Instructor Title E-mail Office Hours Class Lab Credits Application OCEA& 101 INTRODUCTION TO OCEANOGRAPHY PIERCE COLLEGE PUYALLUP COURSE SYLLABUS Spring Quarter, 2013 Item # 7151 Mr. Cameron Carter Adjunct Professor ccarter@pierce.ctc.edu By Appointment MTWTH 10:00 10:50 am, LSC 108 Pierce College Puyallup M 1:00 2:50 pm, LSC 108, Pierce College Puyallup 5 college quarter credits General education requirements Natural Science (GER-NS) and Lab Science with grade of 1.5 or better. Start April 1, 2013 End June 11, 2013 Please do NOT ask for accommodations if you make travel plans that conflict with the quarter s schedule. Your Success Your success in this course is entirely up to you. By fully engaging yourself as an active learner, and through thorough preparation, you should not only achieve your academic goals but also develop a greater appreciation of your surroundings. I ask you to commit to your success by attending class; being prepared; asking for help when needed; and engaging actively in discussions, assignments, and projects with me and with other students, both in and out of class. I hope you find this course enlightening and enjoyable. Course Description A study of the geologic, physical, and ecological aspects of the oceans. Includes studies of plate tectonics, circulation, waves, tides, coastal dynamics, and marine ecological principles. Appropriate for non-science and science majors. Field trip required. Lab included. Course Prerequisites There are no prerequisites for this course. With dedication and diligence, it is possible for the student with no prior background in this field to excel in this course.
Required Texts - Garrison, 2011, Essentials of Oceanography, 6th Edition (Chapters 1, 15, & 2 are available as E-Reserves on the Pierce College Library website. See Modules in the Angel course website for instructions on how to access these.) - OCEA& 101 Lab Manual (individual labs will be made available on the course Angel website throughout the quarter) Classroom Policies - Use of cell phones or other communication devices during class, lab, or field trip times may result in expulsion for the day. - Please do NOT bring food to class, as eating during class can be a distraction. Beverages are acceptable, but please recycle or dispose of containers appropriately, and clean up after yourself if you spill. - Neither food nor beverages are permitted during lab sessions. - Please raise your hand if you wish to respond to a question in class, ask a question, or make a comment, and wait to be called upon. Please do NOT speak out during class unless called upon. - Attendance is NOT a direct part of your grade. However, absences mean that you loose the opportunity for learning beyond what is provided by the textbook. Absences from labs or field trips mean that you loose the points for those activities and they may not be made up. - Punctuality for class and lab is a fundamental element of professional behavior. I consider tardiness a rude and unnecessary classroom disruption. So is leaving early or getting up during class for any but the most extreme of reasons. Additionally, if you arrive late, you are not eligible for participation points that day (see Assessment of Student Learning below). - You are expected to conduct yourself at all times in this class (lectures, labs, field trips) in a manner that is respectful of all and conducive to the learning process in a multicultural educational environment. - If you need require any disability accommodations, please contact the Access and Disability Services (ADS) office in ADM 115 or at 253-840-8335. Emergency Procedures - Imminent threat to persons and property: call 911 and then Campus Safety at 253-840- 8481. - Evacuation (intermittent horns and strobes): gather all personal belongings and leave the building using the nearest available safe exit. Be prepared to be outside for one hour and stay a minimum of 200 feet from any building or structure. So long as it is safe to do so, students are expected to stay on campus and return to class after evacuations that last less than 15 minutes. Do not attempt to re-enter the building until instructed by an Evacuation Director (identified by orange vests) or by three horn blasts or bell rings. Please notify the nearest Campus Safety Officer or Evacuation Director of any one left in the building or in need of assistance.
