Lecturer: James A. Dockal Ph.D.
Course Meeting Time: Monday-Wednesday-Friday 11:00 to 11:50 AM. Come to class on time and plan on staying for the full period. It is rude to come late or leave early. Attendance is not required though you are strongly urged to attend. If you are ill stay at home and get well, the other members of the class do not want what you caught.
Textbook: Essentials of Geology by Lutgens, Tarbuck and Tasa, 10th edition. You are expected to own a copy of this text and make regular use of it. You do not need to bring the text to lecture.
Lab: There is a lab that goes with this course and you are registered separately for the lab, but you must be registered for a lab. Your lab instructor will provide information relative to the lab during the first meeting of lab, which will occur next week.
Grades: The grading for the lecture part of the course is separate from the laboratory portion of the course however; the final grade from the course is determined by combining the two grades in a ratio of ¾ for lecture and ¼ for laboratory. The lecture portion of the grade will be determined from the results of three exams.
If you for any reason are unable to take Exam 1 or Exam 2, the lecture portion of your grade will be determined entirely from the results of the Final Exam, which is a comprehensive exam. If you take all three exams and your score on the Final Comprehensive Exam is better than your scores on Exam 1 and Exam 2 then your final grade for lecture will be determined from the results of the Final Comprehensive Exam alone.
Exams: The exams are not easy. I actually expect you to know something beyond recognizing words in a list. Many of the exam questions are the fill-in-the-blank type. Sometimes I require you to write out answers in complete grammatically correct sentences. As a standing rule if I cannot read it, then I assume that it is wrong. You should plan on studying for this course on a day-to-day basis. Form a study group with the other students in this section and meet on a regular basis.
Attendance: You paid for this class, thus I assume that you plan to attend on a regular basis. Furthermore, I suggest that you attend the class on a regular basis as my lecture notes and Power Points presentations will not be available for use outside of the class. I do take roll from time to time as required by the University.
Help: If you need help, please stop by my office. If my office door is open, I am in there and feel free to come one in. In the past, there have been tutors available for students in this course; I assume that such continues.
Study Groups: The best way to prepare for this course is to get together with a few other students in this lecture section and go over the material, compare, and exchange lecture notes. Do this on a regular basis. If you miss a lecture, your study group will be your source of lecture notes. Keep it informal and make it fun!!
Honor Code: I detest cheating. You cheat; you flunk and suffer any other disciplinary action deemed appropriate by the Dean of Students. All students are to be familiar with the UNCW Code of Student Life, especially the section on Academic Honor Code.
Cell Phones and MP3 Players are not welcome. If I see such anywhere in the open or in use during an exam, I will take it, keep it, and not return it. Please do not use such during my lectures.
Laptops and any recording device is more than welcome during
lectures.
Schedule of Lectures and
the Exam: Final Exam date is fixed by the University
and can not be changed, see the University final exam
schedule for date and time. Lecture topics may be modified.
|
Date |
Lecture Topic |
Text |
|
Wednesday, August 19 |
Introduction |
|
|
Friday, August 21 |
General remarks on the
nature of geology |
Chapter 1 |
|
Monday, August 24 |
Google Earth |
Chapter 1 |
|
Wednesday, August 26 |
The composition of the
Earth |
Chapter 2 |
|
Friday, August 28 |
Minerals in general terms |
Chapter 3 |
|
Monday, August 31 |
All 4,000 minerals!!! |
Chapter 3 |
|
Wednesday, September 2 |
Gems |
Chapter 3 |
|
Friday, September 4 |
Igneous rocks |
Chapter 3 |
|
Monday,
September 7 |
No class |
|
|
Wednesday, September 9 |
Volcanoes |
Chapter 4 |
|
Friday, September 11 |
Some interesting volcanic
eruptions and what you should know to be safe |
Chapter 4 |
|
Monday, September 14 |
Weathering |
Chapter 5 |
|
Wednesday, September 16 |
Sedimentary rocks |
Chapter 6 |
|
Friday, September 18 |
Fossil fuels, gasoline and
you |
Chapter 6 |
|
Monday, September 21 |
Metamorphic rocks |
Chapter 7 |
|
Wednesday, September 23 |
|
Chapter 7 |
|
Friday, September 25 |
Useful rocks and minerals |
|
|
Monday, September 28 |
Review |
|
|
Wednesday,
September 30 |
Exam 1 |
|
|
Friday, October 2 |
Mass wasting processes |
Chapter 8 |
|
Monday, October
5 |
Fall Break |
|
|
Wednesday, October 7 |
Mass wasting processes |
Chapter 8 |
|
Friday, October 9 |
Rivers |
Chapter 9 |
|
Monday, October 12 |
Floods |
Chapter 9 |
|
Wednesday, October 14 |
Ground Water |
Chapter 10 |
|
Friday, October16 |
Caves and spelunking |
Chapter 10 |
|
Monday, October 19 |
Glaciers |
Chapter 11 |
|
Wednesday, October 21 |
Deserts |
Chapter 12 |
|
Friday, October 23 |
Coastal Processes |
Chapter 13 |
|
Monday, October 26 |
Review |
|
|
Wednesday,
October 28 |
Exam 2 |
|
|
Friday, October 30 |
Earthquakes |
Chapter 14 |
|
Monday, November 2 |
Some nasty earthquakes |
Chapter 14 |
|
Wednesday, November 4 |
You and earthquakes |
Chapter 14 |
|
Friday, November 6 |
Interior of the Earth |
Chapter 14 |
|
Monday, November 9 |
Plate tectonics |
Chapter 15 |
|
Wednesday, November 11 |
Sea Floor |
Chapter 16 |
|
Friday, November 13 |
Deformation |
Chapter 17 |
|
Monday, November 16 |
Deformation |
Chapter 17 |
|
Wednesday, November 18 |
Absolute geologic time |
Chapter 18 |
|
Friday, November 20 |
Relative geologic time |
Chapter 18 |
|
Monday, November 23 |
Geologic History of the
Earth |
Chapter 18 |
|
Wednesday,
November 25 |
No class |
|
|
Friday,
November 27 |
No class |
|
|
Monday, November 30 |
Geologic History of the
Earth |
Chapter 19 |
|
Wednesday, December 2 |
Geologic History of the
Earth |
Chapter 19 |
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday,
December 9, 11:30 to 2:30 in DL 114 |
Final Exam |
|