Moodle - Core 160 site on Moodle

Writing project

Core 160 - Natural World Perspectives / GC seminar

Energy and Environment

Syllabus, Fall 2014

Here is the catalog description of our course. But another way to put it is...

The goal of this course is to use energy as a way to think about the relationship of humans to the environment.

You have had at least one college-level writing course. This course builds on that to enhance your writing and communication skills.

You have attained at least algebra-level math skills. This course builds on that to enhance your numerical and analytical skills.

In this incarnation of the class, we will pay particular attention to

Bloom's hierarchyPhysics courses have a reputation for being 'hard'. Perhaps two factors that go into this are...

Instructor

Paul Meyer Reimer

Sci 011   ·   x7318   ·   e-mail: paulmr@goshen.edu

I don't have regularly scheduled office hours. Instead, look at my class schedule and stop by or drop me an e-mail to schedule a time to get together.

Contributions to class material (particular laboratory) come from Prof. Carl Helrich and past laboratory assistants.

Online

You can find the syllabus, class notes, and other materials related to this course on the web at:  

goshen.edu/physix/160/#today  (Open in Safari, then "Add to Homescreen" or "Add Bookmark")

Grades and other items will be available on moodle.goshen.edu.

I use your "goshen.edu" e-mail address for many class communications. Read your e-mail daily for class resources and announcements.

Course materials

  • Bomb by Steve Sheinkin, (Flashpoint, 2012). Choose paperback, hardback or e-book version.
  • Textbook: Art Hobson, Physics: Concepts and Connections, 4th edition (2005). The physics department has purchased used copies of this worthy textbook for our class. I will collect a deposit of \$10 each when distributing copies at the beginning of the semester and return \$5 at the end of the semester if you turn it in.
  • Writing handbook (1 choice of several required): Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual 4th edition (2004) or newer. I'll be referring to 5th edition--2009.
  • Lab supplies: A lab "manual" will be distributed as .pdf files. You will need a 1" binder and loose leaf paper to write up lab responses and collect other lab artifacts. You'll hand in your lab binder periodically to your lab assistant for grading.
  • iPad (required) with these apps installed from the GC app store: Most of these are paid apps which are available to GC-registered iPads if you go to the GC App Catalog | Purchased section. You should also make sure that you have some sort of "scientific" calculator (graphing calculator not required)--a real one or an iPad app.

    You should bring your iPads to class. But I expect them routinely to be closed unless called for.

     

    Class - MWF 2 pm in SC 006. Tuesday 8:00-9:30 am in SC 001.

    Participation: Bring paper and writing instruments to every class. Many classes will involve some sort of individual or group written response.

    A secondary purpose of the written responses is an incentive for class attendance. They cannot be made up if you miss class (though they will be pro-rated if you have a valid excuse.)

    In a small class, and in a lab class, attendance is kind of a big deal.

    Writing

    Read Wikipedia's policies on research and citing.

    Readings and recommended exercises: You should read the sections from Hobson marked in square brackets (e.g. [1.2, 1.3]) in the schedule on the class home page before the class period. As you read, do the "Concept Checks" that occur in many sections. Sometimes I will quiz you on the assigned reading.

    A portion of each exam will be drawn directly from the concept checks, as well as the suggested conceptual exercises in Hobson, both those handed in as well as those not handed in.

    Laboratories - This is a 3 credit hour course. There is a laboratory time scheduled--8:00 to 9:15 Tuesday mornings--to have a longer time block for extended activities. However, the overall GC expections are the same as any other 3 credit hour course: 9-12 hours per week for both in- and out-of-class activities for an average grade. For the lab, we'll meet in SC 001 unless otherwise announced.

    You'll write up responses, and include artifacts from the labs in your lab binder. Lab handouts will be distributed as pdf files. (You can take notes during the lab, snap pictures and such in the Notability app on these .pdfs, which you should load on your iPads.) Hand in your lab binders to your lab assistant when requested, so that these can be progressively graded during the semester.

    Lab tip #1: Write things down in pencil and bring an eraser!

    Lab tip #2: Check your results and graphs with your lab assistant before dis-assembling your equipment.

