Courses Offered in Geological Science

This course will help students to develop scientific literacy through exploration of a variety of topics in earth science such as climate and climate change, volcanoes, earthquakes, glaciers, oceans, plate tectonics, water resources, mineral resources, rocks and energy. Three lecture hours and one two-hour laboratory per week.

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning Lab

This course exposes students to scientific inquiry and develops scientific literacy through an exploration of Earth and its 4.6 billion year history. Topics covered include the origin and evolution of the planet as well as its climate, atmosphere, oceans, and life forms. Students will use modern scientific methods and analytical skills to interpret geologic samples, structures, data, and maps in the context of Earth history. A focus will be placed on the relevance of past Earth events in light of future environmental conditions. Three lecture hours and one two-hour laboratory per week.

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning Lab

Investigates the broad-scale features and dynamics of the Earth’s oceans. The course is roughly divided amongst the four main disciplines of oceanography: marine geology, marine chemistry, physical oceanography (i.e., circulation), and marine biology. Students will learn that there is much overlap and interdependence between these disciplines. Specific topics include seafloor spreading, marine sediments, salinity, biogeochemical cycles, ocean structure, currents, waves, tides, primary production, marine ecology, marine life, global warming, and marine pollution. Laboratory will provide active, hands-on experiential learning opportunities to complement each topic presented in lecture. Three lecture hours and one two-hour laboratory per week..

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning Lab

This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts and processes in geology including geologic hazards (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and sinkholes), environmental issues (such as climate change and groundwater use), and other geologic processes (such as plate tectonics, mass extinction, and origin of life). These topics will be discussed in order to evaluate the appropriateness and accuracy of geology portrayed in movies. Geologic issues that impact society will be explored in-depth. This course is 3 lecture hours per week and will include time outside of lecture to watch movie clips from the required movies.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

Is fresh water a sustainable resource? This course introduces students to the science of water resource sustainability. Using the process of scientific inquiry students will develop hypotheses and methods of testing these hypotheses associated with the hydrologic cycle at the watershed scale with a focus on the question of sustainability, particularly in light of the impact of climate change. Students will measure, analyze, and interpret data on precipitation, surface water flow, groundwater flow, flooding events, and water quality including natural
and human induced impacts on water quality, as well as estuarine environments where fresh water mixes with seawater. Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week.

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning Lab

Students will explore the geologic processes responsible for creating the unique landscapes preserved in the National Parks System, and how protection of these lands benefits society. Three lecture hours per week.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

Earth’s environment is a dynamic system that responds to human behavior over short and long timescales. This course will expose students to scientific inquiry and develop scientific literacy examining the geologic record of human activities, and the environmental consequences of these activities over time spans ranging from decades to thousands of years. Topics will include humans’ influence on Earth’s climate system, local effects of contaminant input to the environment and human-driven habitat and land use change. Case studies will examine both global and local records of human-induced environmental change. Three lecture hours per week.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

This course considers the origin and evolution of our solar system through methods of scientific inquiry and reasoning. The composition, surficial and internal geologic processes that shape and form the planets and satellites of our solar system are considered. Three lecture hours per week.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

This course exposes students to geological inquiry and methods of exploring the natural world. Students will apply the scientific method and analytical skills to understanding water resources and uses, contamination of surface and groundwater by development, mining and energy exploitation, as well as remediation of contaminated geologic environments. Three lecture hours per week. Intended for students not majoring in Geological Sciences.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

This course will examine how geological processes and civilization is interconnected and explore the interdependency of humans and their environment. We will look at specific geological processes, such as earthquakes, climate change (droughts and floods), volcanic eruptions, and various Earth resources (minerals, water, soil), and delve into their influence on ancient (and modern) societies’ history, culture, and economic development. Using both Earth’s archive written in rocks and historical records, we’ll decipher how dependent societies to their physical environment.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

The Age of Dinosaurs will expose students to scientific inquiry focusing on current scientific theories and controversies surrounding the evolution and extinction of dinosaurs. The course will emphasize the analysis and interpretation of geological and paleontological data and information as a way of introducing students to earth system history, plate tectonics, surface geology, sedimentary processes, fossilization, evolution, and related topics so that the geological and evolutionary processes that have affected the dinosaurs can be explored.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

Forensic Geology offers a "hands-on" approach that applies geoforensic and related scientific skills to solving crimes. Students will learn how scientific inquiry is applied in forensic investigations through a series of class and laboratory exercises, and by analyzing details from actual criminal cases. Topics covered focus on ,but are not limited to, the use of geologic material and techniques to solve crimes, such as rocks and minerals, soil, fossils, isotopes, maps, and satellite imagery. The importance of developing critical thinking skills are emphasized throughout the course. Two two-hour sessions of integrated lecture and related activities per week plus two hours of work outside of classroom.
Co-requisite or Prerequisite: GLS100 or permission of Department Chairperson.

