Fall 2012
PH 496 Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
PH496: Special Topic
Climate Change and Health
(Schedule Number: 22240 Units: 3)
San Diego State University
Graduate School of Public Health
Environmental Health Division
INSTRUCTOR:
Zohir Chowdhury, Ph.D. (zohir.chowdhury@sdsu.edu)
Phone: 619-594-8085
Office: Room 106 Hardy Memorial Tower
OFFICE HOURS:
LOCATION:
DATE AND TIME:
Tuesdays 1 pm-3 pm (must make an appointment)
GMCS 329
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30-10:45 AM
Course Catalog Description:
Introduction to climate change and interactions among climate, global environment and health. Physical,
chemical, biological, and social factors contributing to climate change are investigated. Topics explored are:
global warming and greenhouse effect, IPCC reports, sealevel rise, and climate change projections.
General Description:
Climate Change is a highly complex issue with potentially profound consequences for both human societies and
natural ecosystems. The exponential increase in greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere due to
industrialization and transportation worldwide will result in significant global warming over the next 50 years
and beyond. This in turn may lead to dramatic climate changes and sea-level rise leading to increased
occurrence and intensity of river floods, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes; disruptions in food and water supplies;
loss of biodiversity and spread of diseases. The course will introduce the student to the science of global
warming as well as challenges posed by measurements and predictions of global warming with focus on human
and environmental health.
Prerequisites:
PH 304 or approval of instructor. Prior knowledge of general chemistry is desired.
Learning Objectives:
Item #1. Describe the Greenhouse Gas effect and how this influences Earth’s climate system
Item #2. Understand both anthropogenic and natural causes of climate change.
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Item #3. Evaluate the various geo-engineering and renewable energy sources as strategies to mitigate global
warming.
Item #4. Conduct scientific literature searches using the internet and online databases of journals and reports.
Item #5. Communicate scientific results to an audience through class presentation and lecture.
Item #6. Critically judge student presentations and participate in the peer-review process of scientific learning
Item #7. Locate climate change relevant articles and news clips from the internet and popular media and discuss
how these articles relate to the topics discussed in class.
Textbook:
Required Textbook:
1. “Climate Change: Synthesis Report”, An assessment of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change
(IPCC)’s Fourth Assessment Report. IPCC, 2007. Downloadable from
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr.pdf (also available on Blackboard) 52 pages
2. IPCC Special Report: Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage. Summary for Policymakers. Downloadable
from http://ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/srccs/srccs_summaryforpolicymakers.pdf (also available on
Blackboard) 27 pages
3. IPCC Special Report: Emissions Scenarios. Summary for Policymakers. Downloadable from
http://ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/spm/sres-en.pdf (also available on Blackboard) 16 pages
4. IPCC (2011). “IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation”.
Prepared by Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Downloadable from
http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report/IPCC_SRREN_SPM.pdf
(also available on Blackboard) 24 pages
Blackboard:
Nearly all instructional materials for this course will be available on Blackboard
(http://blackboard.sdsu.edu). Students who need help with the use of Blackboard should contact the Student
Computing Center or go to the Love Library for assistance.
Lecture notes will be available just before the start of class.
Exams:
There will be TWO exams. There is no final examination in this class. The exams will have MCQ
questions with graphic and tabular interpretation of scientific material covered in class and in the IPCC reports.
No make up exam will be given except for medical justification. Use Scantron Form Red (long thin one).
Group Presentation:
Each presentation will consist of a student group (4 members in each group) selected topic on Climate
Change issues. The presentation should have high quality visual materials (photos, graphs, diagrams) and latest
data as presented in journal papers. Both your peers and the instructor will judge your delivery and presentation
skills, but also your ability to interpret and critique journal papers and make the content easy for the class to
understand.
Class Attendance and Participation:
The course requires participation in class discussions. As student presentation begins, you will be
expected to challenge your fellow students with questions and comments but also raise issues that encourage
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PH 496 Syllabus
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students to interact among themselves. During the last 10 minutes of most classes, we will open the class to
students to share events they have located from popular media or the internet related to the topics discussed
during the entire semester.
Attendance will be taken during class. If you cannot attend class, DO NOT email the instructor. You
will have two absences excused (religious, medical, non-medical, vacation, emergency, slept over during class,
work, childcare, etc.). Use them wisely and plan accordingly.
Grading
Topic
Learning Objectives
Item
#1
X
Item
#2
X
Item
#3
X
Item
#4
X
Item
#5
X
Grade
Percentage
Item
#6
X
Item
#7
Group
1 X 25% = 25%
Presentation
Two Exams
X
X
X
2 X 30% = 60%
Participation upto X
X
X
5%
Midterm
Participation after X
X
X
X
5%
Midterm
Attendance
X
X
5%
The following is the grade cut-off points that will be used in this class. Grades may be curved based on
expected class results.
94 to 100
90 to 93
87 to 89
83 to 86
80 to 82
A
AB+
B
B-
77 to 79
73 to 76
70 to 72
60 to 69
Below 59
C+
C
CD
F
Students who do not complete any of the assignments and do not show up for class will receive an F.
DisabilityAccommodation:
Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific
accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability, but have not contacted
Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Suite 3101), please do so before making an
appointment to see me.
Withdrawal and Incomplete Grade Policy:
 The student is entirely responsible for their own actions concerning withdrawing from the course. A
student’s failure to attend class, and complete the assignments and exams that are given, will likely
result in a final grade of “F.” For proper withdrawal procedure, refer to the catalog. Contact Health
and Special Services (IC2001, 942-2154) for the procedures required to withdraw for medical
reasons.
 Students wishing to receive an incomplete grade must obtain permission from the instructor. The
student must complete all work before the end of the following semester. Failure to do so will result
in the student receiving the grade they would have earned at the completion of the course.
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Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty:
See COD catalog, Course-Related Academic Integrity, Board Policy 5050 and Board Procedure 5715.
Academic dishonesty is prohibited. Disciplinary action will be pursued in all instances in which it is
determined that academic dishonesty has occurred.
LECTURE PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
Your group will have approximately 12 minutes (exact presentation time will depend on class enrollment) to
conduct your lecture with 1 additional minute for Q&A and class evaluation from your peer. Typically you
should have between 15-18 slides in total including your title and reference slides. If you have over 18 slides,
you're probably going too fast for the class to grasp your content. Keep the slides free from lot of words and DO
NOT read directly from them.
You should have enough background materials to ensure that everybody can follow your lecture. You can make
it interactive or discussion oriented. You are free to distribute handouts or share any recent news in your topic.
If you so wish, you can show one or two relevant video clip(s) lasting 1-2 minutes if it complements your
lecture. Balance between visual materials (graphs, tables, diagrams, photos) and text will greatly help students
who use multiple learning techniques. It's perfectly ok to copy figures/tables/diagrams from key papers (with
source/citation obviously) into your slides. It’s entirely up to you how you want to involve the audience.
Remember to include future projections of your results/work: similar to an A type scenario and a B type
scenario in your lecture. Sign up for a slot below and return the paper back to the instructor:
Your Group Members Name:
Member 1:
Member 2:
Member 3:
Member 4:
Proposed Topic:
Presentation Date (circle one): See Syllabus for actual dates
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
I do not care which day I present
Presentation Order (circle one):
I want to go first!
I want to be in the middle
I want to go last!
Do not care
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URGENT: Your presentation MUST be emailed to the instructor before the presentation time. Also include any additional pdf journal
papers/reports that you’ve consulted as attachment to that email.
To help you maximize points, you should do a final check of your presentation slides to ensure that all elements of the grading rubric
are present in your lecture. Points for each item are in the right hand side. Since each presentation is different from the other, you are
the best judge in deciding how to structure your presentation to make it flow smoothly. You do not have to follow this order.
Part I: Content Evaluation by Instructor (70% weight)
1. Title, your name, and your affiliation……………………………………3
2. Background/Introduction………………………………………………12-17
3. Research Question/Hypothesis (applicable mainly to students conducting original
research)………………………………………………………………….0-5
4. If original research………………………………………….…………….40
a. Methods/Experimental setup
b. Results and discussion
5. If review of literature only……………………………………..………….40
a. Complete review of viewpoints: for and against, as applicable
b. Go deep into the topic
c. Provide relevant methods and results, as applicable to the topic
6. Limitations, or weaknesses, or
uncertainties…………………………………….…………………………5
7. Projections (Similar to A and B Scenarios)…….…………………………10
8. Mitigation and Adaptation…………………………………………………5
9. Conclusions…………………………………………………………………5
10. Take home message or what did you learn from your work that you
wish to highlight to the class?......................................................................5
11. Citation and References…………………………………………………….5
12. pdf/msword reports and journal papers emailed?..........................................5
Part II: Presentation Style Evaluated by Instructor (10% weight)
Part III: Visuals Evaluated by Instructor (10% weight)
Part IV: Creativity Evaluated by Instructor (5% weight)
Part IV. Peer Evaluation (5% weight)
Average Student Evaluation………………………………………………100
DO NOT forget to provide correct citations within the slides and complete references at the end of your
presentation.
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Presentation Evaluation
Student Name ________________________
Part I. Content and Scientific Merit (50 Points)
Introduction (5 Points):
____________________


