AOSC 200: Weather and Climate

Instuctor: Dr. Tim Canty

        Email: [protected e-mail]

        Office: ATL 3427

        Phone: 5-5360

      www.atmos.umd.edu/~tcanty/aosc200

    Office Hours:

                Wednesday 3:00-4:30 PM or by appointment

When emailing, please put AOSC 200 in the subject line

and be sure to sign your name at the end of the email

Textbook:

Weather: A Consice Introduction  by: Gregory Hakim and Jérôme Patou

AOSC 200 is an I-series course  For more information on this and other I-series classes please visit the I-Series webpage

Teaching Assistants: 

Lectures: 

                 Session 1:       Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 pm   ATL 2324

                 Session 2:       Tuesday & Thursday   2:00-3:15 pm   ATL 2324

 Discussion Sections:

Weather affects not just our daily activities but other important aspects of society such as transportation, commerce, security and agriculture. Climate and climate change are concepts that evoke strong emotional responses from people. An environmentalist may say the planet is going to melt tomorrow while a politician makes a snowball in the winter and says everything is fine. Some of those talking the loudest about climate change don’t know what climate is and how it’s related to weather.

In this class, we will examine fundamental issues such as the greenhouse effect, severe weather, global weather patterns and air pollution and how these factors are affected by a changing climate. Instruction in the lectures will provide the basic knowledge needed to understand these issues. In the discussion sections, students will be divided into groups to address the implications of these conditions on their daily and future lives.

We're here to help you!

    If you find yourself struggling with course material, please contact the instructor or a TA right away. Often, a short conversation will really clear things up! Waiting until the end of the semester is too late to learn everything we go over in class. Seriously, come talk to us... we get lonely sometimes.

If you are experiencing difficulties in keeping up with academic depmands, contact the Counseling Center

https://www.counseling.umd.edu/academic

or go here for specific tutoring options

http://tutoring.umd.edu

If you just need someone to speak with about issues outside of the classroom please contact the Counseling Office  https://www.counseling.umd.edu/ 

Know your rights!

For more information regarding your rights as a student and the University policies that cover missed classes, please visit the following website:

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

Grades:

• If you are ill and cannot make the exams or quizzes, you must have a note from a doctor or from the health center documenting your illness that must be dated for that day (i.e. you went to be seen that day). You must also email me within 24hrs of the exam or quiz. Notes from your parents or a friend will not be accepted. Quiz and exam make ups must be arranged within one (1) week of the date the exam or quiz was given in class. A one day illness does not excuse you from completing the group project.

• This is the official University Policy covering medically necessitated absences: For medically necessitated absences: Students may, one time per course per semester, provide a self-signed excuse as documentation of an absence from a single class (e.g., lecture, recitation, or laboratory session) that does not coincide with a major assessment or assignment due date. For all other medically necessitated absences, a course instructor may request that students provide documentation from a physician or the University Health Center to verify an absence. In cases where students are asked to provide verification, the course instructor may request the dates of treatment or the time frame that the student was unable to meet academic responsibilities, but may not request diagnostic information."

• You must attend the exam or quiz that you are scheduled for. You will not be given credit if you take the exam or quiz for the wrong class section.

• Grades cannot be based on perceived effort. What one person feels is a great deal of work may not be much to someone else. Showing up for class doesn't mean you automatically pass the course.

Here's how letter grades will be assigned:

Points          Letter

                    Grade

95 – 100         A+

90 – 94.9        A

85 – 89.9        A–

81 – 84.9        B+

78 – 80.9        B

75 – 77.9        B–

71 – 74.9        C+

68 – 70.9        C

65 – 67.9        C–

61 – 64.9        D+

58 – 60.9        D

55 – 57.9        D–

below 54.9      F

Extra Credit: There is no extra credit. Requests for extra credit will be ignored.

Grade Curves: Grades will not be curved.

Admission Tickets:

    Admission tickets are short, online, multiple choice quizzes that must be completed by NOON on the day of lecture.  Links to the admission tickets are available on the class calendar.  Questions will be based on the reading material for that lecture and will reflect some of the important points that you should take away from the readings. The four lowest scores will be dropped.

Topic of the Day:

   Sometimes we will have in class discussions on recent events and/or topics relevant to class.  You may be asked to work in small groups or individually in class or in discussion. There will be some before the midterm and the lowest grade will be dropped.  There will be some after the mid-term with the lowest grade being dropped. You must be present to receive credit. No excuses. This policy will not be changed simply because you missed all of the topics of the day in the beginning of the semester.

