Upper-division Writing Requirement Review Form (2/14)
I. General Education Review – Upper-division Writing Requirement
Dept/Program
Geosciences
Course # (i.e. ANTY
Subject
455) or sequence
Course(s) Title
Global Water
Description of the requirement if it is not a single course.
GEO 320
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
Nancy
Date
Hinman
Phone / Email
Program Chair
Dean
nancy.hinman@
umontana.edu
5277
James Staub
Chris Comer
III. Type of request
New
Renew x
Reason for new course, change
or deletion
One-time Only
Change
Remove
IV Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description
This course provides a broad introduction to the chemistry of different water reservoirs (e.g.,
atmosphere, groundwater, seawater) in the hydrological cycle. Dissolved compounds are used
as tracers through hydrological cycle. Students are evaluated on assignments and class
participation. Students are expected to contribute relevant information to class discussions and
will be evaluated on the quality of such contributions. Writing assignments will be used to
evaluate students’ abilities to explain and critically evaluate concepts in the class.
GEO 320 Prereq. CHMY 121, 123, 141, or 143; WRIT 101; one writing (W) course. Fulfills
the Upper Division Writing Requirement. Water is necessary for life. Without it, life as we
know it cannot exist. This course discusses the chemistry of water as it moves through the
hydrological cycle. We discuss how water chemistry evolves through atmospheric water, rain
water, ground water, surface water, and sea water. Students will have an understanding of the
chemical attributes of water in major water reservoirs. Class discussions, formal and informal
writing assignments, a short laboratory experiment, and a field trip highlight examples of water
chemistry. Students will use excel to solve problems and will learn citation conventions
relevant for scientific writing.
V Learning Outcomes: Provide examples of how the course will support students in
achieving each learning outcome.
Identify and pursue
sophisticated questions for
academic inquiry
Find, evaluate, analyze, and
synthesize information
x Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
Students complete informal and formal, in-class and homework
exercises in which they learn to revise and refine their thesis
statements. Students discuss their underlying questions and learn to
restate their questions as hypotheses as they gain knowledge in the
subject matter.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
x Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
effectively and ethically from
diverse sources (see:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/libraryinformation-literacytables#Table2) Subject liaison
librarians are available to
assist you embed information
literacy into your course:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/node/115
#instructors
Manage multiple perspectives
as appropriate
Recognize the purposes and
needs of discipline-specific
audiences and adopt the
academic voice necessary for
the chosen discipline
Use multiple drafts, revision,
and editing in conducting
Dr. Barry Brown, Mansfield Science Librarian, holds a two-hour
session with students on finding and evaluating information ethically.
Sources include databases, online search engines, and online datasets.
Students review written work to determine whether and where
references are missing from the document.
Students discuss, review, and revise their analysis of sources during
group discussions, in response to written feedback, and in response to
individual discussions.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
x Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
Students prepare one practice piece and one graded piece in which
they must present, analyze, and synthesize data and information from
multiple sources. Students complete a lab exercise in which they must
synthesize lab results with current geological maps and literature.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
x Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
Students undertake three formal assignments that prepare them to
communicate in their field. First, they prepare an essay that would
form the basis of an abstract for a conference proceeding. Second, they
write and revise a literature review that would provide background for
a report, grant proposal, or publication. Third, they conduct a
laboratory experiment and write a lab report, the form of which is the
basis for all peer-reviewed scientific publications.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
x Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
inquiry and preparing written
work
Follow the conventions of
citation, documentation, and
formal presentation
appropriate to that discipline
Students are required to revise their literature review paper through
preparation of drafts. This constitutes the major formal writing
assignment for the course. In addition, students are required to edit
their and other work to gain specific technical skills required for
scientific writing.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
All formal and informal writing assignments must include suitable
references and citations. Students practice this by identifying where
citations are needed in their own and other work. Online reference
programs are used to format the bibliography.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
VI. Writing Course Requirements
Enrollment is capped at 25
students.
If not, list maximum course
enrollment. Explain how
outcomes will be adequately
met for this number of
students. Justify the request
for variance.
Briefly explain how students
are provided with tools and
strategies for effective writing
and editing in the major.
Enrollment is capped at 25 students.
Formally, the Writing Center director presents approaches to
developing and writing the major assignment in the course - a
literature review - around mid-semester after they have completed
two formal writing assignments. I provide the students with an
appropriate rubric and grading criteria for each formal assignment. I
provide the students with detailed feedback in response to their
writing based on the rubric and criteria.
Informally, students are required to answer essay questions
every week in response to chapter readings and an
accompanying questionnaire. Further, students engage in one of
three forms of communication and writing at least once per
week: 1) in-class, informal writing assignment on a topic from
the readings, possibly one to which students' responses on the
questionnaire were vague, 2) editing their own, each others', or
anonymous works either in-class or as homework assignments,
and 3) students practice in-class or as homework assignments
creating diagrams to (i) organize their ideas about the
relationships among processes, (ii) develop and organize their
thoughts for writing or for class presentation, and (iii) develop
figures for papers to assist the reader with understanding
