Course Descriptions
Undergraduate - 100 level
CAS GE 100 Introduction to Environmental Science
Introduction to basic physical, ecological, and environmental concepts underlying the relationship between human society and the natural environment. Evaluation of problems and options available in dealing with the areas of natural resources, pollution, environmental degradation, and populationgrowth. (SS)
CAS GE 101 Natural Environments: The Atmosphere
An introduction to weather and climate. Topics include the controls of weather and climate, day-to-day variations in weather, severe storms, climates of the world, urban climate and air pollution, past climates and climatic change, and the impact of climatic variations on society. (NS)(Lab)
CAS GE 102 The Cultural Landscape
Study of the human imprint on the physical world. Introduction to current world patterns of population, settlement, land use, and political organizations of space. Humanity's role in changing the face of the earth. Symbolic qualities of the cultural landscape. (SS)
CAS GE 103 Economic Geography
Factors influencing the spatial organization of economic activity including the spatial structure of urban regions, principles of regional trade and interaction, transportation networks, and spatial diffusion systems. Emphasis on the location of economic activity and spatial aspects of area development. (SS)
CAS GE 104 Natural Environments: The Physical Landscape
Introduction to controls that shape the ecosystems and landscape of the earth. Vegetation and soils of the forests, deserts, grasslands, and tropics. The work of rivers, glaciers, oceans, and volcanoes in sculpturing the earth's surface. History of the natural landscape. (NS)
CAS GE 110 Our Changing Planet: The Perspective from Space
An integrated treatment of the various components of the earth system: the atmosphere, lithosphere, ecosphere, and hydrosphere, as well as how they are changing. Extensive use of observations and measurements from space. Emphasis on global environmental change and human impact on earth. (NS) (lab)
