Welcome to Environmental Geology Online

(GEOL120)

Instructor: Keith Meldahl
Office phone: 760-757-2121, ext. 6412
Office: San Elijo Campus room 512


 

STUDENTS MUST PROVIDE AN ACTIVE EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE “SURF” SYSTEM WHEN REGISTERING.  The instructor will contact all registered students by email by the course start date with information about access to the course.

If the course is full, you may email the instructor at kmeldahl@miracosta.edu about being placed on the wait list.

****************

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK (purchase before the first day of class):

Geology and the Environment (5th edition) by B.W. Pipkin, D.D. Trent, R. Hazlett and P. Bierman

Brooks/Cole Publishing Company

ISBN = 0495113050  or

ISBN = 9780495113058 

Click here for the textbook website. 

 

NOTE: YOU SHOULD PURCHASE THE FIFTH EDITION OF THE TEXTBOOK FOR THIS COURSE. Substantial revisions and chapter updates mean that, if you use the 4th edition you may miss some information on the weekly quizzes. 

 

The textbook should be available at the college bookstore or through online vendors.  You may be able to save some money by purchasing the electronic version of the book from ichapters.com.

 

 

COURSE INFORMATION

"Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice."
        - Will Durant

Environmental Geology (GEOL120) Online is an introduction to the scientific study of earth processes and how they affect people. The course is a 3-credit physical science course. The course satisfies the same transfer credit, general education credit, and graduation requirements as other 3-credit physical science courses. It is intended to achieve the same learning outcomes as a more traditional 3-credit classroom-based course in environmental geology. There is no lab associated with GEOL120.

This course is organized around four major topics, which will be covered approximately in this order during the semester.
    1. Principles of Geology
        - origin of the solar system and the earth
        - earth systems and cycles
        - minerals and rocks
        - plate tectonics
    2. Geologic Hazards
        - earthquakes
        - volcanoes
        - tsunamis
        - landslides
        - flooding
        - oceanic hazards
        - climate change and climatic hazards
    3. Geologic Resources
        - soil resources
        - water resources
        - fossil fuel resources
        - alternative energy resources
        - mineral resources
    4. Human Impacts on the Earth
        - waste disposal
        - contaminants and pollution
        - atmospheric change
 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

I'm Keith Meldahl. I think there are few things more interesting and exciting than exploring the geologic and oceanographic world around us. I have taught college earth science for most of my career, first at the University of Arizona, then at Oberlin College in Ohio, and now at MiraCosta College, where I have been since 1997.

In addition to teaching geology and oceanography at Mira Costa, I study the geology and historical development of America’s mid-nineteenth century overland trails, in particular the Oregon-California Trail.  I recently finished a book about geology and history along the trail that the California forty-niners took west during the gold rush of 1849-1852.  The picture shows me at Roller Pass, one of the high passes over the Sierra Nevada—the final great barrier that stood between overland emigrants and their dreams and hopes of gold!!

Academic Credentials:

  • Ph.D. in Geosciences, 1990, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona.
  • M.S. in Geosciences, 1986, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona.
  • B.A. in Geology, 1983, Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago.

 

WORKLOAD & REQUIREMENTS: PLEASE READ THIS!!!

If you are thinking about registering for this course because you think it will be easier and less work than a traditional classroom course, please do yourself a favor and do not take this course. 

This course will require MORE SELF DISCIPLINE and MORE COMMITMENT from you than a traditional course. Because the course has no scheduled meeting times and no required lectures, you will be almost entirely responsible for your own education in this course. This course involves MORE READING and MORE WRITING than most traditional classroom-based science courses. The type of work is different, but the overall workload will be equal to or even greater than that in a traditional classroom course. You must be prepared to give this course the same weekly time commitment required of regular classroom-based courses, and you must keep up with all the weekly deadlines without being prompted. You must also be sure that your computer hardware and software function properly throughout the semester.

Should you take this course? Students who do not succeed in this course (i.e. they eventually either drop or fail the course) usually have one or more of the following things in common:
- The student cannot keep up with deadlines -- he/she is the type of person who needs a lot of outside prompting to get things done.
- The student has never been particularly interested in science, and sees this course as an obstacle rather than a learning opportunity.
- The student has general difficulty with either reading or writing.

IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH READING COMPREHENSION OR WRITING, YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE THIS COURSE. You will be much better off taking a traditional classroom-based course.

On the other hand, if you are a motivated person with a history of self-discipline and the ability to get things done without outside prompting, you are likely to succeed in this course. Furthermore, if you are the type of person who gets easily interested in many things, especially science, this class will probably be a great experience for you. Many (though not all) students find the independent, self-educational approach of this course to be as fruitful, and perhaps more rewarding, than a traditional instructor-lead classroom course.

***********

There are no required in-class meetings. All assignments, quizzes, and exams are completed independently online. However there is one required field trip meeting (you may choose among several weekend field trip options during the semester). Students unable to attend any scheduled field trips will be required to write a term paper to make up the credit.

Your work in this course will consist mainly of the following:

  • Completing weekly reading assignments from the textbook.
  • Reviewing weekly lessons developed by the instructor.
  • Taking weekly quizzes based on the corresponding instructor lessons and textbook reading assignments.
  • Completing weekly writing assignments beyond the textbook and lessons. These assignments will be based reading of online scientific articles, geologic internet sites, or other resources, as specified by the instructor.
  • Posting information for group discussion, and responding to group discussion questions on the class web site.
  • Writing a report for a required field trip (or alternatively writing a term paper if you cannot attend any of the scheduled field trips)
  • Completing a comprehensive, essay-based Final Exam.


HOW TO GET STARTED IN THIS COURSE

1. REGISTER FOR THE COURSE THROUGH MIRACOSTA COLLEGE at http://surf.miracosta.edu/. The instructor cannot register students.  Be sure to provide an active email address when you register. 

2. BUY THE REQUIRED TEXTBOOK BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF THE COURSE (information about the book is given at the top of this page).

3. BE SURE YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS, HARDWARE, and SOFTWARE:

  • Regular access to an internet-enabled computer.
  • A fast and reliable internet connection (cable or DSL connection strongly recommended).
  • An up-to-date Internet browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, with an up-to-date version of Javascript turned on (enabled). 
  • An email account.


REMEMBER, IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH READING COMPREHENSION OR WRITING, YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE THIS COURSE. You will be much better off taking a traditional classroom-based course.