Course Class No. 1279

Note: students registered for this course need to go to the course login in the Blackboard Learning System (BLS)

Time: Spring Semester 2011 on MWF from 1:40 pm to 2:35 pm Place: Lecture Center 18, University at Albany Uptown Campus Instructor: Bob Keesee Office: Earth Science 214 Office Hours: Mon 11 am-noon, Fri 3-4 pm, or try your luck and drop by the office anytime, or make an appointment Phone: 442-4566, voice mail available E-Mail: rgk@atmos.albany.edu Teaching Assistants: Eric Franquist, e-mail: ef661586"at"albany.edu, ES338; Office hours: TBA Brian Crandall, e-mail: bc291745"at"albany.edu, ES334; Office hours: TBA Syllabus continues below

Course Objectives:

The overall objective of this course is to demonstrate how science and scientific inquiry are used to define, to understand, and to offer solutions to very complex environmental issues and how technology may play the role of villain or champion in environmental causes. Science and technology, however, do not operate isolated from other social concerns and so the impact of economics, human psychology, politics, etc. on implementing solutions to environmental issues will also be considered. The hope is that this course will provide each of you some insight as to how to incorporate scientific knowledge into your own decision-making processes. This course is in the general education category: natural sciences and conforms to the characteristics and learning objectives of that category.  

Text and other materials:

• Text Book
  
  Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 4th Edition by Jay Withgott and Scott Brennan; customized version.
  The customized version is loose leaf and omits several chapters from the standard text book. The customized version is available at the University Bookstore or Mary Jane Books, or the eBook can be purchased online by following these steps:
  Step 1: Go to http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ny/suny_albany_environ/
  Step 2: Click the “To Purchase Ebook” button on the bottom of the page. A new window will open—simply follow the steps on the pages to purchase the eBook.
  The READING LIST for the textbook is more or less arranged chronologically, by the topics expected to be presented in this course.
• In-class Response System
  
  An i>clicker remote. We will be using the i>clicker in-class response system. Bring it to every class. If you registered your i>clicker last semester for another class then you're ready to go. If you have one but did not register it for this last fall semester, you will need to register it. If you do not have one, you should buy a clicker (available at the bookstore counter). Register your clicker at www.iclicker.com/registration/ using your first and last name, your NetID for "Student ID" (do NOT use your 9-digit student ID, but if you have already used your student id to register your clicker it's not a problem) and the clicker ID number found on the bar code sticker near the bottom on the back of your clicker. If you have a used clicker and can no longer see the clicker ID on the back, please go to LC-27 (ITS helpdesk) with your clicker. Register your clicker as soon as possible and in no case later than Feb 1st. You may go to the i>clicker homepage for general information about this system. Questions presented in class can be found in the "Learning Modules" tool.
• Other resources
  Further resource material for this course is available through links provided on the INTERNET RESOURCES page.

Course Description:

The emphasis of this course is on environmental issues related to the atmospheric sciences including stratospheric ozone depletion, acid rain, smog, and global warming/climate change. Other environmental topics also will be considered in relation to the issues mentioned above. The technologies and current status of energy production and consumption will be discussed at some length since energy choices greatly affect the human impact on the environment. 

Grading & Attendance:

Grades will be determined on a curve using a point system with the following elements:

mid-term exam	35%	(mid-March)
final exam	35%	(May 10th Tuesday @ 10:30 am in LC18)
two synopses	10%	see below
data research	10%	see below
participation/attendance	10%	see below

EXAMS: The exams will consist of multiple choice questions and a couple of short answer or brief essay questions. The final exam may cover topics prior to the mid-term in so far as that material relates to topics discussed after the midterm. Exams are open book, open note and you may use your laptop, however no consideration will be given if you encounter technical difficulties. Any cheating during exams such as text messaging, talking, or copying answers or allowing others to copy your answers will result in a score of zero for the exam and filing of a report with the Undergraduate Dean's Office.
Student athletes must provide documentation from the Athletic Department prior to any exam that may conflict with participation in an athletic event. Other excuses for missing exams must be validated at the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies (LC-30). That office will notify me if you have a valid excuse. It is the student's responsiblity to contact the instructor, as soon as possible, to make arrangements for any justifiably missed exam.

SYNOPSES: TWO brief synopses of recent articles from newspapers (e.g. Times Union, USA Today) or news weeklies (e.g. TIME, Newsweek), or broadcast reports (television or radio) dealing with environmental issues are to be submitted. Each synopsis should:

(1) Clearly indicate the source (including title or headline, and correspondent if applicable) and date (recent means it was published, broadcast, or posted within the month or so before the synopsis is submitted). The internet is also an acceptable source if the site belongs to a major news media outlet in which case you must name the source and give the complete url for the article.

(2) Coherently summarize the content of the news report. Its relationship to an environmental issue should be clear.

(3) Include a statement of your opinion or reaction to the report.
The first synopsis is due no later than Wednesday March 9th and the second no later than Friday Apr 29th. Synopses may be submitted at any time before the due dates, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will synopses be accepted past due. The synopses are to be submitted through the Blackboard Learning System (go to the "Assignments" tool). Technical difficulties or failure to follow instructions are not acceptable excuses for tardy assignments. You are advised not to wait until the last minute to submit assignments. Identical submissions by two or more students will result in a score of zero for the assignment and filing of a report with the Undergraduate Dean's Office.

DATA RESEARCH: On occasion, assignments will be made to gather data or consult data resources. You will be notified of assignments in class and they will be posted under and submitted via the "Assignments" tool to the left. NO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THEIR DUE DATES. Technical difficulties or failure to follow instructions are not acceptable excuses for tardy assignments. You are advised not to wait until the last minute to submit assignments. Identical submissions by two or more students will result in a score of zero for the assignment and filing of a report with the Undergraduate Dean's Office.

PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE: Your attendance and participation will be recorded by your use of the clicker. You must use the clicker that you registered in order to be properly credited. There will be no deductions for absences prior to the drop/add deadline (Feb 1st). Use of the clicker before that date will contribute to your total number of answered questioned upon which participation will be based. Students who are caught using two or more clickers in order to record responses for other students who are absent will forfeit all attendance and participation points for the semester and additionally have a one letter grade deduction for the final course grade. The infraction will also be reported to the Dean’s Office for further disciplinary action. The clickers used inappropriately will be confiscated and may be claimed after conferring with the instructor. Periodically, as announced in class, you should check "My Grades" to verify the instructor's record for your participation. Please contact the instructor promptly if you believe there is an inaccuracy or technical problem with your clicker.
No appeals to this record will be entertained after the specified deadlines.

Absences: There is some leeway for the occasional absence, forgotten clicker, dead batteries, etc. You are allowed three classes with "no response" before any loss of credit begins to accrue. There is no need to provide documentation for excusable absences unless there are at least four such instances. Please refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin section on "Attendance and Timely Compliance with Course Requirements" for the University's policy on absences.

COURSE GRADES: Total scores are calculated based on the weighted scores from the elements above. Final letter grades are determined with a curve (i.e. my subjective decision on the requisite scores for each letter grade). As a rough guide, the grading scale (give or take a couple of percentage points) is A/A- greater than 80%, B grades 65-80%, C grades 50-65%, D grades 40-50%. There will be NO opportunities for "extra" credit.
 

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Page last updated December 22, 2009.