Defines background and importance topic
States objective(s) and is able to identify relevant questions
Body (25 Points):





Projections (10 Points)


______________________
Addresses audience at an appropriate level, generally understandable at the introductory level and progressively moves to
more complex issues
Describes methodology of work appropriately
Interprets the results appropriately and appears to understand the material well
Presentation is in logical order
Presenter is able to tie papers together into a coherent topic and deliver it as an in-class lecture instead of individual topics.
______________________
Discusses projections for an A type or closely related type of scenario
Discusses projections for a B type or closely related type of scenario
Adaptation and Mitigation (5 Points)
 Discussed adaptation and/or mitigation strategies as applicable to the topic
Conclusion (5 Points):
_______________________



Summarizes major points of presentation
Summarizes potential weaknesses, if any, in findings
Provides you with a “take-home” message
Total for Part I: _______________/ 50 Points
Part II. Speaking Style/Delivery (20 Points)





Speaks clearly at an understandable pace
Maintains eye contact with audience
Uses body language appropriately
Is able to answer questions professionally and knowledgeably
Is able to engage or capture the attention of the audience
Total for Part II: _______________/ 20 Points
Part III. Audio/Visual (20 Points):




Graphs and Tables clear and understandable
Text is readable and clear
Audio/visual components support the main points of the talk
Appropriate referencing of data
Total for Part III: _______________/ 20 Points
Part IV. Creativity (10 Points):
Low (1-4 Points) Medium (5-7)
High (8-10)
Total for Part IV: _______________/ 10 Points
Overall Score: _________________/100 Points
Comments (if you’re providing a score 95 or above, you must explain what impressed you OR if you’re providing a
score lower than 80, you must explain what needs to be improved. You may use the back of the page, if needed):
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Version: 7/28/2016
Tentative Topics to be Covered Subject to Revisions During the Semester:
Wk
1
Date
8/27
8/29
2
9/3
9/5
3
9/10
9/12
4
9/17
9/19
5
9/24
9/26
6
7
10/1
10/3
10/08
Topic
Introduction to course and participants
Overview of Climate Change Science
What is IPCC? Three working groups
Reading
 Become familiar with http://www.ipcc.ch
 Read AR4: pp 26-27
Observed changes in climate
Temperature increase
Sea level rise
Extreme weather

Read AR4: pp 30-33
Causes of change
Emissions of GHGs
Radiative Forcing
Energy Balance

Read AR4: pp 36-41
Atmospheric Circulation and Processes
Oceanic Circulation and Processes
Biogeochemical Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Cryosphere
Potential Sea Level Rise
Palaeoclimate
Little Ice Age
Interglacial Cycle
Catch up and Review for Exam
Midterm Exam I
Understanding Earth’s climate from past
Proxy methods
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PH 496 Syllabus
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Climate Change and Health
Climate Change and Health


Read AR4: pp 44-54
Read Scenarios Summary (all)

Read Scenarios Summary (all)



Read AR4: pp 56-62
Read SRREN Renewable (all)
Read CO2 Storage Summary (all)


Read AR4: pp 64-70
Read AR4: pp 71-73
Climate Models and their Evaluation
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
10/17
10/22
10/24
10/29
10/31
11/5
11/7
11/12
11/14
11/19
11/21
11/26
11/28
12/03
12/05
12/09
Emissions scenarios
SRES
Projections
Special Report on Emissions Scenarios
Adaptation and Mitigation
Renewable Energy
Global Warming Mitigation Strategies
Carbon sequestration
Geoengineering
Regional Climate Projections
California and San Diego County Climate
Midterm Exam II
Entire Session Student Presentations and Discussion
Entire Session Student Presentations and Discussion
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Entire Session Student Presentations and Discussion
PH499 Presentations
Final Exam Week
8
NO FINALS