Syllabus
Class Meets: Tuesday and Thursday 10:20-1:00 p.m. in ATG 610
Instructor: Mike Warner
Email: mdwarner 'at' atmos.washington.edu
Office Hours: TBD, ATG 402 or by appt. ATG 622
Course Structure
Lecture will be Tuesday and most of Thursday, with the latter part of class on Thursday reserved for other activities (mostly class discussion, sometimes quiz, sometimes demonstrations, plus other surprises).
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course. A working knowledge of high school algebra and physical sciences will be useful; however, the basic tools needed for the course will be practiced and reviewed as they arise.
Grading Policy
Homework: 30%
Quizzes: 20%
Final Paper: 15%
Final Exam: 25%
Class participation: 10%
Homework Assignments & Quizzes
There will be two quizzes given during the quarter, spaced roughly 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through. These will be about 30 minutes long and are intended to gauge the individual's grasp of the material.
Homework assignments will be due during non-quiz weeks. Homework will generally be due on Thursday by 5p.m. (either bring them to class that day, or drop them in my mailbox in ATG 408). Homework assignments can be discussed with classmates, but each student must write up and turn in their own assignment. Late homework will be docked 50% for 1 day late and 75% for 2 days late. No homework will be accepted after 2 days late.
Final Paper
You are required to write a 3-4 page document (12 pt font, double-spaced), in any expository format (e.g. report, letter, essay), explaining the current state of the science and issues surrounding global warming. You might write a letter to your mother, grandfather, or sibling, explaining why this issue is or is not important, or you might write an expert summary report for your hometown's school system, or you might write an essay for the college newspaper. The expression can be personal or simply fact-driven, depending on your audience. Whatever your chosen format and audience, you will be required to submit a very brief (one paragraph) proposal about your paper two weeks prior to the paper due date. In it, you must specify your chosen audience, reason for writing to this audience, and writing format.
Questions that must be addressed in the writing assignment:
- What are some aspects of global warming that we are absolutely sure about (e.g. the scientific theory behind global warming, like carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas)?
- What observations of warming and warming-related changes have been observed thus far? The more components of the climate system you include, the more compelling the evidence. What observations are scientists pretty sure about, and which are more uncertain?
- What are future projections of warming and its impacts? Which aspects of these projections are scientists most certain about? What are the big uncertainties? What is the value of avoiding these impacts?
- What are some of the important uncertainties that remain (especially those that have been used to muddle the global warming story)? You can think about how we know what we know. This essentially comes down to how we measure and observe climate now, and how we deduce past climate. Think about how we project into the future - what are some major model uncertainties?
- What are some policy options that appear promising?
- What are some changes that we as individuals can make to help solve the problem of global warming?
Final Exam
The final exam will be comprehensive and will be held in class on the final day of the quarter (8/22/2013). A review sheet will be handed out the week before. Makeup exams will not be allowed unless there are extenuating circumstances, in which case it must be pre-arranged with me.
Class Participation
Throughout the quarter, we will review challenging concepts and homework problems in class, in addition to discussing current events relevant to global warming and climate change. You should attend class, engage in discussion, answer questions, and ask questions freely. Should you do these things, you'll have no trouble with your class participation grade. Also, if a particular topic especially interests you, let me know and we can try and incorporate it into further in-class discussion.
Keep in mind that this is a politically charged topic - be respectful of your neighbor's views.
Bonus: Field Trip to Wild Horse Wind Farm
I am working on setting up a field trip to a wind farm in WA during the quarter. Date TBD soon.
Last modified: Fri Jun 21 16:57:00 PDT 2013