Subject	Course Number	Long Course Title	Description
GEOL	110	Introductory Geology	An introduction to the study of the Earth, examining the interdependent global systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, tectosphere) that set Earth apart from its planetary neighbors. Emphasis is also placed on human participation in and perturbation of these systems. One lab per week.
GEOL	120	The Discovery of Deep Time and the Development of the Geologic Time Scale	The recognition of the antiquity of the Earth and the construction of the geologic time scale are among the great scientific achievements of the past two centuries. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection grew out of his slowly acquired sense of the immensity of geologic time. This course traces the intellectual history of the concept of Deep Time from the late 18th-century work of Scotsman James Hutton, gentleman farmer and geologic visionary, through the laborious process of calibrating the geologic time scale, a task that continues today. The class will visit museum collections and geologic sites that were central in the development of modern geological thinking. Offered at the London Centre.
GEOL	150	Environmental Science	Presents principles of biology, chemistry, and geology that relate to such environmental issues as resource limitation, pollution, and environmental degradation. Designed to foster understanding of scientific measures of environmental quality. One laboratory per week.
GEOL	160	The Ice Ages	This course focuses on the dynamic environment of the ice age periods in Earth history. Emphasis on the historical discovery of the ice ages, their possible causes, and their global effects on ecosystems on land and in the sea. One-day field trip to local glacial deposits.
GEOL	190	Tutorial Studies in Geology	Advanced work, arranged and carried out in consultation with an instructor.
GEOL	195	Internship in Geology	An opportunity for students to gain work experience in industry, government, or the non-profit sector. The academic component, supervised by a Lawrence instructor, includes readings, discussion with the instructor, and a formal presentation and written report, which can be used to satisfy the geology department’s senior seminar requirement. (Grades are based on this academic work.) Intended to be used for research that is later developed into an honors project. Applications for an internship must be submitted by the fifth week of the term preceding the proposed internship.
GEOL	199	Independent Study in Geology	Advanced research, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms.
GEOL	210	History of the Earth and Life	A study of the physical, chemical, and organic evolution of the Earth since its origin 4.5 billion years ago, with emphasis on times of change and crisis. The course also examines the evolution of ideas about Earth’s history, illustrating how science and culture are inherently entangled.
GEOL	213	Geology and Health	A course investigating the links between geology and health, considering topics such as asbestos, natural and anthropogenic water contamination, and cycling of trace elements as both contaminants and necessary nutrients. Designed to illuminate the link between the seemingly disparate fields of geology and the health of life on earth.
GEOL	214	Weather, Climate, and Climate Change	A study of basic meteorologic principles and climate patterns. These phenomena will be discussed in relation to evidence of past climate change and implications of global warming on future climate.
GEOL	220	Environmental Remote Sensing and GIS Applications	Fundamentals of electromagnetic radiation and the interaction of radiation with matter are introduced as the basis of remote sensing. Interpretation and manipulation of remotely sensed images are used to demonstrate the wealth of information remote sensing provides. Applications and case studies from geology, environmental science, ecology, agronomy, and urban planning will be explored. High school physics recommended.
GEOL	240	Chemistry of the Earth: Low-Temperature Environments	A detailed introduction to properties of geologically and environmentally important minerals. Emphasis is placed on mineral properties, tools of mineral identification, mineral associations, and chemical reactivity of minerals in earth surface and near-surface environments. One lab per week.
GEOL	245	Mineralogical Analysis	This course serves as an introduction to mineralogical analyses. Students will utilize a variety of analytical techniques including Polarized Light Microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscopy to study crystallography and mineral chemistry. Students will use these tools to analyze a variety of geological samples including rocks, soils, and sediments.
GEOL	250	Chemistry of the Earth: High-Temperature Environments	Introduction to the chemical processes that form igneous and metamorphic rocks, with emphasis on how mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic clues can be used to gather information about Earth’s early history and its inaccessible interior. One lab per week.
GEOL	260	Introduction to Paleobiology	An organismal and systems approach to the study of the marine and terrestrial fossil record. The course will focus on diversification and extinction of biotas in the context of the environmental history of Earth. Weekly laboratory and one weekend field trip to Bjørklunden.
GEOL	320	Principles of Paleontology	A reading course on topics in current and classic paleontological research. Evolutionary trends and their recognition in the fossil record, morphological convergence, and paleoecology. One meeting per week.
GEOL	340	Advanced Geochemistry	Overview of the chemistry of geological processes in aqueous environments. Includes review of thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, phase equilibria, mineral solubility, redox reactions, and stable isotopes with geologic examples. One lab per week.
GEOL	350	Islands and Isolation	This course examines islands and the situation of isolation across the fields of geology, evolutionary biology, and human geography. Topics include island formation, dynamics of isolated natural and human populations, and the historical importance of islands in the study of natural history. The course includes laboratories and field trips.
GEOL	360	Physics of the Earth: Surface Environments	This course studies the movement of water, solute, and sediment through the landscape and the resulting properties and distribution of surficial earth materials and landforms. Topics include weathering; soil development; runoff; mass movement; river, glacial, and coastal processes; and deposition in sedimentary environments. One lab per week.
