Geology vs. Earth Science vs. Geoscience

Geology vs. Earth Science vs. Geoscience Geology, Earth science and geoscience are different terms with the same literal definition: the study of the Earth. In the academic world and professional realm, the terms may be interchangeable or have different connotations  based on how they are being used.  Over the last few decades, many colleges and universities have changed their geology degrees to Earth science or geoscience or added those as separate degrees altogether.     On Geology Geology is the older word and has a much longer history. In that sense, geology is the root of Earth science. The word arose before todays scientific discipline. The first geologists werent even geologists; they were natural philosophers, academic types whose novelty lay in extending the methods of philosophy to the book of nature. The first meaning of the word geology, in the 1700s, was a treatise, a theory of the Earth, much like Isaac Newtons triumph,  the cosmology or theory of the heavens, a century before. The still earlier geologists of medieval times were inquisitive, cosmological theologians who treated the Earth by analogy to the body of Christ and paid scant attention to rocks. They produced some erudite discourse and fascinating diagrams, but nothing that we would recognize as science. (Todays Gaia hypothesis might be thought of as a New Age version of this long-forgotten world view.) Eventually, geologists shook off that musty medieval mantle, but their subsequent activities gave them a new reputation that was to haunt them later. Geologists are the ones who explored the rocks, mapped the mountains, explained the landscape, discovered the Ice Ages and laid bare the workings of the continents and the deep Earth. Geologists are the ones who found aquifers, planned mines, advised the extractive industries, and laid straight the road to wealth based on gold, oil, iron, coal and more. Geologists put the rock record in order, classified the fossils, named the eons and eras of prehistory and laid out the deep foundation of biological evolution.   I tend to think of geology as one of the true original sciences, along with astronomy, geometry and mathematics. Chemistry began as a purified, laboratory child of geology. Physics originated as an abstraction of engineering. This is not to downplay their wonderful progress and great stature, but only to establish priority. On Earth Science and Geoscience   Earth science  and geoscience gained currency with newer, more interdisciplinary tasks that build upon the work of the geologists. To put it simply, all geologists are Earth scientists, but not all Earth scientists are geologists.   The twentieth century brought revolutionary progress to every field of science. It was the cross-fertilization of chemistry, physics and computation, newly applied to the old problems of geology, that opened up geology into a wider realm referred to as Earth science or geoscience. It seemed like a whole new field in which the rock hammer and field map and thin section were less relevant.   Today, an Earth science or geoscience degree entails a much wider realm of subjects than a traditional geology degree. It studies all of Earths dynamic processes, so typical coursework may include oceanography, paleoclimatology, meteorology and hydrology as well as normal traditional geology courses like mineralogy, geomorphology, petrology and stratigraphy.   Geoscientists and Earth scientists do things that geologists of the past never contemplated. Earth scientists help oversee remediation of polluted sites. They study the causes and effects of climate change. They advise the managers of lands, wastes and resources. They compare the structures of planets around our Sun and around other stars. Green and Brown Science It appears that educators have had an extra effect as curriculum standards for primary and secondary-school students have grown more complex and involved. Among these educators, the typical definition of Earth science is that it consists of geology, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy. As I see it, geology is a burgeoning set of subspecialties that is expanding into these neighboring sciences (not oceanography but marine geology; not meteorology but climatology; not astronomy but planetary geology), but thats clearly a minority opinion. A basic Internet search turns up twice as many Earth science lesson plans as geology lesson plans.   So where are we today? I see the field dividing into two pedagogical tracks: Geology is minerals, maps and mountains; rocks, resources and eruptions; erosion, sediment and caves. It involves walking around in boots and doing hands-on exercises with ordinary substances. Geology is brown. Earth science and geoscience are the study of geology as well as pollution, food webs, paleontology, habitats, plates and climate change. It involves all of Earths dynamic processes, not just those on the crust. Earth science is green. Maybe its all just a matter of language. Earth science and geoscience are as straightforward in English as geology is in scientific Greek. And as a sarcastic defense to the increasing popularity of the former terms - how many college freshmen know Greek?   Edited by Brooks Mitchell

Writing a History Book Review

Writing a History Book Review There are several acceptable ways to write a book review, but if your teacher doesn’t provide you with specific instructions, you might feel a little lost when it comes to formatting your paper. There is a format used by many teachers and college professors when it comes to reviewing history texts. It isn’t found in any style guide, but it does contain aspects of the Turabian style of writing. Although it might seem a little strange to you, many history teachers like to see a full citation for the book you’re reviewing (Turabian style) at the head of the paper, right below the title. While it might seem odd to start with a citation, this format mirrors the appearance of book reviews that are published in scholarly journals. Below the title and citation, write the body of the book review in essay form without subtitles. As you write your book review, remember that your goal is to analyze the text by discussing the strengths and weaknesses- as opposed to summarizing the content. You should also note that it’s best to be as balanced as possible in your analysis. Include both strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, if you think the book was either dreadfully written or ingenious, you should say so! Other Important Elements to Include in Your Analysis Date/range of the book. Define the time period that the book covers. Explain if the book progresses chronologically or if it addresses events by topic. If the book addresses one particular subject, explain how that event fits into a broader time scale (like the Reconstruction era).Point of view. Can you glean from the text if the author has a strong opinion about an event? Is the author objective, or does he express a liberal or conservative viewpoint?Sources. Does the author use secondary sources or primary sources, or both? Review the bibliography of the text to see if there is a pattern or any interesting observation about the sources the writer uses. Are the sources all new or all old? That fact could provide interesting insight into the validity of a thesis.Organization. Discuss whether the book makes sense the way it is written or if it could have been better organized. Authors put a lot of time into organizing a book and sometimes they just don’t get it right!Author inf ormation. What do you know about the author? What other books has he/she written? Does the author teach at a university? What training or experience has contributed to the author’s command of the topic? The last paragraph of your review should contain a summary of your review and a clear statement that conveys your overall opinion. It is common to make a statement such as: This book delivered on its promise because...This book was a disappointment because...This book contributed significantly to the argument that...The book [title] provides the reader with deep insight into... The book review is an opportunity to give your true opinion about a book. Just remember to back up a strong statement like those above with evidence from the text.