This poster presentation will be a work in progress on the development of an oceanography course to be offered at Tennessee State University (TSU), one of approximately 105 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the U.S. Since being founded in 1912, TSU's enrollment has grown to over 9,000 students. The dedicated faculty teach a variety of programs in science and engineering; however, the earth sciences are not strongly represented. Anecdotal evidence suggests that most students have little to no familiarity with the geosciences.

A course entitled “Oceanography” will be developed during the 2007-2008 academic year with content from the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Online Ocean Sciences program. It will be first offered completely online during the 2008 summer session. Current earth science-related courses include Physical Geography and Earth Sciences for Teachers. The former has attracted relatively low numbers of students most likely due to lack of familiarity, while the latter has not been taught in nearly 10 years due to lack of demand. An oceanography course should be more recognizable to students, at least in name. Special emphasis will be placed upon the relationship between hurricane development and ocean dynamics; in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, African American students are likely to be drawn to learn more about the physical properties of oceanic storms. Given Tennessee's landlocked geography, TSU students are not likely to have had a great deal of experience with the world's seas. Thus, curiosity will likely lead many to enroll.

The online content will allow for classes to engage in ocean studies in lieu of actually being able to spend time at the sea shore. The course will be listed under the Geography minor program. In order to earn a minor in Geography, students must successfully complete 18 credit hours of which three to six must be “physical geography” courses. The only regularly taught course satisfying the physical geography requirement is Weather and Climate. Adding Oceanography to the rotation will allow students to expedite their completion of the minor and expand their learning experience beyond social and human geography.

Effective recruitment strategies will be paramount to the success of the new course as it is for any new material added to the university catalog. Ocean scientists representing ethnic minority groups may be invited to present their research and professional endeavors in campus-wide forums. In addition to the AMS material, dynamic, multi-media content will be included. If possible, there may be some form of outreach to local k-12 science teachers for collaborative educational opportunities.