Fall 1998

Instructor: Randall Schaetzl
Office: 413 Natural Science
Office Hours: T-Th 10:00 - 12:00 and most other times that I am in my office
email: schaetzl@pilot.msu.edu
Mailbox: 315 Natural Science
Contacts, emergency or otherwise: Ph. 353-7726 (office), 347-0164 (home)

TEXT: Strahler, A.H. and A.N. Strahler. 1992. Modern Physical Geography. Wiley and Sons Publishers. 638 pp.

LECTURES: T,Th 2:40-4:00 in Rm. 304 NS

COURSE GOALS: Although this course has no specific prerequisites, it is intended for those students who have a basic background in physical geography, biology, geology, and/or earth science. The major goal of GEO 306 is to provide students with an understanding of the evolution of the physical landscape, so that they can later utilize this knowledge in making sound and intelligent environmental decisions. Emphasis will be on process vs form, with the premise that a knowledge of one may allow for accurate estimation of the other. Knowledge of process and form may allow one to make inferences about the two in a spatial sense: this is the essence of geographical geomorphology. Examples of environmental management and mismanagement of the physical landscape will permeate but not dominate the course lectures and readings.

REQUIREMENTS:
General: Regular attendance is assumed, though not taken or checked. Expectations (and the final course curve) for graduate students will be the same as for undergraduates, with two exceptions: (1) graduate students will be expected to participate in all or most field trips, (2) expectations as per the quality of the term paper will be greater for graduate students.

Exams and Assignments: There will be two hourly exams and final exam. All exams will be of essay/short answer/definition format, along with some (few) objective questions. The final exam is cumulative.

Paper: All students will write a 3-4 page (exclusive of references, figures, and tables) term paper on a topic of their choice. Excessive length will not improve your grade, and may in fact detract from it. Quality matters more than quantity. The paper must be handed in no later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day of lecture (Dec 6). Papers handed in after that date will lose 20 points per day. Obviously, this means that papers handed in five days (or more) late will receive a grade of zero, regardless of their content or quality. Exceptions are granted only in cases of extreme illness or extenuating circumstances. Papers must be neatly typed, single-spaced, and all pages must be numbered. Spelling and grammar COUNT! Use of metric and Celsius units will be viewed favorably. References to at least some scholarly works MUST be included in your paper; use of your textbook as a reference is acceptable but additional citations will be needed. Use of lecture notes as a citation/reference is not acceptable. I suggest you use GEOREF or MAGIC2 at the library as search tools to find some sources of work similar to yours. You may use any reference "style" that you wish, as long as you are consistent. Please provide the addresses of all web site pages from which you may have gathered data or other information. As a reminder, plagiarism is not allowed and may result in an automatic failing grade in the class and, potentially, even dismissal from the University. The paper must include more than simple literature review and compilation. Some aspect of field work with data collection, map (topo, soils, hydrologic, geologic, etc.) interpretation, process measurement, quantitative observational data, or historical geomorphology/land use analysis must be a component of the paper. All papers must present some original data, and analyze and interpret that data; papers that do not will be hard-pressed to achieve a passing grade (50%). It is suggested that the student discuss their paper topic with the professor early in the semester--as often as is necessary--to avoid avenues of research that are inappropriate or may prove to be inappropriate, unfruitful, too involved, or too simplistic. I will be happy to examine and comment on ONE proofed draft of your complete paper, provided that it is typed (please type double-spaced so I can have space to write comments). The paper will be graded on several components (approximately as follows):

Research design and scientific method................ 50%
Neatness, grammar, spelling, writing style, etc.... 30%
Organization...................................................... 10%
Imagination and creativity.................................... 10%

I will keep the paper you hand in; if you want a copy, please make one for yourself prior to handing in the paper. Please do NOT hand in papers with plastic-coated pages; it hinders my ability to write comments on the paper directly. I have found that the two most common sources of "point loss" for the papers in GEO 306 are (1) lack of appropriate subheadings (e.g., Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Study Area, Results, etc.), (2) improper referencing or lack thereof, (3) choice of a paper topic that is inappropriate, e.g., no original data are gathered, and (4) no maps or figures are included for studies that would have benefitted from them. All information that is not "common knowledge" must be referenced appropriately. All papers must have a short but explanatory title. Examples of typical, good papers that were completed by students who took this class in previous years are located on the "Courses Taught" section of my home page: https://project.geo.msu.edu/geo333/courses_taught.html

Field Trips: There will be two field trips in GEO 306, with an optional third trip. For undergraduates, the trips are not required but strongly recommended. It is, in general, required for graduate students.

The date of the FIRST trip is September 15-17, to the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Lodging costs will be covered by the Department. Students absorb travel costs; expect a per-person cost of about $50. Food costs are also absorbed by students. Saturday and Sunday breakfast will be eaten at an "all-you-can eat" buffet restaurant. Lunches will be eaten "on the run" from coolers, in the vehicle. We will cook dinners at a house where we will be staying. The trip is open to the first ten students who sign up and pay Dr. Schaetzl a non-refundable, partial payment of $40 (the balance is due after the trip is over). All students that go on the trip will receive 10 bonus points.

The date of the SECOND trip is October 8, to the Saginaw Lake Plain. This will be a trip that leaves Sunday morning and returns in the evening; students absorb travel costs; expect a per-person cost of about $10. Food costs are absorbed by students. Lunch will be at a fast food restaurant. The trip is open to the first ten students who sign up and pay Dr. Schaetzl a non-refundable, partial payment of $10 (the balance is due after the trip is over). All students that go on the trip will receive 5 bonus points.

Depending upon demand, I will run a THIRD field trip, to the SW part of lower Michigan, on Sunday, October 29. Details to follow.

GRADING:
A maximum of 360 points can be earned in this course. Grades are based on a curve of the student's overall point total. Points are assigned as follows:

First exam.................................... 70 points
Second exam................................ 70 points
Final exam................................... 120 points
Paper............................................ 100 points
Total: 360 points

OTHER
Every attempt will be made to use the metric/Celsius systems in GEO 306. Students should familiarize themselves with these systems of measurement.

RELATED COURSES
Graduate and advanced undergraduate level courses offered at MSU that are related in content to GEO 306 are listed below. (Courses at the 100-300 level in many other disciplines may be helpful as well, but have been omitted for space purposes.) The courses below may be taken to advance your knowledge of a certain subject area(s) in physical Geography and geomorphology. I would be happy to talk to you about these courses, if you have questions.

LECTURE OUTLINE
Sep 1 Introduction 6-8
Sep 3 Geomorphological concepts, and some of its models: Davis, Penck 330-331; 352-354
Sep 8 Rocks vs minerals, dating techniques 214-227
Sep 10 Dating techniques, esp. ¹⁴C dating 433
Sep 15 Bedrock-controlled landforms 366-377
Sep 17 Structural and tectonic landforms on sedimentary rocks; folding and faulting 355-358
Sep 22 Plate tectonics, passive vs active plate margins 228-246
Sep 24 Vulcanism; earthquake hazards 246-280
Sep 29 Weathering and geomorphology 281-287
Oct 1 Soil properties, soil horizons 445-450; 456-457
Oct 6 Soil geomorphology and paleosols

Oct 8 FIRST EXAM

Dec 11 Papers due to Dr. Schaetzl by 5:00 pm

Dec 17 FINAL EXAM (3:00-5:00)