Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
PH700D: Seminar in Global Climate Change
(Schedule Number: 22266 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:
Thursdays 11 am-2 pm (by appointment)
Hepner Hall 222
Tuesdays at 4:00-6:40 PM
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:
Graduate student standing preferably with several science courses at the UG level.
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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
Course Learning Objectives Mapped to Divisional Competency:
The learning objectives for the current course are mapped to the program-specific (Environmental Health
Division) competency in the following table.
Item# Students who complete PH700D, will learn the
following:
1
SDSU’s Environmental Health
Program Competency
Identify and describe the basic forces and processes that
govern global weather and climatic conditions and
understand both anthropogenic and natural causes of
climate change.
Explain the factors that affect global
environmental health including
climate change and sustainability.
2
Describe the role of increasing greenhouse gases as a
forcing to global warming, and understand the transport
and fate of these greenhouse gases in the air
Describe sources of major
environmental stressors, and their
transport and fate in the environment
3
In the international context, describe the Kyoto Protocol
and the role of IPCC and UNFCC, and in the domestic
context, descibe SB375 and AB32.
Recount and describe local, state and
federal government environmental
health agencies and major
environmental health laws, guidelines
and regulations.
4
Assess the positive and negative implications of
proposed global warming prevention and mitigation
strategies.
5
Explain approaches for assessing risks from global
climate change to human health, and recount major
human health effects associated with climate change
Explain approaches for assessing,
preventing and controlling
environmental hazards that pose risks
to human health, and recount major
human health effects associated with
these hazards.
6
Discuss the differences in the roles of developing and
developed countries in mitigating environmental impact
from climate change in the context of ethics and
environmental justice.
Discuss ethical issues and the concept
of environmental justice in
environmental health
7
8
Conduct scientific literature searches using of journals
and reports to communicate scientific results through
individual class presentation
Critically judge student presentations and participate in
the peer-review process of scientific learning
2
Communicate experimental results
and other scientific information to
various groups.
Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
Textbook:
No upto-date textbook is available on this everchanging topic; thus, we will be working with recently published
journal articles and reports, which are not yet in a textbook format. Under the course document section, I’ve
included the following upto date knowledge that we will be following closely this semester:
Required Reports:
1. Solomon et al. (2007). “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science basis,” Contribution of Working
Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007.
Downloadable from http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-spm.pdf
(also available on BB) 18 pages
2. Parry et al. (2007). “Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability,” Contribution of
Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
2007. Downloadable from http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf
(also available on BB) 16 pages
3. Metz et al. (2007). “Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change,” Contribution of Working
Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007.
Downloadable from http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg3/ar4-wg3-spm.pdf
(also available on BB) 24 pages
4. IPCC Special Report 2000: Emissions Scenarios. Summary for Policymakers. Downloadable from
http://ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/spm/sres-en.pdf
(also available on Blackboard) 16 pages
5. IPCC Special Report 2005: 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
6. 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
7. IPCC (2012). “IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to
Advance Climate Change Adaptation.” Prepared by Working Group I and II of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. Downloadable from
http://ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf
(also available on Blackboard) 20 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.
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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
Exams:
There will be one Midterm. There is no final examination in this class. The exam will be a combination
of short and essay 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.
Presentation:
Each student will give one “lecture-type” presentation to the class. Each presentation will consist of a
student 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
students to interact among themselves.
Attendance will be taken during class. If you cannot attend class, email the instructor BEFORE class
with proper explanation to be excused from class.
Grading
Topic
Learning Objectives
Item Item Item Item
#1
#2
#3
#4
Grade Percentage
Item
#5
Item
#6
Item
#7
X
X
X
Item
#8
X
Presentation
1 X 40% = 40%
Midterm Exam
X
X
X
X
X
X
1 X 40% = 40%
Participation and
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
15%
Homework
Attendance
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.
96 to 100
90 to 95
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.
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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
Disability Accommodation:
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.
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.
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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
LECTURE PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
You will have approximately 15-20 minutes (exact presentation time will depend on class enrollment) to
conduct your lecture with 5 additional minutes for Q&A and class evaluation from your peer. Typically you
should have between 20-25 slides in total including your title and reference slides. If you have over 25 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. After each presentation, there will be 5 minutes of time available to evaluate the
presentation and provide some quick feedback to the presenter about the pluses and minuses of the presentation.
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 2-5 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 Name:
Proposed Topic:
Presentation Date (circle one): See Syllabus for actual dates
Day 1
Day 2
Either will work
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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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
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 (75% 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. Peer Evaluation (10% 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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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
Presentation Evaluation
Student Name ________________________
Part I. Content and Scientific Merit (60 Points)
Introduction (10 Points):


Body (30 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.
Projections (10 Points)


____________________
Defines background and importance topic
States objective(s) and is able to identify relevant questions
______________________
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: _______________/ 60 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
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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Fall 2012
PH 700D Syllabus
Version: 7/28/2016
Tentative Topics to be Covered Subject to Revisions During the Semester:
Wk
Date
1
8/28
2
9/4
3
9/11
4
9/18
5
9/25
6
10/02
Topic
Reading
Introduction to course and participants
Overview of Climate Change Science
What is IPCC? Three working groups
UNFCC
Kyoto Protocol
Emissions scenarios
SRES
Projections
Impacts on sectors
Impacts on region
Observed changes in climate
Temperature increase
Sea level rise
Extreme weather
Causes of change
Emissions of GHGs
Drivers of climate change
Radiative Forcing
Energy Balance
Atmospheric Circulation and Processes
Oceanic Circulation and Processes
Biogeochemical Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Cryosphere
Potential Sea Level Rise
Course
Learning
Outcome
#3

Become familiar with http://www.ipcc.ch

Read Scenarios Summary (all)
#3, #4, #5,
#6


Read AR4 WG1 Summary
Read SREX Extreme Weather (all)
#1


Read AR4 WG3 Summary
Read AR4 WG1 Summary (continued)
#1, #2
#1
#1
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Fall 2012
10/09
Palaeoclimate
Little Ice Age
Interglacial Cycle
Understanding Earth’s climate from past
Proxy methods
10/16
Climate Change and Health
Developing Vs. developed countries
10/23
Climate Models and their Evaluation
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8
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PH 700D Syllabus
10
Version: 7/28/2016
#1

#4, #5, #6
#1, #2
11
11/06
12
11/13
13
14
11/20
11/27
Adaptation and Mitigation
Renewable Energy
Developing Vs. developed countries
Global Warming Mitigation Strategies
Carbon sequestration
Geoengineering
Regional Climate Projections
California and San Diego County Climate
SB375 and AB32
Review for exam
In-class Exam
Entire Session Student Presentations and Discussion
15
12/04
Entire Session Student Presentations and Discussion
16
12/11
Final Exam Week: 10:30-12:30
10/30
Read AR4 WG2 Summary (all)

Read SRREN Renewable (all)
#3, #4, #6


Read AR4 WG3 Summary (continued)
Read CO2 Storage Summary (all)
#4, #6
#3, #4
#7, #8
#7, #8
NO FINALS
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