CORE Courses in Earth Sciences
We offer four different lecture courses and two labs fulfilling the Basic Science CORE Requirements for undergraduate degrees at 91²Ö¿â.
Our labs are in high demand, making them fill up very quickly during registration. Our lab courses may be taken concurrently with their respective lectures, or in a subsequent semester. For example, taking How the Earth Works as a freshman allows you to take How the Earth Works Lab in any following semester before you graduate. Five of the six courses have 100% web sections available.
ESCI 11040 How the Earth Works (3 Credits)
Explores processes that shape Earth's landscapes (volcanism, flooding, landslides, sea-level rise, mountain building) and that are of vital interest to humans (earthquakes, groundwater, energy and mineral resources, climate change). Prerequisite: none. 100% web sections available
ESCI 11041 How the Earth Works Lab (1 Credit)
Lab experience with Earth materials (mineral crystals, common and unusual rock specimens), Google Earth images, and experiments demonstrating processes at Earth's surface such as groundwater pollution, flooding, and on-line earthquake simulations.Pre/corequisite: GEOL 11040.
ESCI 11042 Earth and Life through Time (3 Credits)
Explores major events in the history of Earth including mass extinctions, Snowball Earth, birth and death of oceans, growth of continents, explosion of life, dinosaurs, and the surprising inter-relatedness of earth and life processes. Prerequisite: none. Optional Field Trip. 100% web sections available
ESCI 11043 Earth and Life through Time Lab (1 Credit)
Lab experience with interesting fossils, rocks, and sedimentary features, a river process simulator, and the concept of deep time. Pre/corequisite: GEOL 11042. Optional Field Trip. 100% web sections available
ESCI 21062 Environmental Earth Sciences (3 Credits)
Application of Geology to environmental problems, including natural resource extraction, water supply, pollution, waste disposal, landslides, floods, and land use planning. Field trips. Three-hour lecture weekly. Prerequisite: none. 100% web sections available
ESCI 21080 All about the Oceans (3 Credits)
Explores the many fascinating (and some still little known) features and processes of the Earth's Ocean including mid-ocean ridges, hydrothermal vents, tsunamis, tides, rogue waves, marine life, and the role of the Ocean in climate change. Three-hour lecture weekly. Prerequisite: none. 100% web sections available