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Class Meeting Times and Locations
Lectures:
Monday – Thursday, 10:30-11:20 in JHN 075
Discussion Section A: Friday, 10:30-11:20
in JHN
175
Discussion Section B: Friday, 11:30-12:20 in JHN 175
Instructor: Prof. Qiang Fu
Email: qfu@atmos.washington.edu
Phone: (206) 685-2070
Office: ATG 308
Office hours: Monday 12:30 to 1:30 or by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Paul Hezel
Email: phezel@atmos.washington.edu
Phone: (206) 543-7643
Office: ATG 511
Office hours: Tuesday 1:30 to 2:30, Thursday 1:30 to
2:30, or by appointment
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Course
Description
This is an introductory course for nonscience
majors on climate and climate change. The class will be divided in three
parts:
- Climate of the present:
We will examine the nature of the global climate system and the
main processes controlling climate. Topics covered will include the
basic atmospheric composition and structure, solar and terrestrial
radiation, the global energy balance, atmospheric circulation, the role
of oceans in climate, and the carbon cycle.
- Climate of the past: In this part of the class we
will discuss how climate has changed in the past on timescales ranging
from billions of years to thousands of years.
- Global change: Is the Earth getting warmer?
Why? How will climate change over the next 100 years? Should we be
concerned? We will look at some of the current major environmental
concerns.
Goals of the Course
Acquire a basic understanding of
- The Earth’s climate-how it works, how it has changed
in the past
- The potential for future climate change
Develop skill in
- Critical
thinking on environmental/scientific issues
- Applications
of basic math, physics, and chemistry
Prerequisites
None. Open to all undergraduates. A
working knowledge of high-school algebra and physical science will be useful;
however, the basic tools necessary for this course will be reviewed and practiced
in class and during discussion sections.
Required Textbook
"The Earth System" (2nd
Edition) by Lee R. Kump, James F. Kasting, and Robert C. Crane, Prentice
Hall, 2004. The lectures will largely follow the textbook material. Each week
the students will be required to read material of direct relevance to the
class.
Course Requirements
- Attendance on Mon-Thurs is essential
and required. A significant fraction of the grade
(15%) comes from in-class activities.
These activities are unscheduled and occur throughout the quarter
(e.g., about 5-10 quizzes will be given without prior notice).
- Friday discussions/review/tutorial
sessions are
designed to be useful to all students and should be attended.
- Homework assignments will be assigned regularly during
the quarter. Assignments are due
in class at 10:30 am on the day indicated (11:30 am for Section B on
Friday). Late homework will be
penalized 10% per school day.
Homework handed in more than 3 days late will receive no
credit. Note: Homework turned in
after 10:30 am (11:30 am for Section B on Friday) but before 5:00 pm on
the day assigned will receive a 10% penalty.
- There will be two midterms and
one final exam. Note:
Makeup exams will only be given in extreme cases and with advance
notification to the instructor.
- Students will be expected to work in groups of 2 on research projects and present
their work in posters. The instructor and TA will suggest some topics
before the second week of class.
Each person in the group must pursue a separate facet of the
topic. The poster symposium will
be held on June 3 & 4. The
research projects are an opportunity to learn about a climate-related
topic in more depth and to share your knowledge with your classmates,
instructor and TA. Further
information on this project will be available later.
- Students who choose to take this course to fulfill
their W credit will have to write
a 10-page paper on the topic of their poster.
- Extra credit can be earned by attending
suggested lectures/seminars on climate-related topics and writing up
brief reports.
Grading Policy
Grades will be apportioned as
follows:
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With writing credit
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Without writing credit
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Report project:
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15%
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20%
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Writing paper:
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10%
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n/a
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Homework:
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20%
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25%
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In-class activities:
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15%
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15%
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Midterm:
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20%
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20%
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Final exam:
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20%
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20%
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Extra credit:
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Up to 10%
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Up to 10%
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How
to Do Well
- Keeping up with reading assignments, taking good
lecture notes, and reviewing them are important for your success in this
class.
- Whenever you have a question, please ask! Stop
me in lecture, stop me after lecture, come by office hours, post your
question to the discussion page, or do all of the above.
- Come to the class!
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