EAR 203, 2014
Syracuse University Department of Earth Sciences
EAR 203 - EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
STUDENT SYLLABUS
Class Meeting Times: A-Day, Block 4
Instructor: Ms. Ziegler
Contact Info:
Office & Hours: Room 212, Wednesday (after school)
Daniel Curewitz, Ph.D. – SU Faculty Liaison ()
Gregory D. Hoke, Ph.D. – SU Faculty Liaison ()
William Newell – SUPA Administrator ()
Course Description
Earth System Science (EAR 203) illustrates the interconnectedness of biologic, hydrologic, atmospheric, and geologic processes in shaping our planet. This approach reflects a more integrated view toward the study of Earth. In today’s world, with increasing global population, the threat of global warming, and a growing demand for raw materials and energy, a basic understanding of the Earth system is more important than ever.
The Earth consists of interconnected and synergistic series of feedbacks, processes, and geological mechanisms that operate across a wide array of scales in vastly different environments. The interplay between these components determines the shape of the continents, the location of key resources, the behavior of the climate and weather, the availability of fresh water and arable land, and just about everything else that our culture and society require to operate. Biological, chemical, physical and geological/cosmological systems are all controlling factors in the behavior of our planet over short and long time scales, and over atomic to planetary spatial scales. Understanding this integrated “system of systems” is key to understanding both basic academic, curiosity-driven questions, and to understanding our sources of energy, where our waste goes, and where our resources come from. This class is designed to give you a solid grounding in understanding the Earth from a systems perspective. Rather than focusing on specific sub-disciplines and detail, the class will focus on providing a basis for understanding mechanisms, feedbacks, and larger scale cycling of energy and material throughout the Earth’s various spheres: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Geosphere and Hydrosphere.
Introduction and Learning Goals
Students taking this course will learn how the basic elements of the Earth interact through various linkages and feedbacks that operate over timescales from a few years to millions of years. The major goal of this course is to supply students with the basic, yet comprehensive, view of the Earth system necessary for evaluating information and making decisions about relevant environmental, geological, resource, and related issues.
Objectives
Students will:
1. Gain an understanding of:
a. Global change over different time scales
b. Systems approach to understanding the Earth
c. Global energy balance and Earth’s greenhouse
d. Atmosphere circulation
e. Oceanic circulation
f. Continental landforms
g. Nutrient cycling
h. The origin of Earth and life
i. Long-term climate regulation
j. Global change over the last 2.5 billion years
2. Gain a deep understanding of the scientific method
a. Develop pertinent questions
b. Gather relevant data (or find it from reliable sources)
c. Construct interpretations
d. Formulate strategies for the development and testing of hypotheses
3. Apply mathematical and scientific knowledge and skills to solve:
a. qualitative,
b. quantitative,
c. spatial, and
d. analytic problems;
4. Apply basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry to earth science concepts;
5. Use basic statistical concepts to draw both inferences and conclusions from data;
6. Identify implications and consequences of drawn conclusions;
7. Measure, compare, order, scale, locate, and code (meaning encode, describe, or communicate) data accurately;
8. Do scientific research and report and display the results of this research;
9. Understand these issues in terms of the modern political and social context; and
10. Learn to think critically in order to solve problems.
Prerequisite Skills
Earth System Science (EAR 203) is recommended for students who wish to pursue a major or minor program in environmental or earth science, whether from the physical, biological, or engineering perspective. It is also appropriate for students with a strong science background who plan to major in a non-science discipline and seek a course that will fulfill general education requirements. While it is desirable, no prior Earth Science course/instruction is required. A general, basic understanding of math and algebra, including an understanding of decimals, exponents, logarithms, quadratics, and algebraic equations, is essential to success in this course (calculus is not required). You should not be taking remedial algebra concurrently with this course. Basic understanding of physical, chemical, and biological processes and principles are likewise highly desirable, but not absolutely required.
In-Class Materials
The material covered in class is illustrative rather than exhaustive. You should read the material in the text assigned before the class. In class, alternate ways of understanding the material will often be presented. The examinations, however, will cover both the assigned text and in-class materials (whether or not they are specifically covered in class).
