Class Hours and Location:    Section 13: 9:00 AM - 9:50 AM (MWF) in ILC 120.

 

Instructor: Prof. Christopher L. Castro (email: castro@atmo.arizona.edu), PAS 520, 626-5617.

 

Teaching Assistants:  Matthew Clarkson, Anita Annamalai (see home page for contract information)

 

Office Hours: Prof. Castro: MW 2:00-2:50 pm, but subject to change with advance notice, or by appointment.  Teaching assistants:  See homepage.

 

Required Text:  Meteorology Today, Ninth ed. or Eighth ed., by C. Donald Ahrens

 

Course Description: An introduction to the science of weather and climate, including such topics (time permitting) as the atmospheric composition, energy balance, wind systems, genesis of fronts and cyclones, precipitation processes, clouds, severe weather, weather prediction and optical phenomena. Emphasis will be given to phenomena that have strong impacts on human activities and economic livelihood such as tornadoes, hurricanes, El Niño, global warming and climate change, ozone depletion, and air pollution. The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry and mathematics to the atmospheric sciences will be explored.

 

Grading Policy and Exam Dates: Grades will be computed as follows: 1) Three midterm exams: 45% (15% per exam); 2) Writing and lab assignments: 30% (15% each); 3) Final exam: 20%; and 4) Class participation: 5%.   Midterm examinations will consist of approximately 25-40 total questions in a multiple choice and short answer format. Extra credit questions may appear on some exams. Each exam will cover new material presented up through the end of the previous lecture period.  The examinations will be given on Monday September 20, Friday October 22, and Friday November 19. The time for exams is 9:00 am sharp.  Students who arrive late on exam dates, where late is defined as arriving after the first student turns in her/his exam, will not be not allowed to take the exam.  Bring your CAT CARD on exam days.  The final is Friday, December 17, 8:00 am-10:00 am in 120 ILC.  No Exceptions.  Bring your CAT CARD to the final. The final will consist of approximately 40-60 multiple-choice questions and short answer questions.  Approximately half of these will be taken verbatim from the old exams. 

 

A student may be allowed to take an exam at an alternate time and/or hand assignments after their due date provided one of the following conditions: 1) Involvement in university-sponsored activities on exam or assignment due dates or 2) If extenuating personal circumstances (e.g. illness).  Appropriate and verifiable documentation will be required by any student requesting to take their exam at an alternate time or hand in an assignment late in ALL cases. 

 

A student who receives 89% or greater on all three term exams and two assignments at the end of the term will also receive 100% for their participation grade, an “A” for the course, and is exempt from the final exam.  If the final exam grade is one letter grade above the average of the three term exams, the lowest score of these dropped and final exam is worth 35% of the final grade.  A student may also miss one of the midterms without penalty, in which case the final exam is mandatory and is worth 35% of the final grade.  Individual exams may be curved at the discretion of the instructor.  There will be no extra credit projects, so plan accordingly.

 

COURSE GRADING SCALE

A = ≥ 90.00%         B = 89.99-80.0%        C = 79.99-65.0%        D = 64.99-55.0%    

E = Below 55.0%

 

Expectations: The reading assignments for each day's lecture are listed on the course website prior.  You are expected to complete the assigned reading before the lecture. Unless you hear otherwise, you are always responsible for the reading material. You are invited to ask questions about the material during lecture, office hours or review sessions. Per University policy, I expect every student to devote a minimum of two hours outside of class to studying, reading, etc. for every contact hour in classroom. See http://catalog.arizona.edu/2008-09/policies/enrpol.htm#unit.

 

Honors Credit: This course is available for honors credit to qualified Honors Students.  Please contact the instructor for further information.

 

Attendance and Assignment Submission Policy: Attendance is mandatory. Class participation and attendance will be monitored through the occasional use of electronic devices. After three unexcused absences, I reserve the right to issue an administrative drop (prior to the end of week 8) in accord with University of Arizona (UA) policy. http://catalog.arizona.edu/2008-09/policies/classatten.htm.   Writing and lab assignments will be collected electronically through D2L.  The assignment drop box will be open until 5:00 pm of the due date of an assignment.  Late assignment submissions to D2L will not be accepted. All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion if the instructor is given reasonable notice. Absences for participation in university-sponsored activities will be honored if the instructor is given reasonable advance notice. Students are responsible for all material missed in class.  See Grading Policy regarding missed examinations or late assignments.

 

Academic Integrity: The UA Code of Academic Integrity, Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct are strictly followed. All students are responsible for knowing the codes and abiding by them. See http://web.arizona.edu/~dos/uapolicies/. In particular, cheating will not be tolerated—and I reserve the right to issue student suspected of cheating a failing grade for the entire course.  You can submit complaints about fellow students online at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/index.html. Your submission is completely anonymous, and I will investigate the allegations further. 

 

Classroom Behavior: Every student is expected to behave as a courteous adult and in manner consistent with enhancing the educational experience of your peer students. You are expected to not talk with your neighbors during class, to turn off electronic devices (e.g. cell phones, pagers, blackberries, iPods, mp3’s, etc.), and to remain seated until I dismiss the class. Destructive behavior in the classroom or any perceived threatening behavior toward fellow students or the teaching staff will be dealt with swiftly and accordingly (See UA Policy http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml). Please note that I always carry my cell, and a 911 call is no more than five seconds away.

 

Disability Resource Center: If a student is registered with the Disability Resource Center, I must receive appropriate documentation if he/she is requesting reasonable accommodations.

 

Literacy Requirements: There is a science literacy requirement. This means that scientific notation is used for writing numbers (especially rather large or small ones).  We specify units for all physical quantities (e.g. meters for length, seconds for time, kilograms for mass, etc.). We attempt to quantify physical relationships based on data, simple reasoning and the governing laws of physics.

 

Course Withdrawal: Last day to drop the course without it appearing on your record is Friday, September 17, 2010. Last day to drop the course with a "W'' grade is Friday, October 15, 2010. To receive a W, your average grade at the time you drop must equal or exceed 55%.

 

 

Syllabus

Objective Analysis in the Atmospheric and Related Sciences

MWF 2:00 P.M.—2:50 A.M. PAS 488

NATS 101, Section 13: Introduction to Weather and Climate

Fall Semester 2010

MWF 9:00 A.M.—9:50 A.M.  ILC 120