GEOL	370	Physics of the Earth: Sub-Surface Processes	Introduction to the study of the mechanics of Earth’s crust and mantle, including mountain-building processes, seismicity and faulting, mantle convection, interpretation of deformed rocks. Four-day field trip late in term. One lab per week.
GEOL	390	Tutorial Studies in Geology	Advanced work, arranged and carried out in consultation with an instructor.
GEOL	395	Internship in Geology	An opportunity for students to gain work experience in industry, government, or the non-profit sector. The academic component, supervised by a Lawrence instructor, includes readings, discussion with the instructor, and a formal presentation and written report, which can be used to satisfy the geology department’s senior seminar requirement. (Grades are based on this academic work.) Intended to be used for research that is later developed into an honors project. Applications for an internship must be submitted by the fifth week of the term preceding the proposed internship.
GEOL	399	Independent Study in Geology	Advanced research, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms.
GEOL	425	Prehistoric Human-Environment Interactions	This course focuses on the interrelationships between prehistoric humans and their environment on a variety of temporal and geographic scales. Topics include the detection and analysis of prehistoric environmental degradation, the possible impacts of natural and anthropogenically induced environmental change on prehistoric humans, and the modern significance of such interrelationships.
GEOL	426	Biogeography	Students will learn about past and present geographic distribution of plants, animals, and other organisms throughout the history of the earth and how these patterns can be reconstructed. An in-depth understanding of the basic controls on species distributions is vital to predicting future impacts of global climate change on ecological systems and is a key aspect of effective conservation efforts.
GEOL	427	Paleolimnology	Students will learn about the study of lake systems through time. This includes lake formation, changes in watershed vegetation, water chemistry, hydrology, and disturbance regimes. The course will consist of a mixture of lectures, field trips, and labs. Students should be prepared to go on field trips to local lakes where we will recover sediment cores for analysis during the term. One lab per week.
GEOL	430	Watershed Hydrology	An introduction to the basic components of the hydrologic cycle, focusing on surface water and groundwater systems. Measurement and analysis of hydrologic data are emphasized. Application to contemporary issues such as flooding, watershed development, and groundwater contamination will be discussed.
GEOL	520	Seminar in Selected Topics in Geology	An opportunity for students to read and analyze primary literature on significant topics in geology.
GEOL	550	Seminar in Field Geology	During spring break, winter break, or prior to Term I, students conduct field investigations at an area of geological complexity, such as the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Wyoming, Hawaii, the Florida Keys, southern Colorado, or Puerto Rico. May be repeated for credit. Seminar for Fall 2008: Geology of Puerto Rico The seminar will focus on the geology of Puerto Rico. The course includes a field trip that will take place during winter break (December 2008).
GEOL	580	Junior Seminar in Geology	The goal of the Junior Seminar is to engage geology majors in the scientific process. The course begins with consideration of the history of geology as a discipline. We discuss modes of thinking that are shared with other scientific disciplines as well as those unique to the geosciences, and we read seminal papers that shaped the development of the field. With the guidance of a faculty member, each student identifies a topic to investigate in depth. Students lead discussions, prepare literature reviews and give final presentations on their topics. The topic a student explores in the junior seminar may be (but is not required to be) the same as the one studied intensively in the Senior Capstone course (GEOL 620). For some students, the junior seminar topic may also be linked to a research project to be continued over the summer and/or through the student's senior year as an independent study or honors project.
GEOL	590	Tutorial Studies in Geology	Advanced work, arranged and carried out in consultation with an instructor.
GEOL	595	Internship in Geology	An opportunity for students to gain work experience in industry, government, or the non-profit sector. The academic component, supervised by a Lawrence instructor, includes readings, discussion with the instructor, and a formal presentation and written report, which can be used to satisfy the geology department’s senior seminar requirement. (Grades are based on this academic work.) Intended to be used for research that is later developed into an honors project. Applications for an internship must be submitted by the fifth week of the term preceding the proposed internship.
GEOL	599	Independent Study in Geology	Advanced research, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms.
GEOL	620	Senior Capstone in Geology	The goal of this course is to assist geology majors in becoming scientific practitioners. The course places emphasis on framing testable hypotheses, collecting and analyzing meaningful datasets, and developing models of geologic phenomena. Each student applies these skills to a particular project or problem in the earth sciences.
GEOL	690	Tutorial Studies in Geology	Advanced work, arranged and carried out in consultation with an instructor.
GEOL	695	Internship in Geology	An opportunity for students to gain work experience in industry, government, or the non-profit sector. The academic component, supervised by a Lawrence instructor, includes readings, discussion with the instructor, and a formal presentation and written report, which can be used to satisfy the geology department’s senior seminar requirement. (Grades are based on this academic work.) Intended to be used for research that is later developed into an honors project. Applications for an internship must be submitted by the fifth week of the term preceding the proposed internship.
GEOL	699	Independent Study in Geology	Advanced research, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms.