Professor
Contact
Class
Time and
Place
Student
Accessibility
Makeup
Examinations
Office
Hours
Content
Delivery
Text
Topics
Readings
Assessment
Due
Dates
Marking
Scale |
The Blue Planet
2010-2011
Administrative
Information
Professor
Contact Information
Paul Hill
LSC 5632
494-2266
paul.hill@dal.ca
How to Find My Office
My office is LSC 5632. This office is on the fifth floor of
the Oceanography wing of the Life Sciences Centre at Dalhousie.
To find it, follow these directions:
- start at the Hicks
Building, which is the one with
the dome
- proceed into the Life
Sciences Centre (LSC), which is
the contemporary concrete building behind the Hicks Building
- upon entering the LSC,
veer to the left
- when you encounter a
fork in the hallway, veer right,
across the glass pedway and into the Oceanography wing
- turn right into the
stairwell immediately upon
entering the Oceanography wing
- walk up two levels to
the fifth floor
- upon exiting the
stairwell, turn left
- walk to the end of the
hallway, where you will see a
red fire door leading the the side stairwell
- my office is on the
right, just before the fire door
- come on in!
Class
Schedule and Room
Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30-10 AM in LSC C242.
Each class is divided into two segments. During the first
segment
the lecture material for the day is presented. Then we take a
brief break. After the break, I present an "In The News"
segment
that explores a story that has recently been featured in the media and
that relates to the day's topic.
Student
Accessibility and
Accommodation
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to
disability, religious obligation, or any characteristic under the Nova
Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require academic accommodation
for either classroom participation or the writing of tests, quizzes and
exams
should make their request to the Office of Student Accessibility
&
Accommodation (OSAA) prior to or at the outset of each academic term
(with the exception of X/Y courses). Please see www.studentaccessibility.dal.ca
for more information and to obtain Form A - Request for Accommodation.
Makeup
Examinations
Makeup examinations are offered for a limited set of circumstances:
- Illness:
If
you are ill on the day of the examination, then contact me via phone or
email on that day and obtain a doctor's note on that day.
- Extracurricular
Activities:
If
you have an athletic event or other school-related activity that
conflicts with a scheduled examination, then contact me via phone or
email at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
- Emergencies:
If
you have an emergency or crisis that forces you to miss an exam, then
contact me as soon as possible. Permission to write a makeup
exam
will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Office
Hours
I will hold office hours on Tuesday from 1-3 PM and on Friday from 1-3
PM. Please try to visit me at those times. If you
cannot make either one of these times, then please arrange an alternate
time by talking to me after class or by sending me an email.
Content
Delivery
This course relies heavily on Blackboard Learning System (BLS).
With BLS I will make announcements, send emails, post lecture
notes and assigned readings, and conduct daily and weekly online
assessments. It is essential that you check BLS regularly.
The best way to find content on the course site is to click
on
the Calendar tool. For more information, check out
Dalhousie's Integrated
Learning Online website at http://ucis.dal.ca/services/other_services/ILO/index.html
Academic Information
Aims and Objectives
This
class provides a general survey of
Oceanography and shows how the oceans, which account for more than 70%
of the
earth's surface, function as a dominant environmental force.
Consideration also
is given to human impact on this ecological system. The course is
designed to develop
a basic understanding of the ocean, of what the science of oceanography
is, and
of what oceanographers do. It
also
explores how ocean issues are presented in the media.
It
is not really a basic science class in the
sense that no training will be offered in actual field or laboratory
methods.
Texts
This class will make use of two texts:
Introductory
Oceanography, 10th
edition, by
H. V. Thurman and A. P.
Trujillo, and
Marine
Biology: An Ecological Approach, 6th edition, by J. W. Nybakken
and M. D. Bertness
The first text will be used in throughout the year, and the second text
will be used during the winter term.
