Before we get started, did you complete the Course Orientation?
“... when people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together..”
Note: The Earth is almost but not quite spherical because it bulges a little around the equator in response to the planet’s rotation, and it has mountains and other bumps, but the Earth is still much closer to being spherical than to being flat!
Science!
We will explore geology (broadly, the study of the Earth) and some related issues (evolution, biodiversity, climate, and energy). But first, we will take a quick look at science. What is it? Why do we pay for it? Why do it? Why do most of us trust it? What do we learn from it? Why bother? Most of you have been forced to sit through some version of this about ten times in elementary and high school, so we’ll try to give it a slightly different twist here and make it worthwhile. (Plus, we promised Penn State we would do this when they approved the course, so you need to do it to get a good grade.)
Module 1 will introduce you to both science and the field of geology, giving you an overview of what it's about, why it's important, and how it benefits people. Module 1 is our entry point to the magnificent environmental legacy that is our National Parks—a system of parks and monuments designed for us to enjoy today, and to preserve for the future, society's very best geological, biological, cultural, and historical records, and artifacts.
Learning Objectives
- Explain how science works, including how useful it is and its limitations.
- Understand that national parks must preserve important features for future generations while allowing people to learn from these features and enjoy them today.
- Recognize the many contributions that geologists make, helping us find valuable things, avoid hazards, get along with the Earth better, and enjoy what we learn.
- Understand a few basic science results that many of you learned in middle school but some of you may need because your schools didn't teach them, so you are ready to understand our fascinating journey through the parks.
What to do for Module 1?
You will have one week to complete Module 1. Complete all assignments in Canvas. See the course calendar for specific due dates.
- Take the RockOn #1 Quiz.
- Take the StudentsSpeak #2 Survey.
- Begin Exercise #1.
So, What is Science?
Science is the most successful way humans have ever developed to learn how things work and to use that knowledge to do things we want to do and predict things we want to predict.
Science is not a magic path to the ultimate truth. Instead, science is humans keeping track of what works and what doesn't and trying not to fool ourselves in the process. The “scientific method” is common sense dressed up with fancy words and expensive machines. Science doesn't tell us what we should do or why we're here, but if we use science efficiently, it makes us healthier, wealthier, and more comfortable while we figure out those big issues.
Questions?
If you have any questions, send an email via Canvas, to ALL the Teachers and TAs. To do this, add each teacher individually in the “To” line of your email. By adding all the teachers, the TAs will be included. Failure to email ALL the teachers may result in a delayed or missed response. For detailed directions on how to do this, see How to send an email in GEOSC 10 in the Important Information module.
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