Summer 2023 - GEOG 104 OL01
Climate Change, Water, and Society (3)
Class Number: 1376
Delivery Method: Online
Overview
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An examination of climate change, its interaction with water availability, and how humans cope with these altered circumstances. Students who have completed GEOG 102 prior to the fall 2011 term may not complete this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sci/Science.
COURSE DETAILS:
Course Details
This is an INTERSESSION course. Because the course is completed in a condensed 6-week period, you should expect your weekly workload to be twice as much as in a regular term.
This course examines the causes of climate change, considers the impacts on natural and human systems, and explores options to mitigate and/or adapt to changing climatic conditions. We will also discuss the governance of climate change, and investigate why this issue is still a highly controversial topic in politics and the media, despite overwhelming scientific consensus that Earth’s climate system is warming.
The course is delivered online.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
- Explain the complexity of the climate system and identify linkages between its components, including stocks, flows, and feedback processes
- Think critically about the science behind natural and human disruptions to the climate system, and the socio-economic drivers of anthropogenic climate change.
- Explore the impacts of climate change on natural and human systems
- Examine human responses to climate change, including adaptation, mitigation, environmental justice, and governance.
- Differentiate between evidence-based claims and pseudo-science, and debunk common misconceptions about climate change.
- Practice diverse modes of communication of climate change causes, impacts, and solutions, demonstrating awareness of audience.
Grading
- Learning check-ins 6%
- Knowledge applications 18%
- Knowledge tests (x2) 24%
- Poster project 22%
- Final Exam 30%
NOTES:
Grading Scale (subject to change)
Materials
RECOMMENDED READING:
Understanding Climate Change: Science, Policy, and Practice, Second Edition
Author: Sarah Burch and Sarah E. Harris
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 9781487522797
VitalSource: https://www.vitalsource.com/en-ca/products/understanding-climate-change-sarah-burch-sara-e-harris-v9781487518394
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.