Primarily for Graduates.
The advanced courses in this School are intended to give the
student as large a stock of useful information as possible, to teach
him methods of investigation, and to train him in habits of observation.
Original research will be insisted on, and opportunity will be
given for the student to concentrate his efforts in some line of special
study.
Topics for study will be taken from both of the subjects taught
in this School. The abundant material in the Lewis Brooks Museum,
mentioned below, gives unusual facilities for the pursuit of graduate
work.
Course 3D: Descriptive Mineralogy.—The course of Mineralogy
is so selected as to give the student a good knowledge of as wide a
range of the principles as possible, and at the same time to cause him
to acquire a practical knowledge of the various mineral species. In
the practical study, the more common minerals, and those of more
importance from an economic and geologic point of view, will have
preference. A practical knowledge of the crystal forms and of the
characteristic groupings and massive forms of minerals, will be required.
Special attention will be paid to the relations of minerals,
their association in nature, and their geological occurrence. The
student will be trained to determine minerals, as far as possible, by
their obvious characteristics, without the help of tests, and practical
examinations will be held, from time to time, to test his skill. One
or more theses will be required. Hours by appointment.
Dana's Text-Book of Mineralogy, and Weisbach's Mineral Tables will be used;
and topics from various authors will be assigned for study in special cases.
Course 4D: Geology.—In Geology the aim will be to fit the
student for independent and original research. He will study as
thoroughly as possible the broader problems of the science, involving
the knowledge of stratigraphical principles. Special attention
will be given to imparting a practical knowledge of the various
rocks, and of the animal and plant fossils of the different eras, with
the view of using them in determining unknown formations. Stress
will be laid upon field work, and the methods of determining and
describing the geology of new regions. To impart such knowledge,
the student will be required to work up some particular region or
formation, and report his results. Topics involving a knowledge of
the literature and growth of opinion in relation to particular questions
may be assigned to form the subject of theses. Hours by appointment.
Chamberlin and Salisbury's Geology will be used as a text-book, and selected books
of other authors will be used when necessary.
The Lewis Brooks Museum contains collections illustrating the
main subdivisions of Natural History. Each of the collections is
arranged so as to exemplify the principles of the science, and at the
same time offers a large variety of subjects for advanced study. In
Geology the specimens show all the different kinds of rocks, classified
according to mineral character and the formation in which they
occur; the collection of fossils, plaster casts, maps, etc., is exceptionally
fine, and fully illustrates Historical Geology. In Mineralogy
the principles of the science are made plain by well-chosen suits of
specimens, models of crystals, etc. The general collection of minerals
contains all the important minerals, and many of the rarer
ones, in good specimens. Zoölogy is well illustrated by a fine and
large collection of mounted skeletons, stuffed animals, dried specimens,
plaster casts, etc. In Botany the collections contain charts,
papier-maché models of flowers and fruits, sections of wood, etc.:
the bulk of the collection is in the form of an herbarium, selected
from the most important and interesting botanical regions of the
world. In addition to the above, a beginning has been made of a
collection to illustrate the geology and mineralogy of the State of
Virginia, and this will be increased as rapidly as possible.
These large and carefully selected collections of geological and
mineralogical objects afford unsurpassed facilities for the full illustration
of the principles taught. As free access to these collections
is allowed the student, he can find in their study an opportunity,
rarely obtained, for gaining a practical acquaintance with natural
objects acquired from various parts of the world, and chosen for
their typical character. These collections are especially useful to
students pursuing advanced work in Geology and Mineralogy.
