GEOL 4880 - notes on grading etc. fall 2022, Humphrey
room 320, office hours Tues, 11:00-12:00 Wed. 2:00-4:00
Plus anytime in the AFTERNOONS (it is best
to set up a time). (never in the mornings)
Class time: 1:20 – 2:35 pm Tu/Tr, nominal room GEOL 311g (at the
very very east end of the 3rd floor hall, old building).
Text;
There are NO really appropriate texts out there, however there is a text that at least covers some of the material in the course, and if nothing else has a lot of interesting reading on aspects of more sophisticated geomorphology than is found in most introductory texts. Despite the use of a text, you are well advised to take good notes and read them over. The notes will be the major source in this course. I will suggest several other texts in class as we proceed, but remember I will expect you to use your notes as a major source. There will also be assigned and suggested outside readings.
Main course text: Geomorphology, by Anderson and Anderson, Cambridge Press. Paperback, approx $80, used $50, rent $25, (not in bookstore).
I will also put on reserve several books, and at times I will recommend small sections of some of these. (these will be on reserve in the Geology Library)
Process Geomorphology, by Ritter et al. Good lower level overview text
Mathematical modelling of Earth’s Dynamic Systems Reference for the more quantitative aspects
Mechanics in the Earth and Environmental Sciences, by Middleton and Wilcock Reference for the physics relevant to geomorphology
Geomorphology, by Bloom Or any intro geomorph text, for background reading.
Plus I will add a couple more when we
get to rivers.
Prerequisites:
The nominal prerequisites are Math 2205, Physics 1210 or permission of the instructor. From ‘Math’ what we will mainly use trigonometry. We will use the symbolism of calculus (mainly simple derivatives) to describe rates of change in the systems we study. As an example, if z is elevation and t is time dz/dt, is the rate of elevation change (erosion or deposition). I will not expect you to do any complex math. From ‘Physics’, we will mainly deal with forces and force balances. We will also deal with stresses and strains, which will be reviewed, since I know many students are weak in this area.
Grading
(Note that UWYO students voted to eliminate +/- grading, so I will only be awarding ABC grades.)
homework 30%
midterm 20%
final exam 30%
paper or project 15%
pop quizzes, class participation 5%
Homework is usually given out on Tuesday, and is usually due the following Tuesday. Exams usually are open-book, and can be take-home if enough students want it. A very short (15min) quiz will be given in class occasionally. (This is mainly for me, so I can tell if the class is keeping up. They will however be graded.)
The homework (especially) and the exams suffer from rarely having single correct answers(!!). Geomorphology is a complex and advanced field of study, and since this is a 4000 level course, we will be butting up against subjects that are still actively researched. As a result in this course there are many more questions than we have answers, and there are usually multiple answers even to the questions that we have some ability to answer. The whole thrust and purpose of this course is to get you thinking about the processes in your environment. The lectures will be very short on facts, and long on digressions about how things are thought to work.
A note on the homework Important!
This course does not have a lab, and therefore I consider the homework to be a major learning tool for material both from the lectures and for outside material. You will need to refer to your homework for some of the exam questions. I expect the homework to take time to do well, at the very least I expect you to take the time to do the problems both legibly and neatly. Graphs must be done on graph paper, or with a computer. Diagrams must be sketched with sufficient accuracy that I don't have to guess (think Leonardo, not Picasso). Please Note: most homework sets include at least one problem (usually the last) that I don't expect you to be able to answer completely, but I expect you to try! Many of the problems are tricky and have multiple interpretations. Also note that I often just give a ‘check mark’ as a mark for difficult questions: a check mark means that I recognize that you have attempted the question (but doesn’t mean that you have given a correct answer).
I include a couple of homework assignments that will require a simple computer program: you will be able to use EXCELL, PYTHON, MATLAB or whatever you want. I will talk more on this in class.
Now having said all that, I am mainly interested in you learning! Therefore I encourage you to come and talk to me (but give the problems some thought first, eh?).
A note on Exams
Please note that the exams will be hard. I am uninterested in asking lots of questions with easy answers to allow you to get high marks. As a result typically the scores on the exams tend to be in the 25-50% range. Don’t panic. I will adjust the grades so that you will get a realistic grade for your relative achievement, however, you will not be able to just keep track of your marks to figure out how you are doing. If you are concerned, come and talk to me, and I will be able to tell you how you are doing relative to the rest of the class.
A note on the paper/project
An important aspect of this course is to develop the ability to grasp the concept of a problem clearly enough to pose a problem concisely. The actual solution is usually incomplete. To help you understand the process of defining and attempting to solve a problem, I expect you to produce a paper, talk or project on a topic of your choice. Your mark on the paper/project will be based largely on how well you pose you problem (of course, you get bonus points for actually solving the problem). This year I want to try this a little differently. I am going to encourage you to select a specific landform in the Laramie basin or environs, and discuss it from a process geomorphic point of view. I will talk more about the paper/project later, but I will be expecting an indication of your chosen topic by the midterm.
A note on Quizes/class participation
This 5% of the grade is somewhat subjective! I expect you to participate in the class by asking questions or coming to my office hours or responding to in-class discussions. At the very least I expect to be forced, by you, to learn your name by the end of the semester! This 5% only becomes important if your grade is on a cusp (between A or B for example), and I will use it to push you one way or the other. I will not use it to affect your grade if you are firmly in a grade range.
We may have a field trip day on a weekend or even in class. This is going to depend largely on my schedule.
Note on course philosophy
You have all had several years of college now, and you have probably figured out that most of the facts that you need to know are relatively easily found in text books, online or other sources. The real difficulty in many fields of study is usually learning how to ask questions about real problems in the "right manner" so that you can find preexisting answers. Or if you are tackling a new problem, especially in an academic setting, understanding how you can actually make some progress yourself towards finding an answer. Because of the above, the lectures in this course will be light on facts and heavy on techniques and approaches to problem solving. My major objective is to (try) to teach you to start to ask questions about your physical environment. My secondary objective is to improve your skills for quantitatively investigating the questions we discuss.
Your part of the course is to ask questions, of yourselves, of me and of the world around you!
And finally a note on plagiarism and cheating
Since the exams are open book, it is somewhat hard to cheat, however, I do require you to do the exam work by yourself, no collaboration. You are allowed calculators and computers, and you will have web access if you want. Be advised that I ensure that none of the questions can be answered with a wiki (also you will not have time to do much surfing). The homework can be done as collaboratively as you want. The question of plagiarism is complex, and will probably only arise in the ‘project’. Do not attempt to plagiarize. You are advised to consult ‘uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/research/Plagiarism.doc’ or some other source if you are unsure. In this course you can avoid most of the pitfalls by liberally citing sources in your papers.