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

Geochemistry is a foundational subject commonly used by environmental, sustainability, and forensic science fields to characterize natural and anthropogenically influenced earth processes. This course will focus on the basic science and authentic application of geochemistry topics, including but not limited to: biogeochemistry, stable/radioactive isotopes, inorganic/organic material, and elemental composition. The technical employment of geochemical practices will bridge discussions of physical evidence collection, instrumentation, analytical techniques, evidence interpretation, and ‘real-world’ criminal case studies. Three lecture hours per week. Cross-listed with CRJ 246. Not open to students who have received credit for CRJ 246.
Prerequisites: One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory course, or CRJ 260, or permission of the Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning

Forensic science has many applications in a variety of fields, it can be used to investigate ancient civilizations, atomic nuclear blasts and other artifacts. The primary use of forensic science is within crime scene investigation and evidence analyses. Microscopic techniques are vital to multiple areas within forensic science as they have numerous applications, including identification of trace evidence such as material fragments, fibers, hairs, fingerprints that are left at the crime scene, on a victim or suspect. This class will focus on different instrumental techniques (e.g. petrographic microscope, XRF, SEM, EDS) that can be used to investigate micro-scale Earth materials. Students will be introduced to theoretical concepts and practical applications of modern investigative techniques. Three lecture hours per week. Cross-listed with CRJ256. Not open to students who have received credit for CRJ256.
Prerequisites include one Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory course, or permission of Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

This course is an experiential-based and writing intensive course that focuses on the role of structure, lithology and process in the evolution of landscapes.  Field and lab geomorphology experiences will focus on geology, forensic, environmental, and sustainability applications. Three lecture hours and three hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite:  One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory courses, or permission of Department Chairperson, and Written Communications Level I course.

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Communication-Level II

This course addresses minerals and rocks of Earth. Students will investigate mineral properties and occurrences, hand specimen and optical properties of igneous and metamorphic minerals and rocks as well as the basic concepts and principles related to the genesis and evolution of igneous and metamorphic rocks and their relation to plate tectonics and magmatic processes. Activities include mineral and rock classification and identification using hand specimens, thin and polished sections, as well as interpretations of phase, discrimination and other types of descriptive diagrams in a project-oriented, experiential format. Three lecture hours per week and three hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisites: One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory courses, or permission of Department Chairperson.

4.00 credits

Introduction to the properties of sediments, sedimentary rocks, sedimentary rock sequences, and the principles of stratigraphic correlation. Emphasis is on examining the dynamics of recent sedimentary environments to establish what sediments would look like in the stratigraphic record. In laboratory, students are introduced to techniques of sediment analysis and the classification and identification of sedimentary rocks. Three lecture hours and three hours of laboratory per week. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisites: Two Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory courses or permission of Department Chairperson. GLS210 recommended.

4.00 credits

The study of the processes by which deformation of the earth occurs, and the interpretation of the structures produced by these processes-from submicroscopic to global scales. Three lecture hours and three hours of laboratory per week; occasional local and/or regional field trips (may be during the school week or weekends) may be required.
Prerequisites: Two Geological Sciences 100-level lab courses, MAT150 or MAT 147 or equivalent, GLS210, or permission of Department Chairperson.

4.00 credits

A systematic treatment of the geology and geophysics of plate tectonics, based on present knowledge of the structure and physical properties of the Earth's interior. Included are present kinematics of plate movements, hypotheses of dynamics (such as mantle convection), global pattern of plates, detailed consideration of processes at plate convergences, paleoplate tectonics and continental drift of the last 200 million years as derived from ocean floor stratigraphy and structure, and inferences on the time of inception of plate tectonics and its role in earlier Earth history. Three lecture hours per week. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisites: One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory course or permission of Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Scientific Reasoning