Textbook - Kump, L.R., Kastings, J.F., & Crane, R.G. (2009). The Earth System, (3rd Ed). New York: Pearson. (ISBN-13: 978-0-321-59779-3; ISBN-10: 0-321-59779-3)
Class Requirements
1. Each EAR 203 student will obtain a 2-3” three-ring binder with dividers. The binder will contain a reference, a chapter, and a laboratory section. Reference materials (papers, handouts, notes, etc.) will go in the reference section. All class handouts, assignments, homework, and worksheets will go in the chapter section. The laboratory section will contain all laboratory reports. This syllabus should be the first item in the binder. The student is responsible for indexing the binder by chapter and assignment. Binders will be checked at least once each semester for a homework grade. Keep all material in the binder for the entire year. These binders will provide a basis for evaluation, specifically in terms of granting SU academic credit.
2. Students will bring textbook, paper, pencil, and binders to class every day. Disciplinary action will be taken for those who repeatedly come to class unprepared.
3. Cell phones and all electronic communication devices are to be turned OFF during class time. Computers may be used for note-taking and in-class investigations . . . NO Facebook, NO games, NO twitter.
4. Daily assignments will be collected periodically – keep all assignments in the binder ready to turn in.
5. Assignments are due on the date specified. The only exceptions are if the student is ill, unable to attend school, or prior approval has been given by the instructor.
6. Students absent due to school activities must notify the instructor at least 24 hours in advance or the absence will be counted as a regular absence.
7. Students who are absent due to planned activities (ball games, club meetings, band concerts, etc.) will see that their assignments are turned in on the required date. The student shall turn in homework and get the next day’s assignments in person the same day as the absence. Failure to do as instructed will result in an automatic zero. CHECK WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR BEFORE MISSING ANY CLASS PERIOD!
8. All tests will be announced several days in advance. Every effort should be made to be present on test days as well as every other day. Makeup tests and other work will be made up on the student’s own time and will be of a different format and will only be provided if the student has an excused absence.
9. Copying on tests, homework, or laboratory reports will result in zeroes for both the person copying and the one who allows it -- do your own work!
Make-up
Major makeup assignments (test, quizzes, and laboratory experiments) must be completed within one week of the absence. Makeup work must be done by appointment. Shorter assignments (homework, practice sheets, and class work) must be completed within two (2) days of return to school.
In case of extended illness (more than five (5) days), makeup work will be scheduled on an individual basis with the instructor and must be completed within two (2) weeks of returning to school. Scheduling makeup work is the student’s responsibility. Upon returning to school, the student must on his/her own time see his/her instructor to obtain assignments.
Academic Integrity
Syracuse University sets high standards for academic integrity. Those standards are supported and enforced by your instructor, SU faculty and Project Advance administrators. The presumptive sanction for a first offense is course failure (SU grade of F), accompanied by the transcript notation “Violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.” Students should review the Office of Academic Integrity online resource “Twenty Questions and Answers About the Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy” and confer with your instructor(s) about course-specific citation methods, permitted collaboration (if any), and rules for examinations. The Policy also governs the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. Additional guidance for students can be found in the Office of Academic Integrity resource: ‘What does academic integrity mean?’ Your high school may also impose additional penalties for any violations consistent with your high school's policies.
Related Links:
The Academic Integrity Policy: http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/academic-integrity-policy/
20 Questions & Answers about Academic Integrity Policy: http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/faculty-resources/
What does academic integrity mean?: http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/what-does-academic-integrity-mean/
Turnitin:
This class will be using Turnitin, a plagiarism prevention system. The ease of using the Internet has made it very easy for students to “cut and paste” material into papers that they are writing without proper citation. I will submit all/some/ papers that you write in this class to Turnitin, a service that identifies “matched text.” I will then interpret the originality report, based on your writing capability and writing style. In this class, you will also be given the opportunity to submit your own papers to Turnitin to check that all sources you have used are properly acknowledged and cited. Note that all submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.
