USC Schedule of Classes

Survey of the universe: planets, satellites, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies. Practical component includes planetary observations and dark-sky field trip. Not available for major credit.

Survey of the prospects for life in our solar system and beyond, based on the evolution of life on Earth.

Chemistry for environmental studies, neuroscience and other life sciences: organic and inorganic structures, nomenclature, stoichiometry, solutions, gases, non-covalent interactions, equilibria, acid-base and redox reactions. Not for major credit in chemistry.

Fundamental principles and laws of chemistry; laboratory work emphasizes quantitative procedures. Prerequisite to all more advanced courses in chemistry. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory and discussion, 4 hours. Quiz, 1 hour.

Scientific principles underlying forensic approaches to the investigation of crimes and its societal impact on law, culture and media. Not available for major credit.

Impact of civilization on planet earth, and impact of earth's natural evolution on society: earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, floods, global warming, acid rain, groundwater depletion and pollution; mineral and fossil fuel depletion, formation of the ozone hole. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or overnight field trip.

Basic principles of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics used in evaluating clues written in the rock record, and the processes that have shaped our planet. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. At least one field trip required.

Examination of the scientific process: what constitutes science; evolution of ideas about the nature of space, time, matter, andcomplexity; paradigm shifts in the biological and earth sciences.Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours.

Climate systems from the beginning of earth history to the present; tools and techniques used to reconstruct prehistoric climate records; effects of climate variations on development of life forms on earth.

Causes of earthquakes and nature of large faults; earthquake hazard and risk; world's great earthquakes; understanding the Richter scale. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours; one fieldtrip required.

Energy resources from a global perspective, including fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewable energy.

Study of human linguistic competence and technologies that simulate it. Grammar, parsing, text generation; semantics, pragmatics, sense disambiguation; phonetics, speech synthesis, speech recognition.

The fundamentals of physics presented with emphasis on the structure and beauty of physical laws. Practical component will relate these laws to commonly encountered events. Not available for major credit.

Fundamental laws and principles of physics with emphasis on theapplication of physical principles to the problems ofarchitecture. Lecture, 4 hours; laboratory, 3 hours.

Fundamental laws and principles of physics emphasizing areasrelated to life sciences. Prerequisite for Biological Sciences,Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy. Lecture, 4 hrs.; Lab, 3 hrs.

Gateway to the majors and minors in Physics and Astronomy. Statics and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, conservation principles, gravitation, simple harmonic oscillators, thermodynamics, heat engines, entropy. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 3 hours.

Gateway to the majors and minors in Physics and Astronomy. Introductory treatment intended for well-qualified students. Dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, conservation laws, wave motion, thermodynamics, heat engines, entropy.

Investigation of energy technologies, including development and implementation issues. Topics include the Industrial Revolution, electromagnetic induction, power transmission, combustion engines, fission and fusion. Not available for major credit.

An exploration of earth's water, ranging from water properties, chemistry, and pollution, to groundwater dynamics, watershed processes, and oceanic-atmospheric circulation. Implications for past and future societies. Lecture and laboratory.