GEOLOGY 351 – Environmental Geology of Developing Nations

Winter Quarter 2006 (13909, SEC 1)	Instructor: Sonjia Leyva

Hours: M & W 6:10 – 7:50 PM	Office: PS 221, 323-343-2149

Room: PS 158	Office Hours: M 5:00 – 6:00 PM

Webpage: www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva	Email: sleyva@calstatela.edu

Course Description: Prerequisites: Completion of Basic subjects (Block A) and one course from Block B. Geologic hazards and natural resources of developing nations. Topics include impact and mitigation of natural disasters and the role of natural resources in advancement of the human condition. Lecture 4 hours. Fulfills 4 units in Theme A of the GE Requirements.
Course Objectives: Geological hazards and natural resources of developing nations are examined with the objective of understanding how the consequences of disasters and resource loss can be reduced in developing nations. As the human population expands beyond 6 billion, the need to preserve the world environment becomes more and more important. This course examines the response of developing nations to challenges to the physical environment. The result is a sense of community and awareness of the global interdependence of the human experience.
Text & Materials: There is no text for this class. Instead, you will be responsible for reading articles dealing with current events, in addition to handouts & videos. Several In-Class-Discussions may be given throughout the quarter covering topics discussed in the lecture or the required reading.

WEEK	DATE	TOPIC	ASSIGNMENT
1	1/2	New Year's Day – Campus Closed	none
1/4	Introduction and Global Population
2	1/9	Structure of the Earth & Plate Tectonics	Article Review (due 1/11)
1/11	Earthquakes
3	1/16	MLK Day – Campus Closed	Article Review (due 1/18)
1/18	Earthquakes
4	1/23	Volcanoes	Article Review (due 1/25)
1/25
5	1/30	Exam #1	Video: Tsunami: The Wave that Shook the World (due 2/06)
2/1	Tsunamis
6	2/6	Landslides	Article Review (due 2/08)
2/8
7	2/13	Surface & Groundwater

Last day to turn in EQ Kits	Article Review (due 2/22)
2/15
8	2/20	Severe Weather/Hurricanes	Article Review (due 3/01)
2/22
9	2/27	Dams & Mining	Video: Three Gorges: the Biggest Dam in the World (due 3/08)
3/1
10	3/6	Student Presentations
last day to turn in extra credit	None
3/8

Exams (100 points each) - Two equally weighted exams are scheduled for the course: one midterm and one final. Each exam counts 100 points. Make-up exams will be given only to those who can verify a valid excuse for missing an exam. The make-up will be given at a time that is mutually agreeable to both the student and myself, but must be arranged prior to the initial exam. Failure to take the make-up will result in the missed exam counting in as a zero. In addition, the exam question sheet must be returned to me after the exam and after the exam review. Failure to do so will result in a ten (10)-point reduction in the student's grade for that exam. Your grades will be available on the class website, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva/grades/index.html.
Article/Video Reviews (100 points) – You will be required to review several papers and videos and write up a brief synopsis of the article or video. Provide your opinion or analysis. The synopsis of each article should be 1 – 2 pages in length, typed using a 10 or 12-point font similar to Times New Roman or Arial, standard 1-inch margins on all sides and 1 ½ line spacing. Do not include photos, graphics, or charts in your synopsis, nor should you place your reviews in a report cover. Please be succinct and concise; you are summarizing articles, not writing a report. Reviews are due the class session after they are assigned/viewed. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Student Presentation (100 points) – The University requires students in General Education classes to demonstrate proficiency in writing, critical thinking, and oral presentation. Therefore, each student will be expected to present a research project on current issues in the field of environmental geology in developing nations. The presentation may be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation or an oral speech, and should be 10 – 15 minutes in length. In addition, the student will be expected to hand in a written summary of their project. Late submissions will not be accepted
Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class session and to arrive on time. It will be difficult to make up missed class sessions. However, if you miss a class session of valid reasons (illness), it will up to you to make arrangements to complete the lab exercise. You will receive 2 points per lecture session or attendance.
Internet Access - Internet access is suggested for this class because much of the course content will be posted on the class web site, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva. Access at home or work is fine as long as you can view the web pages regularly and have a reasonably fast connection. If you don't have access at home or work, you can get free access through an account here at Cal State LA. To get a computer account at Cal State LA, go to the Academic Technology Support (ATS) Office in (basement) King Hall D140. You will need identification and proof of registration.

METHODS OF EVALUATION

Total possible class points will come from the following assignments:

2 tests @ 100 points each	200	50.0%
Article/Video Reviews
2 points per day