R. Hays Cummins | Western College Program | Miami University
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Instructor: Dr. Hays Cummins, Teaching Philosophy & Other Syllabii Office: Peabody, Rm 103 Boyd Hall, Rm 222 Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 2-5 Phone: 529-1338 E-Mail: HaysC@miamioh.edu Welcome to our junior seminar on Global Climate Change. This is an ambitious treatment of the subject and we will do our best to cover as much material as possible on this exciting, interdisciplinary topic. We will learn about present climate and integrate, as much as possible given all of the unknowns, with the climate record of the past. We will entertain predictions for future climate and global change.
For this course format to work, everyone must participate to the best of their ability. Student activities will include the following endeavors: Forecasting Skills
I encourage all of you to monitor the weather every day! This is very easy to do. You could begin with:
You will learn how to interpret weather phenomena and make predictions based upon computer models, NOAA weather discussions and other resources. Each week the class will be given a forecasting challenge which will be presented the following week. Your forecasts will be submitted and critiqued vis the Weather Feedback Site below. These submissions will serve as an important component of your weather journal!
Student Forecast Challenges
Search a Huge Database of links to climate and environment sites from around the world!
Enter some key words to search by:
Find pages with all any of these words and return 10 25 results.
Detailed Results Search Phonetically Begins With Searching
Writing Activities - Two World Wide Web pages will be created, one on present day weather and climate and the other on paleoclimate. Each web page will be graded on the quality of subsite (URL) selection and the aesthetics of the page layout. These pages will be posted on the World Wide Web upon completion. Your work will be added to the Global Change WWW Page .
- A Weather Journal will be kept detailing your daily weather and atmospheric impressions. Examples of entries might include the passage of cold fronts, wind speed and direction, interesting cloud formations, atmospheric clarity, amount of precipitation, a good night for stargazing, etc. I'd like to see photos of various weather phenomena including cloud types, and lightning, if possible. Have fun with this!
- A final report on research findings on a Paleoclimate research topic of your choice. The report will include actual research data obtained and analyzed from sources on the World Wide Web as well as the most recent and foundation literature sources that address your research interests on global change. The report will take the form of a professional journal article.
Library Skills - During the course of the semester, you will make three presentations using the very latest sources from the literature. This will require familiarity with searching for information using the computer and yes, even doing it the old fashion way, actually going to the periodicals in the library. Besides your research report (see above), you will seek out the most recent literature on "Hot Topics" in Climate/Global change. You will find three articles, twice during the semester, that are the most interesting to you and that will educate the rest of us on the latest developments in the field. These articles will be xeroxed and placed on reserve in the Peer Science Center along with your annotated bibliography . Using class discussion as a catalyst, we will come to a consensus as to which topics and articles we will use in each of our "Special Hot Topic Discussions." Here's a little something to get you started!!
The Earth's Orbit
Week-by-Week Schedule of Events:
The Earth's Axis Wobbles like a Spinning Top. There are Two Periods (a wobble within a wobble): 19,000 and 23,000 Years.
The Earth's Axial Tilt varies from24.5 to 22.1 degrees with a Period of 41,000 Years.
Academic Honesty Please read part V, Sections 501-507 of The Miami Student Handbook on Academic Dishonesty since the policy articulated pertains to all work done in this course. Point Distribution is as follows:
Click if you'd like to learn about our instructor and student generated labs, independent research & publications, the natural science database, opportunities for field research, writing in the sciences, the Julia Rothermel Peer Science Center, and tutor responsibilities.
Any mail, comments or suggestions? You can Add to my Guestbook , View the Guestbook or e-mail me privately at HaysC@miamioh.edu .