Two approaches that I emphasize in my classes.
First, even when illustrating century old concepts, I draw examples from recent peer-reviewed publications by active scientists. This practice is intended to help students to appreciate that the concepts are useful in making new discoveries. Graduate students discover that fundamental knowledge of the field is not an accessory but an essential tool to create significant new findings. For the graduate students, I also involve background stories of the discussed papers, which often include the scientific career or history of the author(s) or research groups, writing styles, and publication strategies. Such background information not only makes the subject interesting and lively but also helps the students to understand the actual practice of doing science.
Second, by organizing the subjects in the larger context of land surface processes and biogeochemistry, I clearly expose and discuss the disciplinary boundaries where communication with neighboring disciplines should be made. For example, soils are discussed as a product of geomorphic and biogeochemical processes, and weathering system is presented as a system on which geomorphic, geochemical, hydrological, and ecological investigations have been conducted. By presenting the subject materials from the perspectives at the disciplinary boundaries, students are encouraged to view the class topic as the one that is rapidly expanding.
Three Courses:
Soil Formation: Earth Surface Processes and Biogeochemistry
PLSC467/667, GEOL467/667
Fall in Even Numbered Years
Brief Intro: Soil Formation is a course designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. This course addresses soils as historical objects in natural and human-managed ecosystems. The class materials include the findings from century-old studies to cutting-edge scientific discoveries which have formed our knowledge of how physical, chemical, and biological processes shape the surprisingly diverse soils on the earth and the role that soils play in local to global biogeochemical cycles across diverse time scales. The course emphasizes holistic, quantitative, and process-based approach toward understanding how soils affect and are affected by the evolution of landforms and regional to global biogeochemical cycles. The course is structured to entertain students from diverse backgrounds and interests to facilitate the growing campus-wide initiative for environmental science and critical zone science.
COURSE SYLLABUS (PDF)
Weathering System
PLSC667, GEOL667
Fall in Odd Numbered Years
Brief Intro: Weathering System is a course designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. The course follows physical and chemical weathering processes that combine to lead to the disintegration of rocks, formation of soils and generation of sediments and solutes. The course focuses on weathering as a process that shapes soils’ geochemical profiles and inorganic and organic biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems.
As described in the course syllabus, the instructor is particularly interested in presenting the science in action. From published papers and ongoing research, efforts are made to show how scientists identify knowledge gaps, formulate new questions, and develop field, laboratory, and modeling techniques to advance our knowledge of weathering. By focusing on published papers and their behind stories, the instructor makes efforts to show how scientists communicate their finding to the larger scientific communities.
Creating a highly dynamic course that involves active participation of students is another goal of this class. In tandem with instructor’s lectures, every student is required to make two presentations, lead discussions, and write critiques of other students’ works. To make sure the quality of presentation, individual students meet the instructor once or twice before their presentations.
COURSE SYLLABUS (PDF)
Geomorphology Seminar
GEOL/GEOG/PLSC 467/667
Spring in Even Numbered Years
Team Teaching: Fritz Nelson (Geography), Michael O’Neal (Geography), Jim Pizzuto (Geological Sciences), Art Trembanis (Geological Sciences), Kyungsoo Yoo.
SYLLABUS OF HILLSLOPE PART (PDF)
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