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Baton Rouge Community College
Academic Affairs Master Syllabus
Date Approved or Revised: September 2013
Course Name: Introduction to Marine Science: Geological & Physical
Processes
Course Number: ENSC 207
Lecture Hrs. 3
Lab Hrs. 1
Credit Hrs. 4
Course Description: Introduces geological, chemical, and physical marine processes that exist
in Earth’s ocean and how these processes control and are controlled by Earth’s environment.
The course emphasizes the geological and physical process of the Louisiana coast.
Prerequisites: Eligibility for ENGL 101 and MATH 101/110 or MATH 120 with grade of
“C” or better.
Co-requisites: None
Lab Fee Required
Suggested Enrollment Cap: 24
Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of ENVS 207, the student will be able to achieve
the following:
1. Explain the shape and structure of the ocean basins;
2. Describe the physical characteristics of the water in Earth’s ocean and the range and
distribution of these characteristics;
3. Discuss circulation in the oceans;
4. Describe the forces that produce the motion in the ocean;
5. Explain the physical processes that operate in the coastal regions of the world with
emphasis on the Louisiana coast.
Assessment Measures: Assessment of all learning outcomes will be measured using the
following methods:
 Learning outcomes will be assessed by administering periodic exams during the
semester and a comprehensive final exam at the end of the semester.
 Instructor-designed assignments will assess the learning outcomes and will be given as
a portion of the total grade. Assignments may include written and oral assignments,
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projects, homework, and quizzes; all assignments will be graded using an instructordesigned rubric.
Information to be included on the Instructors’ Course Syllabi:

Disability Statement: Baton Rouge Community College seeks to meet the
needs of its students in many ways. See the Office of Disability Services to
receive suggestions for disability statements that should be included in each
syllabus.

Grading: The College grading policy should be included in the course syllabus.
Any special practices should also go here. This should include the instructor’s
and/or the department’s policy for make-up work. For example in a speech
course, “Speeches not given on the due date will receive no grade higher than a
sixty” or “Make-up work will not be accepted after the last day of class.”

Attendance Policy: Include the overall attendance policy of the college.
Instructors may want to add additional information in individual syllabi to meet
the needs of their courses.

General Policies: Instructors’ policy on the use of things such as beepers and
cell phones and/or hand held programmable calculators should be covered in
this section.

Cheating and Plagiarism: This must be included in all syllabi and should
include the penalties for incidents in a given class. Students should have a
clear idea of what constitutes cheating in a given course.

Safety Concerns: In some programs this may be a major issue. For example,
“No student will be allowed in the safety lab without safety glasses.” General
statements such as, “Items that may be harmful to one’s self or others should
not be brought to class.”

Library/ Learning Resources: Since the development of the total person is
part of our mission, assignments in the library and/or the Learning Resources
Center should be included to assist students in enhancing skills and in using
resources. Students should be encouraged to use the library for reading
enjoyment as part of lifelong learning.
Expanded Course Outline:
Lecture Topics
1. The Ocean Planet
a. The Oceans and Earth’s Environment
b. Our Earth in the Universe
c. How to Study Ocean Data
d. History of Ocean Studies
2. Ocean Basins
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a. Bathymetry
b. Scuba, Manned and Unmanned Submersibles
3. Plate Tectonics
a. Evolution of the Ocean Floor
b. Plate Boundaries
c. Methodology of Earth Sciences
d. Paleoclimate
e. Age of Ocean Floor
4. Properties of Water and Seawater
a. Origins and Distribution of the Earth’s Water
b. The Water Molecule
c. Sources and Sinks of Chemicals Dissolved in Seawater
d. Salinity
5. Physical Properties of Water and Seawater
a. Heat
b. Density
c. Ice
d. Transmission of Light and Sound
6. Ocean Sediments
a. Classification of Sediments
b. Sediment Transport, Deposition, and Accumulation
c. The Sediment Historical Record
7. Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions
a. Atmisphere
b. Water Vapour and Heat Budgets
c. Climate
d. Weather
8. Ocean Circulation
a. Wind-driven currents
b. Geostrophic Currents
c. Thermohaline Circulation
9. Waves
a. Sea Development and wave Height
b. Shallow-water Waves
c. Deep-water waves
10. Tides
11. Coasts
a. Estuaries