PHYS 215 - Natural world perspectives

Climate Change

Syllabus, Spring 2023-2024

Catalog Description

PHYS 215, Climate Change, 3 credit hours

How can and should humans relate to nature? This question raises vigorous, passionate, and political discussion. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students explore (a) how information is generated, refined, and debated in scientific disciplines, (b) how science, archaeology and other disciplines shed light on Earth's climate beyond the horizon of a few generations' experience, and (c) how past cultures reacted to environmental challenges. The class includes laboratory activities, but within the constraints of a 3 credit hour course. Required for elementary education majors. A Natural World course in the Goshen Core.

Meeting...

9:00-9:50 am Mon, Wed, Friday in SC 006
Labs at one of... (A01) 11:00-12:20 or (B02) 12:30-1:50, Thursdays, in SC 008

Course objectives

To become familiar with the scientific phenomena underlying discussions of climate change, through labs, assignments, and class activities.
To identify precedents of societies responding (or failing to respond) to challenges of environmental limitations.
To use the scientific process of building a mathematical model and testing it against observations.
To identify and classify feedback cycles in complex systems (natural environment and social environment).
To use the practice of group discussions in addition to reading as a way of engaging with scholarly content.

This is a conceptual science course, which focuses on questions of "how do we know..." things about the world. I assume you have had some science course in high school, and mathematical competence at about the level of a high school algebra class.

All of you are Goshen College students. This is a GC Core Natural World Perspectives class, which uses a compelling, multi-disciplinary question to focus and relate scientific ways of knowing with other academic fields.
Some of you are teacher education students. You are required to take a science course, with specific content specified by the state of Indiana. This course is designed to fulfill that requirement.
Some of you are science majors. Physics Education Research suggests that most physics majors would benefit from a conceptual course, as a complement to an exclusive focus on discipline-specific techniques, which are taught in courses for majors. Some of the topics in this course (particularly atmospheric chemistry) are not usually covered in other courses taken by science majors.

Instructor

Professor Paul Meyer Reimer
Sci 011 · +1.574.535.7318 (ofc)
paulmr@goshen.edu · +1.574.533.3995 (cell)

I don't have fixed office hours. You are welcome to stop by my office (SC 011) any time!

Here's my teaching schedule this term,

If you are off campus and want to make sure I'm available before coming to campus You may e-mail or text me to make a time to get together.

Do not worry that you're "bothering me" when you stop by! Every time a student stops by it makes a good impression on me, and I think "Oh, they are taking charge of their own learning, and are taking the class seriously!".

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

Online

Syllabus, class notes, and other materials related to this course are on the web at:

tiny.cc/physix215

people.goshen.edu/~paulmr/physix/215/#today

("Add to Homescreen" or "Add Bookmark" from Safari...)

Grades / assignments / lab instructions will be available on moodle.goshen.edu, or go straight to

moodle.goshen.edu/course/view.php?id=44563

Zoom: If you temporarily need to quarantine or isolate ...show more

or have another, reason not to attend class in person, let Paul know. The class zoom link is:

tiny.cc/zoom215

Leave your camera *on*--we all need help to stay present on zoom meetings.
Mute your audio when you're not talking. But unmute and speak up to take part as necessary.
Dress / behave to the same standards you would in class.
Eating food is fine!

Read your @goshen.edu e-mail regularly, or forward it to your favorite e-mail service.

Course Materials

Required books

Three texts for our course:

Physics: Concepts and Connections, 4th edition (2005) by Art Hobson.
You'll pay a "rent" of $3! The physics department has purchased used copies of this worthy textbook for our class.
- I will collect a deposit of \$8 each when distributing copies at the beginning of the semester,
- and return \$5 at the end of the semester if you turn it in.
- The \$3 difference covers occasional replacement for some of the textbooks.
Being the change... by Peter Kalmus.

Kalmus is climate scientist working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). For our class, Kalmus' chapters on the science of climate change are an excellent, recent (2016), well-referenced portrait of what we know and don't know.

