GEOL 460
Senior Seminar in the Geological Sciences
Catalog Entry
GEOL 460
Senior Seminar in the Geological Sciences
Three hours lecture (3)
Prerequisites: GEOL 312
This seminar prepares students for entry into the geological profession. Students will gain experience in written communication and oral presentation of scientific data, critical analysis of scientific and technical data, research methods, literature research, and peer review. They will hone their writing skills by employing feedback, editing and revision, and proofreading of their written work, in the form of scientific journals or reports. Students will also gain practice in oral presentations such as for professional presentations at meetings. Discussions and exercises on career planning, job searching and the application process, and graduate schools will prepare them for their immediate future upon graduation.
Note(s): Applied Learning designated course.
Detailed Description of Course
1.Introduction to the profession of the Geosciences
a.Organization by subdiscipline
b.Professional organizations
c.Professional journals
d.Jobs and careers
e.Licensure
2.Entrance into the profession
a.Career planning
b.Professional licensure
c.Graduate schools and the GRE
d.Job application process (resumes, job searches, job application, interview skills)
3.Reading and in-depth critical analysis
a.Deconstruction of professional and technical papers
b.Organization of the information and ideas in a professional paper
c.Extraction of key information by the reader
d.Analysis of bias by author
e.Analysis of data presented versus assertions and conclusions
4.Critiquing sources of information
a.Websites
b.Popular media (TV, magazines, etc.)
c.Professional journals
5.Information research
a.Web searches
b.Library based bibliographic searches, database searches
c.Citations of information sources
6.Writing
a.Writing exercises, with class discussions of results
b.Short summaries of geological literature
c.Abstracts
d.Scientific journal-style research papers
7.Oral presentation
a.Seminar style discussions
b.Use of presentation software and graphics
c.Full professional presentations
8.The peer review process
a.Practice as both a reviewer and being reviewed
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The course will be project-oriented with minimal lecturing by the professor. Students
will work in a variety of settings that will mimic experiences in industry and academia.
1.Resume writing and job searching
The course is intended to be taught primarily to seniors in the fall semester, and activities such as resume writing and job searching will be extremely relevant, in real-time, to actual experience. These activities may be done in coordination with the Center for Career and Talent Development.
2.Reading-based activities:
a.Diagramming the information and flow of ideas and data in a professional paper
b.Quick extraction of ideas and conclusions from a number of related papers
c.In-depth reading of scientific papers
3.Data search exercises
a.Web searches
b.Library exercises using geological databases
4.Writing-based exercises, which will incorporate instructor and peer feedback, editing and revision
a.In-class writing exercises and class discussions of results
b.Literature review and summaries of scientific topics
c.Writing of scientific abstracts
d.Writing a full researched journal article (part of term project),
5.Oral presentations
a.Seminar style discussions: students will research, prepare materials, and lead a class discussion, similar to a graduate school seminar class or in an industry setting
b.Full professional presentations: students will prepare and present in an open forum, a presentation similar to that at a professional conference (part of the term project)
6.The term project
a.Student, in consultation with the professor, will develop a topic to research, based on a central theme or groups of themes
b.Student will develop bibliographic references and will research the topic
c.Student will prepare charts and graphics
d.Students will submit a first draft to be critiqued by the professor
e.Class will be divided into peer review panels. Student will submit a second draft to the peer review panel and will review other students work as part of a panel
f.Final oral presentation, open to the public, including question and answer period
g.Final paper submission
Goals and Objectives of the Course
GEOL 460 addresses the following learning outcomes:
1.Students will conduct geological literature reviews and critically analyze geologic data;
2.Students will be able to effectively organize and communicate geological topics and issues in writing, both informally and through writing of professional papers or reports.
3.Students will be able to effectively communicate verbally, through informal and formal presentations, with geologists, other scientists, engineers, and non-professionals.
4.Students will identify and be able to properly apply for positions in the geologic profession and graduate programs.
Assessment Measures
Written papers and oral presentations will be assessed by grading rubrics that will
include measures of: information content, logic, clarity, style, and quality of bibliographic
sources and citations. Grading rubrics for written work will include measures of
the quality of revisions based on feedback. Other measures include completion of short
writing exercises and assignments, and participation in peer review and other class
activities.
Other Course Information
This is a required course for the Geology B.S. degree in the General Geology and Engineering
and Environmental Science concentrations, and for the B.A. in Geology.
Review and Approval
March, 2010
March 01, 2021