Welcome to the Department
of Geology
In accordance with the emphasis at Wittenberg in the liberal arts
and sciences, the Geology Department's program is designed to achieve
two fundamental goals: first, to provide a stimulating, yet non-technical,
introduction to the geological sciences for the student who wants
a basic understanding of the earth and human interaction with it;
second, to provide a more comprehensive, technical curriculum for
the student who wishes to pursue a career in geological or environmental
science and/or earth science education. Facilitating both objectives
are working relationships with full-time faculty in small classes,
frequent field excursions, cooperative student-faculty research
projects, trips to professional meetings and lectures, and the departmental
student-assistant program that gives majors learning experiences
critical to their future careers. Opportunities for students to
work in different capacities as departmental assistants range from
curatorial work with mineral, fossil, and rock collections to tutorial
responsibilities in introductory geology labs and to development
of educational exhibits in the Geology Learning Center. Assisting
faculty with their research offers additional opportunities. |
 Courses
in Wittenberg's geology program strike a balance between theory,
laboratory and field experience, and application. The program also
offers a wide variety of learning experiences beyond the classroom.
In addition to field experience utilizing local
geology, students and faculty conduct an extended field
seminar to geologically interesting areas during each spring
term. The Ozark Mountain lead-mining region of Missouri, the Great
Smokey Mountains, the Central Appalachian Mountains, or the iron
and copper ranges of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are examples
of the areas investigated and visited during the field seminar.
Students also participate in internships and independent research,
encouraged for junior and senior majors, cooperatively with the
faculty; these activities
can be among the most rewarding experiences of a student's
undergraduate education. |
| Wittenberg students interested in marine geology and oceanography may participate in the interdisciplinary program in marine science at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina during spring term. Also an interdisciplinary biology-geology field studies program visits the Bahamas, Great Smoky Mountains, and Ohio localities to examine ancient and modern marine carbonate and classic sedimentary environments. |
| The Department encourages advanced geology students to take a four- to six- week summer geology field course, usually taught in the western United States, to learn and experience methods and techniques of field geology. |