METEOROLOGY 10 Weather and Climate San Jos State University Fall 2010 Section 2 MW 10 30AM 11 45AM Duncan Hall Room 515 Web page http www met sjsu edu clements met10 htm Instructor Office Phone Email Office hours Dr Craig B Clements Duncan Hall 620A 408 924 5275 clements met sjsu edu MW 12 00 1 00 PM or by appointment Course Description and Prerequisites This introductory general education GE course is designed to give students an overview of the Earth s weather and climate systems One part of the course focuses on important physical processes of the earth atmosphere ocean system relating to weather and climate These concepts will be used as a tool to aid in understanding weather phenomena forecasting and global climate Throughout the semester we will explore and apply the scientific method to understanding weather and climate Learning objectives Specific learning objectives for this course include To understand the fundamental processes responsible for the structure and evolution of the atmosphere To understand the major physical mechanisms and uncertainties related to our changing climate i e greenhouse warming etc To understand how the general circulation of the atmosphere influences local climates To understand the basics of reading and interpreting weather maps Reading and Textbook Textbook required Essentials of Meteorology An Invitation to the Atmosphere C Donald Ahrens Brooks Cole Publishers 5th Edition Lectures notes The format of the lectures generally will include a combination of powerpoint slides overheads and board notes The lectures will be available for download in ppt format on the course website after each class You are expected to take notes during the lectures and supplement your notes with the lecture powerpoint viewslides It is important to keep an organized binder for your notes powerpoint view slides and all other material that is handed out Organization is important to be successful in any university course 1 Resources Reading assignments from the textbook should be done before each lecture Lectures will complement the reading assignments and will contain some material and activities not found in the text There is also a free peer tutoring program offered by the Department of Meteorology Stop by the department office for more details Assessment Assessment is designed to determine how well students have achieved the goals of the learning objectives and thus form in important component to the course Each student will be assessed from a combination of assignments exams quizzes and research project Assignments will include both in class and take home components and will include problems and written responses There will be three midterm exams and a final exam The final exam is comprehensive Students will need to bring a scantron Form No 882 ES for the midterms and final exam Assignments In Class Home Work Quizzes Midterm Exam 1 Midterm Exam 2 Midterm Exam 3 Research Project Final Exam 20 15 15 15 15 20 Total 100 Grading Grades are based on the following estimates 90 93 A 94 96 A 97 100 A 80 83 B 84 86 B 87 89 B 70 73 C 74 76 C 77 79 C 60 63 D 64 66 D 67 69 D 0 59 F Arrangements for missing a midterm due to medical reasons a medical certificate will be required will need to be arranged privately However this does not apply to the Final Exam Late assignments will NOT be accepted Assignments will NOT be accepted via email 2 Assignments in class and home work Assignments will be given throughout the duration of the course These will consist of a number of different activities that will either be completed in class or as a take home turned in at the beginning of the next class Quizzes Quizzes will be given randomly throughout the semester The quiz will consist of a few short questions that will focus on the previous class meeting topics The quizzes will be given during the first 10 minutes of the class period so it is important to arrive to class on time Writing and Plagiarism Writing is an extremely important component to any subject knowledge as it communicates that knowledge to other people Through the use of the internet plagiarism has become an increasing problem on college campuses Although it may seem amazing to you some students believe that completing their homework requires scanning the internet i e Google it finding the answer and then cutting and pasting their answer into a word file with their name at the top This is certainly not acceptable This is one example of plagiarism and is considered unethical behavior at this university SJSU is a learning institution where the goal to develop freethinking students who can analyze new concepts and develop their own ideas and opinions In order to discourage plagiarism the course will adopt a zero tolerance approach If submitted work is found to be plagiarized the student or students overall grade will be lowered by 30 and their case will be submitted to the university judicial board for review The password and account will be given in class Plagiarism When you assume credit for something that someone else has written that is stealing at this University Academic integrity statement from Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development Your own commitment to learning as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jos State University and the University s Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs The policy on academic integrity can be found at http sa sjsu edu judicial affairs index html Campus policy in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated please make an appointment with me as soon as possible or see me during office hours Presidential Directive 97 03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with DRC to establish a record of their disability Incompletes 3 An incomplete will be given for the course only under the following conditions 1 At least 60 of the course work has been completed and 2 Unexpected circumstances prevent the completion of the remaining work An incomplete will not be given to circumvent rules concerning the dropping of courses No cell phones or laptop computers The use of laptops cell phones or any electronic devices during lecture is not allowed These devices distract