The Earth Around Us

Geology 100/ Environmental Studies 100 Fall 2000

Dr. Jill S. Schneiderman Rockefeller Hall, Tuesday and Thursday, 7 to 8:15 p.m. Office Hours: Monday noon to 3:00 p.m. in 117 Ely Hall By appointment in the Dean of Studies office Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday Phone: Geology ext. 5542 Dean of Studies ext. 5255

COURSE OBJECTIVES

In this course we will examine environmental issues from a geological perspective. That is, through a series of lectures on subjects either historical or contemporary and at local, regional, or global scales, you will become acquainted with the 21st century environmental issues&emdash;and the earth science behind them&emdash;of which every citizen of this planet needs a working knowledge. You will learn the geological principles that affect the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and rock sphere. Also, you will come to understand that a little bit of knowledge about how the earth works can go a long way towards formulating sensible environmental policies and responses to natural 'hazards'. Upon completing the course you should be able to judge for yourselves the presence or absence of geological common sense behind human actions on this planet and to use your new knowledge to influence future land-use decisions.

READING

Schneiderman, Jill S., ed., The Earth Around Us: Maintaining a Livable Planet (New York: W.H. Freeman, 2000). All readings will come from this book. Please read the essays before the class session for which they are assigned. I have prepared a set of optional review questions for each reading assignment (available electronically) that will help you understand the readings.

COURSE GRADE

This course is "ungraded" which means you will earn a grade of either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory" for your work. Satisfactory completion of the course will bring with it .5 credits to your transcript. In order to earn a grade of "Satisfactory" you will need to do the following: Pass a short-answer final exam. The registrar has scheduled the exam for Tuesday, December 19, 9:00-11:00a.m. There will be no make-up exam. If your semester break travel plans make it impossible for you to take the exam as scheduled, you should immediately drop this course from your schedule or change your travel plans. Miss no more than two scheduled lectures. If you accrue two unexcused absences you will not be able to pass the course. An unexcused absence is one that has not been arranged through either the Dean of Freshmen or your class advisor and communicated to me by the Dean of Studies office. I will take attendance at each class session using a sign-in sheet and the honor code. Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please schedule an appointment with me during the first week of this course to discuss any accommodation that you may need. All accommodations must be approved through the Office of Disability and Support Services (ext. 7584) as indicated in the accommodation letter.

Date

Subject

Reading

Tues 10/24	Our place in Earth's history.	"Records of Time and History" (page 1) Preface to The Earth Around Us Susan Kieffer "Geology: The Bifocal Science" (Essay 1)
Thurs 10/26	The depth of geologic time and its relevance to environmental issues.	"Scientific Judgments and Ethical Considerations (page 57) John McPhee "Set Piece on Geologic Time (Essay 2) Stephen Jay Gould "The Golden Rule: A Proper Scale for our Environmental Crisis" (Essay 9)

Tues 10/31	Groundwater.	"Resources Reconfigured" (page 121) John Sharp & Jay Banner "The Edwards Aquifer: Water for Thirsty Texans" (Essay 13)
Thurs 11/2	Surface water.	Jill Schneiderman "From the Catskills to Canal Street: New York City's Water Supply" (Essay 14)
Tues 11/7	Soils. (Guest lecture--Prof. Jeff Walker).	Ronald Amundson "Are Soils Endangered?" (Essay 12)
Thurs 11/9	Coasts.	Jeffrey Payne "Sustaining Healthy Coasts" (Essay 15) Orrin Pilkey et al. "Lessons from Lighthouses: Shifting Sands, Coastal Management Strategies, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Controversy" (Essay 16)

Tues 11/14	Defying geological sense from Lake Erie to New York Harbor.	"Local Manipulations" (page 197) Jill Singer "The Follies of Lotus Bay" (Essay 17) Meg Stewart "Dredging to Keep New York-New Jersey Harbor Alive (Essay 18)
Thurs 11/16	Second-guessing nature: indefinite storage of radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.	"Inventive Solutions" (page 255) Allison Macfarlane "Standoff at Yucca Mountain: High-Level Nuclear Waste in the United States (Essay 22)
Tues 11/21	Down with dams?	James Evans et al. "From Reservoir to Wetland: the Rise and Fall of an Ohio Dam" (Essay 20)
	Thanksgiving	George Fisher "Sustainable Living: Common Ground for Geology and Theology" (Essay 8)

Tues 11/28	Climates of the past. (Guest lecture--Prof. Kirsten Menking)	"Whole Earth Perturbations" (page 307) Kirsten Menking "A Record of Climate Change from Owens Lake Sediment" (Essay 25)
Thurs 11/30	Consequences of future changes to our atmosphere	Tamara Nameroff "Lessons from the Past for Future Climate" (Essay 26) Robin Hornung & Thomas Downham "Nature's Sunscreen: Ozone Depletion and the Health of the Whole" (Essay 27)
Tues 12/5	Environmental justice.	"Global Perspectives" (page 357) Jill Schneiderman & V. Ashby Sharpe "Geology and Environmental Justice: An Example from Hawaii" (Essay 29)
Thurs 12/7	How shall we live?	E-An Zen "Stakes, Options, and Some Natural Limits to a Sustainable World" (Essay 30) Caryl Edward Buchwald "What Else Should My Neighbor Know?" (Essay 31)