The Physical World (SIFT 112*02)

Spring 2018

General Information

Instructor: Dr. Neeti Bathala,

Associate Professor, Division of Liberal Arts
Email: nbathala@uarts.edu
Phone: (215) 717-6272 Liberal Arts office: (215) 717 - 6261
Office: Terra Room 817 Office Hours: W and F 4:00–5:00PM
By appointment
Classes:
NOTE: THIS IS AN ONLINE/HYBRID CLASS WITH FIVE MANDATORY IN-PERSON
MEETINGS. THE REMAINDER OF THE COURSE WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLINE
USING DIGICATION.

Friday 1:00 – 3:50PM Terra Room TBA

Catalog Description:
This course is an overview of the study of the interrelated systems of earth sciences and
the physical world. Special topics and fieldwork from astronomy, geology, oceanography,
and meteorology will be covered. Course provides experiences to enhance awareness of
the scientific principles that influence our planet and offers a background for
understanding contemporary environmental issues, including climate change. A non-
technical course that promotes basic understanding of earth science principles and
concepts and that may include field and laboratory exercises.

SIFT Objectives: Upon course completion, the student should have a/an:

1. Knowledge and understanding of the nature of science and how scientific research is
conducted.
2. Knowledge and understanding of the norms that regulate the scientific process.
3. Knowledge and understanding of a set of scientific case studies exemplary of scientific
inquiry.
4. Ability to analyze evidence and formulate a conjecture about its meaning.

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon course completion, the student should be able to:

1. Distinguish between minerals and rocks and identify their properties.

2. Explain the rock cycle and the water cycle.
3. Describe weathering, mass wasting, and erosion.
4. Name the types, locations, and movement of glaciers.
5. Compare Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis and the plate tectonics theory.
6. Describe the similarities and differences among the earth’s internal processes of plate
tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes.
7. Identify the characteristics of the various laws and principles influencing dating of
geologic time.
8. Define the basic properties and characteristics of the world ocean.
9. Distinguish between weather and climate.
10. Summarize and present effectively online researched material.

This course is conducted in an online-hybrid format. There will be FIVE

mandatory class meetings (noted in the schedule).
As your instructor it is my responsibility to provide learning opportunities to
enable you to achieve the course learning outcomes detailed above. I have
planned to do so through online discussion, collaboration, exercises, and
projects.

As a student it is your responsibility to take ownership both independently and

via collaboration online and by completing all readings and assignments. You
should be prepared to make extensive use of the online class resources.

Course Requirements:

Course Text:
There is no required textbook for the course. All material for the class will be available as
links to readings, videos or other media accessible online on the course webpage. Should
you desire an actual text, I find the following an excellent overview of the topics covered
in this class;
Lutgens, Frederick and Edward Tarbuck. Foundations of Earth Science 6th Edition.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.

Required Field Trip:

Typically, the SIFT course includes a one-time visit to the Academy of Natural Sciences in
Philadelphia. There will be a reduced entrance fee with a student ID and a further
discount if we go as a group. The fee and date will be confirmed as the semester
progresses but typically the cost is less than $10. The museum is at 1900 Ben Franklin
Parkway, an easy walk, or accessible via public transportation. The normal textbook for
an Introductory Physical World course ranges upwards of $100, so even with the field trip
expense, you are saving money and getting a much richer educational experience.

Learning Outcomes Assessment:

Your grade for this course will be determined by the total number of points you
have earned by the end of the course. You can earn a maximum of 450 points
through five types of evaluations:

1. Syllabus/Web Site Review Questions: 4% or 20 total points

2. Assignments: 52% or ~230 total
points maximum. This will be based on
multiple assignments covering the 6
Units.
3. Final oral and written presentation: 11%
or 50 total points maximum
4. Journal Assignments: 13% or 60 total points
maximum (10 points possible per journal for
completion of 6 assignments.)
5. Participation: 20% - full credit requires
significant participation in the "Raise Your
Hand" threaded discussions; look for the
participation bulleted items in Digication. 20% or
90 total points maximum (15 points each unit
for 6 total unit assessments.)
Criteria for Threaded Discussions: Students must interact with
instructor and other classmates at least two-three times per week during the
2-week Unit discussion. More than one comment on the same day will only
count as a single interaction. Short comments such as “I agree with you”
and “That is a good answer” will not count as an interaction. These brief
comments are welcome, in addition to, the academic discussion.

University and Class Policies and Procedures:

Academic Honesty: Please consult the University of the Arts Policy Handbook for
information on the Academic Honesty Policy. If you are caught plagiarizing, copying lab
work, or cheating in any way you will receive an F in the class (not just on that
assignment) and a letter in your academic file.

Notice of Nondiscrimination
The University expressly prohibits any form of discrimination and harassment on the
basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, age, mental or physical
disability, veteran status, or any other protected classification in accordance with Federal,
state, and local non-discrimination and equal opportunity laws. If you have encountered
any such form of harassment or discrimination, we encourage you to report this to the
Title IX Coordinator and Diversity Administrator, Lexi Morrison, at lmorrison@uarts.edu.
Sexual violence, sexual harassment, intimate partner/dating violence, and other forms of
sexual misconduct are considered forms of sex-based discrimination and are prohibited
by University policy and by law. We encourage students to report any incidents of sexual
misconduct by contacting the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@uarts.edu. For more
information about options and resources available to those who may have been impacted
by sexual misconduct, please visit www.uarts.edu/titleix.
Office of Educational Accessibility
UArts values diverse types of learners and is committed to ensuring that each student is
afforded an equal opportunity to participate in all learning experiences. If you have or
think you may have a learning difference or disability – including a mental health,
medical, or physical impairment – that would impact your educational experience in this
class, please contact the Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) at 215-717-6616 or
access@uarts.edu to register for appropriate accommodations. Faculty can provide
course accommodations/modifications only after receipt of an approved accommodations
letter from OEA.

Attendance Policy:
This course is conducted in a hybrid-online format. There are FIVE MANDATORY meetings
of the class. The remainder of the participation (i.e. attendance) will be assessed via the
‘Discussion’ Boards. You must contribute to these boards at minimum 3 times per unit to
obtain full credit. Lack of contribution to the threaded discussions will count as absences
and grades will be lowered accordingly. If more than 2 units worth of discussion are
missed, you will fail the course.

Faculty Response Time: I typically will respond to all emails sent to me within 24-
hours. Emails sent on the weekend will be responded to by Monday noontime. All emails
must be sent via the uarts server as *.yahoo, *.hotmail etc. accounts often end up in
spam boxes. With this in mind, if you have an assignment due on a particular afternoon,
sending an email frantically an hour before class may not result in a timely response for
the assignment. Therefore, time your workload appropriately to allow for response time.
In general, there are NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED. Assignments are due by the
Sunday 11:59PM due date on Digication. Assignments are NOT to be EMAILED TO
ME, DROPPED IN MY MAILBOX or SLID UNDER MY OFFICE DOOR.

Conduct: Please conduct yourself in a professional manner while conducting classroom

activities. This includes showing up to the mandatory class meetings on time, being
aware of deadlines and requirements and being respectful during online interactions with
your fellow students on the Discussion board.

COURSE OUTLINE

Introduction

Week 1: 19 January Class Meeting #1 -Class Introductions and Syllabus Review

Unit I: EARTH MATERIALS

Week 2: 26 January Minerals: Building Blocks of Rocks
Week 3: 02 February Rocks/Gemstones: Materials of the Earth

Unit II: SCULPTURING EARTH’S SURFACE

Week 4: 09 February Class Meeting #2
Week 5: 16 February Caves/ Landscapes fashioned by Water

Unit III: FORCES WITHIN

Week 6: 23 February Earthquakes
Week 7: 02 March Volcanoes – SPRING BREAK WEEK

UNIT IV: THE GLOBAL OCEAN

Week 8: 09 March Oceans (Tentative in-person meeting date during Unit IV/V)
Week 9: 16 March Estuaries and Bays

UNIT V: EARTH’S DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE

Week 10: 23 March Weather Patterns and Severe Weather
Week 11: 30 March Climate Change/ Sea level change

UNIT VI: EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

Week 12: 06 April Class Meeting #3: FIELD TRIP
Week 13: 13 April NASA and Space

Class Presentations
Week 14: 20 April Class Meeting #4: Class Presentations
Week 15: 27 April Class Meeting #5: Class Presentations

NOTE: Schedule subject to change. Please check Digication for schedule of all due dates.