Course Syllabus

Course Goals.  This class is mostly populated with civil, petroleum, architectural, environmental and mechanical engineers. This class differs from the regular Physical Geology course in its emphasis on the civil and petroleum engineering aspects of geology, use of simple algebra and simple trigonometry (not calculus), and 2-3 page graded homeworks for each chapter. 

A civil or architectural engineer needs to know about the strength and deformation of bedrock and soil that structures are built upon. A  petroleum engineer needs to know about sedimentary rock types, their fracture strength and distribution, and their porosity and permeability. An environmental engineer need to know about groundwater flow, pollution, and remediation. The civil, architectural and environmental engineers need to know how natural disasters - hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes - affect human infrastructure.

This class assumes no prior geologic coursework.  After an introduction to the unifying theme of the earth sciences that is plate tectonics, the first 40% of this class will cover how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed by plate tectonic processes, and the strength and fracture properties of these rocks. Given the importance of rock identification, four of the beginning labs are on mineral and rock identification. The second half of this class studies how earthquakes, river processes, weathering and erosion, land subsidence, and groundwater flow are related to the engineering disciples.

WyoCourse (WC) website.  Our course website is called "Physical Geology (Eng majors): GEOL-1100-02". This site contains your always up to date gradesheet, lecture slide-decks, quizzes, tests, lab and homework PDF file assignment uploads for this course. Please read the course "Announcements" as they are my primary method of communicating with the class. A search for Canvas in the Android/iOS application stores will find application to access our WyoCourse site on your phone or tablet.  Canvas is the software use by our WyoCourse site.

Lectures.  MWF 1:10-2:00 pm in Agriculture building room 1032.  All my lecture slide-decks can be found in our WyoCourse "Modules" tab. A drawback of providing all my lectures online is that some students choose to skip lectures. This would be sub-optimal for you as we do substantial Q&A in class to promote critical thinking about our subject material. 

Office hours.  Dr. Dueker's office is in the Earth Science Building (ESB) room 2024 and lab teaching assistant Ian Keifer (ikeifer@uwyo.edu) is in ESB room 2002.  My office hours are by appointment (just email or text me. Lab TA Ian Keifer office hours are 12-2 pm Thursday in the Earth Science Building room 2002. I very much enjoy talking with students, so please make an appointment or just talk to me after class. The best way for me to understand where each and every one of you is coming from is by talking to you.

Labs. This class has two lab times that meet on Thursday at 10:00-11:50 and 1:10-3:00 pm.  The labs are in the Geology Building room 211. Lab attendance is mandatory. There is no lab the first or last week of the class.

Lab manual. Eight of the labs will use a manual written for the regular Geology Course (GEOL-1100-01) called: Physical Geology Lab Manual. It is available at the bookstore for about $10 and you must bring it to every class as the actual labs that you turn in are in the manual.

Texting/Email communication method with TA and teacher. Use the WyoCourse email facility as it has advantages for all. On our WyoCourse (WC) website, the "Inbox" button is at the left sidebar of our WC website. 

Textbook.  The publisher of our textbook (Pearson) let our textbook go out of print last year, so it is NOT in the bookstore.  But, there are many new, used and rental copies available for purchase online.

Our textbook is the 3^rd edition of "Geology for Engineers and Environmental Scientists" by Alan E. Kehew. 

Purchase link   from $57 for used copy.

Also, a cheaper version of our textbook (just missing chapter-1 that I provide as a PDF file) is available that is called  the "Paperback International version" (3^rd edition; published 2016).  

Purchase link   from $13 for used copy.

Also, many online book resellers sell new and used copies of these textbooks.

Assignment types, grade percentage, submission methods

Assignment group	Grade %	Submission method	Details
Tests	55%	Taken in computer lab	Two in-class tests  are each 15% of your final grade and each test is about 100 multiple choice questions.  A final is 25% of your final grade and is about 150 questions. Test-1 is on Weds March 6. Test-2 is on Monday April 22. The final is on Monday May 13 from 1:15 - 3:15 pm.
Labs	20%	WyoCourse PDF upload	All labs must be uploaded to our WyoCourse site by midnight the day before the next scheduled lab.   Lab PDF file uploads are done within the Assignments tab.
Chapter Homeworks	15%	WyoCourse PDF upload	Chapter homeworks are 8 to 18 questions picked from the questions at the end of each chapter. Some algebra and trigonometry is used.  Homeworks are done on paper and then made into a PDF file by you that is uploaded to our WC website by you. I grade all your HW's and post the answer keys to our WC website.
Chapter quizzes	10%	WyoCourse Quiz Facility	Quizzes are found under the "Quizzes" tab. Each online quiz is about 15-25 questions. The quizzes have 30-50 minute time limits and can be taken only once. You are given a 2 day time range in which you can take the quiz.  This 2 day time range is specified in the WC quiz information and announced in-class and via website annoucements.