Projects:

   In the discussion sections, students will be divided into groups to address the implications of weather and climate issues. Project grades will be based on both the quality of the presentation and the participation of each student within the group.  Students will have the opportunity to evaluate the other members in the group.  Groups are required to submit outlines of their projects to the TAs who will offer comments and suggestions to improve the presentation.  Group members will each submit a written outline of their portion of the project as well as a final report when the projects are due.    

   Note:  All students must participate in the development and presentation of the project.  If there are any problems within the group please contact your TA immediately to resolve these issues.  It is not acceptable to wait until the project is due to mention that you were not able to participate due to communication issues or personality conflicts.   During the debate presentations, we ask students not to use notes or visual aids. The use of notes or visual aids will result in a loss of points   

  We will be using Turnitin software to check for instances of plagiarism. Copying other peoples work and not providing proper citations is considered academic dishonesty and will be referred to the honor council (see below Academic Honesty section below).  

Quizzes and Exams:

   There will be two short quizzes (basically short exams), a mid-term exam, and a final exam.  The quizzes will be based on material covered either since the beginning of the semester (Quiz #1) or since the mid-term (Quiz #2).  The mid-term exam will be based on material covered in class up to that point in the semester.  The final exam will be cumulative but weighted more heavily on material covered later in the semester.  I reserve the right to give pop quizzes at any time during the semester. 

    Any course material not covered in class may be covered on the exams or quizzes.

Attendance:

   Attendance is strongly encouraged though not mandatory.  If you do miss class because of sickness, family emergency, dinosaur invasion, etc. please review the material for the lecture that was missed. If you have questions please contact the instructor or one of the teaching assistants  To help with this effort, recordings of lectures will be available online (see below).

Lecture Recordings:

    All lectures will be recorded and available for reviewing.  Links to lectures will be posted. Lecture recordings are meant to help with your studying efforts and to allow you to review material that you may not have understood when it was first presented. If overall class attendance drops too low online access to the lecture recordings will be disabled without warning. 

Academic Accommodations: 

If you have a documented disability, you should contact Accessibility & Disability Services (0106 Shoemaker Hall).  Each semester students with documented disabilities should apply to ADS for accommodation request forms which you provide to your professors as proof of your eligibility for accommodations.  More information can be found on the ADS website:

https://www.counseling.umd.edu/ads/

Religious Observances: 

The University System of Maryland policy provides that students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs, students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed due to individual participation in religious observances.  It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance.  Notice should be provided as soon as possible but no later that the end of the schedule adjustment period.  Prior notification is especially important in connection with final exams, since failure to reschedule a final exam before the conclusion of the final examination period may result in loss of credits during the semester. 

Academic Honesty:

    The student-administered Honor Code and Honor Pledge prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents and forging signatures. On every examination, paper or other academic exercise not specifically exempted by the instructor, students must write by hand and sign the following pledge:

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination (or assignment).

Compliance with the code is administered by the Student Honor Council, which strives to promote a community of trust on the College Park campus.  Any instances of academic dishonesty will be referred to the Honor Council.

In Class Behavior:

    It's fine to have short discussions with another student during class if they are 1) quiet and 2) short.  If you have a question the two of you can't figure out, please ask and we can try to answer it as a class. Excessive disruption of class is not only rude but wastes the money of those students who are trying to learn.  Any students continuously disrupting class or discussion will be asked to leave.

Cell Phone and Computer usage:

    Unfortunately, cell phone use is prohibited unless given express permission for use in class.  Using your phone not only keeps you from paying attention but it may distract those around you.  We know that it may be difficult to pay attention sometimes so if you need to stand up and stretch or walk around a bit, please do so. If you are waiting for an important call or text message please wait outside. 

    If you are obviously using a phone during class:

1) You will be asked to put it away, if you continue:

2) You will be asked to leave

3) Class will be stopped until you leave

    Any material not covered in lecture due to time spent waiting for students to leave will be covered in the exams. 

   Computer use is permitted provided if it is for reviewing posted lecture notes or to take notes.  There may be in class discussions where computer use is encouraged.  If you wish to use a computer while in class, you must sit in the first 6 rows of the middle section of seats. Cell phone rules apply for any computer use not related to class.

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