METR 112 Syllabus Summer 2019 PDF

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The Syllabus for METR 112 Summer course...

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METEOROLOGY 112: “Global Climate Change” San José State University Department of Meteorology and Climate Science Summer 2019; Section 82 Days/Time: Online Location: https://sjsu.instructure.com/ Course Description and Prerequisites:

Instructor: Office: Phone: Email: Office Hours:

Henry Bartholomew Duncan Hall 621 (408) 924-6348 [email protected] By appointment or email

Meteorology 112 is an Integrated Studies (formerly advanced General Education) course in area “R”, Earth and Environment. This course will help students become integrated thinkers who can see connections between and among a variety of concepts and ideas. This course introduces students to the science of global climate change, including how the interactions among the various elements in the earth’s ecosystem have affected past climates, are shaping today’s climate, and will impact future climate. Over the last decade or so, the issue of global warming has become one of the world’s most pressing environmental and social concerns. Prerequisites: Completion of core GE, satisfaction of Writing Skills Test, and upper division standing. For students who began continuous enrolment at a CCC or a CSU in Fall 2005 or later, completion of, or corequisite in a 100W course is required. Area R General Education Learning Objectives (GE-LOs): Upon completion of area “R” courses, students should be able to: R-LO1. Demonstrate an understanding of the methods and limits of scientific investigation. R-LO2. Distinguish science from pseudoscience. R-LO3. Apply a scientific approach to answer questions about the earth and environment. SJSU Studies (formerly Advanced GE) Students must complete one course from each area. For students who began continuous enrollment in Fall 2005 or later, courses fulfilling areas R, S, and V must be taken from three separate SJSU departments or other distinct academic units. For more information, see this link: http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/sjstudies.html Course learning objectives (C-LOs) Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: C-LO1. Understand the natural factors that cause climate change. C-LO2. Understand the degree to which human factors are causing current climate change. C-LO3. Understand the possible impacts of the resulting climate change on human societies and natural ecosystems. Required Text Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions by Arnold J. Bloom (2019). The author has made the textbook available online for free. It can be accessed at the following link: 1

https://indd.adobe.com/view/8f2ed4a1-a1b0-4f12-b5bb-5009bbbad0f3 Lecture Notes: The format of the lectures will generally include powerpoint slides that are discussed in detail. Video lectures will be available on our Canvas website, under “Modules.” To substitute for classroom meetings, you are required to watch all videos in their entirety. This is very important in order to do well in the class! The powerpoint slides alone are not intended to cover every point made in the lecture; slides should be used to supplement the lectures and any assigned reading. I encourage you to not just focus on writing down every single word in the slides, but also to pay attention to other important information discussed. In order to stay up to date with the material, it is essential to regularly review your notes. This is especially true for an intense fast-paced summer course. Resources: Reading assignments from the textbook will be assigned throughout the semester. Lectures will complement the reading assignments, and will contain some material and activities not found in the text. There is free tutoring available on campus. More information can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/tutoring/. Finally, I am available via office hours (online) to discuss reading, homework, exam preparation, study skills, or any questions you might have. Feel free to come by; I am more than happy to help! Assessment Assessment is designed to determine how well students have met the learning objectives listed above. Thus, assessment forms an important component to the course. Each student’s grade will be determined using a combination of activities, exams, and discussions. Assignments may include both written responses and problems/calculations. There will be two midterms and a comprehensive final exam. Homework Activities Midterms (2) Online Discussion/Participation Final Exam Total

25% 30% 20% 25% 100%

Grading Grades will be based on the following scale: 90%-92.9% A-, 93%-96.9% A, 97%-100% A+ 80%-82.9% B-, 83%-86.9% B, 87%-89.9% B+ 70%-72.9% C-, 73%-76.9% C, 77%-79.9% C+ 60%-62.9% D-, 63%-66.9% D, 67%-69.9% D+ 0%-59.9% F If an inevitable circumstance prevents you from taking a midterm on the scheduled date, let me know at least 1 week in advance, so we can schedule an alternate time to take it. This does not apply to the Final Exam.

Homework

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There will be a total of about ten homework activities throughout the semester. In general, they will be due one week after they are assigned, and must be turned in electronically via Canvas. Each activity will be marked out of about ten points (some may be more/less). Activities not turned in by the due date/time will be reduced 10%; those turned in past the due date will be reduced 25% each day. Your lowest activity score will be dropped when calculating this portion of your final grade. Writing in this Course Written work represents a significant fraction of the total grade of the assessment for this course (about 3000 words total). The writing will be spread out over the course of the semester. It will be assigned through homework activities, exams, online discussions, and the course project. Online Discussion/Participation It is very important to not only attend (watch online) class meetings, but actively participate in order to get the most out of the course. In order to encourage participation, a portion of your grade will be devoted to contributing to discussions. In general, there will be one discussion topic posted for each lecture covered. You are required to respond to each discussion prompt to receive credit; no credit will be given without a response. For discussions, you are expected to use complete sentences and provide well-thought-out input. Course Web Page: The course web page (on Canvas) contains all relevant course information and notes. The most useful tool for finding materials is the “Modules” section. If you find some problem with the web page, (i.e. lecture notes not online), please let me know via email or phone, and I’ll get it up right away! Writing and Plagiarism Writing is an extremely important component of any subject knowledge, as it communicates that knowledge to other people. Through the use of the internet, plagiarism has become an increasing problem on college campuses. It may surprise you, but some students believe that completing their homework requires scanning the internet (i.e. “google it”), finding the answer, and then cutting and pasting the answer into a word file with their name at the top. This is not acceptable – it is an example of plagiarism, and is considered unethical behavior at SJSU. SJSU is a learning institution where the goal is to develop freethinking students who can analyze new concepts, and develop their own ideas and opinions. In order to discourage plagiarism, a zero tolerance approach will be adopted. If submitted work is found to be plagiarized, it will be given a grade of “0”, and the student’s (or students’) case WILL be reported to the Judicial Affairs Office for review. The course will also use www.turnitin.com, a plagiarism detection tool, for written assignments. Plagiarism is defined as: When you assume credit for something that someone else has written, that is considering stealing at this University. Cheating Cheating will obviously not be tolerated. Any occurrence means a 0 on the corresponding assignment, quiz, or exam, and a report to the Judicial Affairs Office. A repeat offense will result in an automatic F grade for the class.

Academic integrity statement from Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development: 3

“Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San José State University, and the University’s Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/integrity.html.” Campus policy in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with DRC to establish a record of their disability. Incompletes: An "incomplete" will be given for the course only under the following conditions: 1. At least 60% of the course work has been completed and 2. Unexpected circumstances prevent the completion of the remaining work. An incomplete will not be given to circumvent rules concerning the dropping of the course, or if you miss the final exam without a valid medical reason. Classroom environment: One of my main objectives in teaching this class is to provide a good learning environment for all students. Students are expected to make their best effort to regularly check the course website and practice good ethics when contributing to discussions. It is important that we respect different ideas on various topics. Be polite and courteous to eachother. If there are things I can do to improve your classroom experience, let me know. I strongly care about your learning and look forward to working with you!

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METR 112: “Global Climate Change” Summer 2019 – Course Schedule (Subject to Change) Dates

Topics

Week 1 7/8-7/14

Greensheet Lecture 1: Global Warming Lecture 2: Greenhouse Effect – Earth and Venus Lecture 3: Earth’s Energy Balance

Week 2 7/15-7/21

Lecture 4: Clouds and Seasons Lecture 5: Natural Forcing Factors Lecture 6: Climate Feedbacks

Week 3 7/22-7/28

Midterm 1 Lecture 7: The Carbon Cycle Lecture 8: Aerosols and Radiative Forcing Lecture 9: Energy Usage and Emissions

Week 4 7/29-8/4

Lecture 10: Global Climate Models and the Future Lecture 11: Mitigation Strategies (Transportation) Midterm 2

Week 5 8/5-8/9

Lecture 12: Mitigation Strategies (Electric Power Generation) Lecture 13: Policy and Human Response Final Exam

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