Professors Ronald deLanglade (Biology), Horton H. Hobbs III (Biology), Timothy
L. Lewis (Biology), David L. Mason (Biology), John B. Ritter (Geology)
Associate Professors Kathleen A. Reinsel (Biology), James M. Welch (Biology), Director, and Michael J. Zaleha (Geology)
The program in Marine Science is designed for students who desire a solid foundation in the field, including Marine Biology and Oceanography. A fundamental goal of the minor is to allow students to explore the interdisciplinary nature of marine science and the connections among its subdisciplines. In addition to required coursework, students must participate in a marine field experience and conduct a research project or other significant work on a marine topic. This minor is available to students in any major, and would especially benefit those students interested in pursuing graduate work in a marine field.
Requirements for the MinorAt least 8 semester hours taken beyond the core courses must come from outside the student’s major department. Up to 4 semester hours of directed research or independent study may be included in the 8 semester hours of elective courses. Note that most courses offered during the Duke University Marine Laboratory's semester program will count toward minor requirements. Many Duke courses without direct equivalents could count as MRSC 250 Topics in Marine Science. See the program director for a full list of course equivalents.
Wittenberg programs that fulfill the requirement for a marine field experience include Extended Field Studies (Biology 258) taken in conjunction with either Biology 239 Biology of Marine Invertebrates or Biology 247 Marine Ecology, the Duke University Marine Laboratory semester program, and the Bahamas summer program. Other possibilities include summer internship programs at marine laboratories. This requirement may be fulfilled simultaneously with the research experience if the research is conducted in a field setting. The program director’s approval is required for the field experience if it is not through a Wittenberg program.
Students must complete a research project on a marine topic or otherwise participate in a professionally-related marine experience such as an internship (Marine Science 492 Directed Research or Marine Science 490 Internship). Up to 4 semester hours of either (but not both) may be included in the minimum 22 semester hours required for the minor. The project need not be taken for credit, but must be of a scope worthy of receiving academic credit. At the conclusion of the project or internship, the student will present the results of the research in written, oral, or professional poster format (format to be chosen in consultation with the student's research or internship adviser). Students have the opportunity to conduct this research on campus during the academic year, during Wittenberg's Bahamas summer program, during the semester program at the Duke University Marine Laboratory or other similar, accredited programs approved by the Marine Science Committee. Similarly, an internship with a government agency such as the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration or the U.S. Geological Survey would fulfill this requirement. In addition, NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates, other research-based internships at marine laboratories, and summer-long research projects conducted at a marine laboratory with Wittenberg faculty members, which are eligible for Faculty Research Fund Board awards, would be appropriate. The Marine Science Committee will evaluate research programs and internship opportunities not affiliated with Wittenberg’s curriculum on an individual basis.
Course offerings104. Topics in Marine Science Seminar. 1-4 semester
hours.
Study of selected topics relating the student to the marine environment and
society and of the conflicts between people and their environment. Topics
vary by instructor. Offered subject to demand and availability of faculty.
Counts as an elective toward a minor in marine science if taken before
the core courses, and can serve as an alternate prerequisite to Marine Science
200 if taken for 4 semester hours.
200. Oceanography. 4 semester hours.
Oceanography is one of the most integrative of all the sciences, and this fact will be reflected in this course. The course is an introduction to the major systems of the marine environment: physical, chemical, biological, and geological, with an emphasis on the interactions and interconnections of these four traditional disciplines of oceanography. Topics include origin of the oceans, plate tectonics, major ocean currents, the role of the ocean in atmospheric dynamics, life in the oceans, and cycling of energy, heat, and inorganic nutrients. The course will also focus on human impacts on ocean systems and the impacts that the oceans now have and can have in the future on human societies.
Prerequisite: Math placement score of 22 and any of one of 1) Biology 170 or 180; 2) Biology 248; 3) Chemistry 121; 4) Geology 150 or 160; 5) Physics 200; 6) Marine Science 104; or 7)Biology 141 and permission of the instructor.
250. Topics in Marine Science. 1-5 semester hours.
Study of selected topics in marine science. Topics vary with instructor.
The course counts as an elective toward a minor in marine science.
This course may be repeated for credit.
490. Internship. 1-5 semester hours.
492. Directed Research. 1-5 semester hours.
494. Seminar in Marine Science. 1-5 semester hours.
Topics of particular interest to students minoring in marine science.
Counts as an elective toward a minor in marine science. Offered subject to sufficient
demand by students and availability of faculty. This course may be repeated
for credit.
Biology 141N Introduction to Marine Biology. 4 semester hours.
Biology 248 Comparative Communities - Bahamas. 5 semester hours.
Biology 234 Morphology of Nonvascular Plants. 5 semester hours.
Biology 239 Biology of Marine Invertebrates. 5 semester hours.
Biology 247 Marine Ecology. 5 semester hours.
Biology 341 Limnology. 5 semester hours.
Geology
Geology 150 Physical Geology. 5 semester hours.
Geology 160 Environmental Geology. 5 semester hours.
Geology 260 Sedimentology. 5 semester hours.
Geology 340 Earth History. 5 semester hours.
Economics
Economics 350 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. 4 semester hours.