| GEOL-0820 | Natural Disasters | Spring, 2008 |
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Instructor: Prof. Michael Ramsey
Office: SRCC, room 509/511 Office Phone: 624-8772 Email: ramsey@ivis.eps.pitt.edu Office Hours: Tu & Th, 2:00 - 3:00pm
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1. Objective: To understand the geological and natural processes that affect the human environment in catastrophic ways. Natural disasters are commonly exacerbated when intensive human activity expands into hazardous zones. Each type of hazard will be examined in terms of science, prediction, mitigation, avoidance, and public policy/safety issues.
2. Required Text: "NATURAL DISASTERS (6th edition)" by P.L. Abbott. McGraw Hill Publishing (ISBN 978-0-07-305034-8), 2008.
3. Lecture Times: Tu, Th from 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm in ENGUD AUD. Attendance is strongly encouraged at all scheduled class meetings. Much of the exam material will be derived from the class notes and video presentations, therefore attendance is beneficial to your grade.
4. Course Requirements:
The goal of this course is not to make you memorize an endless stream of facts that you will quickly forget after taking the final exam. Rather, this should be a fun and interactive experience. Knowing the fundamentals and learning to think objectively will give you a framework to appreciate the landscape around you and understand the natural processes that impact our lives.
Exams:
There will be two mid-term and one final examination (non-cumulative). Each exam will be multiple-choice, but may also include short essay questions. Exam questions will be based on material covered in the lectures, videos and assigned reading. Make-up exams will only be given in extreme circumstances (see grading policy below)!
Recitations:
Students will meet for an additional one hour per week in recitation classes run by a Geology Department graduate student teaching assistant (TA). Each recitation TA will lead in-depth discussions relating to the material covered in lecture, as well as administer weekly quizzes, assignments and/or laboratory exercises. Grades compiled for each recitation section will be submitted to the course instructor and comprise 35% of your total for the course (see below).
5. Grading: Your final grade will be based on your performance on the three exams, the score in the recitation, and in-class participation. The grade will be calculated using the following break-down: Mid-term Exam = 30%, Final Exam = 30%, Recitation = 35%, Class Participation = 5%. I will drop the lowest of the two mid-term exam grades, but not the final. This will give you the chance to recover from a poor performance and minimize the need for any make-up exams. If a curve is needed, it will be based on the final averages of the class and therefore not decided until the end of the term. I curve based on the average of the entire class, making the median score equal to a C+/B- and adjusting all grades accordingly. Please do not ask me what the curve was after each exam!
6. Web Site: The site is located at http://ivis.eps.pitt.edu/courses/disasters/ and will contain the syllabus, announcements and assignments for the class. I tend to revise the class schedule as the term progresses, so please check there for the most current class information.
7. Disability Resources: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union 412-624-7890 as early as possible in the term.
8. Academic Integrity:
All students are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy of the University pertaining to cheating and plagiarism. Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, noted below, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, exam or paper will be imposed.
The integrity of the academic process requires fair and impartial evaluation on the part of faculty and honest academic conduct on the part of students. To this end, students are expected to conduct themselves at a high level of responsibility in the fulfillment of the course of their study. It is the corresponding responsibility of faculty to make clear to students those standards by which students will be evaluated, and the resources permissible for use by students during the course of their study and evaluation. The educational process is perceived as a joint faculty-student enterprise which will perforce involve professional judgment by faculty and may involve - without penalty- reasoned exception by students to the data or views offered by faculty.
Senate Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom (February 1974)
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