Notes: Most of the material covered in this course is in the lectures and videos. The textbook covers part of the course (plate tectonics and earthquakes) fairly adequately, but the section on volcanoes is not readily available in any textbook (including Dynamic Earth - Geo 105). Reading the appropriate chapters in the textbook will supplement the lectures and provide you with the necessary background and terminology to understand them. To do well in the course, therefore, you will need good, clear, complete notes that you understand. To this end, I will post outlines of the lectures on the course web site. You may reach the GEO-105 course website through the Department of Geosciences website (http://geo.umass.edu) under programs then courses. These notes are, of course, intended as a study aid, so that you can listen to the lectures rather than spending all of your time scribbling furiously trying to take complete notes. They are not intended as a reason to skip classes! If you suspect that your notes are inadequate, or that you do not understand them, you should arrange to see me, or the teaching assistant, well before the appropriate exam. Remember, we are here to help!
Exams: There will be three one hour exams (one of which is a non-cumulative "final"), covering material from lectures, appropriate chapters in the textbook, and the films and videos. Each exam will deal with one particular aspect of the course and will contribute equally to the final grade. The exams are scheduled for regular class-room periods. Consequently, there will be no make-up exams. Not feeling like doing the exam, being inadequately prepared, or vacationing in Florida (or anywhere else for that matter!) are not appropriate reasons. Please note that I have no control of the scheduling of the final exam. It is done by the University Scheduling Office. Consequently, you (or your parents!) should not make arrangements to leave at the end of the semester until after the exams have been scheduled.
Students with genuine problems or concerns should see me well in advance of the exams.
Special Project: You are encouraged to undertake an optional special project, briefly describing an earthquake or volcanic eruption occurring during the Fall Semester. Your information can come from newspapers, magazines, TV news (CNN is often good) or programs, the Internet or any other innovative source. This report should be typed, clearly written, and no more than two to three pages in length. It must include such information as; (1) the source of your information; (2) where and when the event occurred; (3) what happened; (4) the geological significance or characteristics of the event; (5) what were the hazards and damage involved; (6) the consequences, and what was, or is, being done about it. The report can be handed in at anytime during the semester, but no later than December 14th. You will be awarded between 10 and 20 extra points for the report, depending on its quality. These points will be added to your cumulative scores for the three exams. For example, if you scored 60 for the first exam, 75 for the second, 70 for the final and earned 20 for the special project, then your final average score would be 75 (B) and considerably better than the 68.3 (C) you would have earned otherwise. This is a great deal! In the past students have found that a good report (20 extra points) can make the difference in a grade, or even between pass or fail!
Honors Students: For those of you taking this course for honors, we will meet once a week (at a time to be decided) to discuss in more detail various aspects of the course, or topical aspects of geology. We will also have guest lectures on a given geologcal topic. Each honors student will be required to undertake the special project. In addition, he/she will "adopt" a volcano, report regularly to the class on what your volcano is doing, and prepare a final, short report summarizing the characteristics and activity (if any) of your volcano.