use proper English, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Emails not meeting professional business standards may be returned for rewriting
before a reply is given.
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Accaaddeem
miicc IInntteeggrriittyy
Academic dishonesty acts (as outlined in the Pierce College Catalog) will result in at
least a failing grade for the assignment or exam, or possibly a failing grade for the
course, depending on the nature and severity of the act.
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Accccoouunntt
If you wish to correspond with me using email, I make the following requests:
 Communicate via your student GMAIL account to ensure that I will respond
promptly. Because of the huge amount of spam that make’s it through the College’s
spam filters, I generally don’t open emails from unknown senders in my regular email
account.
 When corresponding via GMAIL, make your emails professional! Please don’t
send me emails written in the same style as text messages to a friend! Check for
proper spelling, use proper grammar, capitalize where appropriate, and use
appropriate business-like language. This is to encourage the development of
Effective Communication (see Core Abilities below).
 Please DO NOT SEND OR FORWARD ME mass emails.
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Abbiilliittiieess
It is the goal of Pierce College to prepare students to live and work in a dynamically
changing world by emphasizing whole-student development and hands-on learning.
Through experiences both in and out of the classroom, you’ll be given the opportunity to
broaden your horizons and be challenged in ways that encourage the development of
the abilities vital to succeeding in life. These core abilities include:
Information Competency: Seeks, finds, evaluates and uses information to engage in
lifelong learning.
Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking: A critical, creative, and reflective thinker
will question, search for answers and meaning, evaluate ideas and information, and
develop beliefs that lead to action.
Responsibility: The ability to respond by examining the relationship between self,
community, and environments, evaluating potential impacts and consequences of
actions, and making choices and contributions based on that examination and
evaluation.
Effective Communication: The effective exchange of messages in a variety of
contexts using multiple methods.
Multiculturalism: Valuing open-mindedness, inclusion, multicultural perspectives and
multiple ways of knowing, thinking and being.
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b.
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d.
e.
f.
g.
Introduction to Environmental Geology.
Rocks and Minerals.
Plate Tectonics.
Earthquakes.
Volcanoes.
Streams and Flooding.
Coastal Processes.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
Mass Movements.
Water Resources.
Soil Resources.
Mineral Resources.
Energy Resources.
Waste Disposal.
Water Pollution.
Other Special Topics (Global Climate Change, Air Pollution, Medical Geology,
Environmental Law, Land-Use Planning & Engineering Geology, Meteorite Impacts).
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What you should know and be able to do upon satisfactory completion of this course
1. Describe the basic relationship between the solid earth, water, atmosphere, and life
of the Earth through geologic time.
2. Analyze the impact of population growth and human activities on the Earth’s
systems (e.g. soil loss, water use, coastal development, natural resources).
3. Apply the scientific method and relate basic scientific concepts to geologic
processes (e.g. plate tectonics or other examples).
4. Identify common rock-forming and ore minerals, and describe their importance to
environmental geology.
5. Explain the rock cycle and identify important igneous, sedimentary, and
metamorphic rocks; describe the importance of rocks to environmental geology.
6. Discuss important plate tectonic processes and explain how they relate to geologic
hazards and resources.
7. Describe the origin, occurrence, and hazards of earthquakes; describe the
difficulties in predicting earthquakes; evaluate the mitigation of earthquake hazards.
8. Analyze the relationship between magmas, volcanic styles, plate tectonics, and the
occurrence of volcanic hazards; evaluate the prediction and mitigation of volcanic
hazards.
9. Draw and describe the hydrologic cycle; relate stream dynamics and human land
use to flood hazards; evaluate the prediction and mitigation of flooding hazards.
10. Analyze the effects of coastal processes and human development on coastal
hazards and erosion; evaluate mitigation strategies.
11. Relate slope processes and human activities to hazards from mass movements;
evaluate preventative measures.
12. Discuss groundwater and surface water resources.
13. Relate weathering and soil formation to soil use and erosion problems.
14. Explain the geologic origin, supply, extraction techniques, impacts of extraction, and
mitigation of impacts of mineral resources
15. Discuss the geologic origin, supply, extraction techniques, impacts of extraction and
use, and mitigation if impacts of energy resources. Compare the potential benefits
of alternative energy sources
16. Assess the geologic and political aspects of solid, liquid, hazardous, and radioactive
waste disposal.
