The department combines the perspectives of the natural and social sciences. With the entire earth as a laboratory, earth science students investigate issues of climate change, hydrology, and pollution, oceanography, sustainable agriculture, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, sedimentology, and environmental planning. Geography students explore such topics as environmental perception and conservation, urban design and land-use planning, global economic change, migration and population patterns, regional studies, cartography, and geographic information systems. Both earth science and geography faculty also teach in various multidisciplinary programs, such as environmental studies, international studies, urban studies, and women’s studies. Options include majors as well as correlate sequences in each discipline, and two interdepartmental majors, anthropology-geography and earth science and society. For a major in geography, a senior seminar and thesis are required. For geology, senior research is a prerequisite for departmental honors.