ATM S 211: Spring Quarter 2009
Climate and
Climate Change
Syllabus
Acquire a basic understanding of
- the Earth's climate - how it works, what determines climate
- how climate has changed in the past on very long and recent time scales
- the potential for climate change in the near future
- critical thinking on environmental/scientific issues
- applications of basic math and chemistry
- quantitative predictions and uncertainty analysis
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.
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.
A radio frequency response card ("clicker") from Turning Technologies is required for the course.
Additional required reading material will include handouts on selected topics. The articles will be available as PDF files on the class website.
Course Requirements
- Attendance on Mon-Thurs is essential and required. A substantial fraction of the grade (15%) comes from in-class activities. These activities are unscheduled and occur throughout the quarter.
- Friday review/tutorial sessions are designed to be useful to all students and attendance is required. Homework will be discussed in these discussion sections.
- Homework will be assigned regularly during the quarter. By the end of the day on Wednesday, homework assignments will be available on the web site.
- Homework must be handed in by the end of lecture on Wednesday each week. Students are encouraged to turn in all homework, even if late. Late homework will be penalized 25% if turned in to the TA by the end of the day on Wednesday and will be penalized 50% if turned in by Thursday lecture. No credit will be given if turned in after Thursday lecture. The lowest homework grade of the quarter will be dropped.
- There will be two midterms and one final exam. (PLEASE NOTE: Makeup exams will only be given in extreme cases and with advance notification of absence to the instructor.)
- Student, in groups of 2, will be expected to complete a poster and to prepare an annotated bibliography.
- For those students receiving a writing credit, a detailed project report will be required.
- Extra credit can be earned by attending suggested lectures on climate-related topics and writing up brief reports.
Grading
Grades will be determined as follows:
| W-credit | no-W-credit | |
| Report projects | ||
| Writing paper | ||
| In-class activities | ||
| Homework | ||
| Mid-terms | ||
| Final | ||
| Extra Credit |