Mar 29, 2024  
2017 - 2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2017 - 2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

MSCI 335 - Coastal Environments of China


Summer, even years (3) Kuehl Prerequisite(s): MSCI 330  or GEOL 330  or BIOL 230   (College 300)

This course highlights a 3-4 week field experience to explore the watershed and coastal environments surrounding the Yangtze River and southeast coast of China.  Using a holistic “source-to-sink” approach, students will travel from the drainage basin of the Yangtze River toward its mouth and along the southeastern coast influenced by the river.  Along the route, we will examine the regional geology, river hydrology, and coastal marine science.  The course will highlight human modifications to the system (i.e., Three Gorges Dam,  levees, coastal protection, dredging, and aquiculture) and their impacts on coastal erosion, pollution and sustainable fisheries.  The course will be hosted by Xiamen University and run in parallel with their undergraduate Marine Science field course.  Two weeks of the course will be spent either in Dongshan or Zhoushan Island (marine field stations), where W&M students will pair with Chinese peers for an interdisciplinary field and laboratory based study of the local coastal and estuarine environments.  This structure will afford broad exposure to the disciplines of marine science with the help of local experts, and will also provide a rich cultural experience through immersion and peer activities. Lab fee required.