Instructor: Ross Salawitch

Tues & Thurs, 12:30 to 1:45 pm, Atlantic 3408

Fall 2019: 3 units

Books:

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond

 

Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn

 

Paris Climate Agreement: Beacon of Hope by Ross J. Salawitch, Timothy P. Canty, Austin P. Hope, Walter R. Tribett, and Brian F. Bennett (we'll read 2 chapters; available for free via open access)

Other resources for this class (these materials will be provided):

IPCC 2007 WGI Frequently Asked Questions

 

Tufts Univ GDAE Modules (we'll use two)

 

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harai (we'll read Ch 16)

 

Beyond Oil and Gas by George Olah, Alain Goeppert, and G. K. Surya Prakash (we'll read part of Ch 8)

 

Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy by Gwyneth Cravens (we’ll read Ch 15 and most of Ch 16 that focus mainly on disposal of nuclear waste)

 

Another important resource:

http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html

Syllabus

ELMS Page 

1. Description

2. Schedule

3. Grade Policy

4. Admission Tickets

5. Assignments

6. Office Hours

1. Description

This seminar will begin by examining how the sustainability of various societies has been affected by government decisions. We will then focus on critical examination of the science that underlies modern climate change, including discussion of the bridge between the “deniers” and the “believers”. We will then discuss the economics of possible large-scale adaptation of energy provision by means other than the combustion of fossil fuels. Next, we will examine governance issues, with a focus on the conflicting positions of the U.S., Europe, China, and the Least Developed Nations. During the final few weeks of this seminar, students will break into three groups representing Europe (surrogate for Developed World), China (Developing World), and the Least Developed Nations, with the assignment to formulate an energy plan for each entity that achieves the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Pre-requisites: None. This course will be taught at a basic level, without the use of advanced mathematics or high level economic theory.

 

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2. Schedule

Nat'l Geo

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3. Grade Policy

Grades will be determined based on short writing assignments for each reading (50%), a mid-term paper (25%), evaluation of student led discussion and class participation during the semester (10%), and a brief final paper that reflects each student’s view of the final project (more detail below) and connecting to the real world issues related to the governance of climate change (15%).

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4. Admission Tickets

To encourage completion of the reading assignments prior to class, there is an admission ticket due at the start of each class (with the exception of the first lecture). The admission tickets are a series of short questions related to the reading, the overall goal of the class, and the encouragement for each student to develop their writing and critical thinking skills.

Admission tickets will be posted on this website at least 24 hours prior to the start of each lecture. If an admission ticket for a particular lecture is not posted by noon the day prior to a particular lecture, there will be no admission ticket for that class. Also, if an item other than an admission ticket link appears in the admission ticket column for a particular lecture, there will no admission ticket for that class meeting.

The lowest three admission ticket scores will be dropped ... therefore you can skip 3 of the 21 readings and not try to "fake it" for the admission ticket, and still get a perfect score on the admission ticket portion of the class.

Please remember to hit the ''refresh'' button to see the latest version of this website each time you visit, as we intend to update the website file frequently during the course.

6. Office Hours

Office Hours:

Ross (Atlantic 2403): Mon & Wed, 4:00 to 4:30 pm & by appointment

Phone:  Ross Salawitch is at 5-5396

I strive to be accessible throughout the semester. Please either drop by or contact me via email to set up a time to meet.

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Website last updated on Thursday, 05 December 2019