Kalmus now makes his book available to read for free(!).
Collapse by Jared Diamond explores societies throughout history that have faced environmental crises.

Either the paper back (typically less than \$10) or the e-book (~\$14) version allows you to annotate--*write in*--the book. Any edition is fine.

iPad + software

Bring your GC-standard iPad to class and lab. Usually your iPad should be closed in class unless you have been asked to use them. Install the following software (all of this is free, but do it ahead of time...)

Notability - an app that lets you write on / draw on / modify pdfs. If you have a GC-issued iPad Notability should already be installed on it! (Let Paul know if it's not!) Here's the Intro to Notability for our class.
Desmos - an online, graphing calculator. Sign up for an account on desmos.com . Install the desmos app on your iPad. You can also use the site from a laptop computer.
There may be other free apps that I'll ask you to install in the course of the semester.

You will also routinely need a calculator: it can be an iPad app or a "real" one.

Moodle

I'll use moodle.goshen.edu for many class assignments.

I *think* if your iPad is configured for your GC account, due dates in Moodle should automatically show up in your iPad / Google calendar.

Grades & class activities

Laboratories	24%
Assignments & quizzes	20%
Projects	12%
two semester exams Final exam	10 & 13% 17%
participation & Community Activities	2% 2%

minimum grade outcomes:

I may adjust this scheme down a bit (e.g. 68% might end up being good enough for an C-), but I certainly won't adjust it up.

Assignments & quizzes

Bring paper and pen/pencil to every class. Many classes will involve some sort of individual or group written response. These in-class assignments cannot be made up if you miss class (though they will be pro-rated if you have a valid excuse.)

Occasional quizzes (graded) will function as textbook material reviews, or provide accountability for required readings. Both are useful preparation for exams.

Exercises from the textbook will be assigned. These will almost always be reviewed, and sometimes they will be graded.

Projects

There will be:

one group project, a report on a chapter of "Collapse", and
a 'mini-poster' project that you alone produce. The mini-poster will involve a formal cycle of feedback on a draft version, and then production of a final version.

Exams

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

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.

Laboratories

Yes, this is a 3 credit hour course, but yes we also have a lab. Because of the lab component, the amount of non-lab work is less than in a regular [non-lab] 3 credit hour course.

You should be signed up for one of the two possible lab times. Occasionally we may spend a non-lab class period in the lab.

Every Thursday (and occasional other class days) will be spent on lab / learning investigations that you will carry out in small groups. Labs will meet in either SC 008 or SC 001. You will find instructions for these labs in Moodle, as pdf files.

A substantial part of this lab material consists of the "Explorations in Physics" Thermal Physics module by Priscilla Laws, David Jackson, and Scott Franklin.

One major tip for the lab portion of the class:

Check your results and graphs with your lab instructor before you dis-assemble any equipment!

Participation and attendance

Go to class! Seriously, unless you are half dead, go!

- Megan Taylor, Salem College, ’15

Class attendance is important. Don't miss out!
But things will come up in the rest of your full lives. You do not need to give me an excuse if you miss class once or twice.
However, if you are absent 3 times I'll assume that there is a larger problem with your physical or mental health / car / family complications / romantic drama. I will meet with you and we will try to identify the issue(s) and strategize together about how to solve them.
If you find yourself struggling in class, 2 absences will be too many.
No such grace on lab attendance: Absence from labs impacts not only you, but also your lab partner who might be waiting to start / finish an activity if you don't show. If you must miss any lab time, you must communicate with both your lab instructor and your lab partner(s) ahead of time.

The participation portion of your grade will reflect unwarranted absences (more than 2), as well as your engagement with class activities.

Collaboration and Academic Honesty

You are encouraged to use all available resources in order to learn the concepts, skills, and content of this course.

Talk with other students and the instructor!
Form study and homework groups!
Go to the library and find books!
Ask a librarian for help in finding resources!
Find useful web pages!

