Soil 2125 - Basic Soil Science- Fall 2007 -4 credits: MWF from 9:35 to 10:25 in 335 Borlaug Hall.
Welcome to Basic Soils. I hope you will find this class interesting, enjoyable, and valuable. Our primary goal over the next 14 weeks is to learn about the five major areas of Soil Science. Understanding the classification system, physical properties, chemical properties, biological properties, and the fertility of soil will allow you to plan the use of an area of land according to the soil's potential. Together we can discover why soils are such an important natural resource. Without soil, the world as we know it would be a much different place. Learning how to protect our soil resource will be an important job for all of us in the future.
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Terry Cooper Office - Office 244 Borlaug Hall-
phone
612-625-7747 e-mail: tcooper@umn.edu
Campus Mail 439
Borlaug Hall. My US mail box is in room 439 Borlaug, 1991 Upper Buford
Circle,
St. Paul, 55108. My secretary in 439 is Kari Jarcho. You can leave
things with
her and she will put them in my mail box. Cooper's
web
page
Cooper's Office Hours: 1-2 P.M.. MTWTh. You are welcome to make an
appointment
for any other time also. The best way to contact me is via e-mail. I
have voice
mail but I may miss your message. I do not have a preference as to how
you
address me. You can use: Dr. or Professor, or Mr. or Terry, whatever is
comfortable for you. I will try to learn your first name and use it,
that is
why I make the seating chart with pictures.
Graduate Assistant - Megan Lennon - Office in S505- Soil Science
Building
e-mail= lenn0043@umn.edu; office phone = 612-625-4731
I have been teaching beginning soils since 1975 and since 1980 at the University of Minnesota. I have a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Soil Science. I have worked for the Natural Resource and Conservation Service and the US Forest Service as a soil scientist. I am very interested in how our soil resources can be protected so they are a sustainable resource. I also teach courses in Soil Geography, Field Study of Soils, Environmental Impact Statements and Problem Solving for Environmental Science Policy and Management.
LECTURE: Monday & Wednesday in 335 Borlaug Hall.
NOTE: We will start class promptly at
9:35, your
arrival on time is most appreciated. If you are late, please use the
doors in
the back of the room to enter. Lecture is a time for me to explain
important
concepts and to get you excited about soil science. I have all my
lectures on
Power Point and have placed them as a Power Point presentation on the
course
CD. Your course packet also has the printed lectures. Attending lecture
is very
important.
Recitation: Thursday times: 1) 9:35-10:25; 2) 10:40-11:30; 3) 11:45-12:35; 4) 12:50-1:40 Room 243a Borlaug Hall.
During recitation on Thursday you will have two exams that cover the
material from the week. 1) "Team
Exam". The Team exam will provide you the opportunity to
discuss with class members the answers to relevant problems about
soils. If you
are absent from class, it may be possible to take a makeup exam. This
would
need to be completed before the next class period. Make-up exams are
worth 80%
of in class exams.
2) "Webexams" must be
turned in at the start of recitation. Answers to Webexams will be
posted the
following Tuesday mornings. If you know you are going to be absent from
class
Thursday you may send your Webexam answers via e-mail as long as I
receive it
before your recitation time. Answers to Webexams will be available the
week
after they are due (except for exam Fridays when they will be sent out
on
Thursday evening.
LABORATORY: Room 243 Borlaug- Lab Hours: Monday - 8-4, Tuesday 8-5 and Wednesday 8-4:00 and 4:00 to 9:00 P.M.,(Tenative Schedule)
Investigations: IT IS IMPORTANT TO READ THE WEB LAB UNITS on
the CD
BEFORE DOING THE LABORATORY.
The Laboratory is an open lab where you can come and work at your own
pace. It
will generally take you one to two hours to complete the lab
activities. The
lab is used to help you see, touch, smell, weigh, moisten, listen,
taste, (OK,
maybe not taste) the SOIL. Doing the lab will help you learn about
concepts
presented in lecture and on the Web. Fill out the Laboratory
Investigation
Form. These will be graded by the TA in the Lab. If a TA is not present
when
you finish you may get it graded at a later time.
It is very important to READ the Web Lab Units before going to the
lab.
TA's are in the lab to help you, but they will not read the information
in the
Web Lab Units to you.
TEXTs:Lecture: 1) Elements of the Nature and Properties of
Soils by
Brady and Weil. NOT REQUIRED BUT RECOMMENDED
2) Soils and Landscapes of MN. Anderson, Grigal & Cooper (http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/
cropsystems/DC2331.html)
3) Laboratory Packet: Available from instructor at cost.($10.00) Make
checks
out to: University of Minnesota.
4) CD that contains Web Lab Units, Power Point Lecture notes,
Laboratory
Investigations, and Course Information: This CD is provided by
instructor. The
readings for this course are found in the Web Lab Units. That is why a
text
book is not required. You must read the Web Lab Units and use them as
your
text.
Teaching Method: This course will use lecture, laboratory and web reading assignments to present information about soils. From time to time video clips in lecture will also present information. During a typical class period, I will begin with general business, and then will present two (approximately 20 minute) segments of material broken up by a "Lecture Dyad." In recitation I will answer questions at the beginning of class and the rest of the period will be used by students to complete the team exam. Laboratory investigations will provide you with another "hands on " approach to learning about soils. Often the activities in laboratory will be used for a segment of the team exam.
