ENV 333A: Geomorphology
Professor Sweeney
Why are some mountains pointy and others are round? Why are rivers in the Midwest mostly
flat and sandy, but rivers in the Pacific Northwest are full of gravel or flowing over bare rock (except
when they’re also flat and sandy)? What differentiates good riparian habitat from bad riparian habitat?
How do disturbances (fires, volcanoes, people) affect the patterns of Earth’s surface? Geomorphology,
the study of the shape of Earth’s surface, holds the answer to all these questions and more. In this class,
we’ll focus on the theoretical aspects of many of these questions, and then seek to apply our
understanding in field settings and using remote sensing in the computer lab.
ENV 110A/110B: Earth Systems Science
Professor Abel
This course tackles how we understand our home planet, from the rocks deep beneath our oceans to the highest Himalayan peaks, and from the motion of molten material under volcanoes to the flow of ice across mountain ranges. We situate ourselves within the expanse of the universe and 4.54 billion years of geologic time, but also amongst grains of sand and footprints of dinosaurs. Through mixing geology, astronomy, and climate science, the course prepares students to understand systems and relationships that impact human lives in the past, present, and future, and equips them with the tools to interpret and tell the story of the environment around them. This course welcomes all students – the science enthusiasts and the science avoidant – in the hopes that by the end of the semester, the traditional barriers surrounding who “gets to do science” are no longer relevant.
ENV 370A/370X: Do or Do Not: Saving Planet A
Professor Abel
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” (Jane Goodall).
The past few years have seen a surge of interest in understanding climate change, its drivers, and its impacts. While great emphasis has been placed on these elements, less attention has been paid to outcomes and solutions, and though we recognize there “is no Planet B”, there is a need to focus on what it will take to “save Planet A”. While this course begins by building an understanding of climate change within a scientific framework, it centers primarily on using an interdisciplinary lens (combining science, policy, and justice) to explore climate solutions, adaptation, advocacy, and vulnerability and risk mitigation. It emphasizes perspectives from the “global south”, diverse climate change narratives and communication, the ways in which science informs policy (and vice versa), and the relationship between humans and the environment. In doing so it invites students to explore the array of ways in which “Saving Planet A” is very much still in our own hands and, in the spirit of memorable slogans, challenges them to: Do or do not. There is no try (Yoda).