Instructor: Various
Term Taught: Spring, Summer II
Credits: 3
Course Description
This course is intended to provide you with a scientific overview of geology as it relates to human activities, termed “Environmental Geology”. Geology is a logical place to start in order to begin to understand complex environmental issues. In particular, we will investigate (a) the physical constraints imposed on human activities by the near-surface and surface geological processes that are continually shaping the environment that we live in, and (b) the resources that we utilize to sustain our lives on Earth. This course will focus on issues not addressed in detail in the “Planet Earth” class and is designed to compliment material covered in the “Environmental Geology Laboratory” classes.
Prerequisites: none
Learning Objectives
• Basic understanding of major geological processes occurring in the near surface of the Earth
• Comprehension of how environmental geological processes impact humans and society
• Appreciation of how anthropogenic activities are modify natural environmental processes