Cross Listing Course Form
(4/9/14)
I: Criteria
To qualify for consideration for cross listing, all courses must:
be requested by both departments or programs;
count as credit toward an existing major, minor, or certificate program;
not be experimental or have a reserved variable content course number (x90-X99)
carry the same title (both parent and sibling courses) and, if possible, carry the same course number;
be implemented within comparable course levels, e.g., (U), (UG), or (G);
be offered under an existing rubric.
Under no circumstances will a course have more than three crosslistings.
II: Summary of courses requested for crosslisting
Requesting Dept / Program (must be department of parent course)
Parent Course Prefix and Number
Resource Conservation
NRSM 418
Sibling Course(s) Prefix (Pre CCN) and
Number
Course Title
CCS 418
Ecosystem Climatology
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Requestor:
Please type / print name Signature
Ashley Ballantyne
Phone/ email : X6791 / ashley.ballantyne@umontana.edu
Laurie Yung Parent Program
Chair/Director:
Sibling Program
Chair(s)
/ Director(s)
Dean(s):
Steve Running
James Burchfield
If YES, define external requirement and attach documentation.
*Signatory Comments (required for disapproval):
IV. Rationale
Do these courses need to be cross listed to fill an external requirement?
Date Approve *
X Yes

No
XYes

No

Yes

No
X Yes

No

Yes

No
If NO, complete narrative: In 500 words or less explain why only cross-listing this course serves the need for delivering academic content. You must identify how both the parent and sibling units contribute to the cross-listed course’s content and how cross listing contributes to the respective units’ missions of serving students. The narrative must also identify additional reasons for cross listing such as a specialized need for advertising to prospective students, sharing resources across departments (equipment, space, instructors, etc.), or mutual contribution to course content.
NRSM 418 Ecosystem Climatology serves a critical need within the Climate Change Studies minor program.
It is one of only four science-area course offerings. A majority of the students who enroll in this course are a part of the Climate Change Studies minor. Identifying this course within the listing of courses within the
Climate Change Studies minor will help student recognize it as a possible course to meet their minor requirements. The ASCRC has previously approved this course for crosslisting with CCS.

V. Syllabus

Ecosystem Climatology:
Interactions between the biosphere and atmosphere (NRSM 418/CCS 418)
Instructor:
Ashley Ballantyne
Clapp 435 ashley.ballantyne@umontana.edu
Course Time & Location:
Tuesday and Thursday 2:10-3:30
Liberal Arts 140
Office Hours:
Tuesday 3:30-5:00 or by appointment
Course Description:
Life has evolved on Earth due to its favorable climate conditions, but life has also played an important role in the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere and climate. This course will explore the interactions between Earth’s biosphere and atmosphere and how they affect climate over a range of scales. We will focus on the exchange of energy, mass, and important elements between the biosphere and atmosphere and how this exchange can lead to fascinating feedbacks on Earth’s climate system.
This course will reintroduce important principles from physics, chemistry and biology in a conceptual framework to elucidate how the biosphere and atmosphere are inextricably linked. Based on this conceptual framework, we will evaluate recent scientific literature and do simple thought experiments to explore Earth’s climate system.
Learning Outcomes:
This course will introduce students to several important concepts that will be helpful in evaluating Earth’s climate system and how humans are an integral part of that climate system. We will cover energy budgets from individual leaves and forest canopies to the entire planet. Spatial differences in Earth’s energy budget and their importance in driving atmospheric circulation will then be covered. We will then investigate how biogeochemical processes affect the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum. Lastly, this course will look at the dynamic response of vegetation to climate and how changes in human land use have potentially altered
Earth’s climate. Through this course we will come to appreciate not only how climate may be altering
Earth’s biosphere, but also how the biosphere is actively affecting Earth’s atmosphere and thus climate.
Course Readings:
Ecological Climatology 2 nd
Edition by Gordon Bonan, Cambridge Press 2010. Additional reading assignments from the recent scientific literature have also been selected to compliment the textbook.
Additional Course Information and Materials: http://umonline.umt.edu/
On the Moodle site, you will need to enter your Net ID and password to access course lectures and supplemental readings. Lectures will be posted on the Moodle page immediately following class. Because this is a smaller upper division course, students will be expected to actively participate during discussions and exercises.
Grading:
1) Problem Sets (25 %)
2) Literature Review (25 %)
3) Mid-term Examinations (20 %)
4) Final Examination (20 %)
5) Attendance & Participation (10 %)

