The relationship between people and their physical geological environment. Topics include geologic hazards, hydrology and human health, mineral and energy resources, and land use planning. Primarily for non-science majors; not for geology or earth science majors. Lectures and field trips. Fulfills General Education Foundations - Physical Sciences. Offered every semester.
Summer 2026 - Online Fall 2026 - Online Winter 2027 - Online
Scientific investigation of the oceans and interactions among ocean, atmosphere, and lithosphere. Introduction to the chemistry of seawater, physics of water movement, coastal processes, geological oceanography, changes in the oceanic system through geologic time, and the role of oceans in earth's geologic evolution. Lectures and field trips. Fulfills General Education Foundations - Physical Sciences. Offered every semester.
Fall 2026 - Online Winter 2027 - Online
Introduction to earth science using the Great Lakes as a theme and Lake Michigan as a natural laboratory. Review of the lakes' geologic setting, origin, and history; climatology and lake levels; physical processes including erosion; water chemistry as a function of geology; human interactions with the lakes. Lectures and field trips. Fulfills General Education Foundations - Physical Sciences. Offered every semester.
Introduction to climate system science. Topics include energy, atmospheric dynamics/chemistry, albedo, glaciations, carbon cycling, ocean/atmosphere interaction, radiative forcings, solar cycles, orbital parameters, sea-level rise, paleoclimates, geochemical climate proxies, and anthropogenic climate change. Primarily for non-science majors. Does not count toward Geology, Geology-Chemistry, nor Earth Science majors and minors. Fulfills General Education Foundations - Physical Sciences. Offered every semester.
This geoscience course explores the scientific principles and human impact of natural hazards and disasters. The course emphasizes the earth processes associated with hazards, natural hazard forecasting and mitigation, and sustainable living within the Earth system. Fulfills General Education Foundations - Physical Sciences. Offered every semester.
Introduction to the study of earth materials and processes, including minerals, rocks, mineral deposits, weathering, erosion, volcanism, and mountain building. Lectures, laboratories, and field trips. Fulfills General Education Foundations - Physical Sciences with a lab. Offered every semester.
The topics covered will reflect special interests of students and the instructor. Offered on sufficient demand. Prerequisites: Variable depending on topic.
Winter 2027 - Online
A comprehensive analysis of oceanographic processes, systems, and the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere and lithosphere in the modern world, as well as over geological time (paleoceanography). Emphasis on chemical, physical, and geological oceanography (3-0-0). Offered fall semester of even-numbered years. Prerequisite: GEO 112.
Fall 2026 - Online
