2026-2027 Courses
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- Academic Year 2026-2027 Class Schedule
- Course Descriptions: 100-Level Courses for Undergraduates
- Course Descriptions: 200-Level Courses for Undergraduates
- Course Descriptions: 300-Level Courses for Undergraduates and Graduate Students
- Course Descriptions: 400-Level Courses for Graduate Students
Academic year 2026-2027 class Schedule
100-LEVEL COURSES FOR UNDERGRADUATES
101-0 – Earth Science for the 21st Century
Earth science encompasses the geology, chemistry, biology, and physics of our planet, while appreciating its beauty. Environmental degradation, natural resources, energy, climate change, and geologic hazards are among the most pressing issues facing society in the 21st century. This course introduces students to Earth science through topical lectures and discussion of current events and research in Earth science. Topics include formation, evolution, structure, and composition of the Earth, plate tectonics and the rock cycle, the water cycle, climate change, paleoclimate, peak oil and fracking, renewable energy, nuclear fuel cycle and policy, geology of the National Parks, and job prospects in Earth science. WCAS Foundational Discipline - Natural Sciences FD-NS
102-7 – Gaia Hypothesis - College Seminar
Despite massive external changes, Earth's surface has remained suitable for life for most of its history. For instance, the sun emitted about 30% less heat energy when the Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago, and calculations suggest that the Earth's surface should have remained frozen until approximately 2 billion years ago. However, geologic evidence supports the existence of liquid water and life since at least 3.8 billion years ago. This seminar will explore the Gaia hypothesis, developed by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis, which asserts that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system, with life playing a central role in sustaining the planet's habitability.
102-8 – Mapping our World (First-Year Seminar)
Geospatial technologies have revolutionized the ways we observe, analyze, and represent our world. This seminar introduces students to how maps and spatial data shape our understanding of places, environments, and societies, from everyday navigation to global decision-making. Students will explore topics such as map design, spatial and satellite data, and the social dimensions of mapping. Through analytical, reflective, and research-based writing, students will learn to interpret visual information, evaluate spatial arguments, and communicate insights clearly. This seminar emphasizes both spatial literacy and the development of strong academic writing skills.
102-8 – Earth is Out to Kill You: Science and History of Earthquakes and Volcanoes (First-Year Seminar)
In this seminar, we will learn about some of the most devastating natural disasters in Earth's recorded history. We will explore the science and the human toll of earthquakes and volcanoes - frequent reminders from our dynamic planet that it has little respect for human life. We will cover current events, as exemplified by recent destructions in Haiti and Spain, as well as historical events such as the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 which kicked off the Age of Enlightenment, and the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 which led to the Year Without a Summer, and which gave us Dracula and Frankenstein. There will be several writing assignments on science-related topics. In the words of Voltaire, bemoaning the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755: "Come, ye philosophers, who cry, "All's well," And contemplate this ruin of a world."
105 –Climate Catastrophes in Earth History
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental components of the Earth system--the atmosphere, hydrosphere and solid Earth--and more importantly, examine how these components interact in response to internal and external influences to control climate. Within this Earth systems context, we will explore how climate is changing today, how it has changed (sometimes catastrophically) in the geologic past, and how it may change in the future.
106 – Ocean, Atmosphere, & Climate
Most of our planet's surface is blanketed by ocean. The dynamic nature of the oceanic environment and how it influences the Earth as a whole will be explored in this course. The interconnectivity of ocean characteristics (chemistry, physics, geology, biology) will be stressed. This course includes short walking field trips to the lake front during class time
200-LEVEL COURSES FOR UNDERGRADUATES
210-0 – Earth Systems Science & Climate Change
Previously ENVR_SCI 201: Earth: A Habitable Planet, and EARTH 203
This introductory course will cover Earth systems: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere, and their interactions at local and global scales. With an emphasis on systems thinking, we will learn 1) how physical, chemical, and biological processes formed and modify the Earth’s surface and climate; 2) the history of those processes and their regulation of global climate over the lifetime of our planet; and 3) how human activity now impacts these systems. Topics include Earth’s energy sources and how they drive processes from plate tectonics to global wind patterns, the co-evolution of life with Earth’s surface atmosphere, and environmental issues such as water resources and climate change. This is a required course for both Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences students. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 203-0 or ENVR_SCI 201-0.
211-0 – Data Analysis for Earth & Environmental Sciences
Overview of quantitative methods and modeling approaches for earth, environmental and planetary sciences, including data standards, environmental statistics, box modeling, geospatial and geo-temporal analyses. Teaching methods focus on skill-mastery, and teamwork. The data sets used span sub-disciplines, such as population, climate, solid earth, and water science.
212-0 – Ecology & Environmental Change
Previously ENVR_SCI 202-0: Health of the Biosphere
This course studies the growth of populations and their interactions in ecological communities. Topics include: the ecological niche; projections of population growth, including the history of human growth, harvesting populations, and population viability analysis of endangered species; interactions among species, including competition, predation, and disease transmission; measuring the diversity of ecological communities; the effects of diversity on energy flow. More advanced topics will also be addressed, including the biodiversity-stability relationship, the economic values of biodiversity and ecosystem function, and the biology and management of metapopulations in fragmented habitats. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed ENVR SCI 202: Health of the Biosphere.
213-0 – Decision-Making in the Anthropocene
Previously ENVR_SCI 203: Humans and the Environment
Environmental science is the interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the living and nonliving parts of their environment. In this course, we will examine current environmental challenges, such as climate change, the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable production of energy, and the implications of human population growth. A case study approach will be used bringing in dimensions of ethics, justice, law, economics, policy, culture, and more, in compliment to the understanding of the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere functions and condition. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed ENVR_SCI 203: Humans and the Environment.
214-0 –Physical Earth Science
Previously EARTH 201: Earth Systems Revealed
Introduction to Physical Geology: The study of Earth systems and their interactions. This course will approach the study of Earth systems from two perspectives: 1) description and classification of Earth's features, including Earth materials, internal structure, and landforms and 2) description and explanation of the physical, chemical and biological processes that form and modify these features. Topics include minerals; sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks; the interior Earth, oceans, and atmosphere; solid Earth processes, such as volcanism, seismicity, and plate tectonics and their interactions with the atmosphere and hydrosphere to drive surface Earth processes, such as climate, weathering, and glaciation; geologic time; global change. This course includes a mandatory field trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin (see registration requirements for details). Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 201-0: Earth Systems Revealed.
215-0 – Physics of the Earth's Interior
Previously EARTH 202: Earth's Interior
Mechanics of plate tectonics; past plate motions; seismic waves; earthquake mechanisms; earth structure from seismology; shape, size, density, & gravity of the Earth; radiometric age dating; heat and temperature in the Earth; composition and dynamics of mantle and core; oceanic & continental lithosphere, minerals & rocks; planetary formation. Students should be familiar with calculus, introductory physics, introductory chemistry. Some familiarity with computer programming or other ways to process and visualize data (e.g. spreadsheet) is also expected. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 202-0: Physics of the Earth's Interior
300-LEVEL COURSES FOR UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATE STUDENTS
313-0 – Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry
Application of radiogenic isotopes to problems in geochemistry, petrology, hydrology, oceanography, ecology, and environmental science. Includes radioactive decay, nucleosynthesis, cosmochemistry, geochronology, mixing processes, and numerical modeling. Recommended Background: One year of chemistry coursework.
314-0 – Organic Geochemistry
The sources and fates of organic matter in the natural environment; global cycling of organic carbon; applications to the study of modern and ancient environments. Recommended Background: at least one quarter of earth or environmental science, and one quarter of chemistry. Taught with CIV_ENV 314- 0; may not receive credit for both courses.
343-0 – Earth System Modeling
Introduction to the art and science of reducing Earth's complex systems into simple numerical models to build a better understanding of how components interact and evolve. Recommended Background: At least one 200-level course in Earth or Environmental Science, one course in each of calculus and physics
344 –Scientific Foundations of Decarbonization
The Scientific Foundations of Decarbonization will address the fundamental scientific understanding of how biogeochemical cycles moderate greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and marine realm, how changes in these gases control Earth climate on short and long timescales, and how human activities have rapidly altered the geologic balance of the carbon cycle. This knowledge base provides the foundation to understand decarbonization. Because most decarbonization strategies target different aspects of the carbon cycle, the core content of the course will review the geochemistry of carbon on land, in the lithosphere, and in the atmosphere, oceans, and other waters. This background will prepare students for a series of guest lectures from alumni of the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences that will present the most recent advances in decarbonization being investigated and/or implemented in the U.S. and abroad.
350 – Physics of the Earth for ISP
Introduction to geophysics for students with strong mathematics and physics backgrounds. Basic ideas in seismic wave propagation, plate tectonics, geomagnetism, geothermics, and gravity. Study of the earth's surface and the deep interior.
353-0 – Mathematical Inverse Methods in Earth & Environmental Sciences
Theory and application of inverse methods to gravity, electromagnetic, seismic, and other data. Linearized, non-linear, underdetermined, and mixed-determined problems and solution methods, including regularized least-squares and search algorithms. Recommended Background: Python programming language and two of 1) linear algebra, 2) statistics for physical scientists, 3) differential calculus of multivariable functions.
354-0 – Physics of Rock Deformation in Planetary Interiors
Rock deformation governs many geological processes that shape the history and the future of terrestrial planets, including mantle convection, plate tectonics, earthquake cycles, volcanism, etc. Physics of rock deformation involves generation and motion of crystalline defects in minerals, such as vacancies, dislocations, and grain boundaries. This course provides an interdisciplinary treatment of the science of deformation of solid Earth with an emphasis on the materials science (microscopic) approach. We cover mechanical behavior over various time-scales, including the elastic, anelastic (viscoelastic), and plastic response, in addition to the applications of these results to important geological and geophysical problems. Special attention is given to high-temperature creep of olivine, the main constituent of the lithosphere and upper mantle. No previous knowledge of geology/geophysics or of materials science is assumed. The basics of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics are presented as far as they are relevant to the main topics of the course.
360-0 – Instrumentation & Field Methods
Theory and practicum on electronic instrumentation for monitoring and measurement in earth sciences, including data loggers, conceptual design and construction of electronic sensors, signal processing, data management, and network design. Recommended Background: 3 EARTH courses at 200 or 300 level, or permission of the instructor.
361 – Scientific Programming in Python
Introduction to coding, scientific computing, and visualization for analyzing data in the physical sciences. Emphasis on Python, but Unix, shell scripting, and Generic Mapping Tools are also introduced. Students undertake a significant final coding project individually or in pairs.
363-1 – Geographical Information Systems - GIS Level 1
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an analytical tool for organizing, visualizing, creating, and analyzing geospatial and temporal data. Students with no prior GIS experience will learn core skills with lectures and labs, and also formulate hypotheses they will test using GIS to address real problems. This introductory course covers the theory and application of GIS. Topics include components of a GIS, the characteristics of spatial data, database models, vector operations, raster operations, and GIS applications. The course uses ESRI ArcGIS Pro.
363-2 – Geographical Information Systems - GIS Level 2
Building on the foundation and core knowledge gained in EARTH 363-1 – GIS Level 1, this course moves into advanced analytical approaches in Geographical Information Systems required to solve complex problems and gain experience with spatial analysis, network analysis, 3-D analysis, GIS modeling, and geostatistics. Students will also learn about internet-based mapping for dissemination of spatial data. Error analysis and propagation will be considered throughout. The course includes weekly labs, 3 collaborative mini-projects, and a major final project where students work to test hypotheses, advance a research question, or provide evidence-based recommendation to pressing world problems. Pre-requisite - EARTH 363-1 GIS Level 1, or permission of the instructor.
373 – Microbial Ecology
This course will provide a framework for understanding the role of microbes in natural environments in terms of cell numbers, metabolisms, and interactions with geochemical cycles. We will delve deeply into the interactions between microbial populations, higher organisms, and even our own bodies. The course will finish on a survey of microbial composition and dynamics in key settings across the planet. Recommended Background: Basic understanding of chemistry, biology, and earth science.
375-0 – Paleobiology
Fossils record the 3.8 billion year history of life on Earth, and extinct organisms make up 99% of all the species that ever lived. The fossil record reveals insights into evolutionary processes and the distributions and structures of organisms and ecosystems that cannot be observed by studying living organisms. This course is an introduction to the concepts of paleobiology: the nature of fossils, evolutionary trends and adaptations, systematics, paleoecology, and biogeography. We will investigate how life, from individual organisms to whole biomes, has changed over time; the geologic processes that lead to the burial and preservation of organic material; and the scientific methods by which we infer the biological processes that occurred across deep time from the limited and often biased fossil record. Course has prerequisites. Offered previously as 390 Special Topics.
390 – Special Topics: Hydrology
Storage and flux of water in near-earth terrestrial surface: surface water hydrology, shallow groundwater hydrogeology, and lake limnology. Recommended Background: Three courses in EARTH or ENVR SCI at the 200 or 300 level, or permission of the instructor.
397 – Scientific Communication for DEEPS
Previously EARTH 204: Communication for Geoscientists
This course teaches how to speak the language of scientists. Students hone their scientific reading, writing, and presentation skills, breaking manuscripts and proposals down into components, detailing the approach, style, and content required for each. Verbal and visual scientific communication styles including posters and talks are also included. This course includes hands on daily assignments, peer review, and classroom engagement.
Prerequisites: Declaration of the EARTH major or minor, or the ENVR SCI major, or instructor permission.
400/500-LEVEL COURSES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
519 – Responsible Conduct of Research Training
All Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Graduate Students and Post Doctoral Fellows must complete the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training in their first year of the program. This course includes 6 online "CITI" modules as well as discussion sections. New students and fellows should contact the Assistant Chair with any questions.
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Fall 2026 class Schedule
Fall 2026 course descriptions
101-0 – Earth Science for the 21st Century
Earth science encompasses the geology, chemistry, biology, and physics of our planet, while appreciating its beauty. Environmental degradation, natural resources, energy, climate change, and geologic hazards are among the most pressing issues facing society in the 21st century. This course introduces students to Earth science through topical lectures and discussion of current events and research in Earth science. Topics include formation, evolution, structure, and composition of the Earth, plate tectonics and the rock cycle, the water cycle, climate change, paleoclimate, peak oil and fracking, renewable energy, nuclear fuel cycle and policy, geology of the National Parks, and job prospects in Earth science. WCAS Foundational Discipline - Natural Sciences FD-NS
102-7 – Gaia Hypothesis
Despite massive external changes, Earth's surface has remained suitable for life for most of its history. For instance, the sun emitted about 30% less heat energy when the Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago, and calculations suggest that the Earth's surface should have remained frozen until approximately 2 billion years ago. However, geologic evidence supports the existence of liquid water and life since at least 3.8 billion years ago. This seminar will explore the Gaia hypothesis, developed by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis, which asserts that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system, with life playing a central role in sustaining the planet's habitability.
106 – Ocean, Atmosphere, & Climate
Most of our planet's surface is blanketed by ocean. The dynamic nature of the oceanic environment and how it influences the Earth as a whole will be explored in this course. The interconnectivity of ocean characteristics (chemistry, physics, geology, biology) will be stressed. This course includes short walking field trips to the lake front during class time.
210-0 – Earth Systems Science & Climate Change
Previously EARTH 203: Earth System History or ENVR_SCI 201: Earth: A Habitable Planet
This introductory course will cover Earth systems: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere, and their interactions at local and global scales. With an emphasis on systems thinking, we will learn 1) how physical, chemical, and biological processes formed and modify the Earth’s surface and climate; 2) the history of those processes and their regulation of global climate over the lifetime of our planet; and 3) how human activity now impacts these systems. Topics include Earth’s energy sources and how they drive processes from plate tectonics to global wind patterns, the co-evolution of life with Earth’s surface atmosphere, and environmental issues such as water resources and climate change. This is a required course for both Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences students. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 203 or ENVR_SCI 201.
215-0 – Physics of the Earth's Interior
Previously EARTH 202: Earth's Interior
Mechanics of plate tectonics; past plate motions; seismic waves; earthquake mechanisms; earth structure from seismology; shape, size, density, & gravity of the Earth; radiometric age dating; heat and temperature in the Earth; composition and dynamics of mantle and core; oceanic & continental lithosphere, minerals & rocks; planetary formation. Students should be familiar with calculus, introductory physics, introductory chemistry. Some familiarity with computer programming or other ways to process and visualize data (e.g. spreadsheet) is also expected. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 202.
313-0 – Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry
Application of radiogenic isotopes to problems in geochemistry, petrology, hydrology, oceanography, ecology, and environmental science. Includes radioactive decay, nucleosynthesis, cosmochemistry, geochronology, mixing processes, and numerical modeling. Recommended Background: One year of chemistry coursework.
354-0 – Physics of Rock Deformation in Planetary Interiors
Rock deformation governs many geological processes that shape the history and the future of terrestrial planets, including mantle convection, plate tectonics, earthquake cycles, volcanism, etc. Physics of rock deformation involves generation and motion of crystalline defects in minerals, such as vacancies, dislocations, and grain boundaries. This course provides an interdisciplinary treatment of the science of deformation of solid Earth with an emphasis on the materials science (microscopic) approach. We cover mechanical behavior over various time-scales, including the elastic, anelastic (viscoelastic), and plastic response, in addition to the applications of these results to important geological and geophysical problems. Special attention is given to high-temperature creep of olivine, the main constituent of the lithosphere and upper mantle. No previous knowledge of geology/geophysics or of materials science is assumed. The basics of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics are presented as far as they are relevant to the main topics of the course.
361 – Scientific Programming in Python
Introduction to coding, scientific computing, and visualization for analyzing data in the physical sciences. Emphasis on Python, but Unix, shell scripting, and Generic Mapping Tools are also introduced. Students undertake a significant final coding project individually or in pairs.
363-1 – Geographical Information Systems - GIS Level 1
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an analytical tool for organizing, visualizing, creating, and analyzing geospatial and temporal data. Students with no prior GIS experience will learn core skills with lectures and labs, and also formulate hypotheses they will test using GIS to address real problems. This introductory course covers the theory and application of GIS. Topics include components of a GIS, the characteristics of spatial data, database models, vector operations, raster operations, and GIS applications. The course uses ESRI ArcGIS Pro.
373- 0 – Microbial Ecology
This course will provide a framework for understanding the role of microbes in natural environments in terms of cell numbers, metabolisms, and interactions with geochemical cycles. We will delve deeply into the interactions between microbial populations, higher organisms, and even our own bodies. The course will finish on a survey of microbial composition and dynamics in key settings across the planet. Recommended Background: Basic understanding of chemistry, biology, and earth science.
390 – Special Topics: Hydrology
Storage and flux of water in near-earth terrestrial surface: surface water hydrology, shallow groundwater hydrogeology, and lake limnology. Recommended Background: Three courses in EARTH or ENVR SCI at the 200 or 300 level, or permission of the instructor.
Jump to
Winter 2027 class Schedule
Winter 2027 course descriptions
102-8 – First Year Seminar - Mapping our World
Geospatial technologies have revolutionized the ways we observe, analyze, and represent our world. This seminar introduces students to how maps and spatial data shape our understanding of places, environments, and societies, from everyday navigation to global decision-making. Students will explore topics such as map design, spatial and satellite data, and the social dimensions of mapping. Through analytical, reflective, and research-based writing, students will learn to interpret visual information, evaluate spatial arguments, and communicate insights clearly. This seminar emphasizes both spatial literacy and the development of strong academic writing skills.
210-0 – Earth Systems Science & Climate Change
Previously ENVR_SCI 201: Earth: A Habitable Planet or EARTH 203: Earth System History. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 203-0 or ENVR_SCI 201-0.
