Earth Science Behind Protest Movements

Catalog description

Exploitation of natural resources, contamination of water and air, and the response of the Earth system to human actions all lie at the root of protest movements such as the labor, environmental justice, and climate action movements. Motivated by the cultural, historical, and social context of these movements, this First Year Seminar will explore Earth processes such as: building the Appalachian Mountains and forming its energy resources, the environmental impacts of natural resource extraction, effects of human actions on air and water quality, and climate. We will consider the connection of these topics to the local Providence community as well as their global contexts. Classes will be a combination of mini-lectures, seminar-style discussions, and in-class activities that allow students to synthesize course concepts while practicing data analysis and scientific communication.