WyoCourse PDF file uploads

PDF file uploads are done by going to our WC site "Assignments" tab and clicking on an assignment and finally clicking on the "submit assignment" button. Your PDF files need to be uploaded by midnight on the assignment due date to not be penalized 

To make PDF files, take legible pictures (e.g., using your phone) of your paper homework or paper lab assignment. Next use an application (e.g., PDF android phone.pdf )  on your phone/tablet to turn a set of pictures (usually JPEGs) into ONE PDF FILE.  To reiterate, all uploads must be PDF format files, not docx, jpeg, png format files.  PDF files are required because the WC online grading facility can only add annotations to PDF format files.

Online Testing/Quizzing methods and answer keys

• The 3 tests are done in a UW computer lab. There is no class the day of a test.  The tests are just long quizzes and are found under the WC "Quizzes" tab.
• The quizzes are auto-graded by the WC website and answers are provided online after the quizzes.
• The PDF file HW and lab uploads are graded online with scoring and comments annotated upon them.
• The lab quizzes are on paper and scored by hand by your TA and handed back the following lab.

Tests.  Tests must be taken on the scheduled date.  DSS students get to test at the DSS testing center with accommodations. Make-up exams will be given to students with an official University excuse.  No electronic dictionaries can be used. International students may ask for clarification of English terms during the test. If you wait until the night before a test, you may be disappointed with your test score. 

Class Reading/Lecture Outline: 13 weeks, paced at about one chapter per week

topic #	chapter #	chapter title	# pages
1	1	Challenges of the 21st Century	21
2	2	The Earth and Its Systems	49
3	3	Minerals	30
4	4	Igneous Rocks and Processes	45
5	5	Sedimentary Rocks and Processes	41
6	6	Metamorphic Rocks and Processes	16
		Test-1 in computer lab (March 6)
7	7	Mechanics of Earth Materials	35
8	8	Structural Deformation of the Earth’s Crust and Earthquakes	61
9	9	Weathering and Erosion	27
10	10	Soils, Soil Hazards and Land Subsidence	45
		Test-2 in computer lab (April 22)
12	11	Ground water	52
13	14	Rivers	40
		Final in computer lab (May 13)

We are skipping three chapters in our textbook:  chapter 12 (Subsurface Contamination and Remediation), chapter 13 (Mass Movement and Slope Stability), and chapter 16 (Glaciers, Permafrost, and Deserts).

 Lab Exercises and Lab Quizes

There are 12 labs and 10 lab quizzes that are 20% of your total grade. Completed labs are uploaded as PDF files to our WyoCourse site by midnight the day before the next lab (Wednesday). 

week #	lab #	Lab topic	GEOL 1100-01 Lab?
1		No lab first week
2	1	Maps	YES
3	2	Minerals	YES
4	3	Volcanoes and igneous rocks	YES
5	4	Sediment and sedimentary rocks	YES
6	5	Metamorphic rocks	YES
7	6	Relative and absolute time	YES
8		Spring Break
9	7	Rock Strength	NO
10	8	Deformation of Earth's crust	YES
11	9	Four spheres: geo-bio-hydro-atmosphere	NO
12	10	Soil strength: Attenburg limits	NO
13	11	Groundwater	YES
14	12	Rivers	YES
15		No lab last week

Lab grading. The labs are graded online in our WyoCourse website and you will be able to see the scoring and comments for your lab at our WyoCourse website.

Lab-quizzes. There will be a 5 minute quiz at the beginning of lab every week. The Lab quizzes will test your understanding of the previous week’s lab material. If you are late to lab, you may miss the quiz and will not be able to make it up.  The lab-quizzes are closed book.

Lab attendance. Attendance is required in lab. You cannot turn in your lab without attending—attempting to do so is considered cheating. Because some labs are near their attendance limits, you must make prior arrangement with the lab TA show up at another lab section. You must bring a calculator and a pencil to each lab. 

Make-up lab work. If you miss a lab due to a verifiable, excused absence as determined by university regulations, you will be able to make up the work within one week of your return. If you have a pre-scheduled university-excused absence, you must contact the TA one week or more before the scheduled absence. If you show up to lab and tell the instructor that you missed the previous week’s lab, you will not be able to make up to lab or quiz because the one week will have already expired. 

Numeric grade calculation and final letter grade

Your grade is the weighted sum of your each of the four assignment groups  (tests, labs, homework, quizzes). These scores are shown at the far right of your grade sheet. Each of your four assignment group scores are a weighted sum of the assignments within each group where the weighting is proportional to the point total for each assignment which is shown just below each assignment in your grade sheet.

The grade sheet always shows your current grade and at the end of class this grade is your final grade. Your grade percentage is kept to 4 significant-figures and is not rounded to 2 signficant figures. There is no extra-credit. 

Your final course letter grade is assigned based on your final numeric grade score as follows.

