 | University of Virginia March, 1907 |  |
CORCORAN SCHOOL OF NATURAL HISTORY AND GEOLOGY.
Professor Fontaine.
Required for Admission to the Work of the School: The General
Entrance Examination. In this School two subjects are taught, Geology
and Descriptive Mineralogy. There are two courses, as follows:
Primarily for Undergraduates.
Course 1.—Three lectures a week will be given throughout the session.
The design of the course is to enable the student to obtain such a
knowledge of the science of Geology as should be possessed by a welleducated
man. As full an exposition of the fundamental principles will
be given as the time will allow.
Text-Books.—Le Conte's Elements of Geology, and Notes of the Professor's
lectures.
For Undergraduates and Graduates.
Course 2: Course 1 prerequisite.—This course consists of two divisions,
one in Mineralogy, the other in Geology.
Mineralogy.—The course in Mineralogy closes in February. Three
lectures a week are given in it. In this course attention is paid to crystallography,
and especially to the physical properties of minerals. In
Descriptive Mineralogy the relations, geological occurrence, and history
of the individual species are made prominent.
Text-Books.—Dana's Manual of Mineralogy and Petrology. The instruction
will be in part by lectures.
Geology.—This division of the course begins after the completion of
Mineralogy in February. The more general and complicated problems in
all the branches of Geology will be dealt with in this course. As thorough
Paleontology. More stress will be laid on the methods of field-work and
the application of geological principles. The aim will be to give such a
knowledge of the subject as may be useful to the student in bread-winning
pursuits, or may serve as a basis for the more specialized course required
for the attainment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Text-Book.—Chamberlin and Salisbury's Geology in part. For reference:
Geikie's Text-Book of Geology. The instruction will be in part by lectures.
For Graduates Only.
The advanced course in this School is 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.
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.
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.
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
literature and growth of opinion in relation to particular questions may be
assigned to form the subject of theses.
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.
| University of Virginia March, 1907 | |