Elemental, Part I: Earth

This course is the first in a series to explore the scientific, historical, and cultural impacts of Aristotle’s classic elements: earth, air, fire, water – and a 5th element added in the Daoist tradition – wood. In Earth, we will cover the science of the formation of Earth and its ongoing changes, major Earth events that shaped history, the multiple ways that humans have used Earth to support their lives, and roles that Earth has played in cultural traditions across the globe. Reading: Suggested readings will be from articles posted on the course website.

Readings:

Suggested readings will be from articles posted on the course website.

Barbara Snapp received her PhD in biology from Cornell University where her research focused on the ecological adaptiveness of behavior. Her passion is teaching science, and especially teaching broad survey courses where she can interweave science themes with culture and history to build multidimensional understanding.