Collaboration, and building on the works of others are how almost all academic work by professors, researchers, students, writers gets done.

However, simply copying someone else's work sabotages your own learning process and hides the truth about what is your work and what is the work of others. So, it must be clear in everything you write and turn in what is your work and what is someone elses.

Participation

Come to class prepared and ready to ask questions about readings, homework and other assignments..

The participation portion of your grade will reflect unwarranted absences (more than 2), as well as your engagement with class activities.

Attendance

Go to class! Seriously, unless you are half dead, go!

- Megan Taylor, Salem College, ’15

Class attendance is important. Don't miss out!
But things will come up in the rest of your full lives. You do not need to give me an excuse if you miss class once or twice.
If you know ahead of time that you will miss a class, let me know ahead of time.
If you find yourself struggling in class, 2 absences will be too many.
It is always your responsibility to find out what you missed. Class notes are usually available for you to review. But you should also also ask another student who was present or ask me what you missed that may have not made it into the notes.
For classes I teach with a lab component: Don't lightly miss any labs! Absence from labs impacts not only you, but also your lab partner who might be waiting to start / finish an activity if you don't show. If you must miss any lab time, you must communicate with both your lab instructor and your lab partner(s) ahead of class.

Beyond 2 absences I'll expect a note explaining your unavoidable absence and/or a conversation--It's best if you've intiated the conversation!--about the barriers that you're facing to attendance, so that we can brainstorm some solutions or connect with outside resources to reduce/eliminate those barriers.

Community Activities (CA)

2% of your grade in all the classes taught through the physics department is credit for your engagement in community activities. You may earn up to an additional 2% extra credit. See the Community Activities website.

Collaboration and Academic Integrity

You are encouraged to use all available resources in order to learn the concepts, skills, and content of this course.

Talk with other students and the instructor!
Form study and homework groups!
Discuss with others promising approaches to problems!
Go to the library and find books!
Ask a librarian for help in finding resources!
Find useful web pages!

Collaboration, and building on the works of others are how almost all academic work by professors, researchers, students, writers gets done.

However, simply copying someone else's work sabotages your own learning and hides the truth about what is your work and what is the work of others. So, it must be clear in everything you write and turn in what is your work and what is someone elses.

Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty is any act that misrepresents your academic work or interferes with the academic work of others. Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following: cheating on assignments or exams, falsification of data, submission of the same or similar paper without professor consent, depriving others of academic sources, or sabotaging the work of another. Academic dishonesty also includes submitting someone else's assignment as your own or helping someone else commit academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else's ideas or words (sentences, clauses, distinct phrases or calculations) without quotation or citation. you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask. Assignments in this course may/will be submitted to Turnitin, which detects borrowed material and generates a "similarity report", for assessment of assignment originality, along with a probability report of AI generation.

The use of artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT) to complete assignments is also considered plagiarism when it misrepresents work as a student’s own words and ideas. In some cases, professors may allow or even require the use of AI for instructional purposes. Such exceptions apply only when a professor has given explicit permission to use these tools.

In this, as in any college class, you can protect yourself from charges of plagiarism by acknowledging your sources. This can take the form of the URL of a site you found useful, or a shout out to a classmate who helped you on a particular problem.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center offers tutoring and writing assistance for all students. For further information please see www.goshen.edu/studentlife/asc.

Accessibility Accommodations

Goshen College is committed to providing all students equitable access to programs and facilities. Students who need accommodations based on disability should contact the Academic Success Center (ASC). Students must register with the ASC before faculty are required to provide reasonable accommodations. For more information or to register, please contact the Director of Academic Success, Michelle Blank, Good Library 112, mblank@goshen.edu or 574-535-7526. To ensure that learning needs are met, contact the ASC the first week of classes. More information at: goshen.edu/campuslife/asc/disability-services.

11 January - 15 January

Wednesday 13
9:00 am -- Our first day of class @MC 153

Thursday 14
First day of labs. Meet @SC 001