Atmospheric Sciences 170A1 Sect. 2
Introduction to Weather & Climate
Course Information for Fall 2017

In this general education course we will review and make use of basic scientific concepts to explore and try to better understand a variety of topics including: the collection and analysis of weather data and weather prediction; air pollution; solar radiation, energy transport and the greenhouse effect; climate change; humidity, clouds and the formation of precipitation; forces that determine air motions, wind patterns, and storms; severe weather such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning, and hurricanes.  I hope this course will increase your appreciation of the world around you and enhance your ability to read, understand, discuss, and critically analyze scientific topics of current interest and concern. 

Class Hours: Tue. & Thu., 8:00 - 9:15 am     Room:  ILC 130
Text: There is no required text for this class.
         A packet of photocopied ClassNotes is required. (available at the ASUA Bookstore)

Instructor: Chuck Weidman (PAS 588a, 621-2593, weidman@atmo.arizona.edu)
Office Hours:  MWF 10:30 - 11:30 am, T Th 11:00 - 11:30 am; T Th 2 - 3 pm; other times by appointment
Class webpage: www.atmo.arizona.edu (click on the courses link found in the upper center portion of the page)
Teaching Assistant(s) (Office Hours): to be determined


Lectures: Regular, frequent attendance is encouraged but not required. A detailed set of lecture notes will appear online (if not before each class then 12 - 24 hours after class).  Everyone should read through these notes even if you were in class as they often contain some additional material.  There may be occasional, unannounced, activities in class that you will miss if you aren't there.  Lecture notes from past semesters are also available on the atmo.arizona.edu site.

Student Responsibilities: Keep an open mind.  Be an active participant by thinking about what you are hearing and writing as you take notes in class, keeping up with the online class notes, completing and turning in assignments on time, and asking questions about confusing class or reading material.

You are expected to follow the University of Arizona Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Academic Integrity.

Quizzes: A large part of your grade will be based on four quizzes given during the semester. The quizzes will contain a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, and discussion-type questions. Most of the questions will be over material covered since the preceding quiz, some questions may test you on basic concepts from earlier in the semester. There may also be questions covering material in the online notes or from assigned reading that wasn't covered in class. Makeup quizzes are given when circumstances warrant but the makeup quiz must generally be taken before the graded quizzes are returned in class.  Please bring a picture ID with you on quiz days.

Quiz Dates: Sep. 14 (Practice Quiz), Sep. 28, Oct. 19, Nov. 9, & Nov. 30. These should all be Thursdays.  A Study Guide will appear online about 1 week before each quiz.  One hour review sessions will be scheduled late Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon before each quiz.  Copies of quizzes and the final exam from a previous, similar, course can be downloaded from the class webpage for use as a study aid.

Writing Assignments: A variety of types of required written work will be assigned during the semester. Some writing assignments may include data analysis and simple mathematical calculations.  You'll find more information on the Writing Requirements page.

In some cases you will be able to revise and resubmit your work after having received feedback from the instructor. The percentage grade that you receive on the entire body of written work will have the same weight as one quiz grade.

Final Exam: Scheduled for Thu., Dec. 14 from 8 - 10 am in ILC 130 (be sure to double check the UA website to confirm this date and time).  The final exam will contain about 50 questions that cover the entire course. The questions will be similar (in some cases identical) to those given on the quizzes.

Extra Credit: There will be many opportunities for earning extra credit during the semester (probably both in-class and take-home assignments, and occasionally unannounced assignments that are hidden in the online notes).

Grading: I make this complicated (so that you can't figure it out on your own); there are two possibilities:

(1) If your average grade (all 4 quizzes and your writing assignments grade) plus extra credit is 90.0% or more, you won't have to take the final exam, and you will receive an A in the class. [Note: 89.9% is not the same as 90.0%]

(2) If you don't meet the requirement above, the lowest quiz score is dropped. Your three highest quiz scores and the writing assignments grade will be averaged together and extra credit will be added.

The average score determined in (2) above and your final exam score will then be used to determine your overall grade. If your final exam score is high enough that it will raise your overall grade, the final exam will count as 40% of your grade. If the final exam score acts to lower your grade, it will count 20%.

Letter grades are determined using the following scale:
A: 90.0% or more       B: 80.0% to 89.9%        C: 70.0% to 79.9%        D: 60.0% to 69.9%        E: less than 60.0%

Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy:  The University of Arizona is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination and harassment. 

Accessibility and Accommodations:  It is the University's goal to make every part of the learning experience as accessible as possible.  If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers, please let me know so that we can discuss options.  You may also wish to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations.