The geologic basis for natural processes that are hazardous to humans as well as for the environmental problems associated with use of the natural or modified environment is discussed. Topics include flooding, mass wasting, soil erosion, water supply use and pollution, and waste disposal. Some sections writing intensive. Topographic map and air photo interpretation and field trips illustrate process-form relationships as well as demonstrate techniques used by geomorphologists to analyze these relationships. Academic perspectives examined include geological, political, social, psychological, and economic.
Course is multi-cultural and global in focus for case studies.
Critical analysis of readings and discussion are stressed. Includes graphical and numerical methods for describing and summarizing data, sampling procedures and experimental design, inferences about the real-world processes that underlie the data, and student projects for collecting and analyzing data. Open to non-majors only. Appropriate level on the Math Placement Exam. Applied Matrix Algebra Course in matrix algebra and discrete mathematical modeling.