17. Evaluate human responsibility for sources and mitigation of water pollution.
18. Discuss the main concepts of other relevant special topics in environmental geology
as determined by the instructor (such as global climate change, air pollution,
medical geology, environmental law, land-use planning & engineering geology,
meteorite impacts)
19. Interpret topographic maps, geologic maps, aerial photographs, and satellite
imagery to understand geologic processes and solve geologic problems.
20. Demonstrate the ability to access geologic data from various sources, including
library research, Internet, and field observations.
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Sttuuddeenntt LLeeaarrnniinngg
Exams,
Quizzes,
Field Trip,
Etc
5 exams (multiple choice and essay); lowest score
50%
dropped OF FIRST 4 EXAMS (Exam #5 may NOT be
dropped);
1 or more quizzes or other miscellaneous
assignments may also be included;
1 field trip (20 points EXTRA CREDIT) to a location of
interest (see Course Calendar for location and date)
Lab Exercises
9 lab exercises (10 points each) for a total of 90
points
30%
Participation
Involvement in class discussions about the textbook
readings or other assignments
20%
TOTAL
To calculate
your grade
+
+
=
100%
(Your Exam, Quiz, Field Trip Points/Total Exam Points Possible) x 50
(Your Lab Points/Lab Points Possible) x 30
(Your Participation Points/Participation Points Possible) x 20
Grade %
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Grraaddiinngg S
Sccaallee
Your course grade is determined by your total points as a percentage of the total points
possible according to the grading scale below.
96-100%=4.0 (A)
94-95%=3.9
93%=3.8
92%=3.7
91%=3.6
90%=3.5 (A-)
89%=3.4 (B+)
88%=3.3
87%=3.2
86%=3.1
85%=3.0 (B)
84%=2.9
83%=2.8
82%=2.7
81%=2.6
80%=2.5 (B-)
79%=2.4 (C+
78%=2.3
77%=2.2
76%=2.1
75%=2.0 (C)
74%=1.9
73%=1.8
72%=1.7
71%=1.6
70%=1.5 (C-)
69%=1.4 (D+)
0-59%=0.0 (F)
68%=1.3
67%=1.2
66%=1.1
65%=1.0 (D)
64%=0.9
63%=0.8
60-62%=0.7(D-)
A grade of 1.5 (C-) or better is required for this course to count towards as Core Requirement (Natural
Science) or a Core Elective (GTE) course.
A grade of 0.7 to 1.4 (D- to D+) applies only towards GTEs.
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Seeccttiioonnss
Module
Description
Textbook Chapters
Module 1
Foundations
Exam #1
Introduces the student to science of
environmental geology and provides a
foundation for the remainder of the
quarter.
Chapter 1: Overview
Chapter 2: Rocks and Minerals
Module 2
Internal Processes
Exam #2
Starting with tectonics as background, the Chapter 3: Plate Tectonics
study of the hazardous geologic
Chapter 4: Earthquakes
processes of volcanism and earthquakes, Chapter 5: Volcanoes
both of which are primarily caused by
processes that act from within the Earth.
Includes a field trip to Mt. St. Helens.
Module 3
The study of hazardous geologic
Surface Processes processes of flooding, coastal hazards,
Exam #3
mass wasting (landslides), which are
primarily caused by processes acting at
the Earth’s surface.
Chapter 6: Streams and Flooding
Chapter 7: Coastal Zones and
Processes
Chapter 8: Mass Movements
Module 4
Resources
Exam #4
The study of the benefits that the Earth
and its geologic processes provide
humanity (mineral and energy resources)
and the environmental issues of their
extraction and use.
Chapter 11: Soil as a Resource
Chapter 13: Energy Resources-Fossil
Fuels
Chapter 12: Mineral and Rock
Resources
Module 5
Water as a
Resources, Waste
Disposal and
Water Pollution
Exam #5
The study of water as a resource, water
pollution, and waste disposal, all topics
that are closely inter-related. Includes a
field trip to an active landfill.
Chapter 10: Water as a Resource
Chapter 15: Water Pollution
Chapter 16: Waste Disposal