Our multimedia course acquaints students with present day life and culture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Authentic documents and interviews with native speakers from all walks of life serve as a first-hand introduction to the German-speaking countries. An interactive learning software, as well as related Internet audio-visual materials emphasize the mastery of speaking, writing, and reading skills that are the foundation for further study. Three hours a week for explanation and demonstration, one hour a week in small TA sections.

Independent research on a geologic problem within any area of staff competence. A thesis of high quality will be required. A double course.

Open to seniors who meet the requirements of the Departmental Honors program. Spring semester. The Department.

How to handle overenrollment: null

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Independent research

Independent research on a geologic problem within any area of staff competence. A thesis of high quality will be required.

Open to seniors who meet the requirements of the Departmental Honors program. Spring semester(s). The Department.

How to handle overenrollment: null

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Independent research

At the planetary scale, Earth’s climate is simple. Earth’s surface absorbs light energy from the sun, it radiates energy through the atmosphere back into space, and the balance of inputs and outputs sets our surface temperature. Thus, changes in solar radiation, atmospheric chemistry, and Earth’s orbital configuration can explain the large-scale climate changes throughout Earth’s history. But the details that matter to individual countries, cities, and communities are much more complicated.

At the planetary scale, Earth’s climate is simple. Earth’s surface absorbs light energy from the sun, it radiates energy through the atmosphere back into space, and the balance of inputs and outputs sets our surface temperature. Thus, changes in solar radiation, atmospheric chemistry, and Earth’s orbital configuration can explain the large-scale climate changes throughout Earth’s history. But the details that matter to individual countries, cities, and communities are much more complicated.

Ours is a restless planet where plates drift, and continents rift apart and collide. The record of this is written in the deformation of the crust – manifested as faults, folds, and rock fabric. In this class we will learn to recognize and assess these and other structures, to quantify the deformation that occurred as the structures were made, and to infer the forces that were at work.

Ours is a restless planet where plates drift, and continents rift apart and collide. The record of this is written in the deformation of the crust – manifested as faults, folds, and rock fabric. In this class we will learn to recognize and assess these and other structures, to quantify the deformation that occurred as the structures were made, and to infer the forces that were at work.

Minerals are the fundamental building blocks of planetary materials, are essential natural resources for human society, and they modulate earth and environmental systems. This course explores the origin, distribution, and scientific and societal relevance of minerals. Through project-based inquiry, students will investigate the chemical and physical properties of minerals across a range of spatial scales, from the scale of individual atoms, to that of a hand specimen.

Minerals are the fundamental building blocks of planetary materials, are essential natural resources for human society, and they modulate earth and environmental systems. This course explores the origin, distribution, and scientific and societal relevance of minerals. Through project-based inquiry, students will investigate the chemical and physical properties of minerals across a range of spatial scales, from the scale of individual atoms, to that of a hand specimen.

This course focuses on the history of life as preserved in the sedimentary rock record. Students will learn how paleontologists and geobiologists use skeletal fossils, molecular fossils, and geochemical signatures to ask and answer questions about the evolution of ancient life and Earth history. Students will study the origination, radiation, and extinction of major groups of organisms in the context of global environmental change, with an emphasis on invertebrate and microbial life.