GEOL 1102 Introduction to Earth Sciences
This course studies the Earth¿s surface, structure, composition, and the physical processes that impact our daily lives. Examples of topics covered in this course include, but is not limited to, earthquakes, plate tectonics, glaciers, rivers, and global climate change. The course consists of a weekly in-person laboratory and asynchronous lectures. The laboratory meets on campus each week. The lecture materials are completed online on your own. All required materials for this course will be provided on the course website.
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective May 6, 2028 to present
Meets graduation requirements for
Learning outcomes
General
- Describe processes involved in the shaping of Earth¿s surface.
- Demonstrate mastery of Earth science concepts and vocabulary.
- Recognize and then identify common minerals and rocks.
- Interpret images in order to identify plate tectonic boundaries and the direction of plate movement.
- Explain how processes, such as floods and air pollution, that occur on Earth impact them.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
Goal 3: Natural Sciences
- Demonstrate understanding of scientific theories.
- Formulate and test hypotheses by performing laboratory, simulation, or field experiments in at least two of the natural science disciplines. One of these experimental components should develop, in greater depth, students' laboratory experience in the collection of data, its statistical and graphical analysis, and an appreciation of its sources of error and uncertainty.
- Communicate their experimental findings, analyses, and interpretations both orally and in writing.
- Evaluate societal issues from a natural science perspective, ask questions about the evidence presented, and make informed judgments about science-related topics and policies.