Mon Apr 20 12:35:52 2009
| Approvals Received: |
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| Approvals Pending: | College/Dean > Catalog | |
| Effective Status: | Active | |
| Effective Term: | 1113 - Spring 2011 | |
| Course: | GEO 4801 | |
| Institution: | UMNTC - Twin Cities | |
| Career: | UGRD | |
| College: | TIOT - Institute of Technology | |
| Department: | 11130 - Geology & Geophysics | |
| General | ||
| Course Title Short: | Geobiology and Astrobiology | |
| Course Title Long: | Geobiology and Astrobiology | |
| Max-Min Credits for Course: |
3.0 to 3.0 credit(s) | |
| Catalog Description: |
For more than 3 billion years, life has influenced the Earth’s atmosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere. This course examines geobiological processes with the goal of understanding their role in shaping evolution and environment. Topics include microbe-metal interactions, biogeochemical cycling, microbial paleobiology, and environmental geomicrobiology. Astrobiological discussions focus on life detection approaches and habitability of other planets. | |
| Print in Catalog?: | Yes | |
| CCE Catalog Description: |
<no text provided> | |
| Grading Basis: | Stdnt Opt | |
| Topics Course: | No | |
| Honors Course: | No | |
| Delivery Mode(s): | Classroom | |
| Instructor Contact Hours: |
3.0 hours per week | |
| Years most frequently offered: |
Every academic year | |
| Term(s) most frequently offered: |
Spring | |
| Component 1: |
LEC (with final exam) |
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| Auto-Enroll Course: |
No | |
| Graded Component: |
LEC | |
| Academic Progress Units: |
Not
allowed to bypass limits. 3.0 credit(s) |
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| Financial Aid Progress Units: |
Not
allowed to bypass limits. 3.0 credit(s) |
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| Repetition of Course: |
Repetition not allowed. | |
| Course Prerequisites for Catalog: |
Geo 1007 | |
| Course Equivalency: |
No course equivalencies | |
| Consent Requirement: |
No required consent | |
| Enforced Prerequisites: (course-based or non-course-based) |
No prerequisites | |
| Editor Comments: | <no text provided> | |
| Proposal Changes: | <no text provided> | |
| History Information: | <no text provided> | |
| Faculty Sponsor Name: |
Jake Bailey | |
| Faculty Sponsor E-mail Address: |
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| Student Learning Outcomes | ||
| Student Learning Outcomes: | *
Student in the course: - Can identify, define, and solve
problems
Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. Lecture material will cover much of what is known (and unknown) in the biogeosciences. Upon completion of the course, students will be well-equipped to pursue their own investigations in this highly interdisciplinary field, as well as incorporate microbiological findings and techniques into their geological and environmental endeavors. Techniques and problem-solving approaches will be the focus of multiple lectures and will be integrated into classroom discussions. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Exam questions will ask the students to interpret simulated data that will require an understanding of both the natural processes involved and the techniques employed to investigate them. - Can locate and critically evaluate information Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. Students will be required to use library resources to locate, read, and evaluate articles from the peer-reviewed scientific literature. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Students will be required to produce a term paper in the form of a critical review of a scientific paper from the primary literature. Student term papers will be evaluated on the degree to which they demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, analyze the arguments of others, and support their own arguments by citing the existing literature. - Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the interfaces between biological, chemical, and geological phenomena and processes. Students will be exposed to a rapidly expanding body of knowledge, as well as an interdisciplinary approach to investigation that includes the integration of cutting-edge techniques and approaches from traditionally disparate fields. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Exam topics will cover the diverse range of topics in the biogeosciences presented in course lectures and readings, and ensure that the students have a thorough grasp of the course material. - Understand diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to understand the potential hazards and benefits of geobiological processes for society. Examples of relevant topics that influence society range from biological wastewater remediation to the hazard of acid mine drainage – a growing concern in Minnesota’s mining regions. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Students will have the opportunity to see first-hand the impact of microbial processes on the environment during a field trip to an acid mine drainage site. Exam questions focused on processes observed during the field trip will be used to evaluate the efficacy of this learning objective. - Can communicate effectively Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. Students will be required to produce a term paper in the form of a critical review of a scientific paper from the primary literature. Suggested papers for review will parallel subjects presented in lecture. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Student term papers will be evaluated based on the degree to which they demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, analyze the arguments of others, and support their own arguments by citing the existing literature. - Understand the role of creativity, innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. In this course, students will explore the rich diversity of findings in modern biology, chemistry, and geology that have been made possible through an interdisciplinary approach to science. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Exam questions and term paper topics will focus on interdisciplinary topics and methodologies. - Have acquired skills for effective citizenship and life-long learning Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. Students will be exposed to the scientific method through readings and discussion of recent discoveries and controversies in science. Upon completion of the course, will be better prepared to understand and interpret the results of scientific inquiries in the academic and popular literature. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. As part of the term paper requirement, students will be required to critically-evaluate papers from the scientific literature and in so doing, will gain an appreciation for the peer-review process. |
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| Liberal Education | ||
| Requirement this course fulfills: |
None | |
| Other requirement this course fulfills: |
None | |
| Criteria for Core Courses: |
<no text provided> | |
| Criteria for Theme Courses: |
<no text provided> | |
| Writing Intensive | ||
| Propose this course as Writing Intensive curriculum: |
No | |
| Question 1: | <no text provided> | |
| Question 2: | <no text provided> | |
| Question 3: | <no text provided> | |
| Question 4: | <no text provided> | |
| Question 5: | <no text provided> | |
| Question 6: | <no text provided> | |
| Question 7: | <no text provided> | |
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Readme link. Course Syllabus requirement
section begins below
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| Course Syllabus | ||
| Course Syllabus: |
Sample Lecture Schedule: Jan. 18 Introduction – What is geobiology? Jan. 20 What is life? How do we recognize it? Jan. 22 Mini review of general biology (genes, proteins) Jan. 25 Microbial physiology 1: Structure and function Jan. 27 Microbial physiology 2: Structure and function, cultivation Jan. 29 Microbial diversity: molecular tree of life, three domains Feb. 1 Environmental distribution of microbial life Feb. 3 Microbial metabolism 1: Thermodynamics Feb. 5 Microbial metabolism 2: Redox, energetics Feb. 8 Metabolism: Autotrophy, photosynthesis vs. chemosynthesis Feb. 10 Respiration and fermentation Feb. 12 The Carbon Cycle 1: Primary Production Feb. 15 The Carbon Cycle 2: Heterotrophy, the microbial loop, carbon burial Feb. 17 The Carbon Cycle 3: Methanogenesis and methanotrophy Feb. 19 Oxygen production and consumption; The rise of oxygen Feb. 22 The Nitrogen Cycle: N-Fixation, Nitrification/Denitrification, ANAMOX Feb.24 The Sulfur Cycle 1: Reductive Processes Feb. 26 The Sulfur Cycle 2: Oxidative Processes (phototrophic, chemotrophic) Mar. 1 The Sulfur Cycle 3: Chemotrophic Ecosystems (seeps, vents, whale falls) Mar. 3 Midterm Exam Mar. 5 The Silicon Cycle Mar. 8 Microbes and Metals 1: Iron and Manganese Mar. 10 Microbes and Metals 2: Uranium, Arsenic, others Mar. 12 Microbially-mediated geochemical profiles Mar. 15-19 Spring Break Mar. 22 Ecology and geobiology: Symbioses (microbe/microbe, microbe/animal) Mar. 24 Biofilms and mats vs. planktonic life modes Mar. 26 Spatial and temporal variations in community structure Mar. 29 Microbial evolution, Horizontal gene transfer Mar. 31 Instruments and Techniques in Geobiology 1: Rocks and chemistry Apr. 2 Instruments and Techniques in Geobiology 2: Cells and genes Apr. 5 Geological effects of microbial activity 1: sedimentary processes Apr. 7 Geological effects of microbial activity 2: carbonates Apr. 9 Geological effects of microbial activity 3: phosphorites Apr. 12 Geological effects of microbial activity 4: mineral dissolution, clays Apr. 14 Paleomicrobiology 1: microfossils, stromatolites Apr. 16 Paleomicrobiology 2: stable isotopes Apr. 19 Paleomicrobiology 3: lipid and pigment biomarkers Apr. 21 Biomineralization: geobiology of eukaryotes Apr. 23 Geobiology and the environment 1: microbes and climate change Apr. 26 Geobiology and the environment 2: acid mine drainage (w/field trip) Apr. 28 Geobiology and the environment 3: environmental remediation Apr. 30 Astrobiology 1: Planetary Habitability May 3 Astrobiology 2: Life Detection Strategies May 5 Final Exam |
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