GEOG 438W Syllabus

Geography 438W: Human Dimensions of Global Warming
Spring 2024

This syllabus is divided into several sections. It is essential that you read the entire document as well as the material covered in the Course Orientation. Together these serve as our course "contract."

Instructor

Phill Becker, Instructor
Dutton Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University

• E-mail: Please use the course e-mail system in Canvas.
• Office Hours: online via Zoom, by appointment
• Note: I’ll check email, discussion forums, submission comments, etc. at least once per day during the work week (Monday through Friday) and as time permits on weekends. In other words, even if you plan to do the bulk of your work over the weekend, it is prudent you submit questions to me by Friday to ensure I'm able to respond with enough time for you to utilize my answers to your questions for on-time submissions by Sunday night.

Class Support Services

Penn State Online offers online tutoring to World Campus students in math, writing, and some business classes. Tutoring and guided study groups for residential students are available through Penn State Learning.

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Course Overview

Course Description: 

Human dimensions of global environmental change: human causes; human adaptations; and policy implications of global warming. A writing-intensive course that concentrates on the human-environment interactions involved in contemporary and future global warming.

Prerequisites and concurrent courses: 

(EARTH 2, GEOG 10 or METEO 3) and GEOG 30N

Students who do not meet these prerequisites may be disenrolled according to Administrative Policy C-5 if they do not have the proper prerequisite override. If you have not completed the listed prerequisites, then promptly consult with the instructor if you have not done so already. Students who add the course after being disenrolled, according to this policy, are in violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

Geography 438W is a writing-intensive course that concentrates on the human-environment interactions involved in contemporary and future global warming. The course is divided into three units which approach the human-centered challenges of a changing climate from the following perspectives:

• Unit 1 is all about where we are with climate change currently. We'll take a close look at how we got here and how we might change course as well.
• Unit 2 will show us where it's going and how that changing climate is manifesting in ways that have impacts. Climate change isn't all about polar bears drifting sadly on little chunks of ice.  Climate change impacts our health, our ability to grow food, our access to clean and plentiful drinking water, our weather, our ecosystems and our economy. We'll also look at how to create resiliency and adaptations to the changes we're facing.
• Unit 3 will give us the chance to imagine where we want to be. We'll look at climate futures and what it means to be sustainable. We'll think about the role of our own thoughts, opinions, and actions in addressing this planetary challenge.

Course Goals and Objectives

By the end of our semester, you will have broad understanding of the human dimensions of global warming, better writing ability, and improved critical reading skills. We're going to be busy!

When you complete this course successfully, you will be prepared to: 

• Explain the human causes of climate change and the potential mitigation alternatives for these causes;
• Examine human vulnerability to and adaptation to climate change impacts and how these vary across space, populations, and other variables;
• Write well-organized, thoroughly supported, and critical discussions of complex issues related to the human dimensions of climate change.

Ultimate course goal:  May-You is a better writer and science communicator than January-You.  Let's get started!

Course content and expectations

Why exactly are we writing so much?

I'm glad you asked!  This class carries the W designation as a writing-intensive course.  This means that this course must adhere to specified criteria governing all writing-intensive courses across the university. Click through to learn more about these criteria.  Or, read more about it in our Course Resources: The W in 438W.

What are my writing goals for you?

• Leave this class a stronger writer than you started. You're only competing with yourself!
• Edit your own writing more effectively.
• Learn to manage the process of writing and recognize and respond to time management pitfalls.

Writing Assignment Design

We're going to do a few different types of writing throughout this class.  To ensure we balance our efforts on writing mechanics and content mastery, we'll focus as follows:

1. Write to Learn - casual responses to weekly prompts to think about climate change from a personal perspective. These are not graded based on their writing quality, but instead just on your thinking about the topic.
2. Learn to Write - the Climate Change in My Community project will be graded for writing quality, editorial process, and content mastery.  This is a more formal writing assignment we'll undertake throughout the semester.

Writing as a Developmental Process

I think this might be the most exciting criteria for writing-intensive courses. Writing is inherently an iterative process.  None of us sits down at a computer and types out a perfectly eloquent piece of writing on the first try.  We have to throw something down, let it simmer, revisit it, and revise.  (And then rinse and repeat that process.)  We'll focus on this for the project in 2 ways: 

1. completing self-assessments - reflecting on the experience of writing your papers also helps you understand how you arrived at your finished exam and helps me see where we can target our efforts on future assignments to improve upon areas of struggle
2. revising and resubmitting - each unit you'll submit revisions to the previous unit(s) components and by the end of the semester, you'll have a polished finished project!

