2010-11 Undergraduate Index A-Z
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Geology [clear]
| Title | Offering | Standing | Credits | Credits | When | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty | Days of Week | Multiple Standings | Start Quarters |
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First Peoples - Americans From the Ice Age to 1500 AD
Dennis Hibbert |
Course | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 4 | 04 | Weekend | SSpring | We will study the whole span of time for which we have good evidence that people lived in the Americas before European contact. We want to know about when people reached the Americas and where they came from, where they traveled and settled, the societies that developed, the responses of these societies to ongoing environmental changes, and human impacts on the landscape. We will draw on genetic studies, archaeology, palaeobotany, geology, palaeoclimatology, and liguistics. Emphasis throughout will be on learning what kinds of evidence tell us about our past and how that evidence is obtained and interpreted. | Dennis Hibbert | Sat | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | ||||
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Introduction to Natural Science: Life on Earth
Dharshi Bopegedera, Clarissa Dirks and Christopher Coughenour Signature Required: Winter |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | SSpring | The origin and evolution of life on Earth, along with changes in Earth itself, have been sources of fascination and controversy. This yearlong interdisciplinary program will examine significant events in the history of life, and the large-scale geologic changes that have occurred in Earth's history, to provide a conceptual and experimental introduction to natural science. This approach will include the cycles and transformations of matter and energy in living and nonliving systems, affording an opportunity to gain an understanding of biological and physical Earth processes on a variety of scales. Students will engage these themes using an experimental approach to develop critical and quantitative reasoning skills. Fall quarter will introduce students to fundamental principles in geology, chemistry and biology by studying early Earth history. In winter quarter, we will continue to move forward in geologic time, providing students an opportunity to apply their knowledge while adding layers of complexity to their investigations. In spring quarter, students will use this background to engage in projects. Field trips will provide opportunities for students to experience the natural world using skills they learned in the program. Each quarter, program activities will include: lectures, small group problem-solving workshops, laboratories, field trips and seminars. Seminar readings and discussions will be spread across the history, philosophy and contemporary applications of science. During spring quarter there will be an opportunity for small groups of students to conduct scientific investigations. Students will learn to describe their work through report writing and public presentations. This program is designed for students who want to take their first year of college science using an interdisciplinary framework. It will be a rigorous program, requiring a serious commitment of time and effort. Overall, we expect students to end the program in the spring with a solid working knowledge of scientific and mathematical concepts, and with the ability to reason critically and solve problems. Students will also gain a strong appreciation of the interconnectedness of biological and physical systems, and an ability to apply this knowledge to complex problems. | biology, chemistry, environmental studies, geology, and health professions. | Dharshi Bopegedera Clarissa Dirks Christopher Coughenour | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||
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Northwest Landscapes
Paul Butler and Peter Impara |
Program | JR - SRJunior - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | WWinter | The Pacific Northwest is one of the most geologically active regions on the planet, with landscape processes that have dramatic effects on its ecosystems. Our focus will be on the geologic history of the area, the processes and landscapes that are currently in evidence, and how these landscapes will adjust under various climate change scenarios. The primary learning objective for students in this program is to develop skill at investigating the interactions of geologic and ecological processes, and their effect on human culture. To address this objective, students will work in small groups to study these interactions in one of western Washington's drainage basins. Each group will produce a written scientific paper, and make an oral presentation to the rest of the program. Background for the projects will come from lectures, seminar, computers labs in GIS and statistics, and field trips. Topics to be covered will include: geology, hydrology, weather and climate, and geologic hazards and related disturbance events. Many of the assignments generated during the quarter willhave direct application to the drainage basin project. In addition, students will write several seminar papers and take mid-term and final exams. It is important that students understand the commitment that this program requires. For upper division science credit, students must demonstrate mastery of program material and be able to appropriately incorporate scientific concepts and principles into their final project. | ecology, geography, geology, hydrology and natural history. | Paul Butler Peter Impara | Tue Tue Tue Wed Wed Wed Thu Thu Thu | Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | |||
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Out of Africa
Dennis Hibbert |
Course | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 4 | 04 | Weekend | FFall | We will examine the spread of our species out of Africa into South and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Guinea, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific, which began perhaps 80,000 years ago. We will draw on evidence from archaeology, palaeobotany, ice-age geology, and molecular genetics, paying particular attention to how that evidence is gathered and interpreted. | Dennis Hibbert | Sat | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall |