INQ-251 | Resources and Risks

Full Title: Resources and Risks: Humans and the Physical Environment

Topic Description:

We live on a finite planet. Many of the environmental problems that we currently face arise from the interaction between two complex but interdependent systems: the human ecosystem and the physical resources that sustain it. This course draws upon the earth and biological sciences to explore interactions between humans and the physical environment, with an emphasis on the natural and human forces that shape features and processes at the earth’s surface. Students will use spatial and aspatial datasets (e.g., digital maps, Google Earth, computer simulations, and the Internet) to critically evaluate (1) how the physical environment both supports and constrains human activity, (2) how these human activities, in turn, impact natural processes occurring at the earth’s surface, and (3) how we might begin to manage the earth’s systems to meet our own needs without compromising those of future generations.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: December 2009