| Course Goals |
Class Logistics | Rules/Policies | Advice/Resources | Syllabus/Schedule | Feedback | Links | Grades |
The objective of this course is to ground current and compelling environmental issues firmly in their fundamental underlying scientific principles. To do so we will study selected linked components of a complex and dynamic earth system. Rather than attempt a survey of the entire global change research effort, we will investigate a few topics -- climate change, biodiversity, fresh water resources, and population dynamics -- in some detail. Class time will be divided between lecture, hands-on activities and discussion, to ensure the essential scientific concepts behind these topics are well understood. Along the way we will meet the Tier I Natural Sciences General Education requirements. Note: You don't have to be in the Honors College to take this section, but you do have to commit to Honors-level expectations.
By the conclusion of this course, students will be able to perform the following tasks, via demonstration of proficiency in related assignments:
| Overarching
Goals |
Skills Goals | Assignments |
| Form and defend opinions on current controversies in global change science. | Make a clear and concise argument, based on carefully-referenced facts and logic, within a 2 page essay. | Homeworks, Readings, In-class
Discussions. |
| Apply a small set of scientific concepts to solve problems in unfamiliar contexts. | Approximate solutions to quantitative problems using "order-of-magnitude" estimation techniques. | Demonstration Assessments,
Take-Home Quizzes, In-class Exams, Final Exam |
| Make inferences based on
scientific observations. |
Interpret data presented in
graphs and figures. |
Demonstrations, Take-Home
Quizzes, Final Exams |
Class Logistics
Time and Place: TU/TH, 11:00-12:15pm, Integrated
Learning Center 145.
Instructor: Michael
Evans, Laboratory of
Tree-Ring Research, 214 W.
Stadium (up stairs to 2nd floor at Gate 15; look for my name on the
blue door). ph 626-2897; email: mevans@ltrr.arizona.edu.
More about the instructor is here.
Office hours: Tu/Th, 3-4pm, in OSCR
Underground, Office 1, in the ILC.
(Information Commons), or by appointment. I hope this
location is more convenient for you than the Stadium. I may be
unavailable for some scheduled office hours but will try to
pre-announce
these. I will also try to answer emailed questions and requests
within 24 hours.
Adding this class: That's fine (assuming there's space).
But
do tell me that you're joining; find out about missed
assignments ahead of time so we can integrate you into the class; get
caught up quickly.
Reading and Course Materials:
There is no required textbook for the course. Readings from selected topical, authoritative and timely sources are linked in the Schedule/Syllabus below as password-protected Portable Document Format (pdf) files. Lecture notes (may/may not include work and exercises performed in class) will be linked as html files and also as downloadable Microsoft PowerPoint-compatible files. They will often but not guaranteeably be available prior to class meetings, and are subject to change. We will make use of copyrighted materials under academic Fair Use Policy of applicable copyright law (see UA and U Texas notes on this, and what it means for you and me.)
Assignments:
This course is not about memorization. Rather, it is about the
goals described above. I will ask you to
think
about the material we discuss in class and to use it to solve problems.
In-class exams will each cover their respective course
topics, and will test whether you can apply concepts learned from
lectures, homeworks, quizzes, demonstrations and readings. Homeworks
are short essay assignments in which you'll think about course topics
in
a real-world, problem-solving context. Take-home quizzes will
be
based on lecture concepts and reading, and will give you practice in
the
problem solving skills needed for in-class exams and the final
exam. Demonstration assignments will ask you to summarize
and apply concepts illustrated by the in-class demonstrations. In-Class Exams will
primarily test your ability to use basic scientific concepts to solve
problems in unfamiliar contexts. The Final Exam will be
similar to the hourly exams, but will be cumulative over the semester.
I would like to schedule a mid-semester focus group evaluation (why wait until the end of the semester, when we can fix things now?) for the week of Oct 16th. I may also request occasional 1-minute anonymous evaluations at the end of class, in which you'll quickly note the main point you brought away from class, as well as the main question left unresolved for you. I'll also welcome constructive feedback during office hours, by email, or after class. This will help me resolve outstanding questions and adjust the pace of the course accordingly. We will also have end-of-course evaluations.
