Dr. Keith B. Miller Spring 2009

GEOLOGY 125

NATURAL DISASTERS

T,Th 9:30 – 10:45 am

Umberger 105

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Earth is a very dynamic place. Many Earth processes are too “normal” or occur at rates too slow to attract our notice. However, some events grab our attention, and force us to pay attention. This course will investigate the fundamental Earth processes that underlie these events, and will look at specific notable “natural disasters.” We will be focusing our attention in this class on three aspects of the dynamics of our Earth system and their associated hazards: 1) earthquakes, 2) volcanoes, and 3) weather.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: My desire is that after this course you will have a much greater appreciation for, and understanding of, the natural forces and processes that impact our lives in very significant ways. For this reason, much of the class material will concern how the earth system works – from the processes active in the Earth interior, to the atmospheric forces that produce today’s weather. This course is also about people. Natural disasters are only disasters because individuals and societies have made specific decisions that place themselves or their property at risk. It is my hope that as a result of this course you will be a better-informed decision maker as both an individual and as a citizen.

During the course we will be addressing a number of important questions.

* What are the causes of various natural hazards and disasters?

* Why are some areas more at risk of a particular hazard than others?

* Are natural disasters predictable?

* Are natural disasters avoidable?

* Can technology reduce the occurrence of natural disasters?

* What human decisions have increased the risk from natural hazards?

* How can we reduce our risk of natural disasters as individuals?

* What actions do we need to take as a society?

K-STATE ONLINE: For this course you will need to have access to K-State Online. You can access it through the K-State homepage at http://www.ksu.edu. Log in with your user ID and a personal password of your choice. This site will provide you with course information, access to your exam and quiz scores, and a message board for posting questions related to course content. The will also be designated message boards that you will use to submit assigned summaries and extra credit (see below).

QUIZES AND EXAMS: Unannounced quizzes will be given during class time. You need to bring a computer scantron card and a No. 2 pencil to every class. There will be three exams during the semester on the dates indicated, and a final exam. The final exam will be comprehensive. All exams are multiple choice and will be recorded on computer scantron cards.

SUMMARIES: You will be required to write three short (250-300 word) summaries of articles or websites of your choice that are related to the content of the course (note: you cannot use the text as a source). One of these summaries will be on the topic of earthquakes, one on the topic of volcanoes, and one on the topic of storms or floods. These summaries will give you the opportunity to learn something outside of class that is of particular interest to you personally, and share that with your classmates.

You will post these online to a dedicated Message Board as instructed. The result will be a class-generated web resource that will be accessible to all students in the class.

The short written summaries must be in your own words – not copied from your source or copied from another person’s summary. Copying other’s work in these summaries constitutes plagiarism (see Honor Code below). The summaries must also include complete bibliographic information or URLs for your sources.

EXTRA CREDIT: You will be given the opportunity to share your personal experiences with natural disasters with the rest of the class by posting to a designated message board online. Most of us have had some experience, either directly or indirectly through family and friends, of the impact of natural hazards. Such stories are informative and bring the course content down to a very personal level. A post of 250 words or more to this message board will count as 3 pts of extra credit. Only one such post will count for extra credit.

ASSIGNMENTS & CLASS ATTENDANCE: The summary submission deadlines are firm, and any summaries submitted late will have points deducted. Late summaries can be submitted up to the end of class for significantly reduced credit.

You will be expected to read the assigned pages of the text. Class lectures will complement, but not reiterate, the textbook. The Power Point word slides for the class lectures will be posted online at least one day previous to class. You regular class attendance is essential for you to be able to succeed in this course. Explanations and demonstrations in class are important for your understanding of the material.

MAKE-UP EXAMS & QUIZES: Makeup exams will be allowed ONLY if you have a written signed excuse for the date of the exam from your doctor, academic dean, or advisor. I also must be notified of the absence either before the exam or by the next regularly scheduled class period. Make-up exams will be given during times to be arranged with me. There will be NO make-up opportunities for in-class quizzes. To make allowances for missed quizzes, two quiz scores during the semester will be dropped.

