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UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

EAS 201B1: EARTH SCIENCES I

http://easweb.eas.ualberta.ca/page/courses/?id=EAS+201

Syllabus / Course Outline Winter 2016

INSTRUCTOR Dr. Hans G. MACHELESB 4-15, phone: 780-492-5659hans.machel@ualberta.ca

OFFICE HOURS Wednesdays, 8 - 9:30 a.m. + "anytime"But - for courses with prerequisites: studentswho do not have the required prerequisites atthe time of taking the course should not expectsupplementary professorial tutoring.

LECTURE LOCATION ESB 3-27

LECTURE TIMES Tu+Tr, 9:30-10:50a.m., Jan-04 - Apr-08-16

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK

“The Changing Earth”Monroe and Wicander, 7th edition - 2015Cengage Learning (Thomson-Nelson)

FOR KEENERS The Land Before Us - The Making of Ancient Alberta.The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (1994).

A traveller's guide to geological wonders in Alberta.Ron Mussieux and Marilyn Nelson, ProvincialMuseum of Alberta (1998).

Edmonton Beneath Our Feet. The Edmonton Geological Society (1993).

How to shit in the woods. Kathleen Meyer. TenSpeed Press (1994).

eCLASS

To be posted on eClass: this course outline; excerpts of the Instructor’s lectures (after each lecture);supplementary course material; marks for midterm and final exam.

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CALENDAR COURSE DESCRIPTION

EAS 201 Earth Sciences I *3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0). A non-laboratory introduction to the origin and evolution of the Earth and the solar system.Introduction to plate tectonics and the rock cycle. Simple energy balances and interactions betweenradiation and the atmosphere, land, oceans, ice masses, and the global hydrological cycle. Evolutionof life, biogeography, and global climate in the context of geologic time. The carbon cycle. Humaninteractions with the Earth. Mineral and energy resources. Prerequisites: Not available to studentswith credit in EAS 100, 101, 102, 210 or SCI 100. (Note: EAS 201 and EAS 200 are considered tobe equivalent to EAS 100 for prerequisite purposes). [Faculty of Science]

The GFC Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The main course objective is to cover all the topics listed in the CALENDAR COURSEDESCRIPTION, which includes the arguably most politicized geoscientific topics of these times:(1) Global Warming / Global Climate Change, and (2) the role of fossil fuels driving economies andas environmental hazzards. A supplementary but no less important objective is to acquire a workingknowledge of “The Scientific Method”, which is at the base of not only this course but of manyother courses, especially in the Faculty of Science. Every citizen should have a working knowledgeof The Scientific Method. The penultimate objective of this course thus is to help becoming aconscientious member of society.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

There will be no designated reading assignments. You are expected to read the chapters ofthe textbook that embody the material that was covered in the lectures. Throughout the term, browsethrough the textbook and read those passages carefully that have been covered in the lectures.

ATTENDANCE

The presence at lectures is an important component of this course. Students will serve theirinterests best by regular attendance. Those who choose not to attend must assume whatever risks areinvolved. See http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/calendar/Regulations-and-Information/Academic-Regulation/23.3.html

NO RECORDING

Recording of lectures is not permitted. Recording of anyone's conversations or lectures without thatperson's permission is illegal. This instructor does NOT permit recording in the class room.

CELL PHONES / PAGERS/ iPods etc.:

Any equipment that could cause an acoustic disturbance must be turned off.

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TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

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MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMINATIONS

The performance of students in this course will be evaluated by means of two standardmultiple choice exams (1 of 4 alernatives correct): a midterm and a final exam.

EXAMS

midterm examination (multiple choice)final examination (multiple choice)

weight dates

40% Feb-11-2016 60% TBA(check the date of the final exam on BearTracks)

Deferred final exam: Saturday, May-14-2016, from 10:00–13:00 hours, room CCIS L1-272 .

The lecture final exam will be cumulative, i.e., will cover the full term, but it will emphasize materialcovered in second half of the term.

All assignments and examinations in this course will be given a numerical score in %. A cumulativecourse mark will be calculated from those scores, weighted as tabulated above. A final letter gradewill be assigned based upon the cumulative mark and the instructor’s analysis of the cumulative markdistribution of the class. Where possible, natural breaks in the cumulative mark distribution will beused in assigning grades, but no pre-determined distribution of grades will be imposed on the class.Each student’s final letter grade will reflect a combination of his/her absolute achievement andrelative standing in the class. In past years, the class average in this course has been in the B- range.The mean grade in this year will be based on the instructor’s judgment of the overall caliber of thisclass relative to past years. Be aware that a total score of 50% or more in the course as a whole willnot ensure a passing grade. Even if the final score is >50%, a student may fail the course in certaincircumstances (such as in case of plagiarism or other forms of cheating). Such sanctions aredetermined by the office of the Dean of Science.

