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Geology
370: Glacial Geology
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Notes | Grades |
Course GoalThe goal of this course is to study the characteristics, origin and development of glacial landforms and related phenomena from the past three million years.
Course ObjectivesThe objectives of this course are:
- to gain an in-depth understanding of various glacial processes, including ice formation and flow, glacial mass balance, and the erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediments by glacial ice.
- to learn about the various types of landforms associated with glacial landscapes, including the characteristics of these landforms, the processes that create them, and their spatial distribution.
- to learn about the sequence of glacials and interglacials over the past three million years, and the factors that affect climate change.
- to learn how scientists have deduced the sequence of past events (glacials and interglacials) through the study of landforms and other elements of the earth's environment.
- to learn some of the technical skills required for studying glaciers and associated landforms, such as reading and interpreting topographic maps and air photos, and analyzing data.
- to encourage critical thinking skills.
Format & PoliciesThere are three hours of class each week. You are responsible for all material covered in class. If you miss a class, even for a legitimate reason, you are still responsible for the material covered in that class and should get notes from a fellow student. Exams should be taken at the scheduled time. Make up tests are allowed only for extreme cause and with a verified excuse.
Attendance
You are expected to attend class since the material covered in class will not necessarily duplicate material presented in the textbook.
Class Participation
Most classes will be lectures, however, some classes may be partially devoted to assignments or discussion. If a class is partially devoted to discussion, you are expected to participate. Failure to participate may affect your class grade. Your active participation in class will improve the quality and quantity of the material that you learn. You must take responsibility for your own learning. Participating in class is one way to do this. You are always encouraged to participate in class by asking questions, and by contributing observations and comments. You are expected to work on in-class assignments until the end of class or until your work is finished.
Readings
Topics of discussion and associated readings will be posted to the class web site (here). You are expected to complete the assigned readings before coming to class. You should read these pages critically, asking questions as you go � What does this mean (do I understand it)? Why is it important to the study of glacial geology? When and how would I use this information? Three questions that you should always ask yourself, and which I will occasionally ask you to write answers to and hand in are: 1) What did you learn that you didn�t know before? 2) What did you already know, but gained a better understanding of? 3) What are you still confused about?
Assignments
There will be a variety of assignments. Failure to hand these in on time may result in a penalty. Late assignments will not be accepted once an assignment or exercise has be returned (i.e. I will not accept Assignment 2 from you after I have handed it back to everyone else, which means you get a zero for that assignment). There may be one required field trip. Failure to attend the required field trip will result in a grade of zero for any assignments related to the field activities.
Cell Phones
Cell phones should be turned off or set to vibrate during class. Cell phones may not be used during exams or quizzes; they must be put away.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
UWSP has specific guidelines regarding student rights and responsibilities in class and on campus explained at http://www.uwsp.edu/admin/stuaffairs/rights/rightsCommBillRights.pdf. Student academic standards and disciplinary procedures are explained at http://www.uwsp.edu/admin/stuaffairs/rights/rightsChap14.pdf.
Required MaterialsBennett, M.R. & N.F. Glasser (1996) Glacial Geology: Ice Sheets and Landforms. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England. (Available as a rental text.)
Anderson, B.G. & H.W. Borns Jr. (1994) The Ice Age World. Scandinavian University Press, Oslo. (Available as a rental text.)
GradingThe final course grade is based on 3 exams, and a variety of assignments, weighted as follows:
Exam 1 20% (February 21, in class) Exam 2 20% (April 4, in class) Exam 3 20% (May 15, 2:45-4:45) Assignments 40% Total 100% The following cutoffs will be used as a guide for assigning letter grades:
A B C D F