Course Syllabus

GEO 1050 Geology of the National Parks

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the principles of geology as observed and studied in the national parks of a selected area. Designed for non-science majors. 3-4 weekend field trips or an approximately 2-week field trip will be required. A class fee is required to partially cover field trip expenses.

Justification

This course is intended to introduce non-science majors to the science of geology, to educate students about the processes that operate on the earth now and in the past and how humans interact with the modern processes, and to help students appreciate the beauty, legacy, and rich natural geologic laboratory present in the US National Parks. This class meets the Physical Science requirement for G.E. at Snow College and is a common course number at other public colleges in Utah.

For the natural sciences, science is the systematic inquiry into natural phenomena organizing and condensing those observations into testable models and hypotheses, theories or laws. The success and credibility of science is anchored in the willingness


of scientists to:

1) expose their ideas and results to independent testing and replication by other scientists which requires the complete and open exchange of data, procedures, and materials;

2) abandon or modify accepted conclusions when confronted with more complete or reliable experimental evidence. Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for self-correction that is the foundation of the credibility of science. (Adapted from a statement by the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society which was endorsed by the Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1999.) While properties of matter and energy in the physical sciences are common to life science, the emergent properties resulting from the complexities of life require additional study to amplify and clarify the scientific mechanisms of nature.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum will have a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world, with particular emphasis on American institutions, the social and behavioral sciences, the physical and life sciences, the humanities, the fine arts and personal wellness.  After completing this course, the student will be able to demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of how the natural world works. This knowledge will include how rocks and fossils form, plate tectonics, how landforms arise, how mountains form, and the history of the earth including the fossil record. Students will also be able to demonstrate an understanding of how humans both affect and are affected by the natural world. Students will demonstrate this knowledge on homework assignments, during field exercises, and through a final project.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read, retrieve, evaluate, interpret, and deliver information using a variety of traditional and electronic media. • Students will read the textbook and answer questions based on this reading.
   • Students will research and present on an assigned topic related to one of the parks.
   • Students will demonstrate this knowledge on homework and a class presentation.
   
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively about nature, culture, facts, values, ethics, and civic policy. Students will be able to interpret geologic landforms and the processes that create them as well as the rich geologic history of the national parks. Class discussions will also address topics such the value of public land and conservation. Students will demonstrate their knowledge through class discussions and the final project.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can either (a) solve a problem using information and methodologies from more than one discipline; or (b) identify the College’s general education outcomes and explain ways in which they have achieved those outcomes.  Students will give oral presentations in the field on selected topics relating to each national park. They will also create a field notebook that incorporates sketches, photographs, written descriptions of field sites, field exercises and reflections of their experiences.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Geology is the perfect subject to address this outcome. In the national parks, we are surrounded by easy to see geology and a very active geologic landscape. In this course students learn to identify rocks, fossils, landforms, the signs of geologic hazards, etc. This course will help give them the tools they need to analyze and interpret the physical world around them. Their ability to demonstrate understanding of science as a way of knowing about the physical world will be assessed through field exercises and quizzes and the final project. Geology is the perfect subject to address this outcome. In the national parks, we are surrounded by easy to see geology and a very active geologic landscape. In this course students learn to identify rocks, fossils, landforms, the signs of geologic hazards, etc. This course will help give them the tools they need to analyze and interpret the physical world around them. Their ability to demonstrate understanding of science as a way of knowing about the physical world will be assessed through field exercises and quizzes and the final project.
2. Demonstrate understanding of forces in the physical world. The landscapes of the National Parks have been shaped by diverse forces including earthquakes, volcanoes and erosion. Students will learn to recognize the effects of these various forces and will be introduced to the basic physics and chemistry that govern them. They will demonstrate understanding of these forces through their final project and quizzes.
3. Discuss the flow of matter and energy through systems (in large and small scales). Plate tectonics, volcanic activity and earth surface processes (erosion, transport of sediment by rivers and ice, etc.) all move matter and energy at a range of scales through the various earth systems including the geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. In the National Parks, students will get to see the effects of these systems operating in the past and will have the chance to observe matter and energy actively moving through some of those systems (for example, through transport of sediment by wind and water). Their understanding of how matter and energy flow through systems will be evaluated through class discussions and the final project.
4. Develop evidence-based arguments regarding the effect of human activity on the Earth. Topics of discussion in lectures both before and during the field trip will include the effects of anthropogenic climate change and other human activities (e.g., mining) on the earth with particular emphasis on examples visible in and around the national parks. Selected readings will be provided to students for review and discussion of their credibility. Additionally, appropriate methods for obtaining and analyzing credible sources on the affect of human activity on the natural world will be discussed. This outcome will be assessed through class discussions and homework on assigned readings.
5. Describe how the Physical Sciences have shaped and been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts. Students will be introduced to the history of each national park through a combination of student presentations and instructor lectures. These histories will involve discussion of the ways in which the science of geology has developed over time in tandem with historical and social changes and how increased understanding of geology has impacted societal views on conservation and land management. Students' ability to describe how the physical sciences have shaped and been shaped by historical, ethical and social contexts will be assessed through oral presentations and class discussions.

Course Content

Course content will be covered by lectures/exercises in the field and reading assignments from the textbooks and handouts.
• The Scientific Method
• Identification and interpretation of common igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
• Interpretation of landforms
• Surface processes
• Tectonic processes
• Volcanic activity
• Earth History – measurement of time and the geologic time scale