    Exams: Exam dates will be published on the class schedule at least 1 week ahead of time. Make up exams are not possible unless prior arrangements are made, or you have a medical problem come up that is documented by a healthcare provider treating you.

    Studying

    In Fall 2009 I asked the students who improved by more than 10% between the first and second exam what they did the second time. Some of their responses:

    Study with a friend

    "I studied with a friend."

    "A friend and I split up the studying. I wrote out the conceptual exercises, another wrote out notes from each chapter."

    Time spent studying

    "I spent more time studying for this class."

    "The play was over and I had so much more time."

    "I studied about 3 hours more this time..."

    Working problems

    "I went through all of the odd questions [these have answers in the back of the book] in the chapters that the test covered. This helped me work on problem solving rather than just memorizing facts."

    "I made sure I had a grasp on every sample problem."

    "The most helpful thing was doing the concept review questions."

    A different way of reading

    "I read the book more closely than the 'broader point' reading we do in social sciences."

    "I found it helpful to read the textbook word-for-word."

     

    [During the test] "I tried to think what you wanted us to know, not what the question was asking".

    Project: U.S. Energy Policy - Groups will research one kind of energy source. Groups will re-shuffle and carry out a simulation of the energy sources for the U.S. economy for the next 50 years and write up results. More information coming!

    Grading

    Participation &
    HW & quizzes
    10%
    1 mid-term exam 15%
    Final exam 20%
    Laboratory 25%
    Writing project 30%

    minimum grade outcomes:

    I may adjust this scheme down a bit (e.g. 89% might end up being good enough for an A), but I certainly won't adjust it up.

    Writing project - Strategies to counteract global warming

    Global warming is arguably a product of the size of the human population, the way we generate and consume energy, and the political process. You will write a paper about one strategy to counteract the problem. Some possible strategies:

    The end goal is a 7-9 page paper in which you describe the strategy you've chosen, the technology that it involves, discuss the problems and outlooks for your strategy, and take a look at another country's experience that has adopted some form of your strategy.

    Other pieces of the project leading up to the paper will include:

    Writing project

    It's a widely held assumption among post-secondary U.S. teachers that if you are able to explain something in your own words that this is evidence of your understanding of concepts.

    Avoid lingo. For most of the assignments in this class, you should write as if you were explaining things to an interested friend, someone who is generally as well educated as you are (!), but who is not necessarily a specialist in the field you're writing about. You should avoid using lingo that non-specialists would not understand, unless you explain it. There are, however, a number of words that have specialized or narrower definitions in physics than how they are used in common speech--for example 'energy' and 'power'. You should use those words in such a way that would make sense to someone who *does* happen to know physics.

    Quote other people's words. You should protect yourself from the appearance of plagiarism--presenting the words of someone else as if you had written them--by enclosing anything that someone else wrote between quotation marks and acknowledging who *did* write it.

    If you're referring to several different sources, this acknowledgement will get complicated, ranging from a short "(Joe Klein, writing on Wired.com)" to full-blown numbered footnotes and a bibliography. If you're reviewing one article, it's still necessary to quote anything the author wrote, but you don't need to say each time who you're quoting because it's obvious from context.

    But even if you rigorously quote everything that someone else wrote, it is still almost always bad style to use long quotations:

    * Dean's Office statement on plagiarism

    Papers you submit in this course will be checked for plagiarized material copied from the web, other student papers, and selected on-line databases. Cases of plagiarism are reported to the Associate Dean. Penalties for plagiarism are listed in the college catalog and range from redoing the assignment to dismissal from the college.

    Disability accomodations

    Goshen College wants to help all students be as academically successful as possible. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor or Director of the Academic Resource and Writing Center, Lois Martin, early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. In order to receive accommodations, documentation concerning your disability must be on file with the Academic Resource and Writing Center, GL113, x7576, lmartin@goshen.edu. All information will be held in the strictest confidence. The Academic Resource and Writing Center offers tutoring and writing assistance for all students. For further information please see www.goshen.edu/studentlife/arwc/.





    Image credits

    Ttoes, Brian Snelson