Spring 2002, MWF 11:15 a.m.-12:05
p.m.
Course Objectives
Minerals are everywhere, from gemstones in jewelry to marbles in buildings, to microprocessors in computers. Specific objectives of this course are to introduce
- classification, properties, and use of selected minerals (science),
- mining and processing of mineral resources (technology/economics) , and
- environmental impact and regulation of the minerals industry (environment/society) .
Student Involvement in Learning
Students will work in teams to search the literature and other sources of information for active and collaborative learning. Writing assignments (short essays and papers), course portfolio (optional web page), and oral presentations will provide learning activities and exercises to sharpen written, visual, and oral communication skills. Critical thinking and questioning will be emphasized throughout the course in a holistic framework of science/technology/ society context.
1) Short Essays:
Students will write a two-page essay to review and reflect on what they
have learned in each section of the course. A total of four essays are scheduled
for the semester. These essays may be used in writing the mid-semester
paper. Each essay should include an introduction, a main body of information
and discussion, and conclusions. Literature references with proper citations
must be included in every essay. Tutoring will be available to help students
improve their writing skills.
Back to Top
2) Mid-Semester Paper: A 10 to 15-page (double-spaced) paper to review a selected minerals industry, including mineral classification, ore deposits, mining, mineral processing, environmental impact, and end use. Select from one of the options below, or propose a topic to review.
- coal
- molybdenum
- uranium
- mercury
- borax
- phosphorous
- quartz
- sodium chloride
- sulfur
- Introduction - significance of the mineral of your choice to economy and society; production statistics
- Mineral Deposits - occurrence, reserves, classification, and properties
- Mining - mine locations, preferred mining processes
- Mineral Processing - recovery, enrichment, separation, purification processes
- Environmental Concerns - during mining or mineral processing
- Summary and Conclusions - conclusions in a science/technology/society context.
- References - clear identification and proper citation of all the sources you used in your paper. Use an acceptable citation format and clearly identify your sources in the text.
3) Case Study Team Projects: Teams of three or four students will research an assigned topic and present their findings in a project portfolio and on a web page (optional, extra credit) prepared by the team. Tutoring on web page design and production will be available. Team work is the most important component of this assignment. Team members will take turns to lead the discussion in group meetings to work on a preliminary plan, identifying resources, sharing work, compiling the information, designing, and preparing the portfolio (and the web page). The portfolios (and the web pages) will consist of the following sections:
- Historical perspective in production and use of the mineral resource
- Mineral reserves and production statistics (for the last 10-40 years)
- Mineral deposits and mining practices
- Mineral processing methods
- Economic/Social/Environmental significance of the resource
- Conclusions
- References
4) Class Presentation: Team members will make oral presentations to the class on the results of the assigned case study projects. Each team member will present a different part of the study using a coherent and uniform format for viewgraphs. Presentations will take 30-40 minutes to leave sufficient time for questions and discussion.
5) Learning Portfolio: This portfolio should reflect what students have learned in this course by tieing together all the assignments and the activities, preferably in a chronological order. It is important that all the essays, mid-semester paper, and assignments are presented in a fashion to generate interest in the reader and provide information with trackable references. For a good example of an on-line learning portfolio template please visit Jessica Boorshtein' page .
Instructors
Dr. Semih Eser
|
|
Dr. Phillip Halleck
|
|