difficult concepts (critical in the sciences). I provide the students
a weekly grammar or composition tip with examples presented
and evaluated in-class to improve their writing skills. I provide
them with examples of their three formal writing assignments,
including examples from their peers (student theses or draft
manuscripts) as well as published examples of peer-reviewed
articles and scientific reviews.
Which written assignment(s)
includes revision in response
to instructor’s feedback?
Students received feedback on every formal assignment.
Students are encouraged to revise a portion of the first two of
their formal assignments. Students are required to turn in a draft
of their literature review. I review the draft, and students are
required to revise the draft in response to my comments.
VII. Writing Assignments:
Please describe course assignments. Students should be required
to individually compose at least 20 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade
should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Quality of content and writing are
integral parts of the grade on any writing assignment.
Formal Graded Assignments
Three formal assignments:
Informal Ungraded
Assignments
1. one 500 to 600 word essay (2 p)
2. one manuscript (based on a lab report). Peerreviewed publications based on a laboratory report
format are the gold-standard for presenting
scientific results. (6-8 p)
3. One literature review, which forms the basis for
manuscript or proposal preparation. Students revise
their review and are graded on the final version and
incorporation of instructor’s comments. (10-12p)
1) descriptive writing (describe the hydrologic cycle)
2) editing (edit an essay)
3) short essay
4) targeted bibliography
5) written interpretation and description of data
6) Written description of concepts
Paste or attach a sample writing assignment, including instructions for students.
Geosciences 320
Essay Assignment
Requirements:
Include at least five, properly cited, properly formatted, primary references. These may be
articles or review articles in discipline journals. Or they may be articles in Annual Reviews in
Earth Sciences or Earth and Planetary Science Reviews. The citation style we will use is the
Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html).
In his article, Better Living Through Biogeochemistry, William Schlesinger articulates the need
for better understanding of biogeochemical cycling on scales relevant to natural systems. In
particular, he mentions the importance of stoichiometry in limiting the effects of proposed
human actions that would promote or prevent changes to coupled natural biogeochemical
cycles. At present, dust aerosols from deforestation, biomass burning, and industry increasingly
affect rain chemistry. Will such aerosols increase productivity or decrease it? The answer is not
an easy one.
Your essay should defend or refute the following statement:
Increased dust aerosol production will increase productivity in the North Pacific, Western
Equatorial Atlantic, or Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Your job is to persuade or dissuade your audience (the class) of the veracity of the statement.
There is quite a bit of leeway here. You could focus on the types of aerosols produced upwind
from one or all locations and argue that they are necessary for primary productivity. You could
focus on what nutrients (fertilizers) are deficient in each area. You could present a refined
position, such as ‘continentally derived aerosols would have a major impact on productivity in
the southern hemisphere because there is less land there’. You could look at the geographic
distributions and tie in annual precipitation rates. I would suggest that you do some background
reading before you refine your position. If you are unfamiliar with controls in marine
productivity, have a look at the Wikipedia page for a start http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_production. You will need to consider the components of
aerosols from continental sources, including natural and agricultural dust.
Discuss your topic with a partner before finalizing your topic. You should provide each other
feedback to fine tune your topic.
I suggest the following order to your approach:
1. Decide whether you agree or disagree with the statement.
2. Decide how to frame your thesis statement (topic first, your position second)
3. Conduct a literature search to find out more about the topic and better define your position.
4. Write the body of the essay (main points, subpoints). Insert citations as you go.
5. Write the introductory paragraph
6. Write the conclusions
8. Edit the essay – proofread it, watch for grammatical and structural flaws, watch for changes
in subject, tense, poor sentences, missing information.
7. Format the bibliographic references.
Geology 320
Literature Review Paper Assignment
Draft due on Moodle– (This draft is worth 10 % of the final score on your paper so DON’T
MISS IT)
Final Paper due at Final Exam
Length: 8 to 10 pages
Choose from the following topics:
1) Marine productivity - factors affecting marine productivity with an emphasis on required
nutrients, possibly iron fertilization
2) The soil critical zone - chemical weathering, soil formation, relationship between acid
concentration and weathering rates
3) Chemical processes occurring in estuaries
Goal: Explain the mechanics of how one of these systems (marine productivity, soil critical
zone, or estuaries) work at sufficient detail and with sufficient breadth to educate your peers on
this topic.
Objectives:
1) Conduct literature review to focus questions and provide context (library research to
better focus topic) (What can you find out about one of the topics that provokes your
interest?)
2) Identify primary question to be addressed in literature review (why are you reviewing
this material?)
3) Synthesize (organize) existing information for a peer-audience (give your audience the
background they need to understand the problem) (what do you need the reader to know
as background? As your ideas? What is take-away message?)
4) Summarize current views and describe conflicts or inconsistencies in reported theories
(guidance for future research) (What questions remain that you could answer with
additional field or laboratory research?)
Expectations:
This paper can either be a more in-depth analysis of your essay or can present a separate topic
at an appropriate level of analysis. The main goal is to more thoroughly develop a paper that
presents, reviews, and synthesizes an existing problem in hydrochemistry.
The paper should do three things: 1) define the problem for an audience of peers, 2) review
relevant literature to provide an outline of current knowledge and present a coherent picture of
the problem, and 3) synthesize the information into a summary, which may also include some
thoughts on remaining unresolved issues related to the problem.
You will be graded on the following criteria:

