Hunter College
Department of Geography
Dr. Shruti Philips
e-mail: geoprof@verizon.net
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY-COURSE OUTLINE & SYLLABUS
Introduction:
The main objective of the course ‘Environmental Geology’ is to equip students with an
understanding of the interactions between geologic processes and society.
As the human population increases and the use of resources grow, many decisions
concerning our use of resources, such as water, soil, minerals, energy and space to live, will
determine our standard of living and the quality of our environment. Scientific knowledge,
combined with our values, will dictate these decisions.
Environmental geology is the application of geologic information to the entire spectrum
of interactions between people and the physical environment. During this course, you will
develop an understanding of how geology interacts with major environmental problems facing
people and society. Quantitative analysis of selected topics will also be introduced, in order to
provide you with a deeper understanding of the complexity of today’s environmental issues
In addition to the firm foundation provided in classroom lectures and demonstrations,
discussion of current issues will be accomplished using current information found in daily
newspapers and scientific magazines. Extensive use is made of multi-media materials, including
videos, computer based assignments and power point presentations.
Basic material covered in the course include:
• Fundamental concepts & scientific methods
• Earth structure, materials and processes
• Natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, landslides and coastal erosion
• Study of resources such as soils, water, minerals and energy
• Study of practical environmental issues such as groundwater contamination, landfill
siting, coal property evaluation, shoreline property assessment
• Quantitative analysis of topics such as population, growth, soil mechanics, landslide
potential of slopes & groundwater flow
Learning objectives: This course is designed to maximize the number of students who can
become scientifically literate citizens of planet earth. It is expected that the student will emerge
from the course with the following competencies:
• An appreciation & understanding of scientific methodology
• An understanding of geologic hazards and the human response to them
• an appreciation of the finite nature of earth’s resources
•
an ability to make informed decisions with respect to our geologic environment.
Course Information:
Class Meeting: Tues & Fri 12.45 to 2.00pm
Edward A. Keller, Introduction to Environmental Geology, 4th Ed.,
Textbook:
2008, Prentice Hall (paperback) with Hobart M. King, Hazard City Assignments in
Applied Geology, 3rd. Ed.
Assessment and Grading Policy: There will be a midterm exam given during the
semester and a final exam at the end of the semester. Exams are based on lecture,
assigned readings, films shown in class and text material and usually include multiple
choice and short answer type questions. These exams will count 25% each for a total of
50% of the grade. The remaining 50% of the grade will be based on classroom
exercises, homework exercises & summaries of 5 articles related to topics covered in
class that have appeared in magazines or newspapers during the semester for a grand total
of 100%.
MidtermÆ 25%
Final Æ 25%
Homework & classroom exercises Æ40%
News Articles & summaries Æ10 %
Attendance: Attendance will be taken at all class meetings. Students are urged to attend
all classes. There is a direct correlation between good grades and good attendance. All
students are responsible for work covered in their absence and must be sure to obtain any
hand-out material.
Tips for getting good grades: In general, the more time you put in, the better your grade
will be. Be sure to read the chapters BEFORE each lecture and read carefully. Note the things you
do not understand and ask questions during the lecture. Always bring your textbook to the lecture.
Review each chapter afterwards. Work through review questions.
Additional reading: Make a habit of keeping abreast of news stories related to topics
discussed in class. Articles may be found in the science section of the New York Times
(Tues), magazines such as National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover etc. or
online sources such as BBC News–science-nature etc.
Blackboard: Please note that course documents, hand-out sheets, and useful links will
be posted on Blackboard. Announcements and other information will also be posted from
time to time, so please check the site regularly. Important: Students should check their
Hunter e-mail messages regularly for messages from the instructor!
Classroom Etiquette: Cell phones must be turned off in class. Any student whose phone
rings will be asked to leave the room. Conversation during class and walking in and out
of the room is disruptive and must be kept to a minimum. Please keep eating and
drinking to a minimum and discard all trash in garbage or recycling bins. Your
cooperation will be appreciated by the instructor and your fellow students.
Office Hours: Tues 11am to 12noon
E-mail: geoprof@verizon.net
Tentative Syllabus for Spring 2008
•
•
•
•
Dates
F 1/25
T 1/29
Lecture/ Lab Topic
INTRODUCTION
Fundamental concepts
F 2/1
T 2/5
F 2/8
F 2/15
Ex#1: Population Growth Quantitative analysis
Earth Processes
Earth Processes
Earthquakes
T 2/19
Ex #2:Earthquakes; + HW: Haz.City/Earthquake damage
F 2/22
T 2/26
F 2/29
Volcanic Activity (Ex#3 HW: Haz.City/Volcanic Hazard)
Earth materials: Minerals
Earth materials: Rocks
T 3/4
F 3/7
Ex#4: Rocks and Minerals + HW Haz. City Landfill siting
Soils & the environment
T 3/11
Soils & the environment (HW Ex #5 Soil pollution)
F 3/14
T 3/18
T 3/25
F 3/28
T 4/1
Ex#6 Soil mechanics Quantitative analysis
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Rivers and Flooding
Rivers and Flooding (HW:Ex#7Haz.City/Flood insurance rate maps )
Landslides
Text
Chapter
1
1
2
6
7
3
16
8
9
F 4/4
Landslides (HW: Ex#8 Quantitative analysis + Haz.City/ Landslide Haz.)
T 4/8
Coastal processes (HW:Ex#9Haz.City/Tsunami)
10
F 4/11
T 4/15
Coastal processes Film: Beaches are moving (HW:Ex#10 Haz.City/Shore Prop.)
Water resources
10
12
F 4/18
Water resources Ex#11 Quantitative analysis
T 4/29
*F 5/2
T 5/6
F 5/9
Water pollution (HW: Ex#12 Haz.City/Groundwater contamination)
Film: China’s mega dam
Mineral Resources(Ex#13 HW: Haz.City/Coal Property evaluation)
Energy Resources
T 5/13
Energy Resources
F 5/23
11.30 am to 1.30pm FINAL EXAMINATION
13
14
15
Classroom assignments will often include quantitative analysis. Students are expected to always have
on hand a scientific calculator, ruler, drawing compass, pen, pencil and loose leaf ruled paper.
Classroom and homework assignments will be graded weekly. Answers must be in full sentences. If
calculations are expected, show your work. The grading will be as follows: 5= excellent, 4= good, 3=
fair, 2= poor, 1= attendance, 0= not handed in. You will automatically lose points if your work is
sloppy or incomplete. [If you are absent, but handed in the work, you can get a maximum of 4 points.]
*The Article summaries and Extra credit (if applicable) are due on Friday, May 2nd.
For Extra Credit students may create a scrapbook of photographs and descriptions of phenomena
related to topics discussed in class, observed directly by the student during the course of the semester.
This will be worth a maximum of 10% added to the total course grade.