Do students really enroll in Introductory Geology because they think it is "rocks for jocks"? In this study, we examine the widely held assumption that students view geology as a qualitative and remedial option for fulfilling a general education requirement. We present the first quantitative characterization of a large number of…

Contains the second of three columns reviewing films on earthquakes. The films are about earthquakes in general, though California earthquakes play a dominant role in many of these films, which are rated on a scale of one to five stars. The list includes the year made, length of time in minutes, distribution source, and price. One of the top-rated…

Presents fault activity with an emphasis on earthquakes and changes in continent shapes. Identifies three types of fault movement: normal, reverse, and strike faults. Discusses the seismic gap theory, plate tectonics, and the principle of superposition. Vignettes portray fault movement, and the locations of the San Andreas fault and epicenters of…

Reviews 11 films on volcanic eruptions in the United States. Films are given a one- to five-star rating and the film's year, length, source and price are listed. Top films include "Inside Hawaiian Volcanoes" and "Kilauea: Close up of an Active Volcano." (AIM)

Focuses on films about dinosaurs that were made for young children. Nine films from 1981 to 1993 are reviewed and assigned ratings based on such issues as appeal for children, scientific content, and pedagogic soundness. Drawbacks such as factual errors or difficulty in following the film are also noted. Film length, source, and price are…

Describes an exercise in which students convert lithostratigraphic columns into chronostratigraphic columns, infer paleolatitude using paleomagnetic data, interpret depositional environments, determine the timing of deformation and terrane collision, construct models, and synthesize the results into a geologic history. Background data, procedures,…