GEOL 2070: Introduction to Oceanography
Spring 2012, 4 units
Class Meeting Times: MWF 11:00 - 11:50 AM; Geology Bldg. Room 318
Lab Meeting Times: Th 1:10-3:00 pm, Room 1004
Instructor: Prof. W. Steven Holbrook Office: ESB 3016
Office Hours: M 2-3 pm, W 10 am-11 am,
Th 3-4 pm, or by appt.
Phone: 766-2427
Email: steveh@uwyo.edu
TA: Max Garnier Office: ESB 2001
Office Hours: Tues 2-4 pm
Phone: 766-3363
Email: mgarnier@uwyo.edu
Brief Course description:
The
goal of this course is to introduce you to the properties and processes of the
world’s oceans. We will cover the
four main aspects of oceanography:
geological, physical, chemical, and biological.
Textbooks and Reading Materials:
The
required textbook for this class is Essentials
of Oceanography, by Alan P. Trujillo and Harold V. Thurman, 10th
Edition, published by Pearson/Prentice Hall. Many of the labs will be taken from Laboratory Exercises in Oceanography, by Bernard W. Pipkin et al.,
3rd Edition (Freeman), which you may purchase if you like. The textbook should be available at the
University bookstore; if you wish to purchase used copies of the book from an
online reseller, you may do so on your own. Reading assignments from the books will be given in
class.
In addition, lecture notes and supplementary reading materials may be handed out occasionally. You are responsible for reading all handouts and knowing the material in them, unless otherwise instructed in class.
Course Communication: Website and Twitter
My primary (and preferred) means of communicating with you outside of class will be via email. Please do check your email regularly.
I will maintain a course website, containing course information, lecture files, homework assignments, etc. You can find the website here:
http://steveholbrook.com/teaching/geology_2070/
In addition, I will maintain a Twitter account (@WyoGeoProf) from which I’ll be tweeting information about the course and re-tweeting interesting tidbits (news and discoveries) on oceanography. You aren’t required to follow the Twitter feed (I will cross-post any critical information by email), but I hope that you will.
Course requirements:
Attendance. There is no strict attendance policy for lectures; however,
it may be difficult to do well on the tests if you haven't attended the
lectures. Lab attendance is
necessary and required in order to conduct the planned activities and prepare
lab reports.
One-on-one
conferences. In the week after the
first midterm, I will schedule one-on-one conferences (15 minutes) for each of
you to meet individually with me. This
will give you a chance to ask questions, air complaints, and provide feedback
on how you would like to see the class progress. I take the advice and feedback students give me very
seriously and strive to incorporate it during the semester.
Grades. Your grade will be based on four main components: quizzes, tests, homework/lab reports,
and the final exam. Grades will be
weighted in the following proportions:
Quizzes = 10%
Three tests = 8,
10, 12% of grade
Comprehensive Final = 15%
Homework/Lab reports = 40%
Instructor Discretion = 5%
Quizzes. Quizzes will be unannounced. They will not be difficult, but to do well you will have to
read the assigned readings.
Tests and
Final Exam. The three test scores
will be weighted according to your performance -- i.e., your lowest score will
only count 8%, while your best score will count for 12% of your final
grade. Each midterm will only test
the material covered since the previous midterm. You may bring one 8.5” x 11” sheet of notes to the exams, but
you may write notes on only one side of that sheet.
The final examination will be comprehensive and will be held on Monday, April 30, from 10:15-12:15, in Room 318.
Please double-check the date and make
your end-of-semester travel plans accordingly; no make-up final exam will be given without a
University-excused absence (as per Unireg 6-403). Please don’t ask me if you can take the final exam early;
the answer will be “no.” You will
be permitted to bring one 8.5” x 11” sheet of notes to the final, and you may
write notes on both sides of that sheet.
Missed or Late
Work. You will only be able to
make up missed quizzes, exams, and homeworks if you have a
university-authorized excused absence (as per Unireg 6-713). You need to present an official
authorization of absence from the university’s Dean of Students in order to
make up missed work. Work turned
in late (without prior consent of the instructor) will be docked points at a
rate of 10% per day.
Plagiarism. In any written work for this class (e.g., homework essays),
make sure you do NOT plagiarize.
The dictionary definition of plagiarism is "the wrongful
appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another
author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of
them as one's own original work."
It is a type of academic dishonesty, which has serious consequences for
you, as spelled out in Unireg 6-802, which I recommend you read. This
course will have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. If I detect plagiarism (and it is
usually easy to detect), you will receive a grade of “F” (zero) for that
assignment, and you may be reported to the Department Head and Dean for
academic dishonesty. Note that even
a single purloined sentence counts as plagiarism. Make sure all words in your writing are your own!
Disabilities. If you have a
physical, learning, or psychological disability and require accommodations,
please let me know as soon as possible.
You will need to register with, and provide documentation of your
disability to, University Disability Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, Room 330,
Knight Hall, 766-6189, TTY: 766-3073.
Students and Teachers Working Together. The College of
Arts & Sciences has produced a document called “Students and Teachers
Working Together” that describes expectations of both students and faculty
regarding such issues as classroom deportment, academic honesty, attendance,
office hours, and advising. I
encourage you to download this document from the URL listed below and read it
carefully.
http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/a&s/Current/2005Stud&TeachersWorking%20Together(7-29-05).doc
Here is the first paragraph of that document, which
describes the basic philosophy I will adhere to:
“At a good university, good student/teacher relationships come from mutual respect, trust, and honesty. Learning takes place when teachers and students treat each other with politeness and civility, rather than with anger, ridicule, or confrontation. Indeed, a classroom conducive to teaching and learning is the right of all University of Wyoming students and faculty, and it is the responsibility of both parties to achieve and maintain it even though specifics will vary from course to course.”
As an example of this ethos of mutual respect, I pledge to you that I will not read a
newspaper, check my email, or send text messages during class. I expect the same from you in return.
Exam Schedule:
• 3 Feb.
(Fri) Exam 1, Chapters 1-4
• 2 March
(Fri) Exam 2, Chapters 5-8
• 6 Apr.
(Fri) Exam 3, Chapters 9-12
• 30 April (Fri) Final Exam, Chapters 1-16
Course Content:
We will follow the following
approximate schedule:
Week 1: Introduction to Planet Earth
Week 2: Plate tectonics
Week 3: The seafloor and surveying
Week 4: Marine sediments
Week 5: Physical and chemical properties of
seawater
Week 6: Wind patterns and air-sea interaction;
hurricanes
Week 7: Surface currents; geostrophic currents;
Coriolis force
Week 8: Ocean waves; tsunami
Week 9: Tides
Week 10: Beach and shoreline
processes
Week 11: The coastal ocean
Week 12: Marine life and
ocean chemistry
Week 13: Biological
productivity and ocean ecology
Week 14: Pelagic marine
animals
Week 15: Benthic marine
animals
Time Permitting: The oceans and climate change