Courses related to ESS

Johns Hopkins has been a leader in the Earth System Science movement, and developed many courses dealing with Earth system topics.  George Fisher remains active in the ESSE community and continues to teach courses developed under ESSE support.  George has also been exploring the links between the Earth system, sustainability and the human dimensions of religious values (see 270.201 below, and has presented on this topic at JHU and ESSE (see http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/0200web/common.html) stating that that science and religion are each essential parts of our humanity, and any hope for a sustainable future must be shaped by both.

270.115 (N) Earth System History.  Geologic history of Earth and its ecosystems.  The evolution and extinction of many forms of life – from marine bacteria to dinosaurs, flowering plants, and humans – will be reviewed in the context of a changing global environment.  Interactions among the upper earth, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere will be highlighted. Stanley, 3 credits.

* 270.201 Sustainability: Scientific and Religious Perspectives An exploration of the complex questions that emerge from the problem of sustainability: living indefinitely within the constraints imposed by the Earth system. Learning to live sustainably will require both that we understand how the Earth system functions and that we reflect seriously on the ethical questions posed by the need to accommodate ourselves to a finite Earth. The course will consider sustainability from scientific, ethical, and religious perspectives. Fisher. 3 credits.

270.202 (N) The Ecology of a Changing Planet.  Large-scale ecological patterns will be the primary focus of this course.  Major transitions for environments late in Earth's history will be discussed as a background for considering present and possible future influences on life of such human activities as deforestation, desertification, overfishing, pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, and introduction of species. Szlavecz/Stanley, 3 credits.

* 270.310 (N) The Global Earth System. An examination of the major processes which control Earth's environment, and how those processes work. Explores the linkages between the ocean, the atmosphere, and the biosphere, reviews past environmental change recorded in the geologic record, and examines human influence on environmental change. Fisher. 3 credits.

* 270.320. Global Change and Human Health. This course will examine the links connecting disease and the earth's environment, and the implications of those links for human health in a changing global environment. Team-taught by faculty from the Schools of Public Health, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and visitors

http://www.jhu.edu/~eps/courses/270-320/270-320syl.html

270.394 (N) Global Geochemical Cycles and Climate Change.  This course offers an integrated examination of (1) the global-scale geochemical cycles operating in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and interior of the Earth, and their role in the evolution of Earth System, (2) the Earth’s present and past climate system and the origin and evolution of the chemistry of the atmosphere, the oceans, and the solid Earth. Emphasis will be on the coupling between the different components that make up the Earth System (e.g., atmosphere-ocean interactions; hydrosphere-lithosphere interactions).  Prerequisites:  030.105-106, 171.101-102. Hardie/Waugh, 3 credits, fall.

* 270.404 (N,W) Environmental Seminar. A seminar for seniors enrolled in one of the Environmental Science programs; requires preparation of a term paper focusing on the interplay between the policy and scientific aspects of environmental issues. Team-taught by faculty from science and policy-oriented departments. Staff. 3 credits.

270.410 (N) Global Climate Change: Introduction. An introduction to the basic principles of atmospheric structure and its response to natural and anthropogenic perturbations. It includes the role of the sun, atmospheric constituents, and Earth's surface in determining Earth's climate and its sensitivity to change. Prerequisites: Calculus I-II and General Physics I-IV, or permission from instructor. Recommended: Calculus III. Arking. 3 credits. Fall.

* taught by ESSE PI