Class attendance:
This is your education, so class attendance is not mandatory. It's up to you to make the most of your time and education dollar. However, be aware that: (0) We will discuss material that may or may not be in the readings or lecture notes; (1) we will have in-class exercises for credit which in most cases cannot be made up; (2) If you don't show up at all, I may administratively drop you from the course; (3) class will be fun. Do you have occasional but known upcoming schedule conflicts? Don't wait until afterward; please talk to me well beforehand so we can make sure you keep up with the class.
Course requirements:
Please note: You cannot pass the course without completing all homework
assignments, taking all three in-class exams, and taking the final
exam. Demonstration assignments, when possible, may be
substituted
with Internet-based simulations I will provide. No late
assignments will be accepted without prior arrangements.
Classroom etiquette:
To make the most out of our class time, and to keep the ILC a nice
clean place to learn, please observe the following rules in the
classroom:
See the Grading Rubric for grading standards for each of these types of classwork. Assignments are due on the dates noted in the Schedule/Syllabus. Late work will not be accepted unless arrangements have been agreed upon in advance of the due date with the instructor.
| Take-Home
Quizzes |
Homeworks |
Demonstration
Assessments |
Hourly
Exams |
Final
Exam |
| 20% |
20% |
20% |
20% |
20% |
Final exam is on Thursday Dec 13th, 11am-1pm, ILC 145.
Current Grades:
Academic Rules and Academic Integrity:
See the University Academic Integrity Policy. You are responsible for knowing these rules, which ultimately ensure the quality of your education. Please take note: Plagiarism and cheating are serious academic offenses. I must report and respond to all such offenses per official university guidelines.
How to study:
I want you to understand the ideas we'll discuss, enjoy the
course, and get good grades. Study habits which will help you
master this course with ease are:
Come to office hours for more information, and talk to your classmates, who are a great resource.
Academic resources: The University and the Internet offer
many
sources of help (Or talk with me and I'll help you find what you
need):
Do you have a physical or learning disability? Please speak with me right away about accommodations. You will only need to show me a faculty letter from the Disability Resource Center, and we can make arrangements from there.
Schedule/Syllabus (subject to change)
Note: scanned readings are password
protected to meet copyright fair use guidelines. If you need the
userid and password, email the instructor.
| Jump to: | Fresh water resources | Biodiversity | Climate Change | Population Dynamics |
| When | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| Aug 21/23 | General Introduction; Demo 1 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
Course
Home Page |
|
| Aug. 28/30 | Where does Tucson's drinking water come from? Demo 2
lecture notes: Tues / Thurs |
Gelt
et al., Water
in the Tucson Area: Seeking Sustainability , Chapters 1,3,5. |
|
| Sept. 4/6 Optional geology/ecology field trip to Catalina Mtns: Sept. 8th (Sat): 8am-1pm; sign up via email (deadline: Sept. 4th) |
Water Scarcity: A Growing Problem; Demo3 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs an optional set of lecture notes with additional water case studies is here. |
Postel, Last Oasis, Ch.2 (3.4 Mb pdf
) Pechenik's "Ten Questions to Ask Yourself" Vonnegut's "How to Write with Style" |
|
| Sept. 11/13 |
Review; Exam 1 Elmo notes (Tues) |
Review and condense your notes to essential
concepts and examples;
Q&A. Exam 1 solutions are here. |
|
| Sept. 18/20 | What is Biodiversity and is there a Crisis? Demo 4
lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
Wilson, BioDiversity, Ch. 1 (10Mb pdf or
read online here).