This introductory course will cover Earth systems: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere, and their interactions at local and global scales. With an emphasis on systems thinking, we will learn 1) how physical, chemical, and biological processes formed and modify the Earth’s surface and climate; 2) the history of those processes and their regulation of global climate over the lifetime of our planet; and 3) how human activity now impacts these systems. Topics include Earth’s energy sources and how they drive processes from plate tectonics to global wind patterns, the co-evolution of life with Earth’s surface atmosphere, and environmental issues such as water resources and climate change. This is a required course for both Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences students. WCAS Foundational Discipline - Natural Sciences FD-NS
212-0 – Ecology & Environmental Change
Previously ENVR_SCI 202-0: Health of the Biosphere
This course studies the growth of populations and their interactions in ecological communities. Topics include: the ecological niche; projections of population growth, including the history of human growth, harvesting populations, and population viability analysis of endangered species; interactions among species, including competition, predation, and disease transmission; measuring the diversity of ecological communities; the effects of diversity on energy flow. More advanced topics will also be addressed, including the biodiversity-stability relationship, the economic values of biodiversity and ecosystem function, and the biology and management of metapopulations in fragmented habitats. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed ENVR SCI 202: Health of the Biosphere.
343-0 – Earth System Modeling
Introduction to the art and science of reducing Earth's complex systems into simple numerical models to build a better understanding of how components interact and evolve. Recommended Background: At least one 200-level course in Earth or Environmental Science, one course in each of calculus and physics
350 – Physics of the Earth for ISP
Introduction to geophysics for students with strong mathematics and physics backgrounds. Basic ideas in seismic wave propagation, plate tectonics, geomagnetism, geothermics, and gravity. Study of the earth's surface and the deep interior.
360 – Instrumentation and Field Methods
Theory and practicum on electronic instrumentation for monitoring and measurement in earth sciences, including data loggers, conceptual design and construction of electronic sensors, signal processing, data management, and network design. Recommended Background: 3 EARTH or ENVR SCI or BIOL SCI courses at the 300 level.
363-1 – Geographical Information Systems - GIS Level 1
Previously ENVR SCI 390 or PBC 470.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an analytical tool for organizing, visualizing, creating, and analyzing geospatial and temporal data. Students with no prior GIS experience will learn core skills with lectures and labs, and also formulate hypotheses they will test using GIS to address real problems. This introductory course covers the theory and application of GIS. Topics include components of a GIS, the characteristics of spatial data, database models, vector operations, raster operations, and GIS applications. The course uses ESRI ArcGIS Pro.
375-0 – Paleobiology
Fossils record the 3.8 billion year history of life on Earth, and extinct organisms make up 99% of all the species that ever lived. The fossil record reveals insights into evolutionary processes and the distributions and structures of organisms and ecosystems that cannot be observed by studying living organisms. This course is an introduction to the concepts of paleobiology: the nature of fossils, evolutionary trends and adaptations, systematics, paleoecology, and biogeography. We will investigate how life, from individual organisms to whole biomes, has changed over time; the geologic processes that lead to the burial and preservation of organic material; and the scientific methods by which we infer the biological processes that occurred across deep time from the limited and often biased fossil record. Course has prerequisites. Offered previously as 390 Special Topics.
397 – Scientific Communication for DEEPS
Previously EARTH 204: Communication for Geoscientists
This course teaches how to speak the language of scientists. Students hone their scientific reading, writing, and presentation skills, breaking manuscripts and proposals down into components, detailing the approach, style, and content required for each. Verbal and visual scientific communication styles including posters and talks are also included. This course includes hands on daily assignments, peer review, and classroom engagement. Prerequisites: Declaration of the EARTH major or minor, or the ENVR SCI major, or instructor permission.
Jump to
Spring 2027 class Schedule
Spring 2027 course descriptions
102-8 – Earth is Out to Kill You: Science and History of Earthquakes and Volcanoes (First-Year Seminar)
In this seminar, we will learn about some of the most devastating natural disasters in Earth's recorded history. We will explore the science and the human toll of earthquakes and volcanoes - frequent reminders from our dynamic planet that it has little respect for human life. We will cover current events, as exemplified by recent destructions in Haiti and Spain, as well as historical events such as the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 which kicked off the Age of Enlightenment, and the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 which led to the Year Without a Summer, and which gave us Dracula and Frankenstein. There will be several writing assignments on science-related topics. In the words of Voltaire, bemoaning the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755: "Come, ye philosophers, who cry, "All's well," And contemplate this ruin of a world."
