Catalogue 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Earth Science
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Faculty: See Earth Science and Geography Department
Early Advising: Knowledge of earth science is useful in a variety of careers. Therefore, we urge potential majors to consult with a faculty member in earth science as soon as possible to determine a course of study that reflects the interests and aspirations of the student. The earth science program also offers courses at the 100-level designed for students who may not intend to pursue earth science at more advanced levels. These courses are appropriate for students curious about the earth and its life, especially those with concerns about environmental degradation and its impact on people living in both urban and rural settings.
Postgraduate Work: Students interested in graduate study in earth or environmental science should be aware that graduate and professional schools usually require courses beyond the earth science concentration requirements. In general, students should have a year of biology, chemistry, physics and/or calculus, depending on the field of interest. Appropriate courses include BIOL 105 and BIOL 106 ; CHEM 108 /CHEM 109 or CHEM 125 ; PHYS 113 and PHYS 114 ; and MATH 101 and MATH 102 or MATH 121 /MATH 122. We urge students to begin coursework in other sciences as soon as possible, since this assists them in successful completion of the earth science major.
Advisers: Kirsten Menking, Jill S. Schneiderman, Jeffrey Walker.
Major
Correlate Sequence in Earth Science
Earth Science: I. Introductory
Earth Science: II. Intermediate
Earth Science: III. Advanced
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ESCI 300 - Senior Research and Thesis Semester Offered: Fall 0.5 unit(s) Critical analysis, usually through observation or experimentation, of a specific research problem in earth science. A student electing this course must first gain, by submission of a written research proposal, the support of a member of the earth science faculty with whom to work out details of a research protocol. The formal research proposal and a final paper and presentation of results are required parts of the course. A second faculty member participates in the final evaluation. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course 300-ESCI 301 .
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 301 - Senior Research and Thesis Semester Offered: Spring 0.5 unit(s) Critical analysis, usually through observation or experimentation, of a specific research problem in earth science. A student electing this course must first gain, by submission of a written research proposal, the support of a member of the earth science faculty with whom to work out details of a research protocol. The formal research proposal and a final paper and presentation of results are required parts of the course. A second faculty member participates in the final evaluation. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course ESCI 300 -301.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 321 - Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology 1 unit(s) (Same as ENST 321 ) This course investigates fundamental geologic controls on environmental issues such as resource distribution and use, ground and surface water pollution, and atmospheric pollution. A specific topic is selected each year, and work in the class includes a survey of relevant literature, field visits to local sites, and development of a group project.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or ENST 124 .
One 4-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 323 - History of Geological Thought: 1690-1980 1 unit(s) (Same as STS 323 ) In this course we examine the historical context and scientific ideas put forth by natural philosophers and scientists including Thomas Burnet, Nicolas Steno, James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, Alfred Wegener, Marie Tharp, Bruce Heezen, Stephen Jay Gould, Niles Eldredge, James Lovelock and Walter Alvarez. Topics of study include geologic time, continental drift and plate tectonics, evolution and punctuated equilibrium, Gaia, and bolide impacts. Jill Schneiderman.
Prerequisite(s): Must be a science or Science, Technology, and Society major at the junior or senior level, or by permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 335 - Paleoclimatology: Earth’s History of Climate Change Semester Offered: Spring 1 unit(s) (Same as ENST 335 ) In recent decades, record high temperatures and extreme weather events have led scientists and policy makers to grapple with the fact that human activities are affecting the climate system. At the same time, scientists have come to realize that climate is capable of dramatic shifts in the absence of human intervention. The science of paleoclimatology seeks to understand the extent and causes of natural climatic variability in order to establish the baseline on top of which anthropogenic changes are occurring. In this course we examine the structure and properties of the oceans and atmosphere and how the general circulation of these systems redistributes heat throughout the globe; study how cycles in Earth’s orbital parameters, plate tectonics, changes in ocean circulation, and the evolution of plants have affected climate; and explore the different lines of evidence used to reconstruct climate history. Weekly laboratory projects introduce students to paleoclimatic methods and to records of climatic change from the Paleozoic through the Little Ice Age. Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory/field period.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 351 - Volcanology Semester Offered: Spring 1 unit(s) Volcanoes are an important window into the workings of the earth’s interior. They are also spectacular landscape features: serene in repose, and often violent in eruption. This course addresses the physical aspects of volcanoes, including such topics as the generation of magmas, styles of eruptions, products of eruptions, tectonic controls on the formation of volcanoes, and methods for predicting eruptions and mitigating the hazards associated with volcanic activity. An optional field trip to an active volcano is possible. Jeffrey Walker.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 201 .
One 4-hour period.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 361 - Modeling the Earth 1 unit(s) (Same as ENST 361 ) Computer models are powerful tools in the Earth and Environmental Sciences for generating and testing hypotheses about how the Earth system functions and for allowing simulation of processes in places inaccessible to humans (e.g., Earth’s deep interior), too slow to permit observation (e.g., erosion driven uplift of mountains ranges), or too large to facilitate construction of physical models (e.g., Earth’s climate system). Taking readings from the scientific literature, we create and then perform experiments with simple computer models, using the STELLA iconographic box-modeling software package. Topics include the global phosphorus cycle, Earth’s radiative balance with the sun and resulting temperature, the flow of ice in glaciers, and the role of life in moderating Earth’s climate. Toward the end of the semester, students apply the skills they have acquired to a modeling project of their own devising. Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): One 200-level course in the natural sciences.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 375 - Advanced Topics in Paleontology 1 unit(s) This course explores emerging issues in the study of life’s history, including but not limited to changes in biodiversity over time (evolution, extinction), paleoecology, biosphere-climate interactions, or biomechanics. Each course offering focusses on a specific topic and may include reading and discussing relevant literature, field or museum trips, and/or participation in a research project.
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour period.
Not offered in 2019/20.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring 0.5 to 1 unit(s) Execution and analysis of a field, laboratory, or library study. The project, to be arranged with an individual instructor, is expected to have a substantial paper as its final product. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: OTH
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