Issue; Identifying, focusing and exploring the issue, assumptions, and relationships for
analysis

Context; Context, scope, and assumptions of the issue, including background
information

Sources; Search, selection, and source-evaluation

Perspective; Presents own and alternative views and evidence

Conclusion; Framing the conclusions and pulling the work together

Communication; Writing skills, including word choice, sentence structure, information
hierarchy, connections
Please ask for clarification on any of these criteria.
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.
The syllabus must include the list of Writing Course learning outcomes above.
Paste syllabus here.
Geosciences 320: Global Water Cycle
Syllabus: Fall 2014
Instructor
Nancy Hinman
CHCB 316
406-243-5277
Office hours: M 3:00 – 4:00 pm, W 10-11 am, and by appointment
nancy.hinman@umontana.edu
Course Information
Meeting time: TR 5:10 – 7:00
Meeting place: CHCB 348 or alternative (to be decided at first class)
Text: Global Environment: Water, Air, and Geochemical Cycles by Berner, E.K. and
Berner, R.A. (2nd edition, 2012 (preferred) or 1st edition, 1995)
Moodle: We will use an online course supplement. Please be sure your official UM
address is functioning properly as I must use this address to communicate with you.
Objective: This course provides a broad introduction to the chemistry of different water
reservoirs (e.g., atmosphere, groundwater, seawater) in the hydrological cycle. Dissolved
compounds are used as tracers through hydrological cycle. The prerequisite is one
semester of college chemistry. Familiarity with the periodic table is required. Some
knowledge of rocks and minerals is desirable, but please see me if you need help with
this.
Evaluation: Students are evaluated on assignments and class participation. Students are
expected to contribute relevant information to class discussions and will be evaluated on
the quality of such contributions. Writing assignments will be used to evaluate students’
abilities to explain and critically evaluate concepts in the class.
Writing Assignments: Formal writing assignments will consist of one short essay (2
pages), one laboratory research paper (~6 – 8 pages), and one paper (10 – 12 pages). The
paper will be submitted, evaluated, returned, revised, and resubmitted for the final paper
grade. The grade will be based on the final document and on the degree to which
comments where addressed between the first and second versions. Informal writing
assignments in and out of class will be used to emphasize important concepts. Fifty
percent of the course grade will be based on written work; both content and quality of
writing will be evaluated.
Expectations: At the end of the semester, students are expected to have a general
understanding of how water picks up chemical attributes as it moves through the
hydrological cycle. Students will not become experts in any one topic but will have some
base from which to continue studies.
Approach: My general approach involves the description of chemical attributes of
different reservoirs of the hydrological cycle with discussion of how changes occur as
water moves from one to the next reservoir.
Late Work: Assignments, drafts, and papers are expected by 5 pm on the due date. Late
assignments will be accepted until two days after the due date with a 10 % penalty
assessed after grading.
Attendance: Students are expected to be in class. Absences affect the participation
portion of the grade.
Grading: Grades will be based on participation in class (15 %), assignments (35 %), and
writing assignments, including both papers and in-class assignments (50 %).
Points Percentage
Grade
90 - 100
A
80 - 89
70 - 79
55 - 69
< 54
B
C
D
F
Learning Outcomes for GEO 320







