Teaching Assistants:  Wes Christensen, Nicole Lunning, Ji-Yeon Shin, Alexandra Geddes-Osborne

GRADES FOR FINAL EXAM & OVERALL COURSE GRADES

 
[syllabus]   [lecture notes]   [GEL1 Discussion Page]

[Midterm scores]    [Diamond formation]     [Midterm Distribution]

[Final studyguide]    [Keyterms, review questions for final]

Review session in class Monday March 17th!

Catalog description: Geology 1 is a freshman-level course designed for non-majors to introduce a fundamental understanding of our planet and to explain the relevance of geology to the lives of people. It provides General Education credit for Nature and the Environment. Geology majors usually begin their studies with Geology 50, 50L. 4 units, No prerequisites, GE credit in SciEng

Goal of the course: To get you to view the world around you like a geologist. Understanding how the Earth works as a planet will enrich your future travels and provide context for environmental issues, energy problems and current global change as well as natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanoes, floods) that we'll all be dealing with over the next decades.

Textbook: Earth: Portrait of a Planet (2007) by Stephen Marshak

Read the textbook selectively. It's up to you to focus on the relevant pages to coordinate and clarify what is given in lecture. You will find it a very important supplement to the lecture material in the class.

Outlines of Lecture Notes:

Lecture notes will be posted on the class website (Lecture Notes) usually a day or two before or after the class is scheduled. They are not a substitute for coming to class or for taking your own notes. The notes are password protected, which I'll give you in class.

Print them off to use as a guide, annotate them with details from the lectures, draw sketches along the margins, and study them for exams. The notes need to be supplemented by selectively reading in the textbook.

Class Structure:

Discussion: Discussion sections begin the week of January 6-11!

A copy of the syllabus for discussion can be found at Discussion website along with links to each of the discussion topics. The TAs will go over discussion topics with you in class and supply you with materials. 

READ the GEL 1 discussion website for useful information!

  - Each Geology 1 discussion group meets once a week to talk about a topic in geology that has clear relevance to society. Materials for each week will be
    posted on the discussion page.

  - Please go to the section that you signed up for - don't go to a different section and expect credit from your assigned section/TA.

Grades:

Midterm (Friday, February 13) = 30%

Discussion (participation, exercises, writing assignments) = 30%

Final (Friday, March 21, 8:00 AM -10:00 AM) = 40%

        Exams will be multiple choice. Be forewarned, they will be multiple choice exam that will make you think, not just regurgitate notes.

        I'll explain the curve and my grading system in class.

        There will be no early or late exams.

Lecture Syllabus

                         GEL 1: The Earth - Winter 2008

                    Dr. Gry Hoffmann Barfod   barfod@geology.ucdavis.edu

                                  http://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/~gel1/

                     Office hours: Mon 12.30-1.30 PM, Tue 9-10 AM (or by appt.)

                                  Lectures MWF 11 - 11.50, 1001 Giedt