THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE Senate Document Number 1390F Date of Senate Approval 12/13/90 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement of Faculty Senate Action: APC #9: Proposal to Increase Physical Geology (ENVR 105) from four to five credits DELETIONS/ADDITIONS to the current catalog statements: (proposed deletions/additions are in bold face and underlined). 1. 105 INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY (5) An introduction to the study of the origin of minerals, rocks, and the formative processes controlling the earth's structure and natural resources. Three hours lecture, one hour recitation, three hours laboratory. Laboratory will include required field trips to areas of local geological interest. EIS: A. Effect on major/minor - none B. Effect on University requirements - This course will fulfill the lab science portion of the General Education Requirement. Rationale: Physical Geology is a basic science with a wide level of support among the University community and will provide another option among the current "105" offerings. We are already prepared to teach Physical Geology, with the necessary instructor, laboratory, collection, and supplies, all located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a natural geological laboratory itself. This course will meet the stipulations of Senate Document #2285 in reference to the lab science General Education Requirement: 1. Physical Geology will "include a laboratory," of three hours duration, meeting once per week. 2. The course will "treat the historical development of the science," from the earliest human ancestors, through the bronze age, through Continental Drift (Wegener), to modern plate tectonics (Hess, Morgan, Dewey, Wilson). 3. The course will "explicitly employ and discuss the scientific method" and related concepts such as Multiple Working Hypotheses, Uniformitarianism, and Catastrophism. 4. The course, which is a study of the earth, is fundamental yet "interdisciplinary" in nature where the study of minerals and rocks includes principles from chemistry and physics, the study of earthquakes includes principles from physics, and the study of stratigraphy includes biological principle to name a few examples. In addition, the interactions of humans with the physical environment is discussed throughout the course. 5. Physical Geology not a first course "in a sequence taken by majors." Furthermore, it is requested that APC approve retroactively Physical Geology (ENVR) in the four-credit format as fulfillment for the lab science portion of the General Education Requirement. Physical Geology was initially proposed with the five-credit format (memo to APC from Gary Miller, 01/18/89) but was delayed pending University action of "105" courses proposed by other departments and programs. Approving the four-credit Physical Geology as the fulfillment of the lab science requirement will avoid confusion in the registrar's office since the only difference between the two courses will be four versus five credit hours. This would affect relatively few students. The total enrollment for all of the four-credit Physical Geology sections is 29, with many of those students already fulfilling their lab science portions of the General Education Requirement with other courses.