The Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is offering several online courses for the 2nd session of the Summer 2020 term. These courses begin July 6th and end August 14th.
If you are interested in these courses, please register by June 19th to guarantee that they will have enough students to be run.
Geography 102 - Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability: Introduction to Human Geography
A wide-ranging introduction to the ways people shape the world they live in. We will study the themes and concepts of human geography through the current issues and large questions which guide them. Lectures and reading will focus on the geographic aspects of cultural diversity, population issues, states vs. nations, the global economy, development, urbanization and the human transformation of the earth. We will cover major subdivisions of human geography including cultural geography, population geography, economic geography, social geography, urban geography and political geography. (Gen.Ed. SB, DG)
Geography 200 - Geography of US and Canada
This course provides a survey of the geography of US and Canada, starting with core integrative themes and methods of analysis, and then moving into a region-by-region overview. Special emphasis will be on historical development, environmental change and sustainability, and the diversity of peoples and cultures and their relationships with landscapes and each other. Short of literally traveling the continent, the class aims to immerse you in the images, sounds, data, and experiences of places, regions, and people's lives, so they come to life. Every week you will have at least one movie and/or Google Earth exercise that virtually transports you to a new location of study. You'll take different perspectives, try out new skills, dive into data, and think critically. Most weeks you will write reflectively about a movie, Google Earth exercise, and/or experience. (Gen. Ed. SB, DU)
Geology 103 - Intro to Oceanography
The natural processes of the ocean, including earthquakes and volcanoes, the hydrologic cycle and weather, ocean circulation and the global energy balance, the carbon cycle and productivity, biodi-versity and marine food webs, coastal dynamics. Also, global warming, sea-level rise, environmental degradation and the ocean system response to human activity and global change. Interactive class sessions, with considerable participation by students in problem solving, discussions, and demonstrations. Exams and grades based on teamwork as well as on individual performance. Students needing or wanting a laboratory component may register for GEO-SCI 131. (Gen.Ed. PS)