Course Website: http://ic.ucsc.edu/~kudela/OS101/
Course Description from UCSC catalogue: An introduction to the marine environment stressing the interaction of physical, chemical, and geological factors in the ocean. Provides the oceanographic background needed for studies in marine biology. Students taking the prerequisite physics and math courses concurrently may enroll in the course with permission from the instructor.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 1C, Physics 6B or 7B, and Mathematics 11B or 19B.
Instruction Level, Goals and Format: This is an upper division course for Marine Biology Majors. The course is designed to introduce the student to the basic concepts in oceanography, to provide the opportunity to apply these concepts to various problems, and to enable the student to evaluate issues in oceanography that will be encountered in every day life. The format of the class is combined lectures and discussion sections. Lectures will typically be given by the instructor, but guest lecturers will be used throughout the quarter for more in-depth discussion of selected topics.
Text:The required text is Introduction to the World’s Oceans, 9th Ed, McGraw-Hill, 2006 (Sverdrup and Armbrust). Through the quarter, other reading assignments will be made. Those will be handed out in class and/or available on the class website.
Discussion Sections: Students are REQUIRED to attend section meetings to obtain credit for the class. Students will fill out enrollment cards at the end of the first day of class, Fri. January 5, and select several sections that will fit into their schedule. The finalized student lists for the sections will be posted on the class website and outside the classroom door later that day. Students are expected to attend section meetings starting the first full week of instruction, i.e. the week beginning Jan. 8. Students can only retain their enrollment status in the class through attending the first meeting of their assigned section, even if they have already pre-registered for the class. The purpose of the sections is to introduce students to additional material to complement the lectures and to provide a forum for students to ask questions in a more personalized, smaller classroom setting than that available in the lecture hall. Homework assignments (given out in lecture) will be turned in and discussed in the discussion sections. Materials from the discussion sections may be included on the exams.
Exams: There will be three exams, weighted for evaluation as 15%, 15%, and 20%. The final exam will not be comprehensive, except where material is part of the conceptual framework to understand the last topics covered. The exam material will be based on lecture material, assigned readings, and the major concepts covered in the Discussion sections. The Final Exam is scheduled for Thurs. March 22, 8:00-11:00 AM, so plan your vacations appropriately!
Evaluations: Your final grade will be based on the three exams (50%), homework assignments (10%), your Oral Presentation (10%) and Term Paper (20%), and your participation and attendance in both the lecture and discussion sections (10%).
Homework Assignments: Weekly assignments will be given out in the lectures. These will be turned in during the assigned Discussion Sections, and gone over by the TA. If you are absent from lecture when a homework assignment is made, you will NOT be able to make it up without the consent of the instructor.
Term Paper: A 10 (+ or - 2) page synthesis (double spaced) summarizing 3-5 original journal articles on a well defined and narrowly focused topic. The purpose is to have you gain familiarity with looking up original scientific research articles on a particular topic and presenting a synthesis of 3 such articles on a topic dealing with the oceans. Figures should have captions and be referred to and discussed in the text. You will present an overview of the termpaper to the rest of your section (with A/V materials, preferably Powerpoint), with an expected length of 10 minutes + 3 minutes for questions.
Attendance Policy. Attendance at lectures is strongly encouraged since both the lecture and text materials will be included on homework and examinations. For exams, no make-ups will be given, except in the case of documented personal or medical emergency. If you cannot attend a scheduled examination due to illness, a written note from your doctor must be provided to the instructor within 3 days of the missed exam. If you cannot attend a scheduled exam because of a personal or professional obligation, you must notify the instructor AT LEAST ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE. All make-up exams will be short answer/essay. Attendance in Discussion sections is MANDATORY, and your grade will be reduced for missed sections. Excused absences must be requested following the same format as for missed exams.
Plagiarism Policy. Students are expected to do and turn in their own work. Cheating and/or copying is not tolerated, and will result in an automatic failure for the assignment. Please refer to University policy for the difference between citations and plagiarism; students are responsible for stated University policies.
ADA statement: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accomodation, please contact the instructor and your TA as soon as possible after the beginning of class.