105-0 – Climate Catastrophes in Earth History
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental components of the Earth system--the atmosphere, hydrosphere and solid Earth--and more importantly, examine how these components interact in response to internal and external influences to control climate. Within this Earth systems context, we will explore how climate is changing today, how it has changed (sometimes catastrophically) in the geologic past, and how it may change in the future. WCAS Foundational Discipline - Natural Sciences FD-NS
211-0 – Data Analysis for Earth & Environmental Sciences
Overview of quantitative methods and modeling approaches for earth, environmental and planetary sciences, including data standards, environmental statistics, box modeling, geospatial and geo-temporal analyses. Teaching methods focus on skill-mastery, and teamwork. The data sets used span sub-disciplines, such as population, climate, solid earth, and water science. NEW in spring 2026. WCAS Foundational Discipline - Empirical and Deductive Reasoning FD-EDR
213-0 – Decision-Making in the Anthropocene
Previously ENVR_SCI 203: Humans and the Environment
Environmental science is the interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the living and nonliving parts of their environment. In this course, we will examine current environmental challenges, such as climate change, the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable production of energy, and the implications of human population growth. A case study approach will be used bringing in dimensions of ethics, justice, law, economics, policy, culture, and more, in compliment to the understanding of the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere functions and condition. Students may not enroll if they have previously completed ENVR_SCI 203: Humans and the Environment.
214-0 –Physical Earth Science
Previously EARTH 201: Earth Systems Revealed
Introduction to Physical Geology: The study of Earth systems and their interactions. This course will approach the study of Earth systems from two perspectives: 1) description and classification of Earth's features, including Earth materials, internal structure, and landforms and 2) description and explanation of the physical, chemical and biological processes that form and modify these features. Topics include minerals; sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks; the interior Earth, oceans, and atmosphere; solid Earth processes, such as volcanism, seismicity, and plate tectonics and their interactions with the atmosphere and hydrosphere to drive surface Earth processes, such as climate, weathering, and glaciation; geologic time; global change. This course includes a mandatory field trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin (see registration requirements for details). Students may not enroll if they have previously completed EARTH 201-0: Earth Systems Revealed.
314-0 – Organic Geochemistry
The sources and fates of organic matter in the natural environment; global cycling of organic carbon; applications to the study of modern and ancient environments. Recommended Background: at least one quarter of earth or environmental science, and one quarter of chemistry. Taught with CIV_ENV 314- 0; may not receive credit for both courses.
344-0 – Scientific Foundations of Decarbonization
The Scientific Foundations of Decarbonization will address the fundamental scientific understanding of how biogeochemical cycles moderate greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and marine realm, how changes in these gases control Earth climate on short and long timescales, and how human activities have rapidly altered the geologic balance of the carbon cycle. This knowledge base provides the foundation to understand decarbonization. Because most decarbonization strategies target different aspects of the carbon cycle, the core content of the course will review the geochemistry of carbon on land, in the lithosphere, and in the atmosphere, oceans, and other waters. This background will prepare students for a series of guest lectures from alumni of the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (currently employed in decarbonization start-ups and government agencies) that will present the most recent advances in decarbonization being investigated and/or implemented in the U.S. and abroad.
353-0 – Mathematical Inverse Methods in Earth & Environmental Sciences
Theory and application of inverse methods to gravity, electromagnetic, seismic, and other data. Linearized, non-linear, underdetermined, and mixed-determined problems and solution methods, including regularized least-squares and search algorithms. Recommended Background: Python programming language and two of 1) linear algebra, 2) statistics for physical scientists, 3) differential calculus of multivariable functions.
363-2 – Geographical Information Systems - GIS Level 2
Building on the foundation and core knowledge gained in EARTH 363-1 – GIS Level 1, this course moves into advanced analytical approaches in Geographical Information Systems required to solve complex problems and gain experience with spatial analysis, network analysis, 3-D analysis, GIS modeling, and geostatistics. Students will also learn about internet-based mapping for dissemination of spatial data. Error analysis and propagation will be considered throughout. The course includes weekly labs, 3 collaborative mini-projects, and a major final project where students work to test hypotheses, advance a research question, or provide evidence-based recommendation to pressing world problems. Pre-requisite - EARTH 363-1 GIS Level 1, or permission of the instructor.