Undergraduate University Curriculum Committee
Course Proposal Form for Courses Numbered 0001 – 4999
(Faculty Senate Resolution #09-44, November 2009)
Guidelines for submission may be accessed via the web at:
www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/fsonline/cu/curriculum.cfm.
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
1.
Course Prefix and Number:
GEOG 2350
2.
Date:
2/7/2011
3.
Requested Action (Check only one type):
New Course
Check Required or
X
Elective
Required
Elective
Revision of Active Course
Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of Existing Course from:
#
to
#
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
5.
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
On-campus (face to face)
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
x
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
x
Justification for new course, revision, unbanking, or renumbering:
Global climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. In order to graduate
leaders that can recognize the global interdependence of cultures and environmental
systems, the Department of Geography proposes the following course in which students
from five to six universities around the world will explore together the complex scientific,
societal, technological and policy challenges involved in Global Climate Change. This
course is an important component of ECU’s Global Partners for Education project and
helps fulfill ECU’s Strategic Directions of ‘Education for a new century’ and ‘The
leadership University’. This innovative course format has been offered as GEOG 3230
(Global Climates) in Spring and Fall 2010 in partnership with the U.S. Department of State
and the Global Classroom experience. However in view of the fact that GEOG 3230 is a
required course for our new major in Applied Atmospheric Science we would like to
propose a new home for the international course, without prerequisites, at the 2000 level,
and with social science foundations credit. The course fulfills the basic social sciences
foundations curriculum goals in the sense that it gives students an opportunity to identify
a societal problem or issue related to climate change and work in highly interactive
groups to elaborate a solution or new understanding of the problem/issue that has multidisciplinary components. The international nature of the course will allow students to
develop a better understanding of the interrelationships of regional differences, social
behaviors, cultures, and climate change. The Honors College is very interested in
populating a 299 section (as was done in Fall 2010) with incoming honors students. This
course has been approved by the Geography Faculty.
6.
Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
2350. Climate Change: Science and Society (3) (FC: SO) Explores societal aspects of
contemporary climate change including communication of basic climate change
science, social science debates, human adaptation and mitigation strategies, and
international policy.
7.
If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
8.
If writing intensive (WI) credit is requested, the Writing Across the Curriculum
Committee must approve WI credit prior to consideration by the UCC.
9.
10.
Has this course been approved for WI credit (yes/no/NA)?
N/A
If Yes, will all sections be WI (yes/no/NA)?
N/A
If service-learning (SL) credit is requested, the Service-Learning Advisory Committee
must approve SL credit prior to consideration by the UCC.
Has this course been approved for SL credit (yes/no/NA)?
N/A
If Yes, will all sections be SL (yes/no/NA)?
N/A
If foundations curriculum (FC) credit is requested, the Academic Standards Committee
(ASC) must approve FC credit prior to consideration by the UCC.
If FC credit has been approved by the ASC, then check the appropriate box (check at
most one):
11.
English (EN)
Science (SC)
Humanities (HU)
Social Science (SO)
Fine Arts (FA)
Mathematics (MA)
Health (HL)
Exercise (EX)
Course Credit:
Lecture Hours
3
Weekly
or
Per Term
=
Credit Hours
3
s.h.
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.
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study):
Total Credit Hours
12.
Anticipated yearly student enrollment:
13.
Affected Degrees or Academic Programs:
14.
3
s.h.
16
Degree(s)/Course(s)
1.BA in Geography
PDF Catalog Page
1. 130
Change in Degree Hours
none
2.BS in Applied Geography
3. BS in Geographic Information
Science & Technology
2. 131
3. (not in current
pdf)
none
Overlapping or Duplication with Affected Units or Programs:
Not Applicable
X
15.
Applicable (Notification and/or Response from Units Attached)
Approval by the Council for Teacher Education (required for courses affecting teacher
education programs):
X
Not Applicable
Applicable (CTE has given their approval)
16.
Instructional Format: please identify the appropriate instructional format(s):
X
Lecture
X
Technology-mediated
Lab
X
Seminar
Studio
Clinical
Practicum
Colloquium
17.
Internship
Other (describe below):
Student Teaching
Students from 5 to 6 countries (U.S., Brazil, India,
Mexico, Russia and China) will meet weekly online
using virtual meeting software.
Statements of Support:
(Please attach a memorandum, signed by the unit administrator, which addresses the
budgetary and staff impact of this proposal.)
X
Current staff is adequate
Additional staff is needed (describe needs below):
X
Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs below):
X
Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (give a brief explanation and estimate for cost of acquisition
of required resources below):
X
Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition below):
X
ITCS Resources are not needed
Following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Describe any computer or networking requirements of this program that are not
currently fully supported for existing programs (Includes use of classroom, laboratory,
or other facilities that are not currently used in the capacity being requested).
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
18.
Syllabus – please insert course syllabus below. Do not submit course syllabus as a
separate file. You must include (a) the citation of the textbook chosen for the course, (b)
the course objectives, (c) the course content outline, and (d) the course assignments and
grading plan. Do not include instructor- or semester-specific information in the syllabus.
Climate Change: Science and Society
GEOG 2350 (3 credit hours)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
2350. Climate Change: Science and Society (3) (F) (FC: SO) Explores societal aspects of contemporary climate change
including communication of basic climate change science, social science debates, human adaptation and mitigation
strategies, and international policy.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Dire Predictions – Understanding Global Warming, ME Mann and LR Kump, DK Publishing Inc., New York, NY, 2009, 208
pp., ISBN 978-0-1360-4435-2.
COURSE PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:
This course meets the foundation curriculum goals for the social sciences. These goals are:
Goal 1. Students will learn the subject matter of at least one discipline in the Basic Social Sciences.
In this course we will explore the nature of global climate change through the unique interdisciplinary lens afforded by the
field of geography. We will integrate the study of impacts of past, present and future human activities upon the Earth’s
climate with a look at different ways societies around the world are coping with the local effects of climate change.
Goal 2. Students will learn the research methodology, principles and concepts required to understand and conduct
undergraduate-level research in a Basic Social Science. In this course students will learn quantitative and qualitative
methods that social science scholars and the policy community employs to address the problem of Global Climate
Change. They will implement methods to identify a challenge in Global Climate Change, produce the background research
necessary to understand what solution approaches have been tried in the past, and propose and design an innovative
solution.
Goal 3. Students will learn about the discipline’s contribution to general knowledge. In this course we will demonstrate
how the discipline of geography develops a spatial (and global) perspective on pressing Climate Change-related issues
such as environmental policy, resource conservation, multi-national cooperation, development, population growth,
technological change and innovation, and globalization.
This course may be taught with international partners using the ECU Global Classroom’s virtual teleconferencing
infrastructure involving participation with the U.S. Department of State and four international universities in countries
such as Brazil, China, India, and Mexico.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Describe the basic features of the earth’s climate system.

