NATS 101, Lec 48 - Fall 2001
(TO
BE REVISED & UPDATED
for FALL 2002, Sec 27 & 28H
later this summer)
The Earth & Its Environment:
INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL CHANGE
SYLLABUS
CONTENTS
Course
Description
Class Time & Place
About General Education
Class Website
Teaching Team (Professor, GTA's,
Preceptors)
Required Texts & Materials
Honors Credit
Grading Criteria, Absence Policy, Other Policies
General Outline of Topics / Dates of In-Class Tests & Exams
Semester-on-a-calendar-grid
TEXTBOOK
READING SCHEDULE
NATS 101-GC FAQ "Frequently Asked Questions"
UPDATED GRADING CRITERIA SUMMARY
 |
The study of global change involves a new and exciting way of
doing science within an interdisciplinary framework. Global change encompasses the many ways the global
environmental system is changing both naturally and through the influence of
human beings. A unifying theme in
global change research is understanding how the earth's climate changes in
relationship to other earth system processes.
Introduction to Global Change presents the basics of physical science within the context of global environmental changes (climatic change, global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation, etc.) that impact Earth and its inhabitants. The course involves hands-on activities, discussions, computer exercises, and interactive small-group learning teams. The course is one of the Tier I General Education natural science course offerings of NATS 101,The Earth and Its Environments, and includes an overview of key concepts governing physical and chemical processes, including the atomic structure of matter, the role of electromagnetism in nature, the laws of thermodynamics governing energy and entropy, and Newton's laws governing force and motion. |
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| CLASS TIME & PLACE: Tue & Thursday 12:30 - 1:45 pm in Bio West 301 | |
ABOUT GENERAL EDUCATION
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This
NATS 101 course is one of several U of A General Education courses which provide
breadth of knowledge to complement depth provided by the major. The goal of
the General Education Program is to prepare students to respond more fully and
effectively to an increasingly complex world.
Taken together, the experiences of general education encourage the
student to develop an inquiring attitude, an appreciation of complexity and
ambiguity, tolerance and empathy with people of different backgrounds or values,
a deepened sense of self, and skills for lifelong learning. |
THE CLASS WEBSITE: http://www.gened.arizona.edu/nats101gc/
 |
The
Class Website is an important resource for this class. The
website will take you directly to the course SYLLABUS and current course schedule,
to information about your TEACHING TEAM, and to a variety of
useful GLOBAL CHANGE LINKS and CLASS SUPPORT LINKS.
The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) link provides answers to important information, guidelines and policies you'll need to know for a successful semester.
A
key part of this course will be required activities and links posted on the "LEARNING WEB"
or WEB CT site. WebCT is
an online learning environment equipped with many tools. To
use WebCT, you must be registered in the course so that you can access the NATS 101 WebCT site via
Student
Link. Details on WebCT will be explained in class. |
 |
This course is taught by a Teaching
Team
consisting of a Professor, Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA’s), and a number
of additional undergraduate PRECEPTORS recruited from the class.
Visit the UA Teaching Teams Program webpage to learn more about the program and what a preceptor does. Details on how to become one are given below.
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Dr.
Katherine K Hirschboeck
(Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research).
"Dr H" is a
climatologist whose research involves linking atmospheric circulation patterns
to tree-ring variations, floods, and other extreme events. She also studies the
influence of explosive volcanic eruptions on climate.
Office: Tree-Ring
Laboratory, rm
208 West Stadium (go up the stairs at Gate 15 on the west
side of the football stadium ) Phone:
621-6466 (has
answering machine) Email:
katie@ltrr.arizona.edu
OFFICE
HOURS:
Wednesdays 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. (or by appointment) in my office in the Tree-Ring
Lab (208 West Stadium). NOTE:
To set up an appointment with me, you must arrange it through email.
I
am also readily accessible by email on most any day of the week and can usually
get a response back to you within 24 hours.
