Faculty in the Geosciences department are committed to providing excellent training for future geoscientists as well as teaching earth science as part of a balanced liberal arts education for non-majors. Introductory and advanced courses in geology, oceanography, and earth systems introduce students to the wide fields of geosciences, both for general education and as a foundation for majoring in the department.
The department consists of several faculty members and staff and about 20 junior and senior majors. Faculty are devoted to teaching and working with undergraduates, but are also active, publishing researchers. Undergraduates have ample opportunities to work on original research and often co-author publications or present their work at national professional meetings, even before graduation.
In 2001, the Journal of Geoscience Education* ranked us first in Geosciences research among U.S. liberal arts colleges based on published articles, pages, and articles per faculty member from 1987 to 1996.
History
Geology has been taught at Williams since 1817, when it was introduced to the curriculm by Amos Eaton, the pioneering geologist, botanist and educator. Eaton, who was also an alumnus of Williams (class of 1799), is famous for developing teaching methods that focused on “the application of science to the common purposes of life.” Whereas most teachers of the time lectured and demonstrated to students, in Eaton’s classes students learned by doing. His students went on field trips, ran experiments, and gave lectures. Although Eaton taught only briefly at Williams, his legacy has infused and enriched the college ever since.
In the 1800s geology was taught together with the other sciences as part of Natural History, but it became a separate entity in the early 1900s. The major in Geology and Mineralogy was created in 1920. In 1996, the name of the department and the major was changed to Geosciences, to reflect our expanding interest in oceans and climate change as well as in the solid Earth. Our long tradition, together with the college’s location and commitment to active research, makes Williams an ideal place to study geological processes and earth history.
Required Courses
Majors take at least nine courses in Geosciences. The required courses give students a chance to work with each of the faculty members in Geosciences, as well as providing a sound foundation of general understanding and specific knowledge in the earth sciences. Additionally, majors planning on attending graduate school should take at least a year each of college math, chemistry, and physics or biology, and should think about taking a summer field camp. Interested students should talk to one of the faculty members or contact the chair.
Components of the Geosciences major :
At most two 100-level courses:
Geosciences 101 Biodiversity in Geologic Time
Geosciences 102 An Unfinished Planet
Geosciences 103 Global Warming & Natural Disasters
Geosciences 104 Oceanography
Geosciences 105 Geology Outdoors
At least two 200-level courses from this group:
Geosciences 201 Geomorphology
Geosciences 202 Mineralogy and Geochemistry
Geosciences 212 Invertebrate Paleobiology
Geosciences 214 Geographic Information Systems
Geosciences 215 Climate Changes
At least two 300-level courses from this group:
Geosciences 301 Structural Geology
Geosciences 302 Sedimentation
Geosciences 303 Igneous & Metamorphic Petrology
A senior seminar:
Geosciences 401 Stratigraphy
Enough courses from this group to bring the total to nine:
Geosciences 205 Earth Resources
Geosciences 206 Renewable Energy/Sustainable Campus
Geosciences 217T Planetary Geology
Geosciences 218T The Carbon Cycle & Climate
Geosciences 220T Evolution of and on Volcanic Islands
Geosciences 304T Paleoecology
Geosciences 350T Tectonics, Erosion, & Climate
Geosciences 360T Geology of the Appalachians
Geosciences 493/494 Senior Thesis
Geosciences 497/498 Independent Study