Disability-Related Accommodations
All IEP and 504 plans will be in place for EAR 203. Please keep your instructor up to date on any accommodations to which you are entitled.
Determination of Grades
Each student will receive 2 grades, 1 for Syracuse University and 1 for Lakeland Regional High School (LRHS).
SUPA (SU) final semester class grades for EAR 203 (4 credits) will be assigned based upon the following:
Tests - 50 %
Labs, Classwork, Homework, Quizzes - 30 %
Chapter 1-9 Exam - 10 %
Final Project - 10 %
100 %
Tests: Three tests will be given (one exam every 3 chapters for the first 9 chapters). Tests will consist of free-response questions, including diagram labeling and/or completion, graph generation and interpretation, short answer, essay, and critical thinking questions. Tests are generally 10-15 questions long, depending on content and subject material. Free-response questions will be assessed using the following guidelines:
Answer Quality 5 point scale 10-point scale
Correct 5 10
Minor errors 4 8-9
Proper approach, significant errors 3 5-7
Wrong approach, some parts correct 2 3-4
Tried something… 1 1-2
Tried nothing 0 0
Labs: Labs will consist of either “hands on” demonstrations of basic geological and Earth System principles using scientific methods and easily available material, or using available data sets obtained via the internet to access data, conduct analysis, and present findings – these will be compared to similar and ongoing work in similar professional scientific fields (climate change, meteorology, etc.) Attendance is mandatory and will make up 10% of your lab grade. The remaining 90% of your grade will be determined based on lab work, lab reports and lab quizzes.
Classwork, Homework, Quizzes: Grades for these components will be based on the individual assignments. Classwork and homework may consist of critical reading, discussion, worksheets, or other short-term assignments. Quizzes will consist of free-response questions, including of diagram labeling and/or completion, graph generation and interpretation, short answer, essay, and critical thinking questions There will be one quiz for each chapter. Each quiz will be 5-10 questions long, depending on content and subject matter.
Chapter 1-9 Exam and Final Project: These assessments are worth 20% of your final grade.
The Chapter 1-9 Exam is scheduled for: 30 January 2015, during class
Final Project Presentations are scheduled for: The first 2 weeks of June (2014)
The final project will be the students own choice and will consist of a research project pertaining to the topics we study in this course. Students will be expected to research the topic in peer-review journals, to either carry out original research or to collect pre-existing data, analyze the data, draw their own conclusions and present their results to the class. Topic may included, but are not limited to: long-term climate change, human effects on climate, loss of biodiversity, mass extinctions, global warming impacts, mitigation of global warming, ozone depletion, human threats to biodiversity, impact of life on the evolution of the atmosphere, effects of plate tectonics on evolution, glaciation past and future, impacts of ocean circulation change on climate.
Grading Scale:
The grading scale for Syracuse University will be the standard college scale:
Course Average Letter Grade
93-100 A
90-92 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
60-69 D
0-59 F
The grading scale for LRHS will be the standard scale as indicated in your student handbook.
Earth System Science, EAR 203
Project Advance, Syracuse University
Course Syllabus
First section of student syllabus
Chapter 1 – Global Change: An Introduction to Systems
5 Days: In-class assignments and lecture
09/03: Lab – Scientific Methods
09/05: Read Chapter 1 & outline/take notes
Lab – Dendroclimatology
09/09: Chapter 1 Review Questions & Critical Thinking Problems due
Lab – Pollen Paleoclimatology
09/11: Lab – Lake Ice-Out Data for New England (computer lab)
Lab – The Gaia Hypothesis
09/15: Quiz – Chapter 1
Chapter 2 – DaisyWorld: An Introduction to Systems
5 Days: In-class assignments and lecture
09/17: Read Chapter 2 & outline/take notes
09/19: No School – Teacher Professional Development
09/22: Chapter 2 Review Questions & Critical Thinking Problems due
09/24: Lab – Daisyworld (computer lab)
09/26: Lab – Daisyworld (computer lab)