Introducing Climate Science in the General Education Curriculum

Science courses in the General Education Curriculum (GEC) at Dominican College exist to instill in non-science majors some basic science literacy -- maybe even a love of science -- and the ability to make decisions based on data, analysis and logical thinking. While the graduates of these courses will probably not become scientists, they will become voters and, as such, should be equipped to make logical judgments regarding regional, national and global priorities. Two very popular courses within the GEC science electives are PY 111S Elements of Physics and ES 111S Elements of Earth Science. Based on information learned at the AMS Climate Studies Workshop, these courses will be modified to include a discussion of the physics of climate change and the impact, for better or worse, of human activity on climate change. Meanwhile, work to develop a new GEC course devoted to climate science will be begin, with approval and implementation targeted for 2016.