EAS 2600: EARTH PROCESSES
Spring, 2009
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Kurt Frankel
office: ES&T 2232
e-mail: kfrankel@gatech.edu
phone: (404) 894-4008
Course Lecture Material (GA Tech only)
LECTURES:
TTh 9:35 - 10:55 am
Architecture (East) Building, Room 123
LABORATORY:
Ford ES&T Building, Room L1155
TEACHING ASSISTANTS (TAs):
Lecture TAs: Jaime Convers (jaime.convers@eas.gatech.edu) and Lujia Feng (lujia.feng@eas.gatech.edu)
Laboratory TAs: Cindy Jackson (cindy.jackson@eas.gatech.edu), Morris Jones (morris.jones@eas.gatech.edu),
Deidre Meiggs (deidre.meiggs@eas.gatech.edu), and Kate Salome (kathleen.salome@eas.gatech.edu)
OFFICE HOURS:
Frankel: Monday 2:00 - 3:00 pm, Tuesday 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, and by appointment. E-mail is the best way to schedule an appointment with me. Drop-in visits are generally welcome when my door is open, except in the hour before class. My office is located on the 2nd floor of the Ford ES&T Building in the central, semi-circular hallway near the landing at the top of the stairs in the atrium. I am in Room 2232.
Convers: TBA (ES&T 2108)
Feng: Thursday 11:00 am - 12:00 pm (ES&T 2120)
REQUIRED TEXT:
Earth Science by Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa (12th Edition; ISBN: 978-0-13-602007-3)
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this course is to provide you with an understanding of how the earth works and how it affects you. As an inhabitant of earth, it is important that you understand the processes that shape the landscape, cause natural hazards, influence climate change, and produce natural resources. Knowledge of how the earth works can also help you in your daily lives. For example, it is useful to be able to evaluate potential geologic hazards when buying a home, make informed decisions about the use and conservation of natural resources, and better appreciate features you might encounter in the mountains, at the beach, or when visiting a national park.
COURSE COMMUNICATIONS:
You will occasionally receive class information via e-mail. Because this information may not be communicated in class, you should be sure to read these e-mail messages. Please make sure the e-mail address you regularly use is the same as the one that is registered with Georgia Tech on T-Square.
HOW TO GET AN "A" IN THIS COURSE:
It should not be difficult to do well in this course if you follow these few simple pointers: attend class; attend lab; do the assigned reading before class; apply the material to your own life; come to my office hours; review your notes on a weekly basis. Good luck!
GRADING:
The lecture part of this course will include three (3) mid-term exams and a final exam, all worth equal amounts. Of these four exams, the lowest score will be dropped. THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP EXAMS! If you miss an exam for any reason, it will be considered your “dropped” exam. Don’t miss two! The final exam will be comprehensive. Because of the large size of this course, exams will be multiple choice with a few short-answer write-in questions. I will try to avoid questions that just simply force you to recall facts; questions will require you to deduce an answer using logic. My lectures will consist of numerous slides illustrating earth and atmospheric processes. You should expect to see some of these slides again during exams.
Lecture = 75%
Laboratory = 25%
EXAM DATES:
Mid-term Exam 1: Thursday, January 29th
Mid-term Exam 2: Thursday, February 26th
Mid-term Exam 3: Thursday, April 2nd
Final Exam: Wednesday, April 29th 8:00 - 10:50 am
EXTRA CREDIT QUIZZES:
Throughout the course of the semester I will administer 4 to 8 brief quizzes. These extra credit quizzes will be unannounced, may come at any time during class, and will test major concepts from recent lectures and the assigned reading for that day. The quizzes are extra credit and cannot hurt your grade. There will be NO other opportunities for extra credit.
ABSCENCES: ABSENCES:
If for some reason you cannot take an exam, it will be considered your “dropped” exam. Under no circumstances will students be allowed to make up extra credit quizzes. Please remember that in all serious situations (death in the family, serious illness, etc.) you should go to the Dean of Students as they are there to help you in these cases.