EXAM RULES AND DEFERRED EXAM POLICY (See Calendar §23.3 and §23.5.6 for details)

During each exam students must produce a valid photo-ID. Students will not be allowed to begin anexamination after it has been in progress for 30 minutes. Students must remain in the exam roomuntil at least 30 minutes have elapsed. No electronic equipment of any kind may be brought intoexamination rooms and/or must be turned off. Any use of any electronic equipment will beconsidered an attempt at cheating. Hats are not to be worn.

Midterm Exams:A student who cannot write a midterm examination due to incapacitating illness, severe domesticaffliction, or other compelling reasons (which exclude simple inconveniences) can apply in writingto the Instructor for an excused absence. Such an application must be made “to the instructor withintwo working days following the scheduled date of the term work or term exam missed, or as soon as

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the student is able, having regard to the circumstances underlying the absence” and must besupported by a Statutory Declaration (in lieu of a medical statement form) or other appropriatedocumentation (Calendar §23.3.1). There will not be a deferred lecture midterm exam. If theInstructor accepts the reason for the excused absence, the final exam will count for the sum of theweights of the lecture midterm + final exams, i.e., 20+40% = 60%.

There will not be a deferred midterm lab exam: students can apply to have the weight of their labmidterm transferred to the weight of the lab final exam.

Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will begranted. Misrepresentation of facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of StudentBehaviour.

Final Exams: A student who cannot write a final examination due to incapacitating illness, severe domesticaffliction, or other compelling reasons (which exclude simple inconveniences) can apply in writingto take a deferred exam. Such an application must be made to the student’s Faculty office “withintwo working days following the scheduled date of the exam missed, or as soon as the student is able,having regard to the circumstances underlying the absence” and must be supported by a StatutoryDeclaration (in lieu of a medical statement form) or other appropriate documentation (Calendar§23.3.2).

Deferral of final exams is a privilege and not a right. There is no guarantee that a deferral will begranted. Misrepresentation of facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of StudentBehaviour (see below).

PAST REPRESENTATIVE EVALUATIVE MATERIAL

Examples of previous lecture exam questions will be posted on eClass accompanied by a brief reviewand oral instructions in class.

OTHER DATES OF IMPORTANCE

Jan-04 Winter Term classes begin Jan-15 Winter Term registration deadline

Feb-15 Statutory Holiday - University Buildings closedFeb-16 to -19 Reading Week

Mar-25 Mar-28

Good Friday - University Buildings closed Easter Monday - University Buildings closed

Apr-08 Last day of classes

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ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND INTEGRITY, CODE OF STUDENT BEHAVIOUR

“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty.Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to upholdthe policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselveswith the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour, online at:http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/en/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/CodeofStudentBehaviour.aspx and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism,misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a seriousoffence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.”

It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the contents of the Code of Student Behaviour. Checkalso posted document “Don’t Do it”. If in doubt, ask the Instructor or Lab Coordinator aboutacceptable collaborations in the labs and any form of cheating or plagiarism.

Cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation of facts are serious offences. Anyone who engages inthese practices will be reported to the Senior Associate Dean of Science who will determine thedisciplinary action to be taken. Offenders will receive at minimum a grade of zero for the exam orlab report in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute theweights. As well, in the Faculty of Science the sanction for cheating on any examination will includea disciplinary failing grade (no exceptions), and senior students should expect a period ofsuspension or expulsion from the University. For past examples see the posted document “ScienceLab Course Hall of Shame”.

e-mail

The class list provided to the instructors contain only UofA e-mail accounts. Memos will besent only to ualberta e-mail addresses. Students are advised to link their “other” e-mail account(s)[yahoo, gmail, hotmail etc.] to their ualberta account. Also, memos that they send to the instructorfrom an account other than an ualberta account will be classified as SPAM and likely will not reachhim.

SAS: Student Accessibility Services (formerly SSDS: Specialized Support and Disability Services)

http://www.ssds.ualberta.ca/

LITERACY (READING+WRITING SKILLS) http://c4w.ualberta.ca/

EARTH SCIENCE LITERACY (how Earth Science matters to humanity) http://eo.ucar.edu/asl/pdfs/es_literacy_brochure.pdf

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A FIELD GUIDE TO CRITICAL THINKING (---> posted)

CAREERS IN THE GEOSCIENCES (---> posted)

DEPT. OF EARTH AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES (---> posted)

COLLECTIONS (---> posted)

ACADEMIC FREEDOM (---> posted)

DISCLAIMERS

Nothing in any course outline, syllabus or course web-site may override or contravene anyCalendar regulation or GFC policy. In resolving any discrepancy, GFC policy and Calendarregulations will take precedence.

Any typographical errors in this Course Outline are subject to change and will be discussedin class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the finalexamination date reported in this syllabus, if the dates listed in these sources do not coincide.