Faculty Syllabus

Instructional Methods

This course will feature in class lectures and exercises.. Student learning will be assessed with examinations, quizzes and homework assignments. Access to a working computer with reliable internet access is required to complete the work in this course. Internet access is available at all ACC campuses. 

Course Structure:  The course is divided into 5 modules, each covering 3 chapters.  For each chapter you will need to:

• Read the portions of the textbook chapters that cover the topics described in the presentations. 
• Understand the terms and concepts on the study topics available on Blackboard
• Complete projects for Modules 2, 3 and 4 (Modules 1 and 5 have no project).  See the Course Schedule for these project deadlines 

Copyrighted Material

All class materials on ACC web pages, electronic reserves, on disk and in printed form are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright holder. Reproduction means photocopying, scanning, cloying downloaded files or posting any of these materials on a website or server.

MODULE ASSIGNMENTS ON BLACKBOARD

Projects: Three blackboard projects are to be completed as part of Modules 2, 3 and 4.  Instructions and the project worksheet will be provided to you in class. When you have completed the worksheet, you will submit your answers into the Blackboard assignment posted in the Project’s BB folder.   The projects are not meant to be hard or tricky, but you will have to read and comprehend the instructions and understand the purpose of each.  You will need access to Google Maps to complete the first project. 

• Project WARNING: These projects are NOT group efforts – you are not to work together to come up with collaborative answers.  If you run into problems or have questions, I’m the person you should ask for help.  
• It is fine to interact with your classmates regarding general approaches to projects or how to get started (“Where is Mogadishu?”), but DO NOT ask for answers from your classmates. Also, it is not appropriate to contact your classmates to see if you all got the same answers.   Even if you make errors, you can still earn significant points as long as all your subsequent analysis and conclusions are based on the values YOU determined!  If I find inappropriate collaboration on projects, all involved parties will earn zeros on the project, AND if appropriate, formal disciplinary actions may be initiated.

EXAMS:  Each of the 5 modules has a 70-point exam covering material from the module.  None of the exams are cumulative, however, fundamental concepts from one module may apply to other modules.  Therefore, you cannot “forget” concepts, terms and processes from previous modules!   Questions will be drawn from mostly lectures, quizzes, and projects, but DO NOT expect all the questions on the exams to be “cut & pasted” from the quizzes or projects!  I will not ask questions about specific answers from a project, but the concepts covered in a project are fair game. Exams questions may consist of multiple choice or multiple answer, matching, filling in blanks, labeling and essay.  No exam grades will be dropped. 

Course Equipment and Supplies

• A working computer with internet access 
• Green scantrons
• Pencil, pen and notebook
• Microsoft office or GoogleDocs

Required Textbook

Reichard, James S., 2021. Environmental Geology 5th Ed. (McGraw-Hill). If you registered via 1st Day Access, you have an ebook version of the text accessible thru Blackboard under the Textbook: Environmental Geology link on our course Blackboard (BB) page.  

You may opt out of the cost of 1st Day Access if you wish – this will allow you to be reimbursed for the 1st Day Access textbook cost. To opt out, go to our Blackboard site and click on the Ebook Access to Text link.  This should take you to the textbook, which should have a button available for opting out.  The 4th edition of the text will be fine for this course. For more info, see First Day Access Information.

GEOL 1305 – Environmental Geology Spring 2025 Class Schedule

*** Schedule changes may occur during the semester and will be announced via Blackboard****

Student Learning Outcomes

Course-Level

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• describe the scientific method as applied in the earth sciences
• explain the hydrologic cycle and theory of plate tectonics as related to natural hazards and earth resources
• describe common earth materials and their relationship to environmental hazards
• explain earth processes that create hazards to life and property
• describe the occurrence and formation of earth resources and significant environmental effects caused by their extraction, processing, and use
• describe the major sources of water, soil, and sediment pollution and methods for their management
• explain the causes and effects of global climate change

General Education

As a Core Curriculum course, students completing this course will demonstrate competence in:

• Critical Thinking - gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information 
• Interpersonal Skills - interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals
• Quantitative and Empirical Reasoning  - applying mathematical, logical and scientific principles and methods 
• Written, Oral and Visual Communication - communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.