COURSE SYLLABUS FORM American University of Beirut Faculty of Arts and Sciences Department of Geology GEOL 201 (Physical

Geology)

Instructor: Joanna Doummar Office Hours: MW 10:00 am - 12:00 noon and Th 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Office #: 4165 Post Hall, Room # 201C The present is the key to the past (Charles Lyell, 1830) 1. Course outline This course is designed to provide the basic principles, and fundamental concepts of the various aspects of geological sciences. Emphasis will be on the internal structure of the Earth, properties of minerals, mineral groups, formation and behaviour of earth materials, description, classification, and mode of formation of the igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock groups, surface processes, geological structures, earthquakes, and plate tectonics. Attendance and a one-day field trip (held usually on a Saturday) are an important part of this course and bear 15% of the final grade. 2. Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, students will be able to comprehend the Earth as a dynamic planet and to appreciate the significance of geology to humans. The students will also value the evidence and logic used by geologists to deal with our mother Earth. Moreover, the students will be able to: Describe the various layers forming the interior of the Earth. Explain the theory of plate tectonics and relate it to the major features of the Earths surface. Identify common minerals and rocks and explain how they are formed. Compare and contrast igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and relate the different rock types using the rock cycle. Relate major rock deformation features to the geologic processes that cause them. Describe the geologic features and processes that modify the earth's surface (i.e. weathering, mass wasting, streams, glaciers, deserts, groundwater, and shoreline systems). In particular, we will consider how these various geologic processes are directly and indirectly affecting our lives. Establish connections between geology and environmental and physical sciences.

3. Resources Available to Students 1. Understanding Earth, 6th Edition, by Grotzinger and Jordan (2010) 2. The dynamic earth (Second edition), by skinner & Porter (1992) 3. Earth, by Press & Siever (1986) 4. Physical Geology, by Plummer & McGeary (1992) 5. Earth: Then and Now, by Montgomery & Dathe (1991) 7. Physical Geology, by Montgomery (1993) 4. Schedule: Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Topic The Earth in the Solar System Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks Plate Tectonics Igneous Rocks; Composition and Classification Volcanoes & Magmas Sediments & Sedimentary Rocks Weathering & Soils Mass Wasting & Landslides Metamorphism & Metamorphic Rocks Deformation of rocks (Geological Structures) Rivers & The Hydrologic Cycle Glaciers & Glaciation Groundwater & Hydrogeology Wind & Deserts Geology & Time

5. Grading Criteria Quiz I Quiz II Field trip and report Class contribution and attendance Final exam (cumulative) 6. Course Policy 1. There will be no makeup exams for any student who misses a quiz or a final exam without obtaining the permission of the instructor, which may be granted only in most exceptional circumstances, before (not after) the exam. 2. Any student who misses more than one-fifth of the class sessions will be asked to withdraw from the course. 15% 15% 10% 5% 55%