GEOLOGY 357 – Urban Geology

Spring Quarter 2007 (11522, SEC 1)	Instructor: Sonjia Leyva

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

Room: PS 223	Office Hours: T & Th 5:30 – 6:00 PM

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

Course Description: The geologic conditions and processes that affect the urban environment are examined with emphasis on the Los Angeles area. Urban planning to avoid geological hazards is investigated. Time requirements: Lecture 4 hours, plus additional time for studying, research, and assignments. Fulfills 4 units in Theme D of the GE Requirements.
Course Objectives: Students learn via lectures, reading assignments, and videos about the geologic processes, hazards and resources which affect the urban environment. In addition, students will learn to use government resources and the Internet to investigate the geological setting of their own home and to create a report on their findings.
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	3/27	Introduction	Motavalli et al (2005) Article Review (due 01/09)
3/29	Population & Urbanization
2	4/3	Volcanoes	Dominey-Howes and Minos-Minopoulos (2004) Article Review (due 01/16)
4/5
3	4/10	Earthquakes	Pinsker (2002) Article Review (due 01/23)
4/12
4	4/17	Flooding	Young et al (1999) Article Review (due 01/30)
4/19
5	4/24	Coastal Hazards	Jibson (2005) Article Review (due 02/06)
4/26
6	5/1	Midterm Exam	none!
5/3	Construction and the Environment
7	5/8	Mass Wasting	EXTRA CREDIT EQ Kits due!
5/10
8	5/15	Natural Resources – Water	Presentation Group # 1
5/17	Natural Resources – Minerals & Ores
9	5/22	Natural Resources – Energy	Presentation Group # 2
5/24	Natural Resources – Alternatives
10	5/29	Global Climate Change
5/31

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 Synopsis (50 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 ½ – 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 handed out/viewed. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Presentation (50 points) – Each student is required give a 15 - 20 minute presentation on an Urban Geology topic during the last four weeks of the quarter. Guidelines and topic choices for these presentation are outlined on the attached pages. Determination of when the presentation will be given will be done by a lottery. Presentations are due during the last four weeks of the quarter. Late submissions will not be accepted
Home Evaluation Project (60 points) - There is a writing assignment for this course. You will be expected to do a complete geologic hazard evaluation of your home and its location. Please refer to your syllabus for the due date. Late reports will not be accepted!
Class Attendance (40 points) Your thoughts and opinions are important. As such, you should plan on bringing your questions, comments, and opinions to each and every class session and be prepared to discuss the topic of the evening. Attendance will be taken at every class meeting. 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:

Points possible	Total Points Possible	% of grade
Exams	2 tests @ 100 points each	200	50.0%
Article/Video Reviews	10 points	50	12.5%
Student Presentation	50 points	50	12.5%
Home Evaluation Project	60 points	60	15.0%
Attendance	2 points per day	40	10.0%
400	100.0%
You may do up to 20 points of extra credit work to raise your total points earned. All extra credit is due the last day of class – not the day of the final! Your grade is based on your percentage score out of 400 points. Grades will be assigned using + and - (i.e., B+, B or B-). our grades will be available on the class website, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva/grades/index.html.	A = >90%	>360.0 points
B = 80-89%	320.0 – 359.9 points
C = 70-79%	280.0 – 319.9 points
D = 60-69%	240.0 – 279.9 points
F =< 60%	<240.0 points
Your grades will be available on the class website, .

The Department of Geological Sciences faculty members fully support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The members of the faculty will provide reasonable accommodation to any student with a disability who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) who needs and requests accommodation. The faculty may wish to contact the OSD to verify the presence of a disability and confirm that accommodation is necessary. The OSD will arrange and provide for the accommodation.

Reasonable accommodation may involve allowing a student to use an interpreter, note taker, or reader; accommodation may be needed during class sessions and for administration of examinations. The intent of the ADA in requiring consideration of reasonable accommodation is not to give a particular student an unfair advantage over other students, but simply to allow a student with disability to have an equal opportunity to be successful.

Student conduct is viewed as a serious matter by the faculty members of the Department of Geological Sciences. The Department faculty members assume that all students will conduct themselves as mature citizens of the campus community and will conduct themselves in a manner congruent with university policies and regulations. Inappropriate conduct is subject to discipline as provided for in Title 5, California Code of Regulations (see student conduct: rights and responsibilities, and student discipline, CSULA General Catalog). Academic honesty is expected of all students in the Department, in accordance with University policy. There are established university reporting procedures if a student is suspected of committing an academically dishonest act.

◦	The University has a clearly defined policy on Academic Honesty. This policy will be enforced in this class. Cheating and plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Students caught plagiarizing and/or cheating will be subject to the consequences and set forth in the University Catalog, Appendix D - Academic Honesty. You can access it online at: http://catalog.calstatela.edu

: Make-up exams will be given only to those who can verify a valid excuse for missing a quiz. The make-up will given at a time that is mutually agreeable to both the student and myself. Failure to take the make-up will result in the missed exam counting in as a zero.

University policy allows a grade of incomplete to be given only to those who have been sick, injured, or have a similar valid excuse. A grade of "incomplete" will not be given after poor performance in the course.

◦	If you are repeating any Cal State L.A. course in order to remove a D or an F from your transcript, you must file an academic renewal petition in Administration 101 no later than the last day to add a class. Instructions for doing this may be found under "Academic Renewal" in your Schedule of Classes.

◦	University policy requires that all students shall be graded in exactly the same fashion. What does this mean? You may not ask for extra assignments or to repeat an exam to improve your grade, or additional assignments after the course is completed.