Mike Valentine's Courses

Here are some of the courses that I teach. Check the bulletin or email me to find out when they will be taught next.

Geology 105
Oceanography
This course investigates the origins and nature of the Earth's oceans. We will look at processes acting within the oceans (tides, currents, waves), interaction of the oceans, atmosphere, and continents, and the effects of these processes on life on Earth, including humans in the northwestern U.S. These facets will be studied in the "big picture" context of the Earth as an integrated system in which each process affects the others. A portion of the lab time will be devoted to measurement of the properties of oceanic and crustal materials, some of which will be collected locally from Puget Sound. Other labs will be used to familiarize ourselves with maps, charts, and other information sources. Emphasis will be placed on making inferences about Earth systems from data gleaned from our own measurements and other sources.
Natural World Core
syllabus

Geology 151
Earth Revealed
In this course we will investigate the shape, composition, and formation of the major internal and external features of the Earth: ocean basins, continents, mountain ranges, the core, the mantle, and the lithosphere. A large portion of our time will be spent obtaining and interpreting our own geophysical measurements of Earth properties. This will include collecting and analyzing seismic, gravity, and magnetic data, measuring the gravitational constant, and determining Earth's size and mass, the thickness of the crust, and the distance to earthquake epicenters. Emphasis will be placed on geophysical methods used by scientists in the measurement of basic Earth properties.
Prerequisite: high school mathematics through trigonometry and one year of high school science, GEOL 101 or 104 or permission of instructor. Credit for GEOL 151 will not be granted to students who have completed GEOL 111.
Natural World Core
syllabus

Geology 302
Structural Geology and Tectonics
Study of earth's architecture, major tectonic features and processes, and folding and fracturing in rocks; lab and field projects included.
Prerequisite: GEOL 201 and 202.
syllabus

Science in Context 325A
Science and Policy: Geological and Environmental Catastrophes
Science in Context 325 examines the role of science in policy-making. Good, basic scientific information can often play a vital role in making decisions regarding such things as resource development and use, environmental protection, and public safety. Citizens generally have access to the same information as policy-makers and should be able to evaluate not only the basic information, but the policy being made in light of available information: are those who make policy utilizing such information in effective ways? Each section of this course looks at the scientific data relating to potential policy-related problems or questions and how such knowledge is viewed in light of political, economic, public perception, and other contextual concerns. All sections have as their centerpiece, a substantial group project requiring students to gather information from printed sources, the world wide web, and, in most cases, personal contacts with people who are involved in current research on the topics of interest. Results of these projects are presented orally and in written form. SCXT 325A specifically examines the role of science in making policy with respect to natural & man-made geological & environmental catastrophes such as Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Hurricanes, and Waste/Pollution. For each topic, we review the scientific basis for the disaster, discuss points of controversy within the scientific community, and consider the social and policy implications of this information. Each unit includes a case study of a concrete example of the catastrophe. "
Prerequisite: Completion of Natural World core requirement.
Science in Context Core
SCXT 325A Home Page
syllabus

Science in Context 330
The Idea of Evolution
The aim of this course is to see how the idea of evolution has pervaded our understanding of the world in the last 150 years. We will examine the proposition that not just organisms, but ideas, stars and planets, technological objects, religious beliefs, and scientific theories may all be said to "evolve" or "be subject to evolution."
Prerequisite: Completion of Natural World core requirement, to include a course in Biology or a course in Geology.
Science in Context Core
syllabus

Environmental Studies 105
Environmental Science
In this course, we will examine the Earth as a closed system of energy and matter, and the roles within that system. We will adopt an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the various ways that the fields of Biology, Geology, Chemistry, and Physics examine the Earth system. We will pay particular attention to the effects that human activity has had on natural biogeochemical cycles, as well as on natural resources such as air, water, soil, ecosystems, and minerals.
NOTE: I will teach this course for the first time in Fall 2000.
Natural World Core

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University of Puget Sound

Mike Valentine
Contact: mvalentine@ups.edu