Geol
4200-02
2
credits (s/u)
Time and Place:
Tuesdays: 7:00pm to ~9:00pm
(1-2 hour film)
Room 216
Thursdays: Room 209 4:10-500pm
One hour discussion of the (Geological)
science in the movie
Instructor: Dr. Mike Cheadle
Office: 221
Email: cheadle@uwyo.edu
Office Hours: Mon., Wed, Fri,11:00-12:00 noon
Phone: 766-3206
Instructor: Dr. Neil Humphrey
Office: 320
Email: neil@uwyo.edu
Phone: 766-2728
Instructor: Brent Breithaupt
Office: Museum 115
Email: uwgeoms@uwyo.edu
Phone: 766-2646
Some thoughts to get us
thinking
Course Aims:
This is a re-run of a course, which was enjoyed by all last
time. The rationale is to watch a movie (or occasionally a science documentary)
and think about how well the movie portrays (geological) science. We will watch
the movie on Tuesday evenings and then will spend one hour on Thursdays
discussing the portrayal of science in that movie i.e. what the movie got right
and what it got wrong.
Each student, who is taking the course for credit,
will be responsible for leading the discussion of one movie (please pick the
movie for which you’d like to lead the discussion), but we expect ALL
students to attend and join in the discussions. Satisfactory completion of the class
will depend on contribution to the general discussions.
The movies are divided into
eight different topics (see below). In many cases we will be comparing and
contrasting movies of different vintages to examine how the portrayal of
science in the movies has changed with time. Sometimes we will compare a movie
to a science documentary. Although the
emphasis in this class is to observe and critique the mass media presentation
of Geology, a significant undercurrent will be noting the attitude and
misconceptions in the media to science in general. It is hoped that we can ferret out some
of the subtle but surprisingly universal misconceptions that are foisted on the
public by the media.
Course
Skills/Learning Outcomes
Throughout this course we also hope you
will improve on several skills that should be useful for your subsequent
career, including oral presentations, ability to critique how the media
portrays science and the ability to summarize and debate (sometimes
complicated) science. We
also expect you to learn to participate in scientific discussions. This requires considerable skill in
listening to the ideas of others, formulating and editing your own ideas and
presenting them in a cogent manner. Also,
we hope that you will gain an additional knowledge of aspects of geology not
necessarily covered in your courses at UW.
Class Format:
The class will rely principally on watching the movie and on the subsequent discussion class. One person will lead the discussion of the movie. BUT, every person will be expected to identify and report on some aspect of the movie that was factually correct or incorrect.
Grading/Evaluation:
The class will be graded s/u (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) for those who want the credit. To gain a satisfactory credit, you will be expected to
• Lead seminar discussion. Each student will be responsible for leading a discussion and presenting a science summary of one movie. You should present what geology was shown in the movie and a discussion of what the moviemakers got correct & what they got wrong. Be sure to make overheads or PowerPoint’s of the points you want to discuss and of any relevant background material. You should provide a series of ‘bullet points’ for the different science aspects of the movie you want to discuss. Think about whether each aspect was done well or done poorly and think about why ‘liberties’ were taken with the science. Remember, get the class talking and you’ll have to say less yourself!
• Participate in the discussion sessions! This class depends on vigorous discussion and exchange of ideas. Ask questions when you don't understand something; voice your opinion when you disagree with something. Every person will be expected to identify and report on some aspect of the movie that was factually correct or incorrect.
What Is Expected of You:
• Regular attendance and alert participation. This class will work best if we all put reasonable effort into it!
• Relax and have some fun with the movies. This isn't a lecture course, with a rigidly prescribed set of material to master. The goal is for you to learn about the different aspects of geology covered by the movies and to think about how our science is portrayed by the film industry.
What You Can Expect of Us:
• We will provide the movie & have it set up all ready to go. We will provide supplementary material and help stimulate discussions during the Thursday class.
• We will be accessible and will always be happy to answer your questions during class, during office hours, and by appointment.
If you have a physical, learning, or psychological disability and require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. You will need to register with, and provide documentation of your disability to, University Disability Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, room 330 Knight Hall, 766-6189, TTY: 766-3073.”
Please refer to the following
web-site for a detailed explanation of what should be expected from both the
teachers and the students.
http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/a&s/Current/2005Stud&TeachersWorking%20Together(7-29-05).doc
Academic Dishonesty
University Regulation 802, Revision 2, defines
academic dishonesty as “an act attempted or performed which misrepresents
one’s involvement in an academic task in any way, or permits another
student to misrepresent the latter’s involvement in an academic task by
assisting the misrepresentation”. In other words, no cheating! It will be hard to carry out in this
class, but is an important aspect of scientific ethics. In this class you will
have to quote or otherwise use considerable material from various other
sources. To avoid ‘academic
dishonesty’ in this context, you will have to be careful to clearly
distinguish between ideas that you have obtained from other sources, and ideas
that you have generated yourself.
In the course of class discussions, this will be a challenge that will
be part of your responsibility in passing the course. Please note we expect you to use lots of
outside sources and opinions, and that is fine as long as you do not say or
even imply they are your own and not somebody else’s ideas.
The Interior of the
Earth:
January 13th Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) (4 stars, 86%)
January 20th The Core (2003) (2.5 stars, 42%)
Volcanoes:
January 27th Dante’s Peak (1997) (3 stars, 36%)
February 3rd Supervolcano! (2006)
Earthquakes or YOUR
CHOICE
Volcanoes:
February 10th Earthquake (1974) (2 stars, 22%) or Volcano (1997) (2 stars, 36%), or the new Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) (61%) (You vote!!)
San Andreas:
February 17th Superman:
The Movie (1975) (93%)
Dinosaurs:
February 24th The Lost World (1925) silent b&w (5 stars)
March 3rd
March 10th Walking with Dinosaurs Special: Big Al (2000)
Earth Forces (2002)
Human Prehistory:
March 24th Quest for Fire (1982) (3.5 stars, 70%)
March 31st Walking with Cavemen (2001)
Climate:
April 7th The Day After Tomorrow (2004) (2.5 stars, 44%)
April 14th The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) (80%)
The Ocean:
April 21st The Abyss (1989) 80% (2 hrs 20)
Planetary Science:
April 28th
The
Red Planet (2000) 13%!! Or
Note the schedule will be a little flexible. It is dependent on the availability of the movies.