A	100	93.33
A-	<93.33	90.00
B+	<90.00	86.66
B	<86.66	83.33
B-	<83.33	80.00
C+	<80.00	76.66
C	<76.66	73.33
C-	<73.33	70.00
D+	<70.00	66.66
D	<66.66	60.00
F	<60.00	0

Weekly work expectations

From UW catalog: "Normally, one credit hour is earned in a course meeting one hour per week for a semester. Each credit hour unit requires an average of three hours of student effort per week".  (We all know this is not true and the University should change this). The following class work schedule sums to about 4-6 hours of outside class work per week.

• 2   hours:  Reading and studying the assigned chapter in the textbook.
• 1-2 hours: Do the homework problems at end of each chapter on paper and upload PDF file to our website 
• 1/2 hours: Take online quiz on the assigned chapter at home on any computer of your choice.
• 1/2 hours: Finish lab at home and upload PDF of lab report by midnight the day before the following lab.

WyoCourse website information

WyoCourse         Student Guides      setup WyoCourse to text you

How to add your picture to WyoCourse (nice to do):                           Link

How to upload an online assignment  to WyoCourse (required):         Link

University Wide Policies for this course

Classroom Behavior Policy: At all times, treat your presence in the classroom and your enrollment in this course as you would a job. Act professionally, arrive on time, pay attention, complete your work in a timely and professional manner, and treat all deadlines seriously. You will be respectful towards you classmates and instructor. Spirited debate and disagreement are to be expected in any classroom and all views will be heard fully, but at all times we will behave civilly and with respect towards one another. Personal attacks, offensive language, name-calling, and dismissive gestures are not warranted in a learning atmosphere. As the instructor, I have the right to dismiss you from the classroom, study sessions, electronic forums, and other areas where disruptive behavior occurs. Electronic devices such as mobile phones should be (left at home, set to silent, turned off). Laptops are allowed for note-taking purposes as long as the there is no audible key-click noise. No video or audio recording during class is allowed to protect the privacy of your fellow students.”

Classroom Statement on Diversity: “The University of Wyoming values an educational environment that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The diversity that students and faculty bring to class, including age, country of origin, culture, disability, economic class, ethnicity, gender identity, immigration status, linguistic, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, worldview, and other social and cultural diversity is valued, respected, and considered a resource for learning. “

Disability Support: The University of Wyoming is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. If you have a disability, including but not limited to physical, learning, sensory or psychological disabilities, and would like to request accommodations in this course due to your disability, , please register with and provide documentation of your disability as soon as possible to Disability Support Services (DSS), Room 128 Knight Hall. You may also contact DSS at (307) 766-3073 or udss@uwyo.edu. It is in the student’s best interest to request accommodations within the first week of classes, understanding that accommodations are not retroactive. Visit the DSS website for more information at: www.uwyo.edu/udss.

Academic Dishonesty Policies: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Cases of academic dishonesty will be treated in accordance with UW Regulation 2-114. The penalties for academic dishonesty can include, at my discretion, an “F” on an exam, an “F” on the class component exercise, and/or an “F” in the entire course. Academic dishonesty means anything that represents someone else’s ideas as your own without attribution. It is intellectual theft – stealing - and includes (but is not limited to) unapproved assistance on examinations, plagiarism (use of any amount of another person’s writings, blog posts, publications, and other materials without attributing that material to that person with citations), or fabrication of referenced information. Facilitation of another person’s academic dishonesty is also considered academic dishonesty and will be treated identically.

Duty to Report: UW faculty are committed to supporting students and upholding the University’s non-discrimination policy. Under Title IX, discrimination based upon sex and gender is prohibited. If you experience an incident of sex- or gender-based discrimination, we encourage you to report it. While you may talk to a faculty member, understand that as a "Responsible Employee" of the University, the faculty member MUST report information you share about the incident to the university’s Title IX Coordinator (you may choose whether you or anyone involved is identified by name). If you would like to speak with someone who may be able to afford you privacy or confidentiality, there are people who can meet with you. Faculty can help direct you or you may find info about UW policy and resources at http://www.uwyo.edu/reportit.  You do not have to go through the experience alone. Assistance and resources are available, and you are not required to make a formal complaint or participate in an investigation to access them.

Substantive changes to syllabus:All deadlines, requirements, and course structure is subject to change if deemed necessary by the instructor. Students will be notified verbally in class, on our WyoCourses page announcement, and via email of these changes. This syllabus is a guide. Circumstances may alter the reading and/or test schedules. You are required to check WyoCourses and your email at least once a week.

Student Resources:

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES: udss@uwyo.edu, 766-3073, 128 Knight Hall, www.uwyo.edu/udss

COUNSELING CENTER: uccstaff@uwyo.edu, 766-2187, 766-8989 (After hours, www.uwyo.edu/ucc

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS: 766-4286, 312 Old Main, www.uwyo.edu/acadaffairs

DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE: dos@uwyo.edu, 766-3296, 128 Knight Hall, www.uwyo.edu/dos

UW POLICE DEPARTMENT: uwpd@uwyo.edu, 766-5179, 1426 E Flint St, www.uwyo.edu/uwpd

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT WEBSITE: www.uwyo.edu/dos/conduct