GEOL 105 Earth Lab: Is the Earth Worth Saving?

This field and laboratory- based course will explore the idea that humans can, or should try to ‘save the earth’. What does this mean? And who are we really trying to ‘save’ when we recognize and try to modify the course of recent climate and environmental changes in the earth system? In this course we will explore earth system and environmental changes on the scale of deep time (4.6 billion years) and the time since humans have inhabited the earth. The goals of this course are to introduce you to the geology of Rockbridge County and the geology, ecology, and biology of coral reefs in order to investigate the question of whether the earth is ‘worth saving'. You will complete journal entries, lab and field assignments, written papers, discussions of assigned readings, and quizzes/exams, including a field practical in Belize. You will also present small-group poster projects for the Spring Term Festival on topics explored in the class.

No prerequisites.