Syllabus Contents:

Goals of the course

Teaching Philosophy

Prerequisites

Academic credit

Textbook and other resources

Course requirements and grading

Reports

Syllabus

Meeting times and locations
Lectures:   M-Th, 10:30-11:20am, 075 JHN
Quiz:    Section A, Friday, 10:30-11:20, 008 AND
            Section B,  Friday, 11:30-12:20, 008 AND
Instructor:    Dr. Tad Anderson
Office:    Room 30, CHL (Chemistry Library Bldg)
Phone, email: 543-2044, tadand@atmos.washington.edu
Office Hours: Wed 11:30-1:30 or by appointment
Class Webpage: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/2006Q2/211/

TA:    Rei Ueyama
Office: 329 ATG
Phone, email: 543-9144, rei@atmos.washington.edu
Office Hours: Mon 2:30-3:30pm, Tue 11:30-12:30, Fri 12:30-1:30 

ACQUIRE BASIC CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF...

• the Earth's climate - how it works, how it has changed in the past
• the potential for climate change (a.k.a. "global warming")
• the potential for ozone depletion (a.k.a. "the ozone hole")
• the role of science in environmental decision-making

DEVELOP SKILLS...

• critical thinking on environmental/scientific issues
• concise, logical writing
• applications of basic math and chemistry
• quantitative predictions and uncertainty analysis

• critically evaluate media reports on global climate issues by putting them into perspective and knowing where to look for further information.
• write an effective letter to the editor or letter to a congressperson on these issues
• use the basic vocabulary and concepts of Climate Science correctly (and recognize when those in the media aren't doing so)
• track the Earth's vital signs by knowing what to look for and where to look
• make knowledgeable contributions to the public debate on what to do

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THIS COURSE COULD INCLUDE...

• citizenship - responsible participation in societal decisions
• evaluating business opportunities and risks involving climate
• K-12 science teaching
• evaluating environmental advocacy groups
• personal lifestyle choices affecting the environment
• tracking global weather and climate as a personal hobby

Teaching philosophy
My goal is not just to convey a body of information (though that is a large part of what will happen) but to help each student acquire new skills and perspectives. Learning involves expansion and change. No one teaching style is perfect for everyone, so my class will feature a combination of methods including some amount of active, participatory learning.

The subject of the Earth's climate involves many academic disciplines and the students in a class like this have widely varying backgrounds. These facts mean that some students will need to work on the basics of a given topic while others will be able to run with it. I want to facilitate both -- both are exciting and worthwhile.

Two themes will run through the course:

1. the Earth's climate as a "coupled system"
2. the provisional nature of scientific knowledge
   

Finally, in teaching this course, I have two ulterior motives (besides earning a living):

1. to foster the knowledge base and the critical thinking skills required for our society to make responsible environmental decisions in the years ahead;
2. to share a sense of awe and fascination with the Earth's climate and with the unprecedented global experiment on which humanity has (unintentionally) embarked.
   

Prerequisites

None.  Open to all undergraduates.  A working knowledge of high-school algebra and physical sciences will be useful; however, the basic tools used by scientists will be reviewed and practiced as they arise during the course. 

Academic Credit
This is an NW course (provides 5 credits toward the Natural World requirement) and you have the option to make it a W course (5 credits toward the Writing requirement).

Textbook and other resources
The text for the course is The Earth System by Lee R. Kump et al., Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, 2003, 419 pages.  Additional required reading material will include handouts on selected topics and six research articles.  The articles will be available as pdf files on the class website.  In addition, about 20 research articles will be available for use in the report projects (most, but not all, as pdf files on the class website).

Course requirements and grading
Attendance on Mon-Thurs is essential and required.  A large fraction of the grade (20-25%) comes from in-class activities.  Friday review/tutorial/lab sessions are not required, but will probably be useful to most students.  Homework will be assigned about 6 times during the term.  Late homework will be accepted for half credit.  There will be one midterm and one final exam.  (Makeup exams will only be given in extreme cases and with advance notification to the instructor.)  The Report Projects (for those getting Writing Credit) will require two short research reports on topics assigned by the instructor.  There will be extra credit oppportunities on most homeworks.  In addition, you can get extra credit by attending suggested lectures on climate-related topics and writing up brief reports.  Grades will be determined as follows:

                                      W-credit     no-W-credit
·    Report projects            20%              n/a
·    In-class activities          20%             25%
·    Homework                  20%             25%
·    Mid-term                    15%              20%
·    Final                            25%             30%
·    Extra Credit            up to 10%      up to 10%

Midterm:          Friday, April 28 (normal quiz section time and room)

General requirements for the course:

• Written reports are NOT required unless you are taking the course for W-credit (5 credits toward the Writing requirement).
• For W-credit, turn in two short reports (at least 5 pages of text)  
• First report due Friday, April 28 (date of the Midterm)  
• Second report due Monday, June 5 (date of the Final)
• Reports will be based on articles assigned by the instructor that closely follow the course subject matter.  Students will have a selection of 20 or so topics from which to chose.

• For detailed requirements, see Reports.