Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description

Antarctica

Instructor(s): Greg Gerbi, Physics

Antarctica inspires many but is seen by few. It has drawn explorers, scientists, artists, and tourists. It is a desert but contains more than half of earth's fresh water. It is the only continent where exploitation of natural resources has not occurred on a grand scale, but it has not remained safe from environmental degradation, as air pollution and climate change have affected its natural systems. Students will study the natural and human histories of Antarctica, modern science and modern human presence on the continent, and politics and natural resources of the southern latitudes. Coursework will include reading memoirs of early explorers and modern travelers to the continent, studying background about scientific processes (geology, glaciology, atmospheres), examining scientific studies of the continent, and reading and discussing the Antarctic treaty.