Instructor Feedback

You are guaranteed in this writing-intensive course to get detailed, constructive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing.  Added bonus, you can also contact your campus Writer In Residence for additional help with your writing for this course.  See Writing Tutoring.

25% minimum toward course grade

In this course, it's a 50/50 split between writing-based assignments and other assessments.  This gives everyone ample chance to shine, no matter your preferred learning style. The project components (45%) and climate future assignment (5%) make up the writing-based assignments and the weekly content quizzes (35%), write to learn discussions (10%), and self-assessments (5%) constitute the non-writing assignments.

On average, most students spend eight to ten hours per week working on course assignments. Your workload may be more or less depending on your study habits. If you stick to our schedule and stay connected and engaged, you’re going to be successful in this class.

Specific learning objectives for each lesson and project are detailed within each lesson. The class schedule is published on the Canvas Calendar. Assigned readings are included in the Canvas modules.

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Required Course Materials

All materials needed for this course are presented online through our course website and in Canvas. In order to access all materials, you need to have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password (used to access the online course resources). If you have any questions about obtaining or activating your Penn State Access Account and are a World Campus student, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk. If you are a resident education student, please contact the ITS Help Desk.

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Assessment Policy: Assignments, Quizzes, and Exams

Grading Policy

The course has 3 units with a total of 12 lessons. We will spend one week on each lesson. At the end of eachunit, you’ll submit a portion of the semester-long Climate Change in My Community project as well as a self-assessment of your writing progress. You’ll have a work week to devote exclusively to this project at the end of each unit.

Climate Change in My Community Writing Project – 45%

Three unit-based components of the written project. Each unit is worth a bit more than the last, recognizing that your writing skills are developing over the course of the semester. Unit 1 (10%), Unit 2 (15%), and Unit 3 (20%). Additionally, students will have the opportunity after Units 1 and 2 to revise their submissions based on instructor feedback and resubmit for additional partial credit.

Writing Self-Assessments – 5%

At the end of each unit, students will complete a self-assessment for your performance on the unit’s project submission. This is an opportunity to reflect on the areas in your writing (both mechanics and process) with which you struggle and those you feel you’re improving through continued practice in the course. You'll also complete a "cognitive wrapper" reflection after each unit's submission is returned to you. This is another opportunity to reflect and to really think about the writing you've done and your practice as the course continues. 

Lesson Content Quizzes – 35%

Writing is not the only way you’ll have the chance to demonstrate your understanding of the course material. Each lesson contains a timed content quiz in Canvas which will ask questions related to the course content and assigned readings. Quizzes are open notes! You are welcome to utilize your own notes, the course website, and our assigned readings as you work through these time quizzes. Please be cautioned against interpreting this as a free pass not to read the material in advance. You will not be successful at synthesizing complex themes you’ve not yet reviewed in the allotted time. There are 12 weekly quizzes. Your lowest score will automatically drop from course grade calculation.

Write to Learn Discussions – 10%

This course goes beyond just establishing good writing mechanics, though. We’ll also be writing to learn, not just learning to write. Each week, there’s a discussion-based question prompt to consider which helps you connect the larger, sometimes abstract themes we’re studying into your own life. These brief write-ups will not be graded for writing quality, but instead represent an opportunity for you to get your thoughts out about the topics we’re discussing without feeling the pressure of creating a masterful piece of writing. These prompts are intended to help you personally connect to the material and engage with your classmates. There are 12 weekly write to learn discussion opportunities – you’re asked to complete just 6.

Our Climate Future – 5%

At the end of the semester, we’ll take a step back to imagine (and write about) what our climate future might look like based on what you learn throughout the semester.

Grading Scale

Letter grades will be based on the following percentages (percentages refer to the proportion of all possible points earned by the student).

Letter Grade and Corresponding Percentage

Letter Grade	Percentages
A	93 - 100 %
A-	90 - 92.9 %
B+	87 - 89.9 %
B	83 - 86.9 %
B-	80 - 82.9%
C+	77 - 79.9 %
C	70 - 76.9 %
D	60 - 69.9 %
F	< 60 %

Because we already drop lowest scores in a few areas and you have the ability revise and resubmit writing assignments, I do not round course grades or offer extra credit. Try your best on all assigned work.

• C or better required to count toward ESP degree requirements

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Course Policies