Graduate
Teaching Assistants (GTA’s):
GTA office hours are held in Room 295 West
Stadium, Phone #
621-9732
Kelly Altenhofen (Arid Lands Resource Sciences) is a Ph.D. student interested in Mexican wolf recovery in the Southwest. Kelly’s email: altenhok@u.arizona.edu Office: at Office of Arid Lands Studies, 1955 E. Sixth Street, Phone: 621-7895
Christine
Hallman (Geosciences and
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research) Christine
is a Master of Science (MS) student investigating the spatial relationships of
frost damaged trees and their links to major volcanic
eruptions. Christine's email: challman@geo.arizona.edu
Li Cheng (Soil, Water and Environmental Science) is a Ph.D. student, studying the response of soil organic Carbon storage to elevated atmospheric CO2. Li's email: lcheng@ltrr.arizona.edu Office: 218-1 West Stadium, Phone: 621-3846
Linah Ababneh (Geosciences and Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research) is a Ph.D. candidate interested in the effects of Global Change on ecosystems and plant environments, especially at high altitudes. Linah's email: linah@ltrr.arizona.edu Office: 294 West Stadium, Phone: 621-9731
All GTA office hours will
be held in Room 295 West Stadium.
Hours are posted on the NATS 101-GC Teaching Team
page. To contact the GTA's outside of their office hours, see the email and
phone info above.
To find Room 295:
go up the stairs at Gate 15 or 17 of the west side of the Football Stadium
at the top of the stairs, turn left (south)
walk all the way to the end of the hall toward the glass door (leads to the 200-South offices)
go through the glass door into the hallway beyond (and down 2 steps)
Congratulations, you found it! Room 295 is the first office on your right.
WHY
NOT BECOME A PRECEPTOR?
We hope to recruit a group of preceptors from the class to join the Core Teaching Team of professor and GTAs. Preceptors are undergraduate students who become assistants in the class, helping their fellow students. It's a great way to learn the material better, get to know the professor, and gain a variety of skills. Looks great on your resume too! Any enthusiastic and self-motivated student is eligible to apply. For details, see HOW TO BECOME A PRECEPTOR IN NATS 101-GC.
REQUIRED
TEXTS & COURSE MATERIALS:
Textbooks
The
following 2 main texts are being sold together as one packet in the bookstore.
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The Earth System and Global Change
a custom textbook arranged for you by Dr H. consisting of chapters from:
The Earth System by Kump, Kasting, & Crane (1999) and Art
Hobson, Physics Concepts and Connections, 2nd Edition (1999) both
from Prentice-Hall. Also
includes selected readings from other sources. (Abbreviated
as ES) Conceptual Physical Science: Mechanics & Heat a small custom textbook arranged for you by Dr H
consisting of selected chapters from: Conceptual Physical Science,
8th edition, by Paul G. Hewitt (1998) Addison-Wesley. (Abbreviated
as MH) |
Dr.
H compiled both of these custom
texts from other published material in a format designed specifically for this
course in response to comments from students in previous semesters who wanted a
textbook and background reading material which covered both global change and
physical science concepts.
Class Notes Packet: A packet that includes notes for each class period and additional information to supplement the course is also required. Details on when it will be available for purchase in the ASUA Bookstore will be announced in class. (Abbreviated as CN).
Additional Items You'll Need:
- A standard world
atlas is recommended since this is a course about global change and
it will help to have a working knowledge of the basic geography of our
globe.
- Access to a computer and
the internet (preferably not via AOL's browser) using Internet Explorer or
Netscape (available in the UA Libraries and UA Campus Computer Labs). NOTE:
internet access through AOL's browser will NOT work properly with
WebCT. For information on computer access on campus or from
home see: Computing on
Campus 2001-2002, a guide that explains how to get connected at: http://w3.arizona.edu/~ccitinfo/
- A calculator
-- needed for homework and sometimes in class, including on exams.
- Sharpened No. 2 pencils.
You will need these for scantron forms used with in-class Tests.
PLEASE BRING A No. 2 PENCIL WITH YOU ON TEST DAYS!!!!
