FYS 1 Life on the Edge
Geologic and environmental issues shape everyday life in Southern California—right under your feet! This course invites you to connect science to society, classroom learning to real landscapes, and big ideas to your own life in California. Through integration with GEO 105, this FYS will build on key geologic concepts through lively discussions, thought-provoking readings, and three engaging writing assignments designed to sharpen your critical thinking. You will tackle big, timely questions: How prepared are we for earthquakes, especially the “Big One”? How has water scarcity shaped California’s growth and identity? Where does our energy come from—and what would it take to build a more sustainable future? We will experience in-class concepts first-hand with a two-day field trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, an outstanding example of the region’s dramatic geology and desert environment.
Open only to first-year frosh.