How to evaluate information on the web

Access Columbia Earthscape

Browse Wikipedia for Natural Disasters

Dec 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster

Drowning New Orleans (Scientific American)

Models predicted New Orleans disaster

Yellowstone rated high for eruption threat

Ancient humans 'altered' climate

Ice belt 'encircled Mars equator'

NASA's Mission to Mars

El Niño Watch

Access BBC for Climate Change

Global Climate Change

Is Europe Cooling?

Southern California Earthquakes

Earthquake animations ...

William Calvin's Talks/Articles:

describe how geology, perhaps the most visual of all physical sciences, exemplifies the scientific process of continually matching the empirical observations and theoretical constructs and helps us understand the forces that shape our natural environment;

explain the mechanism and processes associated with earth hazards like earthquakes and volcanism and how the earth materials and surface processes shape our natural habitat, and

evaluate the causes and consequences of climate change and resource exhaustibility in terms of why they arise and how they produce the associated problems of environmental degradation and global warming, and

establish the connections between geology, meteorology, ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, economics and ethics; in order to analyze why understanding the earth system has become so crucial to our collective future.

DEADLINES: Sept 13 for ADD/DROP-WITHOUT-W, Nov 19 to DROP WITH AUTOMATIC ‘W’ (dropping after this means an automatic ‘F’) (DROPPING OUT OF THE COURSE, WITH OR WITHOUT A “W”, IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY).

This is a COLLEGE TRANSFER COURSE. Therefore, the class will rely heavily on discussions and analyses of the ongoing processes of Geoenvironmental interest. YOUR SUCCESS WILL DEPEND ON THE NOTES YOU TAKE IN THE CLASS, YOUR READINGS BEFORE AND AFTER THE CLASS, AND ON YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE DISCUSSIONS. Also (a) your HOMEWORK basically comprises your reading the relevant chapters/topics beforehand in order to be able to follow the class discussions, (b) an attendance below 70% will invite an F, and (c) so will even a suspicion of “cheating”. You will earn negative points for any disruptive and/or anti-social behavior and may even secure an F in the process.

For final grading (A > 90% > B > 80% > C > 70% > F), best 2 of the 3 Class-Tests will account for 60% of the overall grade, the comprehensive Final Examination for 30%, and presence and participation in the class, as may be measured through pop-quizzes etc., for the remaining 10%. Also, as a necessary minimum condition for securing the grade A, a student should have secured 90% marks in at least 2 of the 3 Class-Tests. Note that, while the Class-Tests will be part multiple-choice type and part short notes and/or essay, the Final Examination will only comprise an essay and two short notes.

Videos: You may wish to browse the corresponding episodes in the EARTH REVEALED and/or OCEANUS videos available at the Learning Center.

Any “Extra Credit” work an ORIGINAL essay or term paper or research paper, project or report on a topic of student’s choice ― will be graded on a -5 to +5 scale, usually only in marginal cases and therefore at the time of the Final grading.