Describe the major processes controlling water chemistry in the environment
Understand the relationship between chemistry and water type or location
Evaluate the effects of human activities on the global water cycle
Identify and pursue more sophisticated questions for academic inquiry (W)
Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information effectively from diverse sources
Manage multiple perspectives as appropriate (W)
Recognize the purposes and needs of discipline-specific audiences and adopt the
academic voice necessary for the chosen discipline (W)
 Use multiple drafts, revision, and editing in conducting inquiry and preparing
written work (W)
 Follow the conventions of citation, documentation, and formal presentation
appropriate to that discipline (W)
 Develop competence in information technology and digital literacy (W)
Schedule:
Week
8/26, 28
9/2, 4
9/7
9/9, 11
9/16, 18
Topic
Hydrological cycle, Air chemistry
Aerosols 9/4 Mike McTee, Laboratory planning
Chapter
1, 2 (p.58)
2
Field trip to MPG Ranch – essay topic
Rain and atmospheric chemistry, Excel training
Biogeochemical Cycling, 9/18 PS 1 due
3
readings, 4
Resources, references, and research training – Student
9/23
9/25
9/30, 10/2
10/7, 9
10/14, 16
10/21, 23
10/28, 30
11/4
11/6
11/11
11/13
Learning Center – ML 283 (second floor, north side)
Chemical weathering
4
Chemical weathering
4
Mid-semester discussion, Lab report due
Groundwater chemistry
4
Groundwater chemistry, 10/23 Essay due
4
River chemistry
5
NO CLASS - Election Day
Lake chemistry
6, readings
NO CLASS - Veterans Day
Lake chemistry, PS 2 due
6
Estuarine chemistry, 11/20 First draft due - (10 %
11/18, 20
11/25
11/27
12/2, 4
penalty for missing this due date)
Estuarine chemistry
7
7, 8
NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Day
Ocean chemistry
8
Final class meeting, PS 3 and final paper due, 5:30 –
12/9
7:30
This course includes a component of information literacy. This from the Mansfield
Library website (http://www.lib.umt.edu/informationliteracy) defines information
literacy…
ACRL Standards for Information Literacy include:

Standard One: The information literate student defines and articulates the need for
information.
 Standard Two: The information literate student accesses needed information
effectively and efficiently.
 Standard Three: The information literate student evaluates information and its
sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge
base and value system.
 Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a
group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
 Standard Five: The information literate student understands many of the
economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and
accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
In order to help you determine what I expect from your writing, please refer to the
Washington State University Critical Thinking Rubric page:
Washington State University Critical Thinking Rubric page
Policy on plagiarism: It is imperative that students perform their own work and
contribute to group work equally. To present someone else’s work as your own is
plagiarism. Often times plagiarism takes the form of using sentences and paragraphs from
published work without proper citation; either the concepts should be reconstituted to
reflect understanding of the topic or the sentences should be put in quotation marks and
properly referenced. The former is preferred. The latter should be minimal. Plagiarism
won’t be tolerated in this class. For additional information on plagiarism in the context of
the University of Montana policy, please see this page:
http://libguides.lib.umt.edu/plagiarism.