Environmental Geology

This environmental geology course is about how geological processes affect the environment as well as humans and their infrastructure, and also about how humans affect geological processes. The course covers the typical environmental geology topics (earthquakes, volcanoes, slope failures, etc.) but has a strong emphasis on Earth systems and especially on climate change. The motivation behind making this course open and widely available is the urgency of environmental issues like climate change, which is more important at this time than ever before.

Climate change, which is a human-rights issue, is discussed at length in the course, both in terms of the rights of Canadians to a viable future and the rights of hundreds of millions others around the world to sufficient water, appropriate conditions in which to grow and gather food, and — in some cases — to the very existence of the land they live on. Every effort has been made to create a course that embraces the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The course is designed to be completed by independent study, but could also be offered in a classroom setting. Students working on their own should expect to spend at least 60 hours reading and doing exercises and another 15 hours completing assignments. The course could be completed in about 36 hours of classroom time.

The course is divided into 5 units, and the outline for the units is included in the course syllabus template. That document includes an overview of the course content, links to extra resources, and assigned readings from the open textbook.

The length of this course will vary depending on the delivery method. It could be completed in a 12- to 13-week semester or in a 6-week condensed semester. Students doing the course by independent study may need longer, depending on their circumstances. It is recommended that they be allowed at least 20 weeks, with the potential for an extension if there are extenuating circumstances.

Other features of this course include an instructor guide and a student guide, as well as assignments, marking rubrics for each assignment, and visual aids for most units.