Topics
and Readings
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
September 9 |
Introduction to
the course |
none |
September 14 |
History of
Oceanography |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 8-39 |
September 16 |
Origins |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 40-63 |
September 21 |
Plate Tectonics |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 62-79 |
September 23 |
Structure of the
Earth |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 79-109 |
September 28 |
Marine Provinces |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 111-133 |
September 30 |
Marine
Sediments |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 134-144 |
October 5 |
Deep-Sea
Sedimentation |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 144-162 |
October 7 |
Examination 1 |
covers material
from 10/09 - 06/10 |
October 12 |
The Water Molecule |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 164-173 |
October 14 |
Sea Water |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 174-184 |
October 19 |
Physical and
Chemical Structure of the Ocean |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 185-192 |
October 21 |
Atmospheric
Circulation |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 193-205 |
October 26 |
Oceans and Weather |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 205-219 |
October 28 |
An Inconvenient
Truth (video) |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 219-228 |
November 2 |
Examination 2 |
covers material
from 13/10-29/10 |
November 4 |
Surface Ocean
Currents |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 229-256 |
November 9 |
Deep Ocean Currents |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 257-263 |
November 11 |
Remembrance Day,
No Class |
none |
November 16 |
Mediterranean and
Black Seas |
none |
November 18 |
Waves |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 264-280 |
November 23 |
Waves in Shallow
Water |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 281-285 |
November 25 |
Other Types of
Waves |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 285-293 |
November 30 |
Tides |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 294-307 |
December 2 |
Tides at the Shore |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 308-318 |
December 7 |
Review Session |
none |
TBD |
Examination 3
(Fall Final) |
covers material
from entire term |
January 6 |
Introduction to
Marine Ecology |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 19-38 |
January 11 |
The Plankton |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 42-61 |
January 13 |
Primary Production |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 61-77 |
January 18 |
The Ocean Ecosystem |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 77-98 |
January 20 |
The Nekton |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 103-132 |
January 25 |
The Blue Planet
Open Ocean video |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 132-141 |
January 27 |
The Blue Planet
Deep Sea video |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp.144-165 |
February 1 |
Examination 4 |
covers material
from 05/01-26/01 |
February 3 |
Subtidal Ecology
of Sediment and Rock Bottoms |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 196-221 |
February 8 |
Subtidal Ecology
of Kelp Forests and Seagrass Beds |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 221-241 |
February 10 |
Biology of Polar
Seas |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 241-260 |
February 15 |
Intertidal Ecology |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 266-277 |
February 17 |
Ecology of Rocky Shores |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 277-304 |
February 22 |
Study Break, No
Class |
none |
February 24 |
Study Break, No
Class |
none |
March 1 |
Ecology of Sandy Shores |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 308-325 |
March 3 |
Ecology of Muddy Shores |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 325-341 |
March 8 |
Estuaries |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 361-381 |
March 10 |
Salt Marshes |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 381-401 |
March 15 |
Examination 5 |
covers material
from 02/02-09/03 |
March 17 |
Coral Reefs |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 407-424 |
March 22 |
Mangroves |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 453-466 |
March 24 |
Fisheries |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 500-518 |
March 29 |
Mariculture |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 518-520 |
March 31 |
Pollution |
Nybakken and
Bertness, pp. 520-536 |
April 5 |
Coastal Development |
none |
April 7 |
Non-living Marine
Resources |
Thurman and
Trujillo, pp. 491-493 and 503-515 |
Assessment
Components
Answer Before Class
(ABC)---20% of your mark
- Before each class
(unless otherwise notified) you are
required to answer a simple question about the reading assigned for
that day.
- These questions are
delivered online through BLS.
- The ABCs are posted at
noon the day before class, and
you must complete them by 8:30 the day of class.
- The ABCs are set up to
give you credit for trying.
On
each ABC, there is a True/False question that states, "I want credit!".
Answer "True". The other question is on the reading
for the
day.
Weekly Hourlong Ocean
Assessment (WHOA)---20% of your
mark
- Each week (unless
otherwise notified) there will be
an online quiz consisting of 10 questions.
- The
WHOAs cover
material delivered during the week.
- The quizzes are
delivered via BLS.
- The WHOAs are posted
by 5 PM on Thursday, and they
are due by 5 PM on Friday of the following week.
- The answers to the
questions become available once
the
availability period for the quiz is over, which means after 5 PM on
Fridays.
The Midterms---30% of
your mark (7.5% each)
- There will be 4
in-class, midterm examinations.
- The exams will have 60
multiple choice questions and
15 True/False questions.
- The midterms are not
cumulative. They cover
material
delivered after the previous exam through material delivered in the
last lecture prior to the exam.
The Finals---30% of your
mark (15% each)
- There will be a final
exam at the end of each term.
- The exams will have 80
multiple choice questions and
20 True/False questions.
- The final exams are
scheduled by the Registrar.
- The final exams are 2
hours long.
- The final exams are
cumulative.
- On the Fall Final,
3/4 of the questions cover
material
since the last midterm, and 1/4 cover material from before the last
midterm.
- On the Winter Final,
3/5 of the questions cover
material
since the last midterm, 1/5 cover material from the beginning of the
term to the last midterm, and 1/5 cover material from the Fall Term.
Component |
Percentage
of Mark |
ABCs |
20% |
WHOAs |
20% |
Examinations 1, 2,
4 and 5 (the Midterms) |
7.5% each for a
total of 30% |
Examinations 3 and
3 (the Finals) |
15% each for a
total of 30% |
Due
Dates
Assessment |
Due
Date |
ABCs |
posted on the day
before each class at noon, due
by 8:30 AM the day of class |
WHOAs |
posted at end of
each week, due by 5:00 PM on
Friday of the following week |
Examination 1 |
October 7 |
Examination 2 |
November 2 |
Examination 3 |
Fall Final Exam
Period |
Examination 4 |
February 1 |
Examination 5 |
March 15 |
Examination 6 |
Winter Final Exam
Period |
Marking
Scale
Numeric
Grade |
Letter
Grade |
90-100 |
A+ |
85-89.9 |
A |
80-84.9 |
A- |
75-79.5 |
B+ |
70-74.5 |
B |
65-69.9 |
B- |
62-64.9 |
C+ |
58-61.9 |
C |
55-57.9 |
C- |
50-54.9 |
D |
< 50 |
F |
|