physical geology

Author Profile

david mustart
,

mustart@sfsu.edu

san francisco state university
a

Other

Summary

Investigation of processes of Earth changes.
3 hrs lect+3 hrs lab/week.
18-28 students/semester; 15 week semester.

Course URL:
Course Size:

15-30

Course Context:

For majors:first course in geology;pre-req for all other geol courses.
For non-majors:satisfies GE requirement for physical science with lab/field component.
3 hrs lect+3 hrs lab/week.
18-28 students/semester; 15 week semester.

For majors:first course in geology;pre-req for all other geol courses.
For non-majors:satisfies GE requirement for physical science with lab/field component.
3 hrs lect+3 hrs lab/week.
18-28 students/semester; 15 week semester.

Course Goals:

Students will develop skills in observation, comprehension, problem definition,analysis and communication.
Presented with an outcrop, students will be able to clearly describe the most probable tectonic, depositional and erosional processes that created the outcrop.

How course activities and course structure help students achieve these goals:

Students will investigate 5 field sites, each exposing a different rock family from plutonic, volcanic, sedimentary, metamorphic and hydsrothermal.
The final project will be 3 concept sketches, chosen to illustrate 3 of the 5 sites. Evaluation of the concept sketches will determine if students have met the stated goals.

Skills Goals

skills in critical thinking to distinguish beliefs based on authority from theories based on evidence.

How course activities and course structure help students achieve these goals:

write abstracts of publications from 3 communities: political, religious and scientific.
students will examine differences in foundations on which conclusions are based.