Questions to think about while you're reading are here.
|
|
| Sept. 25/27 | Origins of Biodiversity lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Thurs |
Tyson and Goldsmith, Origins, Ch. 15 (1 Mb pdf); NOVA
(WGBH-Boston) online
reading on events
in the history of life. Reading questions are here. |
|
| Oct. 2/4 Optional field trip to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Oct 6th |
What Controls Biodiversity?; Biodiversity of the Sonoran
Desert Demo
5; Demo 6 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
Quammen, Was
Darwin Wrong? (5.5 Mb pdf);
Gould, The Panda's Thumb, Ch. 8
(4Mb pdf ); Gould, The
Panda's Thumb, Ch. 17 (3Mb pdf
).
Reading
questions are here. An exemplary HW2 is here. |
|
| Oct. 9/11 | Review; Exam 2 Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
Quiz 2 solutions are here;
condense your notes; Q&A. Exam 2 solutions are here. |
|
| Oct. 16/18 Mid-semester focus group evaluations, Oct 18th (confirmed) |
Is the Climate Warming?; Radiation Balance and the Greenhouse Effect; Demo 7 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
IPCC AR4 Working Group I Summary for Policymakers
(3.8Mb pdf); optional background
reading: Kump et al., Ch 3
(7.5Mb pdf) with focus questions here. |
|
| Oct. 23/25 | Motion in the
Atmosphere and Ocean; Demo 8, Demo
9 See animations shown in class (courtesy John Marshall, MIT; WW2010 Project, UIUC): vertical convection, merry-go-round, geostrophic balance, tropical general circulation, and eddies. lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Thurs |
Online
tutorial on forces and winds from the WW2010 server at UI
Urbana-Champaign: Pressure,
Pressure
Gradient Force, Coriolis
Force, Geostrophic
Wind) optional background reading: Kump et al., The Earth System, Ch. 4 (8 Mb pdf) with focus questions here. |
|
| Oct. 30/Nov. 1 |
Water in the Climate System; Systems and Feedbacks; Demo 10 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
Kump et al., The Earth System, Ch. 2 (4Mb
pdf), Ch. 4 (8
Mb pdf), with focus questions here. |
|
Nov. 6/8 optional field trip to my paleoclimatology laboratory, Nov. 10th |
Review; Exam 3 Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
My Quiz 3 solutions are here. An exemplary HW3 is here. Exam 3 solutions are here. |
|
| Nov. 13/15 | How many people can the Earth support? Exponential
growth Demo
11 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues / Thurs |
Cohen
(2005) (672Kb pdf) Reading questions are here. |
|
| Nov. 20 (22 -
no
class) |
Logistic growth;
Demo 12 lecture notes: Tues Elmo slides: Tues |
Excerpts from
Ryan
and Durning (1997) (1.6Mb pdf) Reading questions are here. |
|
| Nov. 27/Nov. 29 optional field trip to Biosphere 2, Dec 1, 8:30a-1p course evaluations |
A Taste of Chaos; Why Bangladesh
matters; Demo 13 lecture notes: Tues / Thurs Elmo slides: Tues |
Gleick (1987), Ch.
1 (3.6Mb pdf) Reading questions are here. An exemplary HW4 is here. |
|
| Dec 4 (6th - no class) Final Exam: Thurs. Dec 13th, 11am-1pm, ILC 145. |
Semester Summary and Review Elmo slides: Tues Quiz 4 solutions are here. |
Review
and Q&A Session is scheduled for Tues, Dec 11, 2:30-4pm, ILC 145.
Elmo notes drawn in review are here. Final exam solutions are here. |
|
Instructor's schedule: With full responsibilty for this course, and partial responsibility for a 150 seat section right afterward, we will all have to be especially organized. On the bright side, I've cancelled or postponed most of my usual traveling. If you can't make regular office hours, I may hold office hours by appointment; please email in advance. I may go to San Francisco for a meeting for a few days during finals week; I'll keep you posted as my schedule develops.
| NY Science Times (Tuesdays) | NASA Earth Observatory | Current US Weather (National Weather Service) | National Hurricane Center
(FAQs are here) |
University of Arizona |