Evaluate strategies used by scientists to study and communicate global climate change to societies.

List the social, economic and political factors that may influence global climate change.

Identify the possible impacts of global climate change on human populations and societies.

Compare and contrast past, current and future efforts toward adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of climate
change.

Synthesize and evaluate national and international policymaking in response to climate change.

Work collaboratively in team settings to develop solutions in ways that demonstrate cross cultural awareness and
promote international cooperation.
Course Outline
Day
Foundation
Goals
Agenda
Week 1
1
ECU Administrative & Cultural Background lecture
Week 2
1
Lecture: Climate Science
Lecture: Climate Science
Lecture: Climate Science
Week 3
1
Lecture: Social and Political Context
Lecture: Planning and Policy
Lecture: Planning and Policy
Week 4
1,2,3
Week 5
1,2,3
Week 6
2
Week 7
2
Week 8
1,2,3
Student Group Work
Student Group Work
Local Student Presentations
Topic 2: Mitigation Policies and Technology of Climate Change
Repeat of Jan 31 – Feb 4 on Topic 2
Week 9
2
Repeat of Feb 7-11 on Topic 2
Quiz #2 on Monday
Week 10
2
Repeat of Feb 14-18 on Topic 2
ECU absent on March 8 – 12
Week 11
1,2,3
Topic 3: Adaptation to Climate Change
Repeat of Jan 31 – Feb 4 on Topic 2
Week 12
2
Repeat of Feb 7-11 on Topic 3
Quiz #3 on Monday
Week 13
2
Week 14
1,2,3
Lecture : Consensus Building
Lecture : Consensus Building
Student Activity on Consensus Building
Topic 1: Science and Impacts of Climate Change
Lecture by local expert
Prominent Speaker
4-country expert roundtable
Quiz #1 on Monday, Student Group Work begins
Student Group Work
Student Group Work
Repeat of Feb 14-18 on Topic 3
Topic 4: Multi-lateral and Global Actions
Repeat of Jan 31 – Feb 4 on Topic 2
Assignments
1. Due to the collaborative nature of this course ATTENDANDE IS MANDATORY and counts for 10% of your final grade.
2. Group Work Assignments
Students will work in groups with each group being assigned to a different non-US country. Each student group will write
a project plan for solving a challenging issue in Climate Change that engages with perspectives from its assigned country,
engages with perspectives from the US, and demonstrates successful practices of international dialog as part of the
project plan. Final project plans will be posted on the course’s blog website.
3. Quizzes
There will be a total of four quizzes. Quizzes will be based on local expert and prominent speaker lectures, and reading
assignments.
4. Ecological Footprint
During the first week of the course student groups will work on a project that: 1. defines the concept of “ecological
footprint”, 2. examining methods to quantify ecological footprints for different countries, 3. compares quantified
ecological footprints for a selected set of countries.
5. Comprehensive Final Exam
GRADING Plan
A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = < 60
GRADED ITEMS
WEIGHT
ATTENDANCE
10%
GROUP PROJECT PLAN AND FINAL PRESENTATION
50 %
4 QUIZZES AND ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT PROJECT
20 %
FINAL EXAM
20 %