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Students will develop Earth Science Literacy, as described by the Earth Science Literacy Initiative, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.  ESLI identifies nine Earth Science Literacy Principles, which encompass the “Big Ideas and Supporting Concepts of Earth Science” (http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/).  Students will be able to comprehend, critically evaluate, and communicate the following ESLI Big Ideas: 

-          LG01: Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and explain our planet 

-          LG02: Earth’s rocks and other materials provide a record of its 4.6 billion year history 

-          LG03: Earth is a complex system of interacting rock, water, air, and life 

-          LG04: Earth is continuously changing through geological, hydrological, physical, chemical, and biological processes that are explained by universal laws 

-          LG05: Earth is the water planet 

-          LG06: Life evolves on a dynamic Earth and continuously modifies Earth 

-          LG07: Humans depend on Earth for resources 

-          LG08: Natural hazards pose risks to humans 

-          LG09: Humans significantly alter the Earth 

The course will provide an understanding of the structure and evolution of the Alps. No prior knowledge of geology is required for this course.  

First, we will discuss climate change and we will draw extensively from the setting of the Alps. The first evidence for past ice ages were described in the European Alps, and for geologists the Alpine region is an open book for understanding the driving factors for climate change. In this part of the course students will learn how to read this book and will learn how the understanding of past climates of the European Alps is critical for shaping the future of this region and beyond. The highlight of this part will be a glacier hike. The second part of the course will provide the basic knowledge of geological concepts and processes necessary to understand the geologic evolution of the Alps (e.g., rock cycle, plate tectonics, glaciers, etc.). During the second we will also discuss how the geomorphology and natural resources of the Alpine mountain belt impacted societies of Central Europe though time. This part of the course will draw from local resources at the University of Innsbruck as well as a field trip to the Silver mine of Schwaz. 

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. The listed ECTS credits are a recommendation by the University of New Orleans Innsbruck Summer School, based on contact hours, anticipated out-of-classroom requirements such as field trips, and projected workload for readings, assignments, and exam preparation. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at