Syllabus: Earth Science 1111 - Climate and Global Change
College of DuPage Fall Semester - 2005: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. to 8:25 p.m.
Credit Hours: 3 | Lecture Hours: 3 | Lab Hours: 0 | Contact Hours: 3 | Clinical Hours: 0
Instructor: Karl W. Schulze
Office: M 149A
Office Hours: By Appointment
Voice Mailbox: (630) 942-2800, ext. 54309
COD Weather Homepage: http://weather.cod.edu/
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- Introduction to the earth's climate, climate change, and the interactions between climate and the global environment. Physical, chemical, biological, and social factors contributing to climate and global change are investigated. Topics explored are: climate classifications, global warming and greenhouse effect, acid rain, ozone depletion, regional drought, and cataclysmic climate change. Man-made climate change as opposed to natural variability, along with human responses to potential climate change are debated.
- MATH 0481 with a grade of C or better, or equivalent qualifying score on math placement exam.
- Identify the basic forces and processes that govern global weather and climatic conditions
- Describe and explain the distribution of various climatic types over the surface of the earth
- Identify both anthropogenic and natural causes of climate change
- Recognize and debate the arguments of both sides in the global warming debate
- Evaluate the positive and negative implications of proposed global warming mitigation strategies
- Explain the current theory regarding the depletion of stratospheric ozone and its consequences
- Identify the sources of, and the chemical reactions involved in, the production of acid rain
- Describe the conditions that could lead to regional drought and desertification
- Summarize the impact of cataclysmic climate change (i.e., planetary impact and nuclear winter)
- Contemporary Climatology, by Peter J. Robinson and Ann Henderson-Sellers.
- Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Approach, by William James Burroughs.
- Number 2 pencils required on exam days; Paper and a pen or pencil for taking notes.
- Homework Assignments and Quizzes - 25%
- Exams (Best 3 out of 4 exams will count 25% each) - 75%
90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; 59% and below = F
- Grades may be curved based on expected class results, class participation, and attitude. A student who fails to achieve at least 50% of the total points, even if a curve is administered, will receive a grade of "F"
- Attendance is extremely important. Failure to attend on a regular basis usually has an adverse effect on a student's grade. The student is responsible for all material missed and assignments that are issued or collected.
- Late assignments will be accepted, but they will receive a 10% penalty for every day that they are late. For tests to be given at a time other than the announced date, it must be pre-arranged with the instructor! A valid reason, as determined by the instructor, will be required and may require documentation. A missed exam will be given a grade of zero. One exam score will be dropped from grade computation, so the student is protected from one missed exam.
- Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades can not be issued for this course.
- Students wishing to receive an incomplete grade must obtain permission from the instructor. A valid reason, as determined by the instructor, will be required and may require documentation. The student must complete all work before the end of the following semester. Failure to do so will result in the student receiving the grade they would have earned at the completion of the course.
- See COD catalog, page 46, "Student Rights and Responsibilities," Administrative Procedure 5715
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- Student Withdrawal Procedures: The student may withdraw from a course by contacting the Registration office up to the eighth calendar day following the midterm date in any term (October 29) and receive a grade of "W" After this date, the student must obtain my written permission to withdraw from the course. No permission will be granted in the last four weeks of the term.
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- Administrative/Instructor Withdrawal: The student is entirely responsible for their own actions concerning withdrawing from the course. I will not withdraw anyone from the course. A student's failure to attend class, and complete the assignments and exams that are given, will likely result in a final grade of "F"
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- Medical Withdrawal Procedures: Contact Health and Special Services (IC2001, 942-2154) for the procedures required to withdraw for medical reasons.
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- Students are expected to act in a respectful, courteous, and considerate manner towards fellow students and the instructor. Deviations from acceptable behavior will not be tolerated.
- (See COD catalog, Course-Related Academic Integrity, Board Policy 5050 and Board Procedure 5715.) Academic dishonesty is prohibited. Disciplinary action will be pursued in all instances in which it is determined that academic dishonesty has occurred. Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to:
- 1. Assignment of a failing grade for a test, examination or assignment.
- 2. Assignment of a failing grade for a course.
- 3. Student disciplinary sanction under Board Procedure #5715, Student Rights and
Responsibilities.
- Fall semester is one week shorter than a traditional semester. Embedded in your course syllabus are instructional assignments crafted to make up for a shortfall in traditional instruction time.
The assignment to make up for the shortfall in traditional instruction time is a paper, more than one page in length but less than three, that summarizes the Kyoto Protocol. Topics should include what the Kyoto Protocol requires of member countries, which countries are not members, when the agreement was signed, and what objections the United States has toward signing this international treaty. In addition, the student must include a paragraph stating their opinion of the treaty and the United States' position.
Tentative Schedule
The instructor reserves the right to change the content of the course and exam dates as needed.
- Unit 1 - Meteorological Foundations of Climate
- a. Composition and structure of the atmosphere
- b. Electromagnetic radiation and the global radiation budget
- c. Factors influencing surface temperature
- d. Global water budget, cloud formation, and precipitation processes
- e. Atmospheric forces and the general circulation of the atmosphere
- f. Koeppen climate classification scheme
- Unit 1 Exam - Thursday, October 11
- Unit 2 - Global Climate Change
- a. The science of global change
- b. Past Climates, glaciation and ice ages
- c. Human contribution to the greenhouse effect
- d. Projections of climate change
- e. Global climate change impacts and mitigation
- f. Global warming debate and policy options
- Unit 2 Exam - Tuesday, November 15
- Unit 3 - Other Climate and Global Change Issues
- a. Ozone depletion
- i. Chemistry of ozone formation and destruction
- ii. Human effects on ozonee
- iii. Projections of global ozone depletion
- iv. Policy responses
- b. Air pollution and acid rain
- c. Regional drought and desertification
- d. Cataclysmic climate change
- i. Planetary impact by a comet or asteroid
- ii. Nuclear winter
- Unit 3 Exam - Thursday, December 15
- Cumulative Final Exam (if necessary) - Tuesday, December 20
- There will be no classes on the following dates:
- Tuesday, October 25 (Staff In-Service Workshops)
- Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving)