The origin of animals was one of the most important events in the history of earth. In this course we will review the history of the planet, learn basic geology, and then examine the problem of the origin of animals by studying Mount Holyoke's unequalled collection of Precambrian and Cambrian fossils. The emergence of animals has been called the Cambrian Explosion. We will examine what this means for our understanding of evolutionary theory.

This course provides an intensive study of fossils, fossil preservation, relationships between major groups of organisms, depositional environments, sediments, sedimentary rocks, and the processes of sedimentation. We will employ the principles of stratigraphic analysis and correlation to interpret ancient environments and paleoclimate, reconstruct paleogeography, and probe the characteristics of sedimentary basins. Laboratory exercises and field trips will introduce a variety of analytical techniques used to study sedimentary rocks.

Studies mineralogical and chemical compositions, classification, genesis, and mode of occurrence of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Special attention paid to the relationships between rock-forming processes and global plate tectonics. Laboratory study of representative rock suites in hand specimen and thin section, introduction to analytical techniques, including mineral optics, and one or more field trips.

Uranium (U) series dating has revolutionized our understanding of geologic time. U and its radiogenic daughters, like lead (Pb) and Thorium (Th), have provided us with dates for events as disparate as the formation of our solar system and the rise and fall of sea level in response to geologically recent climate and tectonic events. This seminar will survey the U-Pb, Th-Pb, and Pb-Pb methods; the common lead method; U/Th series disequilibria; and fission track dating. We may also cover Plutonium production and the mining and enrichment of Uranium for nuclear power and weapons.

This course is designed to introduce students to social, cultural, historical, and political perspectives on gender and its construction. Through discussion and writing, we will explore the intersections among gender, race, class, and sexuality in multiple settings and contexts. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to a variety of questions, we will consider the distinctions between sex and gender, women's economic status, the making of masculinity, sexual violence, queer movements, racism, and the challenges of feminist activism across nations, and possibilities for change.

This course is designed to introduce students to social, cultural, historical, and political perspectives on gender and its construction. Through discussion and writing, we will explore the intersections among gender, race, class, and sexuality in multiple settings and contexts. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to a variety of questions, we will consider the distinctions between sex and gender, women's economic status, the making of masculinity, sexual violence, queer movements, racism, and the challenges of feminist activism across nations, and possibilities for change.

How do scholars produce knowledge? What can we learn from differences and similarities in the research process of a novelist, a biologist, an historian, a sociologist, and a film critic? Who decides what counts as knowledge? We will examine a range of methods from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, including visual analysis, archival exploration, interviewing, and ethnography, as we consider the specific advantages (and potential limitations) of diverse disciplinary approaches for feminist inquiry.

Are animals persons? Subjects? Do they have gender? Important shifts in public opinion have taken place concerning the moral, legal, and affective status of animals, yet liberal Academia still marginalizes the 'animal question.' In this course, we will draw on feminism's engagement against speciesism to chart diverse forms of human/non-human companionship. The analytic categories of gender and species will be examined side by side for their usefulness in understanding a world in which we no longer approach the human as the great exception.