Grading Policies - Your course grade is determined by your total points as a percentage of the total points possible according to the grading scale below. - A grade of 1.5 (C-) or better is required for this course to count as GER-NS or GTE. - With a grade of 0.7 (D-) to 1.4 (D+), this course applies GE only. - There are four exams in this course. Exam four is weighted greater than exams one through three, because it covers more material. - Exams must be taken according to the schedule provided, which may be modified by the instructor to fit the lecture schedule needs of the course. Exams MAY NOT be taken early or late if you are unable to take an exam as scheduled. - If you miss an exam for any reason, it may NOT be made up. - Late assignments are generally NOT ACCEPTED (unless under extreme circumstances, and you contact me about your situation on or before the due date). - Extra credit opportunities are generally not a part of this course, unless otherwise stated elsewhere in this syllabus or announced in class Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty acts (as outlined in the Pierce College Student Code of Conduct) will result in at least a failing grade for the assignment or exam, or possibly a failing grade for the course, depending on the nature and severity of the act. Your Student GMAIL Account As a Pierce College student, you have a free email account through Google (GMAIL)! Your account is active until one year after your most recent quarter of enrollment. Here is some important information about your email account: - To access your free GMAIL account, go to http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/sos/email.php. If you haven t logged on before, select Logging in to your GMAIL account for the first time on that page. - Please be sure to check your GMAIL daily, as I will occasionally send you important announcements or new assignments at your GMAIL address. - You may set up your GMAIL account to automatically forward emails to your personal email address if you prefer. You ll see the link for doing this on the above web page. If you wish to correspond with me using email, I make the following requests: - Communicate via your student GMAIL account to ensure that I will respond promptly. Because of the huge amount of spam that make s it through the College s spam filters, I generally don t open emails from unknown senders in my regular email account. - When corresponding via GMAIL, make your emails professional! Please don t send me emails typed like a text message! Check for proper spelling, use proper grammar, capitalize where appropriate, and use appropriate business-like language. This is to encourage the development of Effective Communication (see Core Abilities below). - Please DO NOT SEND OR FORWARD ME mass emails unless they are directly related to the subject matter of this course. Pierce College Core Abilities It is the goal of Pierce College to prepare students to live and work in a dynamically
changing world by emphasizing whole-student development and hands-on learning. Through experiences both in and out of the classroom, you ll be given the opportunity to broaden your horizons and be challenged in ways that encourage the development of the abilities vital to succeeding in life. These core abilities include: Information Competency: Seeks, finds, evaluates and uses information to engage in lifelong learning. Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking: A critical, creative, and reflective thinker will question, search for answers and meaning, evaluate ideas and information, and develop beliefs that lead to action. Responsibility: The ability to respond by examining the relationship between self, community, and environments, evaluating potential impacts and consequences of actions, and making choices and contributions based on that examination and evaluation. Effective Communication: The effective exchange of messages in a variety of contexts using multiple methods. Multiculturalism: Valuing open-mindedness, inclusion, multicultural perspectives and multiple ways of knowing, thinking and being. General Course Outline a. Introduction to Oceanography. b. History of Marine Science. c. Marine and Coastal Geology. d. Seawater Properties. e. Ocean and Atmosphere Circulation. f. Waves and Tides. g. Marine Ecology. h. Marine Resources and Pollution Course Outcomes What you should know and be able to do upon satisfactory completion of this course 1. Describe the role the oceans play in the Earth system. 2. Apply the scientific method and relate basic scientific concepts to geologic processes (e.g. plate tectonics or other examples). 3. Explain how technological advances have increased human knowledge of the oceans throughout history. 4. Describe the origin of important types of renewable and non-renewable marine resources. 5. Communicate the relationship between human activity, marine resource extraction and marine pollution. Communicate solutions to global marine resource extraction and pollution. 6. Describe the plate tectonic processes and the evidence supporting the plate tectonic theory, and relate the tectonic processes to the physical features of the ocean floor. 7. Relate physical and biological processes to the origin and distribution of marine sediments. 8. Explain the various geological and ecological processes of coastal environments and evaluate the impact of human activities on the coastal regions of the world. 9. Analyze various physical and chemical parameters of seawater and relate their effects on marine processes. 10. Describe atmospheric and oceanic circulation and their interrelationship. 11. Describe the formation and movement of waves. 12. Discuss the mechanics of tides and interpret tide tables.
