Dr. Keith B. Miller                                                                                              Fall 2006

 

GEOLOGY 125

 

NATURAL DISASTERS

T,Th 1:05-2:20 pm

Umberger 105

 

DATES                                TOPIC                           TEXT READING

 

Aug. 22                                  Introduction                                                 

Aug. 24, 29                            Inside the Earth                                                Ch. 1

Aug. 31, Sept. 5                    Understanding Earthquakes                          Ch. 2

Sept. 7, 12                              Earthquake Hazards                                       Ch. 3

Sept. 15                                  --- Earthquake Summary Due ---

Sept. 14, 19                            Notable Earthquakes                                      Ch. 4

Sept 21                                   -------- EXAM #1 --------

Sept 26, 28                             Understanding Volcanoes                              Ch. 5

Oct. 3, 5, 10                            Volcanic Hazards                                             Ch. 6

Oct. 12, 17                              Notable Eruptions                                           Ch. 7

Oct. 20                                    --- Volcano Summary Due ---

Oct. 19                                    ------- EXAM #2 --------

Oct. 24, 26, 31                       Understanding Weather                                   Ch. 8

Nov. 2, 7                               Understanding Storms                                      Ch. 9

Nov. 9, 14                              Notable Storms                                                  Ch. 10

Nov. 17                                  --- Storm/Flood Summary Due ---

Nov. 16                                  ------- EXAM #3

Nov. 21, 28, 30                      Understanding Floods                                Supplement

Dec. 5, 7                                 Notable Floods                                            Supplement

Dec. 11 (2:00PM)                  -------- FINAL EXAM --------

 

TEXT:

 

NATURAL DISASTERS

George R. Clark II

Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2002

ISBN: 0-7872-9682-1

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  The Earth is a very dynamic place.  Many Earth processes are too ÒnormalÓ or occur at rates too slow to attract our notice.  However, some events grab our attention, and force us to pay attention.  This course will investigate the fundamental Earth processes that underlie these events, and will look at specific notable Ònatural disasters.Ó

 

OFFICE HOURS:             Room 212  Thompson Hall

                        M, T  10:30-11:30 am  and other times by appointment.

Please take advantage of my office hours to obtain help.  If you have any questions concerning either the readings or lecture see me as soon as possible!  My e-mail address is kbmill@ksu.edu. 

 

K-STATE ONLINE:  For this course you will need to have access to K-State Online.  You can access it through the K-State homepage at http://www.k-state.edu.  Log in with your user ID and a personal password of your choice.  This site will provide you with course information, access to your exam and quiz scores, and a message board for posting questions related to course content.  The message board will also be used to submit assigned summaries (see below).

 

ASSIGNMENTS & CLASS ATTENDANCE:  You will be expected to read the assigned pages of the text. Class lectures will complement, but not reiterate, the textbook.  Regular class attendance is essential for you to be able to succeed in this course.

 

QUIZES AND EXAMS:  Unannounced quizzes will be given during class time.  You need to bring a computer scan card and a No. 2 pencil to every class.  There will be three exams during the semester on the dates indicated, and a final exam. All exams are multiple choice and will be recorded on computer scan cards.

 

SUMMARIES: You will be required to write three short (250 word) summaries of print or web articles on the three general subjects of this course (Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Storms/Floods).  You will post these summaries to the course message board set aside for this purpose.  

 

MAKE-UP EXAMS & QUIZES:  Makeup exams will be allowed ONLY if you have a written signed excuse for the date of the exam from your doctor, academic dean, or advisor.  I also must be notified of the absence either before the exam or by the next regularly scheduled class period.  Make-up exams will be given during times to be arranged with me.  There will be NO make-up opportunities for in-class quizzes.  To make allowances for missed quizzes, only 10 of 12 quizzes will be counted.

 

GRADING:  All grades will be available confidentially on the class KSU-Online site by individual password.  The three exams during the semester, and the final exam, will each be worth 20%. The remaining 20% of your grade will be determined by your three summaries (10%), and class quizzes (10%). Your final grades will be adjusted (curved) based on the class average.  If the class average is less than 75%, the difference between the actual class average and 75% will be added to each persons percentage score.

 

HONOR CODE:  An honor system for undergraduate students has been in effect since 1999.  In this system, the honor pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."  Plagiarism, copying of other's work, use of written or other aids during hourly exams, all constitute violation of this pledge.  A grade of XF can result from a violation of academic honesty.  An XF would be failure of the course with the X on the transcript indicating failure as a result of a violation of academic honesty.

 

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT:  Copyright © 2006 (Keith B. Miller) as to this syllabus and all lectures.  During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to, or being paid for taking notes by, any person or commercial firm without my express written permission.