Earth and Environmental Systems
Geology is the study of processes affecting the earth — geological, hydrological, and chemical.
Geology majors study past and present-day interrelationships between earth components and earth processes — rocks, minerals, fossils, landforms, structural features, earthquakes, glaciers, magmas, volcanoes, atmospheric gases, surface water, subsurface water, and environmental pollutants. Required coursework in geology is integrated with required or recommended coursework in forestry, soils, hydrology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
Requirements for the Major in Geology
The major requires successful completion of the following:
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Requirements 1 | ||
| FORS/GEOL 332 | Oral Presentations | 2 |
| GEOL 121 | Physical Geology (Lab) | 4 |
| GEOL 221 | Mineralogy (Lab) | 4 |
| GEOL 225 | Sedimentology (Lab) | 4 |
| GEOL 320 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (Lab) | 4 |
| GEOL 325 | Field and Structural Geology (Lab) | 4 |
| GEOL 230 | Paleoecology | 4 |
| or GEOL 235 | Earth Systems and Climate Change | |
| Select one laboratory course in chemistry (CHEM) numbered 120 or above | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Select three of the following: | 12 | |
| Fundamentals of GIS | ||
or ENST 317 | Advanced Applications of GIS | |
| Introduction to Forestry (Lab) | ||
| Soils (Lab) | ||
| Hydrology (Lab) | ||
| Economic Geological Resources (Lab) | ||
| General Physics I (Lab) | ||
or PHYS 102 | General Physics II (Lab) | |
A summer geology field camp (at least 4 weeks in length and at least 4 credit hours) | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 46 | |
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Requirements | ||
| A comprehensive examination | ||
| Department capstone requirement, which may be satisfied by: | ||
| a. Receiving a grade of C or higher on the Elberton Project undertaken in GEOL 320 - Petrology; | ||
| b. Completing no earlier than the second semester of their junior year an independent study project that culminates in a technical paper or a presentation at Scholarship Sewanee; or, | ||
| c. Completing ESCI 450 during the spring semester of their senior year. | ||
| 1 | All B.S. degrees require four science/math courses outside the major taken at Sewanee, two with labs. |
Writing-Intensive Course in the Major Requirement
Students majoring in forestry, geology, or natural resources and the environment can satisfy their writing-in-the-major requirement by
- successfully completing GEOL 320, or other designated writing-intensive course in the department, or
- by successfully completing three forestry and/or geology designated “writing portfolio” courses. Written and edited scientific papers from each writing portfolio course are to be compiled into a scientific writing portfolio by each student, and maintained by his/her advisor.
The following courses are designated as writing portfolio or writing-intensive courses in the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems. Other courses may be approved as such during some years. In exceptional cases and by faculty permission, one of the three writing portfolio courses might be fulfilled by FORS 444 or GEOL 444.
Writing Portfolio Courses in the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems (three required):
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Forestry Major | ||
| FORS 204 | Forest Wildlife Management (project report) | 4 |
| FORS 262 | Forest and Watershed Restoration (Lab) (class paper) | 4 |
| FORS 305 | Forest Ecology (Lab) (lab report or paper) | 4 |
| FORS 312 | Silviculture (Lab) (lab report or paper) | 4 |
| FORS 319 | Natural Resource Management and Decisions (project report) | 4 |
| Geology Major | ||
| GEOL 320 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (Lab) (writing-intensive) | 4 |
| Natural Resources and the Environment Major | ||
| FORS 204 | Forest Wildlife Management (project report) | 4 |
| FORS 262 | Forest and Watershed Restoration (Lab) (class paper) | 4 |
| FORS 305 | Forest Ecology (Lab) (lab report or paper) | 4 |
| FORS 312 | Silviculture (Lab) (lab report or paper) | 4 |
| FORS 319 | Natural Resource Management and Decisions (project report) | 4 |
| GEOL 222 | Historical Geology (Lab) (term paper) | 4 |
| GEOL 305 | Economic Geological Resources (Lab) (field trip report) | 4 |
| GEOL 314 | Hydrology (Lab) (lab report) | 4 |