MICHAEL MANGA

EPS 24: Freshman seminar, geoscience in the movies

Syllabus, Spring 2015

Wednesday 2-4 pm (during discussion weeks we will likely use closer to 1 hour)

401 McCone Hall

Last revised December 31, 2014

The goal of freshman seminars is ``for small groups of students to explore a scholarly topic of mutual interest together. By taking a seminar a student becomes an active member of Berkeley's intellectual community. The seminars depend on the regular presence and active participation of every student. Sharing ideas in class is an important academic skill that can only be acquired through practice".

As the goal of these seminars is to foster discussion and interaction, the outline below is tentative and meant to provide a a starting point for student-led discussion. Consequently, this outline and overview might be updates.

Please note that Michael Manga will be at sea on the Roger Revelle (studying the submarine Havre volcano in the Kermadec arc that produced a large eruption in 2012) and will be away from March 24 to April 18.

Week 1 (January 21): Introduction

Week 2 (January 28): Choosing movies (the list below is subject to revision) and assignments

Week 3 (February 4): ``The core''

Week 4 (February 11): Discussion (X,Y,Z)

Week 5 (February 18): ``Promised land''

Week 6 (February 25): Discussion (X,Y,Z)

Week 7 (March 4): ``Pompeii''

Week 8 (March 11): ``Supervolcano''

Week 9 (March 18): Discussion (X,Y,Z)

Week 10 (April 1): ``Day after tomorrow"

Week 11 (April 8): ``Day after tomorrow (continued)''

Week 12 (April 15): ``Inconvenient truth''

Week 13 (April 22): Discussion

Week 14 (April 29): Discussion


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Tharsis, Mars, the Solar System's largest volcano (image from NASA/JPL)