Mountains: Past, Present and Future

Catalog description

In this first-year seminar, students will learn about mountains from a variety of natural and social science perspectives. We will explore the geologic origins of mountain building, surface processes that shape mountains over time, mountain climates and ecosystems, tools for understanding past changes in mountain environments, societal and cultural importance of mountains, and future changes in mountains as the climate warms. Classes will be a combination of lectures and seminar-style discussions in order to provide students with various pathways for learning, synthesizing and communicating the course concepts. Through this course, students will learn about the complexities of mountain systems, explore scientific research related to various aspects of mountains, understand the interdisciplinary nature of earth science, practice reading and interpreting scientific papers, and develop skills for communicating scientific concepts in written and verbal form.