Our dynamic planet: Earth and life
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The Earth appears constant and unchanging from a human perspective. Yet over the span of geological time, measured in billions of years, it is a dynamic system in which continents move slowly across its surface; mountain belts rise and fall; ocean basins are created and destroyed; the evolution of life itself occurs and all in concert to the pulse of the Earth’s internal energy: heat. But how did all this start? What are the Earth's origins and how does life form part of its pattern? This course tackles these fascinating questions and equips you with the intellectual tools to examine the evidence that is all around us.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Science.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | S279 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 8 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) |
| 4 Interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs) |
| Examination |
| No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.
What you will study
How did the Earth form and evolve into its present state? And how does life fit into this dynamic system? This course explores the structure of the Earth from core to atmosphere, and investigates how the Earth system works from a geological perspective. You will study how the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere all interact to produce the world we live in today.
The course is organised in two halves, based around two books. The first book, An Introduction to Our Dynamic Planet, investigates the solid Earth (or geosphere); its place in the Solar System; and the processes that have both shaped it in the past and continue to shape it today. After opening chapters on the structure and formation of the Earth and that mysterious time before the geological record, the Hadean, the book focuses on plate tectonics. There are separate chapters on processes at constructive and destructive margins and continental collision zones. These are all regions where the geosphere interacts with the oceans and atmosphere and where the geosphere is currently active. You’ll then look at the deep Earth and how that continues to affect the surface environment, with a final summary of the critical factors that make the Earth operate in the way it does today. All through this course, you’re continually reminded of the ways in which the geosphere interacts with (and reacts to) the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
The second half of the course is based on the book An Introduction to the Earth-Life System and examines the interactions and feedbacks between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere. You will explore how the Earth’s surface environment is a complex interplay between these components. You will also be looking at the variable timescales over which these interactions take place: from the Wilson Cycle – dictated by plate motions operating over hundreds of millions of years – through ice ages of a few million years duration, to the effects of ocean and atmospheric circulation over periods of years, decades and centuries. You will investigate the astronomical controls of climate change; how they are recorded in sedimentary rocks; and the interaction between mountain building, erosion and climate change. You’ll also examine life itself: is it passive, or a force for change driving the environment towards further evolutionary development?
Throughout the course, your studies will be directed via a website. There will be additional activities, some based around your computer while others involve reading and analysis of sources in the published scientific literature.
Entry
This is a Level 2 course and you need to have a good knowledge of the subject area, obtained either through Level 1 study with the OU, or by doing equivalent work at another university. Exploring science (S104) and Maths for science (S151) would be ideal preparation.
You are also strongly advised to have already completed Geology (S276) and Planetary science and the search for life (S283) as both are essential preparation for this course.
We do not recommend that you start your Level 2 study with this course, as the content requires a familiarity with scientific language and concepts that are reasonably advanced. Although highly rewarding, it is a challenging course as it requires the ability to take a broad overview of an issue, drawing on evidence from a wide range of sources and science disciplines. It will also equip you with the skills and knowledge required to take on any of our current Level 3 Geosciences courses.
It is essential that you establish whether or not your background and experience give you a sound basis on which to tackle the course, since students who are appropriately prepared have the best chance of completing their studies successfully. The Science Faculty has produced a booklet Are You Ready For S279? to help you to decide. This can be viewed or printed from the Are you ready for science? website.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The study materials will be available on DVD-ROM in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The course contains many complex diagrams and the most important of these may be described within the PDF e-texts. Components may not be fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. The books are available in a comb-bound format. Written transcripts for the audio-visual material are included on the DVD-ROM. The course also involves drawing diagrams and plotting graphs which may be difficult for some students. You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate by hand diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce files of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment. If you have severely impaired sight, you may need a sighted assistant to be able to make full use of the computer-based resources or complete some of the activities. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting your needs.
You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, DVD-ROMs, website holding other essential study materials, e.g. activity instructions and assignments, which you may choose to print out.
You will need
A basic scientific calculator; a digital camera or scanner.
You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate by hand diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce files of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment.
If you wish to participate in the optional online collaborative tutorials, you will need a headset, with a microphone and earphones to talk to your tutor and other students online.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance.You may also be offered online tutorials and optional online collaborative tutorials that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with the Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Science.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | S279 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 8 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) |
| 4 Interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs) |
| Examination |
| No residential school |
Study explained
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.
Student Reviews
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Your questions
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Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35
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