Environments of Africa

Abstract:: EARTH 105 investigates the interrelationships between geology, hydrology, land use and human development in several areas of Africa. We focus primarily on regions north of the equator, although there is a brife segment on South African mining. Specific topics include the Nile River (sources of the Nile, agricultural practices, effects of damming the Nile, and hydropolitics), the Sahara and Sahel (salt mines, climate change, drought, and wather resources), and natural resources and their role in politics (gold, diamonds, oil, and gas). The theme of climate change cuts across the entire semester. The quantitative and analytical components of the course involve working through a combination of map exercises and data manipulations (flood stage, groundwater age, rainfall, and temperature records). Readings for the course come from the popular scientific literature, current refereed journals, and transcribed oral histories of African people. In addition to those external reading assignments, students read online "lecture" materials and engage in weekly learning activities (some of which are submitted for a grade, while others are for self-practice). Students also engage in weekly online, asynchronous class discussions.

Languages:: English
Material Type:: Activities and Labs, Assessments, Discussion Forums, Full Course, Homework and Assignments, Lecture Notes, Readings, Syllabi
Media Format:: Audio, Graphics/Photos, Text/HTML, Downloadable docs, Video
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Conditions of Use:: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
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Copyright Holder:: The Pennsylvania State University

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