Course Outline Geography Winter Instructor Danny Blair climateguy gmail

							                                        Course Outline
                             Geography 23.3204/3-001, Winter 2006

Instructor:     Danny Blair (5L05, 786-9236)
                climateguy@gmail.com
                http://dannyblair.uwinnipeg.ca
Lectures:       Tuesdays/Thursdays 1:00 – 2:15 pm, Room 4CM13
Textbook:       Global Warming: The Complete Briefing (3rd ed.), John Houghton
                Additional required readings will be provided.

Course Description:

The causes and characteristics of regional and global climate change and variability will be
examined, as will be the methods of reconstructing climate histories. Emphasis will be placed on
the North American experience. Topics will include atmospheric teleconnections (e.g., El Niño
and La Niña), global warming and climate forecasting.

Course Objectives:

To familiarize students with the means by which climates change and vary over a wide variety of
time scales. The evidence for climate change will be evaluated, as will the evidence for ongoing
climate change related to human activity.

Topics and Readings:

    •   The first three weeks, or so, of the course will deal with climate variability, especially
        that related to teleconnections and that which provides context for the rest of the course
        dealing with climate change. Most of the course will be used to discuss the evidence for
        anthropogenic climate change (global warming), and to discuss the mitigation and
        adaptation strategies in place or planned to deal with the problem. The Canadian
        situation will be highlighted as appropriate.
    •   Readings from the textbook will be assigned on a regular basis.
    •   The instructor will also be providing the class with journal articles, reports and web links
        via WebCT, the course web page and burned CDs.
    •   Students are expected to keep up with the readings, so that they may participate in class
        discussions.
    •   Students will be responsible for all assigned readings (i.e., for exams), unless otherwise
        instructed.

Very briefly, the topics that will be covered to some extent include:
   • Climate variability vs climate change
   • The role of teleconnections
   • Climates of the past
   • Reconstructing climates
   • The global warming process
   • The politics of global warming
   • Climate modeling
    •   The nature of uncertainty
    •   Mitigation and adaptation

Grading:

Short Paper on Climate Variability (Assigned Jan. 19; Due Feb. 9)                 10%
Midterm Exam (Feb. 23)                                                            20%
Larger Paper on Climate Change (Assigned Feb. 9; Due Mar. 30)                     30%
Final Exam (Apr. 18, 9:00 am)                                                     40%

Final letter grades will be assigned on the basis of accumulated scores from the writing
assignments, midterm test, and final exam. If you miss a test or an assignment deadline you must
provide proof of illness or exceptional circumstances or you will be assigned a score of zero on
that component. Detailed explanations of the writing assignments will be provided when they are
assigned. Late assignments will be penalized at the rate of 10% per day.

Important Dates:

Winter Term Lectures Begin:                                      Tuesday January 3
Climate Variability Paper Assigned:                              Thursday January 19
Climate Variability Paper Due:                                   Thursday February 9
Climate Change Paper Assigned:                                   Thursday February 9
Reading Week (no classes):                                       February 13-17
Midterm Exam                                                     February 23
Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty:                   Friday March 3
Last Day of Lectures for this Course:                            Thursday March 30
Climate Change Paper Due:                                        Thursday March 30
Winter Term Lectures End:                                        Monday April 3
Final Exam (9 am, 2 hours):                                      Tuesday April 18

Services for Students with Disabilities:

Students with documented disabilities requiring academic accommodations for tests/exams (e.g.,
private space) or during lectures/laboratories (e.g., access to volunteer note-takers) are
encouraged to contact Jess Roebuck, Coordinator of Disability Services (DS) at 786-9771 or
j.roebuck@uwinnipeg.ca, to discuss appropriate options. Specific information about DS is
available on-line at http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/services-disability. All information about
disability is confidential.

Senate Regulations:

Students are expected to conduct themselves according to the standards and regulations set out by
the University of Winnipeg. The University Senate draws your particular attention to the
following regulations published in the 2005-2006 General Calendar: Grading (Regulation VII-3);
Student Discipline (Regulation VII-7a Academic Misconduct & VII-7b Non- Academic
Misconduct); Appeals (Regulation VII-8 & VII-9).

The Instructor retains the right to make changes to the above course structure and procedures as
circumstances require.