Course-Related
Readings & Assignments (due before
indicated class meeting)
Class #1 (Introduction):
Readings:
DP: 6-15
Class #2 (Introduction, continued):
DP: 16-21
Class #3 (Greenhouse Gases on The Rise):
Readings:
DP: 26-28; 30-33
Assignment:
Do a google search to locate a
contrarian-oriented article that contests the premise that the buildup of CO2
in the atmosphere is anthropogenic (human) in nature. Write a short (1-2
paragraph) critique of the article based on your readings and any possible
supplementary sources of information you wish to use (though note the instructions regarding use
of supplementary sources of information in the course
syllabus). Make sure to evaluate the credibility and objectivity of the
source. Print out your essay and make sure to attach a copy of the article
you’re writing about. Come to class
prepared to participate in a discussion.
Class #4 (The Greenhouse Effect):
Readings:
DP: 22-25; 28-29
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #1.3 "What is the Greenhouse Effect",
"The Discovery of Global
Warming" by Spencer Weart (American Institute of Physics) The Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse
Effect (the article is fairly lengthy, you may skim through it)
Class #5 (Observations of Modern Climate Change):
Readings:
DP: 34-39; 46-47
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, pages 3-6
RealClimate article: The Global Cooling Myth
Assignment:
Perform a google
news search on "global cooling" to determine how many news
articles in the past month (among those listed by google), refer to either the claim
that scientists were predicting global cooling decades ago, or that the globe
is currently cooling (or at least, not warming). Assess
the reliability of your sources. You will turn in what you found. Be prepared to participate in an in-class
discussion.
Class #6 (Observations of Modern Climate Change, continued):
Readings:
DP: 52-61
DP: 18-19
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #3.2
"How is precipitation changing?"
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #3.3
"Has there been a Change in Extreme Events?"
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #9.1 "Can Extreme Events be explained by
Global Warming?"
Assignment:
Read this Inside Science News piece from June 2015 “Most
Extreme Weather Has Climate Change Link, Study Says” and this
press release from March 2017 describing research your instructor was
involved in looking at climate change/extreme weather linkages.
Prepare a short (less than one page) essay to turn
in. Assess the prevailing thinking about the linkage between climate change and
extreme weather events. Make sure to cite your sources.
Class #7 (A Tempest in a Greenhouse: Have Hurricanes Become
More Frequent or Intense?):
Readings:
DP: 62-63
Be prepared to participate in an
in-class discussion.
Class #8 (Humans vs. Nature: The Competing Impacts of Humans
and Nature on Climate):
Readings:
DP: 18-19
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #2.1
"How do Human Activities Compare with Natural Influences".
Write a short essay (under 1 page,
single-spaced), in your own words, about the relative role of natural and human
factors in climate change. Be sure to include some specific examples. Make a copy of your essay—we will use it
in a future writing workshop.
Class #9 (The Paleoclimate Perspective):
Readings:
DP: 40-43; 48-51;
64-67
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently Asked Questions, Questions #6.1
and #6.2
Class #10 ("The
Day After Tomorrow": A Possible Scenario?):
Readings:
DP: 104-105
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #10.2
"How likely are..Abrupt
Climate Changes?", pages 31-32
Class #11 ("The
Day After Tomorrow": A Possible Scenario?):
(continued)
Class #12 (Climate Modeling; Can't we Explain Past Trends by
Natural Factors Alone?):
Readings:
DP: 68-81
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#1.1 "What Factors Determine
Earth's Climate?", pages 2-3
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#1.2 "What is the
Relationship Between Climate and Weather?", pages
4-5
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#8.1 "How Reliable Are the
Models?"
Assignment:
Perform a google news search using
appropriate key words to find any news articles in the past month suggest that
the warming of the past century is likely to have been due to natural, rather
than human, influences. Briefly summarize your findings in a roughly 1 page summary. Assess the reliability of your sources. Come to class prepared to discuss some of
the examples you found.
Class #13 (“The Power of the Story in Science” workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop; bring a copy of your latest essay from
class #8]
Class #14 (“The Danger of the Single Story” workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop; bring a copy of your latest essay from
class #8]
Class #15 (How Sensitive is the Climate?)
Readings:
DP: 84-91
Assignment:
Come to class prepared to participate
in a group discussion.
[CONTACT INSTRUCTOR WITH SUGGESTED TOPIC FOR COURSE-END
MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION]
Class #16 (Projections of Future Climate Change; Emissions
Scenarios)
Readings:
DP: 82-83; 92-93
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #10.3 "If
Emissions are Reduced, How Quickly do Concentrations
Decrease"
Assignment:
Perform a google news search using
appropriate key words to find any news articles in the past month discussing
prospects for limiting global carbon emissions. Briefly summarize your findings
in a roughly 1 page summary. Assess the reliability
of your sources. Come to class
prepared to discuss some of the examples you found.
Class #17 (Projections of Future Climate Change: Surface
Warming; Rainfall and Drought)
Readings:
DP: 94-103
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, page 20-22
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #11.1
"Do Projected Changes...Vary from Region to Region?"
Class #18 (Projections of Future Climate Change: Melting
Ice, Rising Sea Level, Extreme Weather)
Readings:
DP: 97; 104-115
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, page 22-26
Assignment:
Perform a google news search to find
recent news articles discussing climate change impacts on extreme weather
events, including hurricanes, floods, droughts, blizzards, etc. Assess the
reliability of your sources. Summarize your findings in one or two
paragraphs. Come to class prepared to
discuss your examples.
Class #19 (Academic Integrity and Code of Conduct Program w/
Suzanne Zeman, Office of Student Conduct):
[come to class
(prepared to participate in workshop]
Class #20 (Media Workshop #1):
[come to class
(W140 Pattee) prepared to participate in workshop]
[ONE PARAGRAPH BLURB ON PRESENTATION TOPIC DUE]
Class #21 (The Science in ‘An Inconvenient Truth’)
Readings:
Class #22 (The Science in ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, continued)
Class #23 (Media Workshop #2):
[come to class
(W140 Pattee) prepared to participate in workshop]
Class #24 (The Science in ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, continued)
Class #25 (Guest Lecture by Prof. Greg Jenkins: Examining
the multiple dimensions of climate change in West Africa)
Class #26 (Study/Work Smarter Workshop):
[come to class prepared
to participate in workshop]