Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
for Courses Numbered 5000 and Higher
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
Submission guidelines are posted to the GCC Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gcc/index.cfm
1. Course prefix and number:
2. Date:
GEOG6525
09/28/2013
3. Requested action:
X
New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from
to
#
Required
X
#
Elective
4. Method(s) of delivery (check all boxes that apply for both current/proposed and expected
future delivery methods within the next three years):
Current or
Proposed Delivery
Method(s):
X
On-campus (face to face)
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
X
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
5. Justification. Identify the committee or group (e.g., Graduate faculty of the Department of
English) that conducted the assessment of curriculum and student learning. Explain why the
unit wishes to offer or revise the course. Include specific results from the unit assessment that
led to the development or modification of the course. If applicable, cite any accrediting
agency/ies and reference the specific standard/s. Indicate the graduate faculty of your unit have
reviewed and approved this proposal.
This course is designed for students who are pursuing a Masters in
Geography and conducting research projects in the Applied Atmospheric
Sciences. As the number of Geography graduate students interested in
Applied Atmospheric Science research rises, demand for graduate level
courses in Atmospheric Sciences is increasing. This course will help fulfill
this increased demand. Advanced dynamic meteorology provides students
the mathematics and fluid dynamics tools for understanding the structure
and circulation of the atmosphere responsible for weather and climate. This
course has been approved by the graduate faculty.
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
6. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
GEOG 6525- Advanced Dynamic Meteorology
3
Applications of the governing equations of the atmosphere to advanced
inquiry of atmospheric waves and extratropical cyclones.
7. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
8. Course credit:
Lecture Hours
3
3
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
Lab
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Studio
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Practicum
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Internship
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
Total Credit Hours
9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:
s.h.
3
5
10. Changes in degree hours of your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
None
11. Affected degrees or academic programs, other than your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
None
12. Overlapping or duplication with affected units or programs:
X Not applicable
Documentation of notification to the affected academic degree programs is
attached.
13. Council for Teacher Education (CTE) approval (for courses affecting teacher education):
X Not applicable
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
s.h.
s.h.
14. Service Learning Committee (SLC) approval:
X Not applicable
Applicable and SLC has given their approval.
15. Statements of support:
a. Staff
X Current staff is adequate
Additional staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):
b. Facilities
X Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):
c. Library
X
Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):
d. Unit computer resources
X
Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
e. ITCS resources
X
ITCS resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Software
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
16. Course information (see: Graduate Curriculum and Program Development Manual for
instructions):
a. Textbook(s) and/or readings: author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and
city/state/country. Include ISBN (when applicable).
Holton and Hakim, 2012: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, 5th Edition,
Academic Press, 552 pp, ISBN: 9780123848666 (REQUIRED). ISBN9780123848666
b. Course objectives for the course (student – centered, behavioral focus)
If this is a 5000-level course that is populated by undergraduate and graduate students,
there must be differentiation in the learning objectives expected.
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
 Explain the mechanisms for the formation, maintenance and propagation
of midlatitude cyclones that cause midlatitude weather.
 Interpret observations of real-world midlatitude cyclones in terms of their
dynamical mechanisms.
 Explain the role of tropical atmospheric waves in geostrophic adjustment.
 Write simple programs in MATLAB.
 Perform simulations of atmospheric phenomena (e.g. growth and decay of
baroclinic waves, propagation and structure of tropical waves and
geostrophic adjustment in the tropics) using simple MATLAB computer
models.
c. Course topic outline
The list of topics should reflect the stated objectives.
1. MATLAB programming basics,
2. Potential vorticity and its conservation,
3. Derivation of the Quasi-Geostrophic Equations,
4. Baroclinic wave development and propagation,
5. Atmospheric waves: gravity waves, Rossby waves, Kelvin waves, mixed
Rossby-gravity waves,
6. Geostrophic adjustment in the tropics.
d. List of course assignments, weighting of each assignment, and grading/evaluation system
for determining a grade
Assignments
ASSIGNMENT
WEIGHT
MIDTERM #1
20 %
MIDTERM #2
20 %
FINAL
20 %
HOMEWORKS
EXERCISES
&
MATLAB 30 %
FINAL PAPER & PRESENTATION
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013
10 %
Grading
Letter Grade
A
B
C
F
Grade
90-100
80-89
70-79
<70
Approved by GCC April 2013 and posted fall of 2013