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GEOLOGY 321 GEOCHEMISTRY SPRING 2016
Instructor: Dr. Tamara Carley Email: [email protected] Phone: 610-‐330-‐5199 Office: Van Wickle 101c Research Lab: Van Wickle 1c Office Hours: casual drop-‐in or by appointment:
Monday afternoon (2:00-‐5:00 pm) Wednesday morning (9:30-‐noon)
Place and Time: Van Wickle Hall, Room 15, Thursday, 1:10-‐4:00 pm
Textbook: Geochemistry by William M. White (Wiley-‐Blackwell)
Library Collaborator Lijuan Xu Email: [email protected] Phone: 610-‐330-‐5152
Office: 123 Skillman Library
Course overview: We will begin by using geochemical concepts (specifically trace elements and stable and radioactive isotopes) to think about the origination, evolution, and timing of magmatic events. We will then use geochemical perspectives (specifically trace elements and isotopes in the hydrosphere and the atmosphere) to connect deep earth and earth surface processes. After introducing major course themes and fundamental geochemical concepts in the context of magma generating systems (specifically, in “supervolcano” systems), you will explore the same geochemical concepts as they apply to modern-‐day Pennsylvania (a supervolcano-‐free zone!) in a capstone project, culminating in an NSF-‐style research proposal with an accompanying presentation.
Day General topic and notable assignments % grade
Every day Professionalism: Be on time, be attentive, be respectful, be engaged, come prepared with necessary materials, submit work on time, abide by the “no screen” policy, etc. 5
01/28 Introduction to geochemistry and information literacy 5 02/04 Magma generation: General earth chemistry, trace element behavior in magmas 5 02/011 Magma generation: Hafnium isotopes and other systems that behave similarly 5 02/18 Magma generation: Oxygen isotopes 5 02/25 Geochronology: Uranium and its daughter products and recognition of other systems 5 03/03 Volcanoes and climate: sulfur and carbon, with mention of other volcanic gas constituents 5 03/10 Paleoclimate indicators: carbon and oxygen 5 03/17 Aquatic chemistry, with emphasis on hydrothermal systems; take home exam assigned. 5 03/24 Spring Break 0 03/31 Field Trip to Minerals Technologies; take home exam due. 5, 10 04/07 No Class. One-‐on-‐one grant proposal consultation meetings. 3
04/14-‐28 Geochemistry in the News and grant proposal writing workshops 10 05/05 Grant Proposal Presentations, Review Panel 9, 3 Finals Final Grant Proposal Due Friday 05/06 by midnight. 15
2 Geology 321 syllabus
Course Objectives: By the end of the spring semester, GEOL 321 students are expected to: 1. Be proficient in understanding and applying major course themes, as demonstrated through discussion, problem solving, and application of concepts to diverse situations
2. Acquire relevant, recent, high-‐quality, peer-‐reviewed journal articles 3. Read peer-‐reviewed articles for content and contribution to an existing body of knowledge 4. Communicate highlights (goal, process, findings, implications, contributions) of journal articles in a way that is educational for peers, via concise verbal and written communication
5. Place the content and contribution of articles into an existing framework at two scales: a. Course content, learned in lecture and from the textbook b. A greater body of geologic, peer-‐reviewed, literature c. Critically evaluate the quality of a study presented in a journal article by asking and
answering the following questions: 6. Did the authors effectively communicate with their intended audience?
a. Did the paper build on a solid foundation of knowledge? b. Did authors make reasonable assumptions and avoid undue bias? c. Does data appear to be of high quality? d. Is the research design transparent, and does it follow the scientific method? e. Do the findings of the paper contribute to an ongoing scientific conversation in a
meaningful way? 7. Apply concepts learned to new situations by:
i) Taking geochemical content learned in class and recognizing alternate applications in the scientific, peer-‐reviewed, literature
A typical week: Your weekly grade will be based on your completion of, and performance on, the tasks outlined below.
• Preparations for class: o Find an article in a peer reviewed journal that is relevant to the topic discussed in class
the previous week (i.e., going into week two you will find an article about supervolcanoes; going into week three you will find an article about trace elements)
o Claim your article on Moodle to ensure everyone has a unique contribution in class o Update RefWorks to include your journal article o Create an article overview sheet and prepare to discuss your findings with the class o Complete reading assignments in your textbook (occasionally supplemental materials) o Create discussion contributions; one must be related to the assigned reading and the
other must relate to your journal article • Typical submission timeline:
o Claim your article on Moodle ASAP, to ensure you can work with your top choice o Update RefWorks ASAP o Submit discussion contributions via Moodle at least 24 hours before class meets o Submit your article overview sheet at least 24 hours before class meets
• In Class: o Begin with a partner or small group discussion of your article (content, info lit) o Partners share highlights of each other’s article presentation with the large group o Large group discussion of articles (relevant to last week’s main topic) o Mini-‐lecture on new topic of the week (relevant to assigned reading) o Activities or in-‐class problem sets as applicable
Teaching Philosophy: I am a strong proponent of “active learning,” and “challenge-‐based learning.” I firmly believe that things “stick” best when you learn by doing. There will be frequent opportunities to exercise agency and identify subtopics and examples that you find to be particularly interesting and relevant. This approach to teaching and learning has huge benefits, but it requires a great deal of participation, cooperation, enthusiasm, and preparation on your part. I thank you in advance.
