TENNESSEE'S GEOLOGIC AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE: A COURSE INTEGRATING GEOLOGY, CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY, AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY FOR GEOSCIENCE MAJORS

Geology and geography programs may have overlapping courses in areas such as geomorphology, fluvial systems, natural hazards, and field methods. Separate courses offered by each discipline remain appropriately distinct, however, as instructors in the respective disciplines emphasize models, issues, and techniques particular to their fields. All geology and geography programs also have a special opportunity to synthesize key elements of their curricula by creating new courses that juxtapose and integrate concepts, data, field observations, and forms of analyses from both disciplines. Such courses provide added value by demonstrating to students the many geological and geographical connections in the physical and cultural landscapes. At The University of Tennessee at Martin, faculty from the geology and geography programs have designed a three-hour, upper-division course that is team-taught. It is cross-listed so that students from both programs can receive elective credit toward their respective degrees. This course, “Tennessee’s Geologic and Cultural Landscapes,” uses the geographic context of the state to demonstrate the close, if not causal relationships between geological phenomena, climatology, soils, settlement patterns, geodemography, agricultural geography, and economic development. A four-day fieldtrip, which is designed to cross most of the state’s physiographic provinces features stops where the combination geological and geographic processes are evident, is included and used as the basis for student research projects.