MULTI-SCALE PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
SENIOR CAPSTONE
ZOO 4983, Sec. 200, 3 credit hours
Syllabus - PDF
Course Description:
This course will critically examine the present state-of-knowledge related to global environmental change at scales of inquiry ranging from organismal to global. We will focus on climate change and will evaluate natural and human-induced changes. Topics will include: arctic/antarctic systems as sentinels of change; the spread of invasive species and infectious diseases; and economic/environmental trade-offs of human-induced changes. As a Senior Capstone course, you will be required to have read the three required books prior to class and be prepared to engage in active and informed debate/discussions starting the first day of class.
Required Reading:
State of Fear by Michael Crichton (2004) $4.90 plus tax
The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery (2005) $10.20 plus tax
Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kolbert (2006) $11.16 plus tax
Supplementary Reading:
Additional readings from the primary literature (i.e. journal articles) as well as other sources (e.g. IPCC and NAS Panel Publications/summaries) will be assigned during the course. For those who are interested, here are four additional books that bear on this topic from different perspectives:
The Two Mile Time Machine… by Richard B. Alley $11.00 plus tax
Climate Crash: Abrupt Climate Change… by John D. Cox $10.85 plus tax
The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 by Brian M. Fagan $11.53 plus tax
Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years by Dennis T. Avery & S. Fred Singer $16.47 plus tax
Grading:
Class participation/discussion (35%)
Critical evaluations - reading/writing assignments (35%)
Presentations (individual) (15%)
Presentations (small group) (15%)
Reasonable Accommodation:
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course are requested to contact the professor, Lawrence J. Weider, as well as Janat Issac, UOBS, (405) 325-7431, well in advance to the start of class. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course. The Disability Resource Center is located in Goddard Health Center, Suite 166, or by calling (405) 325-3852 or TDD only (405) 325-4173.
Instructor: Lawrence J. Weider
The University of Oklahoma
Biological Station
730 Van Vleet Oval
Norman, OK 73019-6121
Phone: (405) 325-4766
Fax: (405) 325-0835
Bio page: faculty-staff.ou.edu/W/Lawrence.J.Weider-1/
E-mail: 
Assistant Instructor: Dr. Dagmar Frisch
Updated
11 March, 2008
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