Geology 321 syllabus 3
Talkin’ rocks: I’m here for you! I’m very happy to discuss the course, assignments, your experience, and this crazy planet of ours. You are invited to stop by my office or research lab for casual drop-‐in meetings. If you prefer more definite plans, please let me know and we can set up an appointment. My preferred times for meetings (scheduled or casual) are Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. I’m also happy to communicate via email. I’m not big on formality, but I do ask for a salutation, a sign-‐off, and a response in all of our email exchanges. I will strive to respond to your emails promptly, but please know that I will likely wait until morning to respond to emails received after I leave Van Wickle for the evening. Plan ahead!
Technology in the classroom: It’s not the Stone Age anymore. We live in an amazing technological era, and we will make use of many electronic resources (e.g., RefWorks, Google Earth, Excel, ThingLink, Moodle, etc.) during our time together. However, there is a time and a place for everything. As a general rule, please consider our classroom to be a screen free zone. I will be very clear about times when laptops and phones (or similar) may be used in the classroom (or field). Otherwise, I ask that you come to class ready to participate in discussions and activities and critical thinking exercises without the crutch or distraction of a tool with a power button. Moodle: We will use Moodle frequently—for communication, daily reading assignments, resource distribution, surveys and polls, assignment submissions, grade reporting, etc. Please familiarize yourself with Moodle, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Moodle Disclaimer: Moodle contains student information that is protected by the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA). Disclosure to unauthorized parties violates federal privacy laws. Courses using Moodle will make student information visible to other students in this class. Please remember that this information is protected by these federal privacy laws and must not be shared with anyone outside the class. Academic Honesty: Integrity is of paramount importance, and I hold it in the highest regard. It’s okay (even encouraged, and often required!) to struggle with coursework. It’s not okay (never, ever) to compromise your academic integrity. Any work you submit must be of your own creation. The ideas you put forth in discussion and the answers you provide on homework or exams must be your original thoughts; otherwise, credit must be given where credit is due (citing published work, or acknowledging your peers for their intellectual contributions). Any perceived breach of academic integrity will be reported to the chair of the Geology and Environmental Geoscience Department and to the Dean of Students. Consult the Lafayette College Student Handbook for further information.
Academic Accommodation: I am happy to discus appropriate accommodations that you may require to be successful in this course. I ask that you contact the ATTIC ([email protected], 610-‐330-‐5098) and involve them in in determining and facilitating an action plan as soon as possible.
4 Geology 321 syllabus
Timeliness: We will spend a lot of class time thinking about and discussing geologic time. In practice, though, I ask that you operate on social contract time. Be punctual for class and fieldtrips (especially fieldtrips!). Work will typically be collected via Moodle submission portals that have explicit submission deadlines. Occasionally, you will need to submit physical copies of work at the beginning of the designated class period. Late work will be accepted until graded work is returned to your classmates, but there will be penalties for tardiness: 5% if late on deadline day, 10% every day thereafter. In addition to this official late policy for assignments, please note that late submission of your work will likely have a negative impact your ability to successfully participate in class activities and discussion, which will in turn impact your class-‐based grade for the week. Attendance: Come to class. Attend fieldtrips. I will accept dean-‐approved absences as necessary, but please know, in-‐class participation is a crucial element of your success in this course.
Grading policy and a breakdown of the numbers: Above and beyond
expectations Good, high-‐quality work Sufficient; baseline
expectations met Room for improvement
A A-‐ B+ B B-‐ C+ C C-‐ D+ D D-‐ 94% 90% 87% 84% 80% 77% 74% 70% 67% 64% 60% These numbers indicate the minimum score that must be earned for each corresponding letter grade. Grades are firm (no
rounding!) and non-‐negotiable. Take advantage of extra credit and opportunities to redo work for partial credit. Extra Credit: You may add a maximum of 5% extra credit towards your final grade over the course of the semester (this is significant—take advantage!). All extra credit work must be submitted via Moodle by the last day of class. Brown Bag Seminars (or similar): A short write up (2 pages, 1 inch margins, 1.5 spacing, size 11 font) can be turned in for a maximum of 0.5% extra credit towards your final grade. The write up must contain: (1) a summary of the lecture; (2) an overview of issues you found particularly interesting; and (3) questions you have related to the content of the lecture. Photos in order of appearance: NW Arizona, landscape shaped by supereruption of the Peach Spring Tuff; Whole rock isotope analysis preparations at Washington State University Boiling mud pots in Northern Iceland Photo: in situ analysis of oxygen isotopes in zircon at UCLA Geothermal springs on Satsuma Iwo Jima, Japan