I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 2/8/13)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change existing
gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
II. Mathematics
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III. Language
VIII: Ethics & Human Values
separate forms
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * IX: American & European
if requesting
IV: Expressive Arts
X: Indigenous & Global
more than one
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
X
general
w/ lab  w/out lab X
education
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program Geography (prefix CCS & ERTH)
Course #
303N
Course Title
Prerequisite
Weather and Climate
None
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
3
Date
Instructor
Anna Klene
Phone / Email 4347, anna.klene@umontana.edu
Program Chair Sarah Halvorson
Dean
Chris Comer
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew X
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Description of change
IV. Description and purpose of new general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
An introduction to the basic principles controlling Earth’s weather and climate. By the end of
this course, students should be able to describe why we have seasons, understand and evaluate the
nightly TV forecast for normal and severe weather, and able to explain basic climate change
principles to their friends in terms of past and future climates. The connections and interactions
between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere are emphasized throughout
the course.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Daily and seasonal observations of the
atmosphere are used throughout the course to
illustrate how our theories are inspired, tested,
and evolve.
Daily discussions of a local or global
weather topic (smoke or local storms or
hurricane forecasts when active) facilitate
the understanding of uncertainty and
hypothesis testing. Most of our weather and
climate principles do this because of the
relatively recent discovery of phenomena
such as the jet stream or El Nino.
While this is not a lab course, we use simple
Lab courses engage students in inquiry-based
tools such as a psychrometer to measure
learning activities where they formulate a
relative humidity and examine the causes and
hypothesis, design an experiment to test the
differences in that metric between 3 adjacent
hypothesis, and collect, interpret, and present
locations near the Oval.
the data to support their conclusions.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Discussion ranges from basic laws of motion
understand the general principles associated
(wind caused by pressure differences) to how
with the discipline(s) studied;
Luke Howard designed the system of naming
clouds.
In weekly homework students examine
understand the methodology and activities
datasets and do a variety of analyses on
scientists use to gather, validate and interpret
climatic patterns and weather observations.
data related to natural processes;
Climate and weather are intrinsically linked to
detect patterns, draw conclusions, develop
patterns, from the most fundamental control of
conjectures and hypotheses, and test them by
seasons to analyzing air mass movements on a
appropriate means and experiments;
forecast map and hurricane paths.
We study a variety of basic laws related to the
understand how scientific laws and theories are
verified by quantitative measurement, scientific properties of water and gases that are directly
observable on a weekly basis by outdoor
observation, and logical/critical reasoning; and
observation, even without complex lab
experiments.
understand the means by which analytic
This is intrinsic to forecasting weather and
uncertainty is quantified and expressed in the
storm behavior and is also discussed in
natural sciences.
relation to global climate change.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
Courses explore a discipline in the natural
sciences and demonstrate how the scientific
method is used within the discipline to draw
scientific conclusions.
Courses address the concept of analytic
uncertainty and the rigorous process required to
take an idea to a hypothesis and then to a
validated scientific theory.
CCS\ERTH303N is the only course on campus that focuses on introducing atmospheric
science. If we had an Atmospheric Science Department, this would be its 100-level course.
The text is title “Introduction to Meteorology” because it is introductory in level. The course is
central to the Climate Change Studies Minor because it is one of two introductory science
courses relating to climatology on campus.
The course is fundamental because it begins with students learning about the composition and
dynamics of the atmosphere in which we live every day. Understanding the composition of
different gases mixing in the atmosphere and how heat, pressure, and gravity work together to
cause winds are based upon very fundamental principles of chemistry and physics. We then
move through the basics of weather prediction and forecasting. This helps students to
understand and evaluate the weather forecast on the evening news. Next we move into
hazardous weather and climate change. This is used to teach about the way light is distributed
around our planet that leads to the different climatic zones and biomes. From there we look at
how the Earth system controls and changes the chemistry of the atmosphere and how humans
are impacting that through time.
This course is designed to introduce students to a force which impacts their life continually but
is often overlooked. It deals with fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, and biology
without any expectation that the students have had those beyond the middle-school level. In
the homework exercises they are exposed to graphing, algebraic math, and mapping. It is a
fundamental course and should be classified as such.
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
See accompanying file.
Please note: Approved general education changes will take effect next fall.
General education instructors will be expected to provide sample assessment items and
corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.