This fall, Texas A&M geographer Stephen Quiring is teaching an Undergraduate Studies 181 course titled "Death and Destruction: How Drought Changed History." The one-credit hour first year seminar focuses on the impact of droughts worldwide and comes at an apt time as Texas is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in state history.

Quiring uses a probe to measure soil moistureAccording to Quiring, droughts are one of the most destructive natural disasters and cause billions of dollars in damage. They are especially influential because they start slowly and last a long time.

Students taking Quiring's class will have the opportunity to read information from popular articles and scientific literature. They will learn about the different causes of drought, and how to predict and prepare for them. One of the main goals of the class is to use all of the information known about previous droughts and their effects on history to understand what exactly is happening today.