ERS 60: Global Environmental Interactions ‑ Winter 2002

http://lawr.ucdavis.edu/classes/ers60/index.htm

Instructors	Location	Office Hours	Phone	Email
Randy Southard	LAWR Department 2148 PES	M, W, F 3- 4 pm or by appointment	(530) 752‑7041	rjsouthard@ucdavis.edu
Bob Zasoski	LAWR Department 3148 PES	W 3-4 pm, Th 1-3 pm or by appointment	(530) 752‑2210	rjzasoski@ucdavis.edu
Teaching Assistant
Craig Rasmussen	LAWR Department 1139 PES	Tu, Th, 9-10 or by appointment	(530) 752-0144	crasmussen@ucdavis.edu

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 2:10‑3:00 pm in Room 230 Wellman Hall

Discussions: All on Thursday

CRN 63637: A01: 11:00 –11:50 am 102 Hutchinson Hall

CRN 63638: A02: 7:10 – 8:00 pm 115 Hutchinson Hall

CRN 63639: A03: 4:10 – 5:00 pm 105 Wellman Hall

Grading:

What?	How much?	How many?	When?
Pop quizzes in discussions	10%	4	Not "quiz", "pop quiz"
Problem sets (PS)	15%	4	About every other week
Writing Assignments (WA)	20%	4	About every other week
Midterm	25%	1	Monday, February 10
Comprehensive Final Exam	30%	1	Wednesday, March 19
Everything	100%	-

Required Text: Geosystems : (5th ed., 2003) by R. W. Christopherson

Course Goal: To examine the interplay among climate, hydrology, vegetation distribution, soil processes, and biogeochemical cycles in diverse landscapes. Emphasis on physical, chemical, and biological processes shaping ecosystems.

Prerequisites: High school algebra and biology or chemistry.

Requirements: You are responsible for all of the material covered in the assigned readings, hand‑outs, weekly discussions, and lecture material.

Exam Schedule: The midterm is scheduled for Monday February 10 from 2:10‑3:00 pm. The comprehensive final exam is scheduled for Wednesday March 19 from 1:30‑3:30 p.m. Both exams will be given in 230 Wellman Hall.

Exam Format: The comprehensive final exam will emphasize the material covered since the midterm. The exams are closed book and a combination of short answer, multiple choice, and short essay question, and calculations.

Last Day to Drop: Thursday, January 17, 2003. This course has a 10‑day drop deadline.

Problem Sets: All problem sets (PS) must be submitted in hardcopy form to the ERS60 `bin' in 1110 PES by 5:00 p.m. on the days indicated in the following schedule. You may discuss the concepts of the problems with others, but the problems must be solved on your own. Late problem sets will NOT be accepted.

Writing Assignments: The writing assignments (WA) are due in the ERS60 `bin' in 1110 PES by 5:00 p.m. on the days indicated in the following schedule. These essays must be submitted as a double‑spaced hard copy (not hand‑written), maximum of 500 words (approx. 2 pages). The WA must include information from one of the assigned readings for discussion section, any discussion during lectures or discussion sections for the week, and at least two other references (i.e., a total of at least three references). Note: The course text and World Wide Web can be used in addition to, but not in lieu of, your two additional references. We also require a one‑page outline of your paper, including your thesis statement and supporting references, DUE ONE WEEK BEFORE THE WA IS DUE in the ERS 60 bin in 1110 PES. Although students are encouraged to discuss assigned readings, every student must submit an individual essay. The assignment must be written in your own words. Late writing assignments will NOT be accepted.

Your paper should be well‑written (spell‑checked, logically‑structured, coherent, concise, and include proper citations), critical, and imaginative. The format should include an introduction to the topic, indicating a rationale for why you are writing about the chosen topic, and a thesis statement, wherein you state the point of view you will evaluate (either support or reject). The main body of the paper should contain facts (data) and some assessment of those data (e.g., not enough data, contradictory data, invalid assumptions) and how the problem you are discussing is related to the global environment. Finally, summarize with an evaluation of how the data you discussed lead you to support or reject your thesis.

Your essay should make some progress toward explaining questions such as, (i) "Why should anyone in the Central Valley care about X?" , where X could be El Nino, desertification, or thermal erosion of permafrost, or (ii) "What assumptions were made in developing models of Y?", where Y is nitrogen cycling, eutrophication, or greenhouse gas influence on climate change, or (iii) "How good are the data used to test the hypothesis Z?" , where Z is that global warming is occurring, that animal habitat is lost with desertification, or that agricultural nitrogen fertilization leads to anoxia in marine systems.

Direct quotes must be enclosed in quotation marks and have an author‑date citation.

References must be properly cited in your paper. For our purposes, in the text, the following style is required:

Backsoon and Seeyah (1998) showed that water flows uphill. More recent work has shown that you can lead a horse to water and you can make it drink (Backsoon, 1999). Finally, it remains unclear if it is the heat or the humidity (Backsoon et al., 1999), but whatever the cause, the Aggie women hoopsters had some tough luck against Sonoma State (Davis Enterprise, 2001).

In the "References" section at the end of the paper, the following style of citation is required:

Journal articles:

Backsoon, I.L.B, and Seeyah, B.I. 1998. El Nino or El Nonsense? Journal of Cosmetology 1:115‑119.

Books:

Backsoon, I.L.B. 1999. The facts behind cliches. 2nd ed. Bemidji State University Press, Bemidji, MN.

Newspaper or magazine articles:

Backsoon, I.L.B., Verisi, X.O., and Enopi, L.M. 1999. Heat or humidity? Sacramento Bee. 2 January, p. A2.

Web Sources:

Davis Enterprise. 2001. UCD women face tough road against Sonoma. http://www.davisenterprise.com/displav/inn sports/361SPT2.TXT (Date viewed: 8 January).