InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Humans' Dependence on Earth's Mineral Resources > Unit 2: Boom and Bust: How Econ 101 Relates to Rocks
 Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
showLearn More
hideHide
These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The materials are free and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »
How to Use »

New to InTeGrate?

Learn how to incorporate these teaching materials into your class.

  • Find out what's included with each module
  • Learn how it can be adapted to work in your classroom
  • See how your peers at hundreds of colleges and university across the country have used these materials to engage their students

How To Use InTeGrate Materials »
show Download
hideHide
The instructor material for this module are available for offline viewing below. Downloadable versions of the student materials are available from this location on the student materials pages. Learn more about using the different versions of InTeGrate materials »

Download a PDF of all web pages for the instructor's materials

Download a zip file that includes all the web pages and downloadable files from the instructor's materials

Unit 2: Boom and Bust: How Econ 101 Relates to Rocks

Prajukti (juk) Bhattacharyya (University of Wisconsin, Whitewater)
Joy Branlund (Southwestern Illinois College)

Summary

This unit emphasizes that minerals are not mined just to mine them but because there is a consumer demand for the minerals. Use (demand) affects the supply and price of these minerals and also affects the amount of exploration and mining. Therefore, amounts of mineral reserves change, and both use and exploration may cause scientists to revise the estimates of the amounts of mineral reserves and resources.

This unit includes a concept map to illustrate the interrelationships between minerals and society. The instructor can choose between two options for the in-class activity, both of which help students conceptually grasp the topics presented in the concept map. As written, each activity option should take about 50 minutes of class time.

Share your modifications and improvements to this activity through the Community Contribution Tool »

Learning Goals

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  • Identify the mineral resources used in a commonly used product or technology (rechargeable batteries for Activity Option 1 and REEs in clean energy technologies for Activity Option 2).
  • Describe overall trends illustrated in mineral production and mineral value (price) graphs; identify changes in trends and/or anomalous features in the graphs; and explain trends, changes over time, and anomalies in terms of mine production, demand, recycling, changes in technology, regulation, and/or population growth.
  • Apply geoscientific habits of mind to interpret the complex relationships among consumers, producers, regulating agencies, and the environment in a global context by means of concept maps.
  • Examine their own consumer behavior and judge the impacts of this behavior on sustainability.

Context for Use

This unit is intended to be completed during a 50-minute class period. Information is provided on how to link this activity with global population and development topics from Unit 1 and mining topics from Unit 3. However, this unit can be completed on its own or in a different order.

Description and Teaching Materials

Pre-Class Work

Students should be encouraged to review the concept map before class. Additional pre-class homework assignments are described with the activities linked below.

In-Class Work

Use concept map to show factors that affect demand on a mineral resource

The instructor should briefly review this concept map, showing the links between different aspects of society and minerals, prior to starting on either of the activity options below.

Boom and Bust Concept Map Student Handout in Word (Microsoft Word 148kB Oct2 14), in PDF (Acrobat (PDF) 304kB Oct2 14), and in PowerPoint (PowerPoint 195kB Sep26 13) (the PowerPoint is editable for instructor use).

This concept map is available for students to download in the Unit 2 Student Materials. A self-assessment on this material is available for the students at Unit 2 Student Materials Self-Assessment.

The instructor could assign these concept map examples (below) as pre-class homework (these are accessible in Student Materials via the links below) or discuss them prior to completing either of the main activity options or use them to wrap up the unit.
Example of How to Use the Concept Map: Tellurium and Solar Cells

Example of How to Use the Concept Map: Cobalt and Wars in Congo

Pick one of the following activity options to complete during a 50-minute class period

Each of these activities addresses all of the learning goals listed above.

Activity Option 1. Batteries as an Example of Consumer Demand and Mineral Supply

This activity encourages students to consider how all those new portable electronic gadgets affect mineral use. Specifically, it looks at mineral resources used to make the rechargeable batteries used in cell phones and cars. Students analyze the factors that affect the supply, demand, and price of these resources, and predict future supply and demand trends.

Activity Option 2. Rare Earth Elements: Critical Elements of the Future

This activity relates clean energy technologies, rare earth elements (REEs), and China's export policies. It asks students to consider the global supply and demand relationships of REEs. This includes production and supply trends of REEs by China between 2000 and 2011, how technological developments are driving the demand for REEs, how China's REE export policies, along with increasing demand, are driving the price of REEs, and how this creates the potential for developing new REE reserves and turning existing reserves into resources.

Teaching Notes and Tips

See specific information within Activity Options 1 and 2.

Assessment

Learning goals are assessed through an in-class activity as well as exam questions; see more information in Activity Options 1 and 2.

References and Resources

Historical Statistics for Mineral Commodities in the United States, published by the USGS, gives supply/demand and some end-use statistics for mineral commodities, as both PDF and Excel files.

Mineral Commodity Summaries, published by the USGS, gives information about uses, places of production, prices, for different mineral commodities.

Mineral Resource of the Month, published in EARTH magazine (published by AGI), gives brief summaries of different mineral commodities, written for the general public with a focus on "why should we care?"

Teaching Themes

Already used some of these materials in a course?
Let us know and join the discussion »

Considering using these materials with your students?
Get advice for using GETSI modules in your courses »
Get pointers and learn about how it's working for your peers in their classrooms »

These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »