Earth Science and Society Major

Required Units

Total number of units required for major, excluding any required Intensive(s): 10

Required Intensive units, if any: 1

Total units required: 11

Total Number of Specific Courses Required

GEOG 102 - Global Geography: People, Places, and Regions
ESCI 151 - The Solid Earth: Physical Geology
ESCI 203 - Earth History
One methods course chosen from:
GEOG 220 - Cartography: Spatial Data Visualization with GIS
GEOG 224 - GIS: Spatial Analysis
GEOG 230 - Research Methods: Studying Sustainability at Vassar
Or another course approved by the department.
Other 200-level courses with strong research-methods components may also fulfill this requirement if approved by the department.
The challenges presented by climate change, resource conflicts, and natural disasters point to the importance of studying the intersection of earth processes and human societies. The interdisciplinary Earth Science and Society major draws on the two allied disciplines housed in the department of Earth Science and Geography. From Earth Science, students gain an understanding of natural processes that impact the distribution and use of resources such as water, fossil fuels, and soil, as well as natural hazards such as climate change, tsunamis and earthquakes. From Geography, students learn about the spatial distribution of physical and human phenomena and how human societies have been shaped by and also have changed the natural world. Students follow a focused series of Earth Science and Geography courses, normally within one of two general themes (below); students may propose course substitutions in consultation with their adviser or the chairs of the department.
Physical Geography Theme:

This theme focuses on understanding patterns and processes in the natural environment that shape landscapes, with emphasis on climate, soils, water, landforms, and natural hazards.
GEOG 220 Cartography: Spatial Data Visualization with GIS
GEOG 224 GIS: Spatial Analysis
GEOG 230 Research Methods: Studying Sustainability at Vassar
GEOG 256 - Geographies of Food and Farming
GEOG 258 - Sustainable Landscapes: Bridging Place and Environment in Poughkeepsie
GEOG 260 - Conservation of Natural Resources
GEOG 340 - Advanced Urban and Regional Studies
GEOG 356 - Environment and Land-Use Planning
ESCI 201 - Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks
ESCI 203 - Earth History
ESCI 211 - Sedimentology
ESCI 221 - Soils
ESCI 231 - Geomorphology: Surface Processes and Evolution of Landforms
ESCI 251 - Global Geophysics and Tectonics
ESCI 321 - Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology
ESCI 335 - Paleoclimatology: Earth’s History of Climate Change
ESCI 361 - Modeling the Earth
Land and Resource Analysis Theme:
GEOG 220 - Cartography: Spatial Data Visualization with GIS
GEOG 224 - GIS: Spatial Analysis
GEOG 230 - Research Methods: Studying Sustainability at Vassar
GEOG 238 - Environmental China: Nature, Culture, and Development
GEOG 242 - Brazil in Crisis: Continuity and Change in Portuguese America
GEOG 250 - Urban Geography: Space, Place, Environment
GEOG 252 - Cities of the Global South: Urbanization and Social Change in the Developing World
GEOG 258 - Sustainable Landscapes: Bridging Place and Environment in Poughkeepsie
GEOG 260 - Conservation of Natural Resources
GEOG 266 - Population, Environment, and Sustainable Development
GEOG 304 - Senior Seminar: Issues in Geographic Theory and Method
GEOG 340 Advanced Urban and Regional Studies
ESCI 111 - Science and Justice in the Anthropocene
ESCI 151 - The Solid Earth: Physical Geology
ESCI 201 - Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks
ESCI 203 - Earth History
ESCI 221 - Soils
ESCI 231 - Geomorphology: Surface Processes and Evolution of Landforms
ESCI 321 - Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology
ESCI 361 - Modeling the Earth

Electives

A sequence of three units in Earth Science including at least one at the 300-level
A sequence of three units in Geography including at least one at the 300-level

Intensives

At least one of the 200 or 300 level units, or the optional thesis, must be Intensive.