Course Schedule:
Week Topic
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
10
11
12
13
14
15
Introduction & Earth System
Global Cycles & Atmospheric Radiation
Atmospheric Circulation & Climate
Climate Variability & Change
Soil Processes & Midterm (Feb. 28)
Water Balance & Watershed Hydrology
Energy Fluxes & Soil Moisture
Leaf Energy & Photosynthesis
Plant Canopies & Midterm (Feb. 28)
Spring Break
Plant Strategies & Communities
Ecosystem Dynamics
Disturbance & Biogeography
Land Surface Change
Climate-Vegetation Feedbacks
Reading
Chpts 1 & 2
Chpts 3 & 4
Chpts 5 & 6
Chpts 7 & 8
Chpts 9 & 10
Chpts 11 & 12
Chpts 13 -15
Chpts 16 & 17
Chpt 18
Chpts 19 & 20
Chpts 21 & 22
Chpts 23 & 24
Chpts 25-27
Chpts 28 & 29
Assignment
Bonan Paper
Problem set
Swann Paper
Problem Set
Jung Paper
Problem Set
Get Lost!
Dobrowski Paper
Problem Set
Maness Paper
Problem Set
16 Final May 13 - 17
Assignments:
Problem Sets will be assigned from the textbook and are due the following week. Literature reviews are due the week after reading assignments are made available on the Moodle site. Literature reviews should be brief- no more than 1 page- and consist of a 1 paragraph synopsis of the assigned paper and then 1 paragraph critical assessment. You will be evaluated primarily on your critical assessment, so put some thought into it.
Late assignments will be accepted, but 1 point will be deducted for every day late.
Recommended Preparation :
- Successful completion of a university-level chemistry course (e.g., CHMY
121N).
- Successful completion of a university-level physics course (e.g., PHSX
205N).
- We will be doing important in class exercises covering key concepts, so
make sure that you attend class.
You are expected to read the assigned material, write thoughtful reviews of papers, and complete problem sets. This course integrates priniciples from climatology and ecology and thus requires the ability to relate concepts from several different disciplines (e.g. physics, chemistry, and biology). Upon completion of this course, students will have a solid conceptual framework for evaluating how the biosphere responds to climate perturbations and how climate is affected by processes in the biosphere. This course will provide students with a critical thinking skill-set that will allow them to evaluate important topical issues regarding climate change.
Students with learning disabilities or disadvantages needing special dispensation or assistance, please see me during the first week of class. All course activities are governed by the Student Conduct Code, which embodies the ideals of academic honesty, integrity, human rights, and individual responsibility. It is your responsibility to read, understand and adhere to the student conduct code
( http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php
).
Additional Course Information and Important Dates:
February 5
February 6
Last day for students to Add classes via CyberBear without consent of instructor.
Beginning today all class registration adds must be done via the
Override Form or and Electronic Override done through CyberBear.
Consent of instructor is required.

February 15
February 16-April 8 (45 th instructional day)
April 9-May 10

Last day to withdraw from the semester (drop all courses) with a partial refund.

Last day to change grading option to or from audit.

Last day to Buy or Refuse health insurance coverage or add clinical health fee.
Dropping a course requires a drop/add form with instructor and advisor signature . There is a 10$ fee at registrar’s office.
At this point in the semester students are only allowed to drop a class under very limited and unusual circumstances . Not doing well in the class, deciding you are concerned about how the class grade might affect your GPA, deciding you did not want to take the class after all, or deciding you want to change majors are not among those limited and unusual circumstances. If you want to drop a class for these sorts of reasons, make sure you do so before April 8.
VI. Justification for third crosslisting:
In 500 words or less describe the extenuating circumstances making a third course necessary.
VII Copies and Electronic Submission.
After approval, submit signed original, and electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.