Successful completion of this course will provide the following learning outcomes:


A basic understanding of the physical processes that operate in the
earth/ocean/atmosphere system and how these affect regional variations in
climate/environment

An awareness of the changing nature of the earth's climate across a range of time
scales and an understanding that in today’s climate we see only a snapshot of Earth
history

An understanding of the scientific methods that have been used to collect and analyze
data on climate/environmental change and its impact on humanity 

A greater understanding of the importance of science in understanding the everyday
functioning of our planet, and its crucial role in policy decision-making in view of
global warming issues

An understanding that because the earth’s landscapes are complex, being the products
of processes that have varied with changing climate, they provide evidence of past
conditions

The realization that changes in global climate can have dire consequences for humans
as they can induce droughts that are difficulty to cope with

A understanding that climate is forever changing and that we must be prepared for it 

The understanding that past changes in climate are a way of assessing human
influences on climate today

The realization that climate change can be abrupt and not slow as previously thought

The ability to think critically by assessing information on climate change in the
past in relation to what is happening today

The realization that the earth is fragile and constantly changing in ways we do not
yet fully understand


This course meets the following General Education Abilities by accomplishing the
specific learning objectives listed below:

Communicate effectively through writing.  This is met by a series of writing 
assignments associated with supplemental reading and data analysis.
 
Communicate effectively through speech.  This is met by oral presentations, 
discussion leading, and classroom participation.

Computer Literacy is addressed through course administration, student-faculty 
electronic interaction, and data analysis activities and assignments.

Critical Thinking is central to the learning objectives of this class, and is 
developed through homework assignments, lecture, classroom discussion, and inquiry-
based learning efforts.
       
Moral Reasoning (Ethics) is an important element of this course, as it explores 
linkages among physical environment, climatic variability, human activities, and 
past/future global environmental change.  Moral reasoning is developed through 
lectures, writing assignments, classroom discussion, and inquiry-based learning 
activities.

Introduction								
Ancient ice ages/climate during the Tertiary					
Classical Alpine glacial model/reality based on deep ocean cores 		
Extent of glaciers and ice caps/dating Quaternary events			
Dating Quaternary events/marine sediments					
	
Ice cores									
Cave evidence 
Sea level changes								
Lake level changes 
Ancient sand dunes/The fluvial record					
Dendrochronology/dendroclimatology					
Microfossils and macrofossils							
Climate changes during the Holocene/period with instrument records		 
Causes of climate change/Global warming					 
Global climate models	 
Regional climate records