GEOLOGY 105 MARINE SCIENCE
JANUARY 2012
GENERAL INFORMATION
Professor: Benjamin J. Greenstein: Office: Norton 108; Phone: X4307
Course objectives: This course will introduce you to the three major subdisciplines of marine science – physical, chemical and biological oceanography. In addition, you will have the opportunity to pursue in-depth a research topic related to marine science and present your results to the class.
Meeting Times: This course generally meets between 9-11 a.m. in Norton 208. However, some class meetings take place at additional times and/or places; these are listed below:
Monday, 9th January
Afternoon class (1:15-3:00) meets in College 102
Monday, 16 January; Wednesday, 18 January, Friday, 20 January, Tuesday, 24 January
Afternoon classes (1:15-3) meet in Norton 208.
Scheduled meetings during the last week of the block:
Monday, 1/30 No morning class: Final Exam 1-3 p.m., Norton 208
Tuesday, 1/31: 8:30-11; 1-3 p.m.: Presentations, Norton 208
Wednesday. 1/27: 8:30-11 a.m.: Presentations, Norton 208
During the second week of the block, all students are REQUIRED to schedule a ½-hour, individual reference advising appointment with Mary Iber, consulting librarian for the sciences.
Field Trip: One required field trip to the Shedd Aquarium (Chicago) is scheduled for Tuesday, January 17th. Vans will leave from the Commons at 7 a.m. and return in the evening by 10:30-11:00 p.m. Please plan ahead to take advantage of this opportunity.
Required Text: Trujillo, A. P. and Thurman, H. V., 2011, Essentials of Oceanography (10th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall, N. J.
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-3:00 p.m. I will be available to discuss any aspect of the course during office hours or by appointment. I encourage you to take advantage of these discussion opportunities.
Grades: The course grade will be determined based on your performance on two equal exams, a term paper/home page project that you present in both written and oral format, and two take-home assignments. The evaluation formula is as follows:
Exam I 25%
Exam II 25%
Term paper (25%)/Presentation (10%) = 35%
Take-home assignments (includes field trip report) 15%
Exams will consist of a variety of questions, including short & long answer essays, sketching or labeling diagrams, definitions and matching. The tests are designed to assess your understanding and application of knowledge gained from lecture, readings and films. Participation in class and improvement in performance during the block will also count in your favor in deciding final grade.
Attendance Policy – Although I will not take attendance, you are expected to be in class every day. It is in your best interest to come to class, 9 a.m. is not that early!
Graded Work Policy: No make-up exam will be given for a student absent from any exam unless extraordinary circumstances (serious illness [requires a note from health services] or death in the family) are involved. No make-up exam will be given unless you notify the professor, either directly or by leaving a message before the exam takes place if you cannot be in attendance. I will not grade any assignments that are handed in late. This includes papers that are finished but have not been printed before the deadline. Coming to class late on the due date with your completed assignment constitutes late work.
Cell Phones: Your cell phone must be off or set to silent mode and placed in your pocket/daypack/purse. Sending or reading text messages, playing games, or otherwise fiddling with your cell phone during class is FORBIDDEN and will result in a grade penalty.
Laptop computers/tablets – you are welcome to use a personal electronic device to take notes in class. However, if I catch you browsing the web, checking e-mail or doing anything other than taking notes I will ask you to leave. There also will be a grade penalty.
15-day Withdrawal Policy – I adhere to the guidelines established in the course catalogue; please pay particular attention to item (c):
The instructor should agree to sign the form if and only if the student (a) has complied fully with the instructor's attendance policy, (b) has taken all the tests and turned in all the papers or projects that were due by the 15th day, and (c) has made, in the opinion of the instructor, a determined effort to learn the material, complete the work, and participate in the class.
Academic Honesty: Cornell College expects all members of the Cornell community to act with academic integrity. An important aspect of academic integrity is respecting the work of others. A student is expected to explicitly acknowledge ideas, claims, observations, or data of others, unless generally known. When a piece of work is submitted for credit, a student is asserting that the submission is her or his work unless there is a citation of a specific source. If there is no appropriate acknowledgement of sources, whether intended or not, this may constitute a violation of the Colleges requirement for honesty in academic work and may be treated as a case of academic dishonesty. The procedures regarding how the College deals with cases of academic dishonesty appear in The Compass, our student handbook, under the heading Academic Policies – Honesty in Academic Work.
Students with Disabilities: Students who need accommodations for learning disabilities must provide documentation from a professional qualified to diagnose learning disabilities. For more information see: cornellcollege.edu/disabilities/documentation/index.shtml
Students requesting services may schedule a meeting with the disabilities services coordinator as early as possible to discuss their needs and develop an individualized accommodation plan. Ideally, this meeting would take place well before the start of classes.
At the beginning of each course, the student must notify the instructor within the first three days of the term of any accommodations needed for the duration of the course.
Geology 105 - Marine Science
Course Syllabus, afternoon sessions are underlined.
HISTORY OF OCEANOGRAPHY, MARINE TECHNOLOGY
M. 9 History of Oceanography (Chap. 1 through p. 14, see also Box 4.3, p. 118), THA #1 Handed out, Film: "Aquarius Undersea"; Introduction to term paper project.
THE EARTH BENEATH THE SEA
T. 10 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor; (Chap. 2) THA #1 due, 9 a.m
W. 11 Ocean Floor Dynamics cont'd (Chap. 2, cont'd)
TH. 12 Land-Sea Distribution and the Topography of the Ocean Floor (Chap. 3); Term paper topic and starter references due (by e-mail), noon.
F. 13 Ocean Floor Topography, cont'd, Film: "Dive to the edge of creation" (Chap 3 cont'd). THA #2 handed out
M. 16 CAAP Exam. SSI Survey. Marine Sediments (Chap. 4), THA #2 due, 9 a. m.; Marine Sediments, contd. Film: "Windows to the Past"; Library advising appointments begin
CHEMISTRY AND MECHANICS OF SEA WATER
T. 17 Field Trip to Shedd Aquarium
W. 18; NO MORNING CLASS; Library advising appointments continue; The Chemical Nature of Sea Water, Field trip report due, 1:15 p. m. (Chap. 5);
Th. 19 FIRST EXAM; Library advising appointments continue
F. 20; Interaction of Air and Sea -- Ocean Circulation (Chap. 6, through Section 6.6); Introduction to presentation design.
M. 23 Circulation of the oceans cont'd (Chap. 7); annotated bibliography due, 9 a.m.
SHALLOW WATER OCEANOGRAPHY-LIFE IN THE SEA
T. 24 Shorelines & Shoreline processes; Film: "The Beaches are Moving" (Chap. 10)
W. 25 Estuaries and Tides (Chap 9; Chap. 11 to p. 322)
TH. 26 Coral Reefs, El Nio; Film: "Silent Sentinels "
(Chap. 7, pp. 216-222; Chap.15, pp. 450-456, including Box 15.1)
Special presentation – attendance required:Coral Reef Development in an Area of Low Hurricane Frequency: Curaao (Formerly the Netherlands Antilles). 11:10 a.m., West Science 100
F. 27 Ocean Productivity, Film: "Salmon on the Run "
(Chap. 13, pp. 371-394, including Boxes 13.2, 13.3)
TERM PAPERS DUE BY 9 A.M
M. 30 NO MORNING CLASS; SECOND EXAM
T. 31 Presentations I; Presentations II; PowerPoint presentations due (by e-mail) 7:30 a.m.
W. 1 Presentations III