Earth's Oceans and Coastlines
Earth’s Oceans and Coastlines In this course we explore our planet’s oceans and coastlines through the interdisciplinary study of marine geology, physics, biology, and chemistry. We use these fields as lenses through which we examine our reliance on the oceans for climate stability, food, economic resources, and waste dispersal, among a host of other ecosystem services. In parallel, we explore how humans are fundamentally altering coastal and marine ecosystems, posing unequally distributed, but increasingly severe threats to ocean and human health. In labs, we learn quantitative data visualization and analysis techniques making use of real-world observations and datasets.
Earth’s Oceans and Coastlines In this course we explore our planet’s oceans and coastlines through the interdisciplinary study of marine geology, physics, biology, and chemistry. We use these fields as lenses through which we examine our reliance on the oceans for climate stability, food, economic resources, and waste dispersal, among a host of other ecosystem services. In parallel, we explore how humans are fundamentally altering coastal and marine ecosystems, posing unequally distributed, but increasingly severe threats to ocean and human health. In labs, we learn quantitative data visualiza …Read more
Not my favorite. Jacobel can be very condescending at times and a very harsh grader. Class averages on exams were pretty bad. The labs that we weren’t on the boat were incredibly boring and time consuming.
Professor Jacobel is so enthusiastic about the material and very personable in her teaching. She creates a comfortable atmosphere in which it is easy to ask questions. Although lectures are always very information-dense, she always explains everything very thoroughly in an easily-understandable way.
I enjoyed the class for the most part. I thought the material was very interesting, although most of it was information I had already learned, it did go into more detail of natural processes. What I really did not enjoy about the course were the labs, which mostly consisted of working on google doc/excel sheet for the entire period. For me, this is not how I learn best. I think Professor Jacobel is a great professor, but that aspect made this course frustrating for me.
I enjoyed the class for the most part. I thought the material was very interesting, although most of it was information I had already learned, it did go into more detail of natural processes. What I really did not enjoy about the course were the labs, which mostly consisted of working on google doc/excel sheet for the entire period. …Read more
I took this class as a first year and although I found it pretty difficult, it taught me what to expect from college level science classes. Allison was clear and concise in her lectures and was always available if I needed to talk about anything. Many of the labs were on Excel (but thats understandable since we were studying the ocean). I learned a lot of valuable and interesting information in this class and would totally recommend it.
I took this class as a first year and although I found it pretty difficult, it taught me what to expect from college level science classes. Allison was clear and concise in her lectures and was always available if I needed to talk about anything. Many of the labs were on Excel (but thats understandable since we were studying the ocea …Read more
Very interesting course, lectures focus on real world topics that are engaging and exciting. Labs are primarily Excel spreadsheet analysis, which is a bit disappointing, but there isn't a great way to go to the oceans during a regular class. Overall highly interesting, moderate difficulty, great professor.
I loved this course! Professor Jacobel is clearly an expert in her field, but she manages to make the material digestible to everyone - even people not in the department. I highly recommend this course, and it was so compelling!