GRADING: All grades will be available confidentially on the class KSU-Online site by individual password. The three exams during the semester, and the final exam, will each be worth 20%. The remaining 20% of your grade will be determined by your three summaries (10%), and class quizzes (10%). Your final grades will be adjusted based on the class average. The letter grades will be assigned using the standard scale.

A; 90.0% or greater

B: 80.0 - 89.9%

C: 70.0 – 79.9%

D: 60.0 – 69.9%

F: Below 60.0%

If the class average is less than 75%, the difference between the actual class average and 75% will be added to each persons percentage score.

HONOR CODE: An honor system for undergraduate students has been in effect since 1999. In this system, the honor pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: “on my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work.” Plagiarism, copying of other’s work, use of written or other aids during hourly exams, all constitute violation of this pledge. A grade of XF can result from a violation of academic honesty. An XF would be failure of the course with the X on the transcript indicating failure as a result of a violation of academic honesty.

IMPORTANT DATES:

January 15 Classes start

January 19 Holiday

February 19 Last day to drop w/out a “W”

March 16-20 Spring Break

March 23 Last day to drop

April 18 Open House

May 8 Last day of classes

OFFICE HOURS: Room 212 Thompson Hall

M, T 10:30-11:30 am and other times by appointment.

Please take advantage of my office hours to obtain help. If you have any questions concerning either the readings or lecture see me as soon as possible! I can’t read your minds, so if you are not meeting your goals for the course please come and see me. My e-mail address is kbmill@ksu.edu.

COURSE TEXT

NATURAL DISASTERS

George R. Clark II

Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2002

ISBN: 0-7872-9682-1

CLASS SCHEDULE

DATES TOPIC TEXT READING

Jan. 23 Introduction

PART I: THE EARTH’S INTERIOR

Understanding the internal dynamics of the solid Earth

Jan. 20, 22 Inside the Earth Ch. 1

PART IA: EARTHQUAKES

What factors determine earthquake location and intensity?

What are the various hazards generated by earthquakes?

Jan. 27, 29 Understanding Earthquakes Ch. 2

Feb. 3, 5 Earthquake Hazards Ch. 3

Feb. 7 --- Earthquake Summary Due ---

A look a selected case studies of earthquake disasters.

What turned particular earthquakes into disasters?

Feb. 10, 12 Notable Earthquakes Ch. 4

Feb 17 -------- EXAM #1 --------

PART IB: VOLCANOES

What determines the locations and types of volcanic eruptions?

Why are certain hazards associated with particular volcanoes?

Feb 19, 24, 26 Volcanoes and Volcanism Ch. 5

Mar. 3, 5 Volcanic Hazards Ch. 6

Mar. 14 --- Volcano Summary Due ---

A look at selected case studies of volcanic disasters.

Mar. 10, 12, 24 Notable Eruptions Ch. 7

Mar. 26 ------- EXAM #2 --------

PART II: THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

Understanding the atmospheric processes that generate weather

Mar. 31, Apr. 2, 7 Weather Ch. 8

PART IIA: STORMS

What controls the type, location, and severity of storms?

Apr. 9, 14 Storms Ch. 9

Apr. 18 --- Storm/Flood Summary Due ---

A look at selected disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards.

Apr. 16, 21 Notable Storms Ch. 10

Apr. 23 ------- EXAM #3

PART IIB: FLOODS

How do rivers and streams behave, and how do floods occur?

Apr. 28, 30 Understanding Floods None

A look at selected flood disasters and their natural and human causes.

May 5, 7 Notable Floods None

May 12 (2:00 PM) -------- FINAL EXAM --------

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT: Copyright © 2009 (Keith B. Miller) as to this syllabus and all lectures. During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to, or being paid for taking notes by, any person or commercial firm without my express written permission.