Mountains 101 offered by University of Alberta
- Public University
1 Campus- Estd. 1908
Mountains 101 at UofA Overview
Duration | 12 hours |
Total fee | Free |
Mode of learning | Online |
Official Website | Explore Free Course  |
Course Level | UG Certificate |
Mountains 101 at UofA Highlights
- Interactive lecture videos, a set of course notes and course glossary, and recommended readings and additional resources.
- Each lesson also includes a short summative quiz to test your understanding.
- Earn a Paid Certification after completion
Mountains 101 at UofA Course details
- We'll study the geological origins of mountains, how they’re built-up and worn-down over time.
- We’ll learn about their importance for biodiversity and water cycles, globally and locally.
- We’ll explore their cultural significance to societies around the globe, and how that relationship has evolved over time.
- We’ll learn how mountains are used, how they’re protected, and how today they’re experiencing rapid change in a warming climate.
- Mountains 101 is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) teaching a comprehensive overview of Mountain Studies. Mountains 101 will cover an interdisciplinary field of study focusing on the physical, biological, and human dimensions of mountain places in Alberta, Canada, and around the world.
- We’ll be delivering your lessons from valley bottoms to mountaintops, from museums and labs, to alpine huts and other spectacular alpine sites, and we’ll do so with the help of a whole host of experts.
Mountains 101 at UofA Curriculum
Module 1 - Why Mountains Matter
In this introductory lesson, students learn why mountain environments are relevant to people all around the globe.
Module 2 - Origins
We discuss why mountains are located where they are. How did they get there? We’ll explore the physical origins of mountains, theories of mountain building, and how our changing ideas about mountains and their genesis have shaped our engagement with them.
Module 3 - Dress for success
Mountains influence climate and weather at both global and local scales. We will examine how elevation affects atmospheric processes, and discuss an ecological manifestation of mountain climate: the alpine tree line.
Module 4 - Bodies at Altitude
What are the effects of high-altitude environments on humans? This lesson explores some of the physiological responses that allow humans to visit higher altitudes, as well as the unique genetic adaptations that permit long-time exposure to the world’s high places.
Module 5 - Water Towers
This lesson focuses on mountain hydrology. We will discuss the ways that water moves through the mountain landscape, how water shapes and changes mountain landscapes, and we'll introduce some hazards associated with water, such as glacial lake outburst floods.
Module 6 - Glaciers
This lesson focuses exclusively on glaciers, their physical composition and processes, how they form and move, and how they modify the landscape.
Module 7 - Imagination
In this lesson, we examine some of the ways people have imagined mountains throughout time, and try to place those ideas and attitudes in their respective cultural contexts
Module 8 - Hazards
Mountain hazards are the focus of this lesson, specifically snow avalanches, landslides, and volcanoes.
Module 9 - Mountain Biodiversity and Adaptations of Plants
In this lesson, we discuss the ecological and evolutionary processes that account for the remarkable biodiversity of species living in mountain environments.
Module 10 - Animal Adaptations
Animals living in mountains have evolved morphological, behavioural, and physiological adaptations to survive under extreme conditions.
Mountains 101 at UofA Faculty details
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Mountains 101 at UofA Contact Information
116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2R3
Edmonton ( Alberta)