New Student Registration: Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers three 3-credit courses at the 100-level:

• EESC 171 – Understanding the Earth
• EESC 172 – Environment, Climate, and Resources
• EESC 173 – Natural Hazards

Together, EESC 172 and one of EESC 171 or 173 provide the 6 credits of foundational course material for further study in Earth and Environmental Sciences. These courses may also be electives in any program, other than the Diploma in Engineering.

Students should note that EESC 171 is not a prerequisite for 172, so those looking for a 3-credit elective course in second term could register for EESC 172 without having completed 171 in first term.

There is no lab component for either EESC 171 or 172, though there is a bi-weekly two-hour tutorial for each (6 two-hour tutorials per term).

Aquatic Resources Students

One of EESC 171 or EESC 173 is required for all students in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Aquatic Resources program. Normally, ISAR students do not take ESCI 172 as AQUA 101 and 102 provide much of the same content.

All Other Students

EESC 171 or 173; and EESC 172 are required for most Earth and Environmental Sciences major, advanced major, and honours programs in the Bachelor of Science degree, and for an Earth and Environmental Sciences minor.

If you intend a major, advanced major or honours degree in EESC it is important to know that there are 3 program streams:  the standard Earth and Environmental Sciences (no concentration);  the Geoscience concentration; and the Environmental Systems concentration.  For the non-concentration program, students need to take EESC 172 and one of EESCI 171 or 173.  For the Geoscience concentration, students need to take EESC 171 and 172. For the Environmental Systems concentration, students need to take 3 credits from EESC 172, 273, 274, or CLEN 102; and 3 credits from EESC 171, 173, or CLEN 101.

These two courses can also form the 6-credit base of a pair in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, and Music degrees.

EESC 171 or EESC 173; or EESC 172 are prerequisites for most other courses in the department.  Please see the Academic Calendar for specific prerequisites for upper level EESC courses. 

Course Descriptions

171  Understanding the Earth
An introduction to the study of rocks and minerals and the materials that make up planet Earth; the Earth’s origin and internal structure and composition; the plate tectonic and continental drift theory, crustal processes (the early history of the Earth and its atmosphere, evolution and extinction of life forms; composition and structure of the Earth, origin of continents, oceans, volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains), crustal deformation and mountain building; resources from earth. Three credits and one-hour tutorial.

172 Environment, Climate, and Resources
An introductory treatment of the processes driving Earth’s ocean, atmosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere. Course includes study of the environment and problems such as soil erosion, ozone layer, waste disposal, Earth’s energy resources (solar, geothermal, etc.), surface and ground waters, water quality in humanity’s future, an introduction to biogeochemical cycles, and a current examination of climate change, future scenarios and issues of impact, migration and adaptation to climate change. Three credits and one-hour tutorial.

173 Natural Hazards
An introduction to the processes leading to natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. This course will explore the geophysical and geological processes behinds such events, their impacts on human society, the historical reasons of why some of these events collide with human settlements more often than others, historical and present occurrences, and how to potentially minimize negative consequences from these catastrophic events. Three credits.

Please refer to Section 9.15 Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Academic Calendar.

Click here to go to the Earth and Environmental Sciences department webpage.