This course is an applied approach to environmental problems. We will focus on New England by expanding on preexisting theoretical knowledge with field trips and projects which emphasize local materials, i.e. glacial deposits, harbor sediments, crystalline rocks, and local problems. This is a lab and field oriented course intended to sharpen theory with practice. Two lecture hours and two laboratory hours per week. Field trips required, 1 weekend and several to local sites.
Prerequisites: One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory course or permission of Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This course explores the bedrock and glacial geology of New England and adjacent regions. Major structural belts, stratigraphy, and tectonic models for past orogenic events are investigated as well as the impact of bedrock geology and geologic structures on New England’s landscape. One or two weekend field trips will be required. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisite: GLS 102 or permission of Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This class provides students with active learning experience of reconstructing crime scenes from forensic evidence gathered by various investigation agencies and scientists. Topics explored will be documentation analysis, observation of physical evidence, evaluation of laboratory reports, effective communication practices, constructing detailed reports, and how to work with cold cases. Students will engage in the review of case studies and authentic learning assignments, giving them real-world experience to aid in career preparation for either law enforcement or forensic science. A heavy emphasis will be placed on writing, especially for: (1) criminal justice agencies involved in the investigation process and (2) for the effective conveyance of complex scientific information by forensic investigators. Three lecture hours per week. Cross-listed with CRJ363.
Prerequisites include CRJ250, or GLS235, or permission from Department Chair. Students must have completed a WII writing course.

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Commun-Level III

Forensic Geophysics is a growing field in which forensic investigators apply the methods of geophysics to search for and identify buried targets of forensic interest. This course will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of modern subsurface geophysical methods and models that are applicable to forensic scientists. Methods covered include ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity, electromagnetics, seismic refraction and reflection, SONAR, and magnetic surveys. The material covered is also applicable to students with interests in the environmental and sustainability fields. Three lecture hours and three laboratory hours per week; occasional local field trips (may be during the school week or weekends) may be required. Prerequisite: One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory course, CRJ 260, or permission of Department Chairperson. The course satisfies the Quantitative Reasoning requirement of the Gen Ed.

Prerequisites: One Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory course, CRJ 260, or permission of Department Chairperson.

4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Quantitative Reasoning

This course covers the application of geological field methods including mapping, environmental geophysics, and stratigraphic interpretation to the production of geological maps and technical reports. Several projects stress environmental applications. This course is field based and requires the student to work outdoors at various sites in the Northeast. Additional fee required for field expenses.
Prerequisites: Two Geological Sciences 100-level laboratory courses and one other upper division (200-300-400) Geology course or permission of the Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This course covers the application of geological field methods including mapping, structural interpretation, and stratigraphic section measurement and interpretation to the production of geological maps. This course is field based and requires the student to work outdoors at various sites in the Yellowstone Plateau of Montana/Wyoming. Additional fee required for field expenses.
Prerequisites: GLS470 and GLS341, or permission of the Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

An academic work program under the auspices of various business, non-profit or governmental organizations in areas directly related to the student’s area of academic interest in Forensic Geoscience. The student will gain practical field and/or laboratory experience. The internship must be coordinated by a faculty member working in conjunction with the chosen organization. Open only to Junior and Senior Geological Science majors and minors. 
Prerequisite: GLS235 or Permission of Department Chairperson.

3.00 credits

This course requires the completion of a substantial research project on a geologic problem or topic under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member. Methods of research, organization, preparation, and presentation of data will be discussed, and the objective is a completed technical report and presentation by the student. The course fulfills the W-III core requirement. Open only to Senior Geological Sciences majors by permission of Department Chairperson. Prerequisites: Written Communications Level II

3.00 - 4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Commun-Level III

This course is a continuation of GLS 500 for those students who wish to further pursue their geologic research, particularly in anticipation of publication.
Prerequisites: GLS500. Written Communications Level II (W-II).

3.00 - 4.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Commun-Level III

This course is a continuation of GLS 500H for those students who wish to further pursue their geologic research, particularly in anticipation of publication. This course requires the completion of a substantial research project on a geologic problem or topic under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member. Methods of research, organization, preparation, and presentation of data will be discussed, and the objective is a completed thesis and presentation by the student. The course fulfills the W-III Gen Ed requirement. Open only to Senior Geological Sciences majors by permission of the Department Chairperson. Three credit hours per week. Not open to students who have taken GLS 501.
Prerequisites: GLS 500H. Written Communications Level II (W-II).

3.00 credits

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Commun-Level III

An independent research project supervised by a member of the Geological Science faculty.

3.00 credits