13. Summarize the types of marine life and marine lifestyles and relate marine life to physical marine processes. Describe the major marine communities and discuss the impacts of human activities on them. 14. Access oceanographic data from various sources, including library research, Internet, and field observations. Assessment of Student Learning Assignments Description Percentage Exams 4 exams (multiple choice and essay) 45% Lab Exercises 8 lab exercises (7 @ 10 points each, 1 @ 20 points) 25% for a total of 90 points Group poster project Poster and short paper; to be presented in class at the end of the quarter 30% To calculate your grade: (Your exam points / Exam points possible) x 45 + (Your lab points / Lab points possible) x 25 + (Poster project points / Poster project points possible) x 30 = Grade % Grading Scale Your course grade is determined by your total points as a percentage of the total points possible according to the grading scale below. 96-100%=4.0 (A) 94-95%=3.9 93%=3.8 92%=3.7 91%=3.6 90%=3.5 (A-) 89%=3.4 (B+) 88%=3.3 87%=3.2 86%=3.1 85%=3.0 (B) 84%=2.9 83%=2.8 82%=2.7 81%=2.6 80%=2.5 (B-) 79%=2.4 (C+) 78%=2.3 77%=2.2 76%=2.1 75%=2.0 (C) 74%=1.9 73%=1.8 72%=1.7 71%=1.6 70%=1.5 (C-) 69%=1.4 (D+) 68%=1.3 67%=1.2 66%=1.1 60-65%=1.0 (D) 0-59%=0.0 (F) A grade of 1.5 (C-) or better is required for this course to count towards a Core Requirement (Natural Science) or a Core Elective (GTE) course. A grade of 1.0 to 1.4 (D- to D+) applies only towards GTEs.
Course Modules Major Topical Sections Module Description Textbook Chapters Module 1 Introduction to Oceanography Exam 1 Introduces the student to the science of oceanography, including the origin of the Earth, its oceans and atmosphere, and its life. We also take a brief look at the history of marine exploration. Chapter 1: Origins Chapter 2: History Module 2 Marine Geology Exam 2 Module 3 Physical Oceanography Exams 3 Module 4 Physical Oceanography Exam 4 Module 5 Marine Ecology Exam 4 Tectonics and the tectonic origin of the ocean basins and its features; study of the sediments that blanket the seafloor and their origin. Physical process of the oceans, starting with an all-important look at physical and chemical properties of water, which forms a foundation for later discussions. We also examine the close link between atmosphere and ocean circulation. Continuation of the study of the physical processes of the oceans with the study of waves and tidal patterns. We conclude this section with a look at coastal dynamics. A brief introduction to life in the oceans and its inter-relationships. Chapter 3: Plate Tectonics Chapter 4: Ocean Basins Chapter 5: Sediments Chapter 6: Water Chapter 7: Atmospheric Circulation Chapter 8: Ocean Circulation Chapter 9: Waves Chapter 10: Tides Chapter 11: Coasts Chapter 12: Life in the Ocean Chapter 13: Pelagic Communities Chapter 14: Benthic Communities Chapter 15: Uses and Abuses
Group Poster Project You will be working in groups of ~3 people on a project that requires you to select a topic, conduct research on it, and then present it in visual, oral and written format. Collectively, this assignment represents 30% of your grade. Therefore, please take it seriously and start early, as group efforts can be slow at times. The topic you chose will be on some aspect of: The ocean s impact on humankind or The impact of humans on the ocean You will need to research your topic and then present it as a group during an in-class poster session the last week of the term. The poster session will be conference style meaning that students are free to move between the posters to ask questions, while you stand by yours and answer questions. In addition, you will also prepare a 3-page written report detailing the results of your research. Important Deadlines: 1. Choose your topic (due April 18 th ) 2. One-page outline (due April 25 st ) 3. Extended outline (due May 9 th ) 4. Mini poster (due May 16 th ) 5. Final Poster (due June 3 th ) 6. Oral presentations (June 5 th and 6 th ) 7. Written report (due June 6 th )