Clusters
The department offers four clusters in Earth and environmental sciences—all in the natural sciences academic division, and two clusters in sustainability—one in the natural sciences and one in the social sciences academic divisions.
Earth and Environmental Sciences Clusters
Earth and Planetary Sciences (N1EES002)
In this cluster students will become familiar with the history of the Earth, the processes that govern the patterns of that history and the relationship of our planet to the larger environment of the solar system. (Note: EESC 101 is a prerequisite for EESC 204.)
Earth and the Environment (N1EES004)
This cluster is an introduction to the basic geological and chemical processes that govern earth systems dynamics. There is a general introduction to geological and environmental sciences, with additional focus on interactions between earth surface and atmosphere.
Evolution of the Earth (N1EES006)
This cluster is a general introduction to the geological sciences. (Note: EESC 201 is a prerequisite for EESC 203.)
Global Climate Change (N1EES007)
This cluster examines the factors that shape the record of past environments. The current features and processes of the environment will be used to understand the past and predict the future. (Note: This cluster used to be called Global Environmental Change.)
Sustainability Clusters
There are three sustainability clusters—one in each division.
Science and Sustainability (N1SUS001)
The cluster consists of three groups of courses: group one introduces students to the natural world and the impact humans have on it; group two discusses the basic ideas of energy availability and use; group three introduces students to the social/philosophical background of sustainability.
Society and Sustainability (S1SUS001)
The cluster introduces students to current thinking about sustainability policies and their consequences. The first group of courses deals with the intellectual/philosophical background of sustainability; the second group covers policies important in this field and their consequences for society. The cluster is intended especially for students in the natural sciences and engineering. (Note that ANTH 224 can be used to fulfill a requirement in either subgroup.)
Sustainability and the Environmental Humanities (H1EHU001)
This cluster introduces students to ways of understanding environmental values, histories, and relationships from a humanities perspective. By engaging environmental issues with an emphasis on interpretation, imagination, and culture, students will learn to think critically about the conceptual frameworks that shape how ecological problems and solutions are articulated.