Student Roles: I hope this will be a positive learning experience for you; to that end, I want to be as clear as possible about my expectations. I expect you to read the Web Lab Unit for the week before class on Monday and again before you do the laboratory. I expect you to attend class unless serious circumstances prevent that, in which case, I would appreciate you speaking with me about your absence. I expect you to take yourself and the material seriously, refusing to stop at the absolute minimum requirements. What you learn in this class will be used again in many of your other advanced courses. It is important that you learn the material. Your success in this course will depend on several factors: 1) attendance and participation in class discussion; 2) being an active member of your team during recitation, 3) actively participating in your laboratory experience; 4) taking all exams seriously and spending time on their completion; and 5) giving yourself the time needed to prepare your land use report
You are expected to be attentive during class, ask questions if you do not understand something, and participate in class discussions. You are also expected to listen respectfully to others when they are speaking. You are by definition a very diverse group of students, even if on the surface you all may look more or less homogeneous. Diversity is a strength in our society at large and here at the University of Minnesota. In this class, you will be asked to maintain an open mind to the differences around you, and you are encouraged to place positive value on those differences. Points of view may be actively argued but the speakers are to be respected as essentially fair-minded individuals working to enlarge their thinking about ideas and people.
GRADING:
Lecture Dyads: Each lecture we will take a short break to
discuss with a
partner some relevant soils topic. These dyads will be worth two
points. If you
are not in lecture that day you will not receive your two points. Dyads
are
graded as a 1 or a 2. Total Dyad Points=56
Laboratory Assignments: Laboratory Investigations will have
various
activities for you to do. Record your observations on the lab sheets
provided
in the Lab Packet materials. Have you lab report checked by a TA after
completion. Lab Reports are worth 5 points each. Total Possible=65 pts
(5 x 13
labs)
Exams: In Recitations there will always
be a Team Exam and a Webexam will be
due (WE). These exams cover material from the current week. See
the
Weekly Schedule for the exam schedule. Team
exams
are open book and can be cumulative but will generally cover the
material from
the week. You will be assigned to a three or four person team. If you
miss a
Team Exam it may be possible for a make up, but it must be completed
before the
next recitation. Make up exams are worth 80%.
Web exams will be 10 to 15 multiple choice questions
that are
available on your CD. Only the answers need to be turned in. The four
lecture
exams will be the same or similar to the Webexam questions. The Final
Exam will
be 40 multiple choice questions the same or similar to the four lecture
exams
10 questions of from each of the lecture exams. Questions for all exams
can
come from: Lecture, Laboratory, or Web Units.
Lecture Exams will be on three Fridays and during the final (see schedule in Weekly Schedule) They will consist of 30 multiple choice questions and one essay question. The MC questions will be similar to the Webexams. The four lecture exams will be worth 15% of your course grade.
Land Use Project: Each person will complete a land use
project. A
specific section ( 640 acres) of a township in a county will be chosen
by you.
You will determine the most desirable land use according to the soil
capabilities on that parcel. This project will design the use of the
land
according to the soil's potential. Details on this project provided at
Land Use Project . The Land Use Project is
graded
on both content and style. If you need help in your writing skills use
the
Rhetoric on line writing center at (http://www.owc.umn.edu/
)
Part one due Monday, December 3. Part two is due Wednesday December 12.
Please
turn in the soil map from Part I with Part II.
FINAL EXAM10:30am - 12:30pm Tuesday , December 18- Room 335 Borlaug Hall. The Final Exam will consist of 40 multiple choice questions with 10 questions taken from information covered on each of the four lecture exams. The MC questions will be similar to the Webexams. The Final Exam will be worth 10% of your course grade.
Grading Percentages:
Lecture Dyads=5%
Team Exams=20 %
Lecture Exams=15 %
Web Exams=20%
Lab Assignments=10%
Land Use Project=20%
Final Exam=10 %
Course Grades: Course grades will be determined using a curve of A> 89%, B>79%, C> 69%, D> 59%. Final Course Grades will use the + and - system of grading. The class average is expected to be 76%(C+)
Teaching Philosophy: Studying about soils is difficult because we have lots of new terms that you need to learn and understand. Thus, each week I want you to be learning these terms and new concepts. Web Exams will be used to determine your understanding of these terms and concepts. I also want you to discuss these terms and concepts with others and use them to solve problems. Team Exams will provide you the opportunity to show your understanding of these terms while solving soils problems. I also want you to be able to use these terms and concepts in real world situations. Thus, the experiments and demonstrations in the laboratory will require your use of the terms and concepts. The land use project will allow you to practice all of your soils skills at the end of the semester. I also hope that you will remember some of these terms and concepts as you move on to other classes. The lecture exams and the final exam will measure your retention of these terms and concepts.
I want to provide the student with many ways to see the terms and concepts we study in soils, thus we have lecture, lab, Web Lab Units, and discussion. This will give you lots of exposure and practice. The more you practice the better you will be. Exams are just one way to evaluate your success. If you do the assignments, attend class, and participate regularly you will be successful. If you are having trouble at any time during the semester, please see me for assistance. Studying soils should be fun and we want to make it so.
If any student has disabilities that need special consideration, please see me early in the semester so we can develop a plan that will accommodate you.
Go To Weekly Schedule
