Course Description

  • Graphic of sky, ocean, land, volcano, mountains, city, farmland with arrows showing how each affects the other
    This course describes the basic components of the climate system: the atmosphere, ocean, cyrosphere, and lithosphere. We will investigate the basic physical processes that determine climate and the link between the components of the climate system.
  • Elephants passing by African field with African onlookers
    ‘The environment’ figures dominantly in our daily lives and academic pursuits—from concerns over climate change and biodiversity loss, to energy policy and agricultural development. Yet we rarely stop to consider how environmental concerns are tied
  • Graphic depicting flow of agriculture, medicine, engineering, plant growth
    In an ever-urbanizing world, having an understanding of the systems that support, maintain, and optimize human conditions will be critical in responding to a changing climate. Through the lens of Resilience, this course looks at the nexus
  • Polar bear looking into the water
    The Arctic plays a key role in the global climate system and is a region in the midst of rapid change, encompassing the land, ocean and the atmosphere. In this course you will learn about the highly varied climates and landscapes that characterize
  • Geomorphology students examine the headscarp of a recent earth flow in north Boulder
    This class studies the surface of the Earth and the processes which shape physical environments.  Landscapes reflect the underlying geologic and erosional histories, both of which are affected by climate and the biosphere. At the surface, rock
  • Collage of Peter Blanken on with crew on boat in Great Lakes, weather tower
    Biology + Meteorology = BiometeorologyThose with an interest in exploring how weather affects life will enjoy this course. We will explore how the atmosphere affects plants, animals, and people. Topics ranging from water flow through plants to heat
  • Collage of tractors in the field, Machu Pechu, a dam, Rio de Janero
    This is a course for students interested in learning about relationships between environment and development in S. America. We will explore the complexity of development practices and efforts to govern natural resource extraction and use, and how
  • Graphic map of the world with each country's flag
    This course focuses on the international and cross-national perspectives of political geography.  It deals with political, economic and social aspects of international relations from a geographical perspective and examines the post Cold War and
  • Collage of students doing research and mountain terrain in summer and winter
    Are you interested in forest ecology and in getting hands-on field experience for a future career in the environment? Have you ever wondered how trees grow so large and live so long? Are you curious about how disturbances such as bark beetles and
  • Collage of students doing research in the snow-covered mountains
    Are you interested in the various processes related to snow in mid-latitude and polar areas? You will learn the physics and chemistry that underlie processes such as snow metamorphism, and apply this knowledge to real situations, including
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