EARTH 101/101H - Natural Disasters: Hollywood vs. Reality

In this unique hybrid course, students learn the science behind natural disasters and how disasters are portrayed in the media. Students work with real data sets for critical thinking and analysis. Learning of much of the science content is accomplished through virtual lectures and on-line exercises. Students explore case studies of classic disasters in the past and present relating to hurricanes, tsunami, volcanoes, earthquakes, flooding, and climate change.

The honors version of EARTH 101 focuses specifically on coastal disasters and hazards. Topics covered included hurricanes, tsunamis, oil spills, barrier island migration, harmful algal blooms, shark attacks, etc. To further investigate the impact of artificial structures on shoreline erosion, the class took a trip to Ocean City, MD, and Assateague National Seashore, VA. The students had a private tour by a National Park Ranger. Students then held an open forum on campus to discuss the coastal conflict between MD and VA.

Syllabus from offering in Fall 2006 (PDF file)
Syllabus from honors offering in Fall 2002 (PDF file)