SYLLABUS, HPR109F, Spring 2001
"Oceans, Atmospheres, and Global Change"
(The Honors Section of OCG123)

TTh 11, Lippitt Hall 211
http://karws.gso.uri.edu/HPR109F/Spring_2001/HPR109FSpr01.html

Kenneth A. Rahn 874-6713; krahn@uri.edu; http://karws.gso.uri.edu
Center for Atmospheric Chemistry Studies
Graduate School of Oceanography
CACS Room 212 (Bay Campus)

Goals
      The main goal of this course is to give you a solid introduction to the earth as a unified climatic system, to the forces that act on the various parts of that system (such as oceans, atmosphere, biosphere, and solid earth), to the ways in which those parts are currently changing, and the extent to which those changes are affected by human activities. This is a difficult task in principle because many of the observations that serve as raw data are too short, such as the one or two centuries of direct measurements of temperature. Therefore, we are forced to guess at many important questions that we would really like to answer unambiguously. We will therefore spend much of this class dealing with principles such as how the earth gets its heat, redistributes it, stores it, changes it into different forms, and eventually releases it back to space. We will then examine some factors than can perturb these processes, including a changing sun, changes in the earth’s orbit, variable ocean currents, drifting continents, and last but not least, human effects on the atmosphere and possibly via the atmosphere to climate.
      A secondary goal will be to develop skills in critical thinking. Throughout the semester, we will constantly be working with chains of reasoning and evaluating the multiple explanations possible for various observations. For example, one of the most important questions will be the simplest possible one: “Is the earth warming?” The answer to this basic question may not be as obvious as it seems, for reasons that may surprise you.

Materials
      The text for this course is The Earth System by Lee R. Kump, James F. Kasting, and Robert G. Crane. This is a brand-new book that appears to be excellent. It is full of valuable interdisciplinary information, and will be a challenge for you to master. If needed, we will supplement it with materials from other sources, including the Worldwide Web.

Format, homework, exams, grading
      We meet TTh at 11 a.m. for the full 75 minutes. I expect you to attend every class and to be prompt. Typically, we will first discuss the reading or the homework assigned for that day and then introduce the material to be read for the next class. Discussion will often be lively. Questions are encouraged, and differences in viewpoints will be respected provided that they can be defended logically.
      We will cover one chapter of the book each week. This amounts to 10–12 pages for each class. I expect you to have read the material before each class and be prepared to discuss it. Absences and lack of preparation will lower your grade. Written assignments will be due roughly weekly, and will be graded and returned the following week. Most will be drawn from the critical-thinking problems at the end of each chapter. The quality of writing is important—sentences and paragraphs are to be constructed to the highest standards of written English. Typewritten answers are greatly preferred, but handwritten answers will be accepted as long as they are neat and easy to read. Late assignments will be penalized by 50%. You should be prepared to spend up to three hours outside class for each hour inside. Working significantly less will diminish the value of the experience and lower your grade.
      There will be a midterm exam on Thursday 8 March and a regular final exam on Monday 7 May, 8–11 a.m. The final grade will be based 30% on homework, 25% on the midterm, 25% on the final, and 20% on class participation.
      This class has its own web site, whose home page is listed above. It will contain the assignments and answers, answers to the hourly exams, copies of any handouts, and notices. You should check there at least weekly.

Most important of all
      I am here to help you learn valuable things about global change and how to think about it. Help me make this a great educational experience for all of us.

Provisional schedule

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