Oceanography

Mea Cook

Williams College,
a
Private four-year institution, primarily undergraduate
.

Summary

This is an introductory survey of ocean science (geology, physics, chemistry, biology and human impacts).


Course Size:
31-70

Course Context:

This is a 100-level class with no prerequisites. Students are ~50% first years, and are a mix of students taking the class to fulfill the science division requirement, and students who are taking it a pure elective. It is the gateway class to the maritime studies program and geoscience department.

Course Goals:

The students will be able to

  • analyze depth data and draw a contour map of seafloor bathymetry.
  • predict the evolution of ocean basins forward and backward in time if given a tectonic map with magnetic lineations.
  • predict the sediment composition of any spot on the seafloor.
  • predict the areas of the ocean with greatest productivity.
  • evaluate the behavior of a seawater component based on calculating its residence time.
  • evaluate the effect on an ecosystem of removing (hunting/overfishing) one member.
  • evaluate the scientific merit of a news story on human impacts on the ocean.


How course activities and course structure help students achieve these goals:

The lab activities reinforce the major learning goals from each section of the class. The students are assessed through the exams.

Assessment


Syllabus:

Syllabus Williams College GEOS104 Oceanography (Acrobat (PDF) 118kB Jun10 13)