HONORS CREDIT: NATS 101 Lecture 49H
There is a separate honors
section for this class: NATS 101, Lecture 49H (T & TH, 8:00 - 9:15 am)
taught by Dr. Mike Evans of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. For
details about this course, email Dr. Evans at: mevans@ltrr.arizona.edu
(Students seeking honors credits who are signed up
for NATS 101, Lecture 48 and who can't switch to Lecture 49H to get honors
credit in NATS 101, may also earn honors credit by becoming a PRECEPTOR for NATS
101, Lec 48 and enrolling in one of the preceptor honors sections: UNVR
197H or 397H. See the UA
Teaching Teams Program Home Page for more details
or contact Dr. H about this.)
GRADING
CRITERIA, ABSENCE POLICY & OTHER COURSE POLICIES
See the
NATS 101-GC
FAQ ("FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS")
for the absence policy and other
policies related to the course.
Your
final GRADE for this course will be based on the % earned of 600 possible points
in the class. Points are gained on
a variety of learning activities as indicated below.
You will be able to keep track of your grade via your WebCT Learning Web
gradebook.
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GRADED
ACTIVITIES |
Individual |
Group |
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pts |
pts |
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Q |
Weekly
online Readiness Quizzes 10
@ 5 pts |
50 |
-- |
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T |
In-Class
Tests 4 @ 20 pts (
individual ) & 5 pts (group) |
80 |
20 |
|
E1 |
Midterm
Exam 1 @ 100 pts |
100 |
-- |
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E2 |
Final
Exam 1 @ 125 pts |
125 |
-- |
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G |
Group
Assignments
(in-class) 5 @ 3 pts, 3 @ 5
pts, 1 @10 pts |
-- |
40 |
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I |
Individual
Assignments (homework) 3 @ 10 pts, 2 @ 15 pts, 1 @ 75 pts |
135 |
-- |
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D |
"Thinking
Deeply" Activities (includes
choice) 2 @
10 pts, 2 @ 15 pts |
50 |
-- |
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TOTAL
POINTS (and %) POSSIBLE |
540
(90%) |
60
(10 %) |
About
the Self-Checks, Quizzes, Tests, & Exams.
Each week during the semester, as we begin a new major topic, you will
take online Readiness Quizzes in WebCT covering the assigned
readings. The purpose of these quizzes is to motivate you to prepare yourself
and arrive “ready-to-learn” by having read and studied assigned sections of
the textbooks covering topics we will discuss in class. Prior to taking an online Readiness Quiz, you will have the
opportunity to test your comprehension of what you have read and get feedback
via online Self Checks. After we cover a set of topics in class, you will
take short In-Class Tests which you will complete both individually and with your working
group, earning both an individual and group grade. Lastly there will be an in-class Midterm Exam and a Final
Exam which you will take completely on your own. These different forms of testing increase in weight from
"low stakes" to "high stakes" point totals so you can gain
confidence with your understanding of the material as you progress through the
different levels of tests from Self Checks to the Final Exam.
GENERAL
OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR THE SEMESTER
(with
Dates of In-Class Tests & Exams )
(Will
be updated as needed. For more detail, see the Textbook
Reading Schedule)
Week
TOPIC
1
Overview
of Global Change / On Science &
Being a Scientist
2
Quantifying
Nature / In-Class Test
on Syllabus & FAQ (8-30)
3
Systems Modeling & Feedbacks
4
5 Electromagnetic Radiation Principles / Atmospheric Structure & Chemical Composition
6
Global Energy Balance
7
Carbon Cycle & Modeling
/ In-Class Test #2
8
Midterm Exam
9
Atmospheric
& Global Climate Patterns
10 Ocean Circulation, El Niño & La Niña / Short-Term Climate Variations
11
Effect
of Explosive Volcanism on Climate / In-Class Test #3
12
Global
Warming
13
Ozone
Depletion
14
Deforestation
& Biodiversity
15
Energy, Resources & Sustainability
/ In-Class Test #4
16
Semester
Wrap-Up
FINAL
EXAM: Tuesday Dec 11 from 11:00 am
- 1:00 pm in Bio West 301
Here's the semester-on-a-calendar-grid (Subject to revision and updating as needed.)
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