Home | Research and Grants | Pulications | Teaching  

Teaching - Geo101: Earth Systems Science (Summer)

Instructor: Chris S. Renschler (rensch@buffalo.edu)

Time schedule: M T W R F , 9:40 AM - 10:55 AM (3 credit hours)

Office Hours: 60 minutes prior (Wilkeson 116), in the 10 minute break, and 20 minutes right after class

Audience: Undergraduate Students of all disciplines.

Objectives: The lecture introduces the main concepts and theories in Earth System Science and investigates the complexity and interaction of physical, chemical and biological processes in geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and ecosphere. The goal of this class is to gain the fundamental understanding of environmental processes and their local, regional and global impacts. The lecture creates an interdisciplinary learning environment that supports the communication among various disciplines about environmental systems issues and problems.

Course format:The course consists of lecture presentations with computer-projected text, figures and tables mostly derived from the textbook. All slides shown in class are available on UBlearns in PDF format and students are encouraged to take additional notes. Students are encouraged to bring their textbook to class. As the textbook, the lectures have three distinctive parts with interactive review sessions after each part:

  • Part 1 - Introducing Earth Systems Science; Spheres, Scales, Systems, and Cycles
  • Part 2 – Weather and Climate Systems, Systems and Cycles of the Solid Earth
  • Part 3 – Systems of Landform Evolution, and Systems and Cycles of Soils and the Biosphere

Required Textbook: Strahler and Strahler, 2005. Physical Geography: Science and Systems of the Human Environment, 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (ISBN 0-471-48053-3).

Exam: There will be three exams with 70 multiple-choice and 20 true/false-questions (90 minutes time). There is no final exam. Make-up exams will be only given where a student contacts me before or at the day of the scheduled test and offers an acceptable excuse. Make-up exams must be taken no more than 7 days after the scheduled exam date, except where prolonged illness prevents this. In case of an illness or accident a medical certificate from either a doctor or the UB student health service will be required. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course schedule and format of the exams as is deemed necessary.

Grading: Your grade is based on the average of all three exams (33.3% each). Bonus points can be gained by active participation during the class and especially in the interactive review sessions. Bonus points will be added to the exam average at the end of semester. The final letter grades are A (90-100%), A- (85-89%), B+ (80-84%), B (75-79 %), B-(70-74%), C+ (65-69%), C (60-64%), C- (56.6-60%), D+ (53.3-56.6%), D(50-53.3%), and F (0-50%).

Class Schedule: Note that, each exam includes the basics learned in Part 1 Ch. 1 and 2.

Week Dates Lectures
1   Introducing Earth Systems Sciences (Ch.1)
Spheres, Scales, Systems, and Cycles (Ch.2)
The Earth as a Rotating Planet (Ch.3)
The Global Energy System (Ch.4)
Air Temperature & Air Temperature Cycles (Ch.5)
Atmospheric Moisture and Precipitation (Ch.6)
Review (Ch.1-6)
2   Memorial Day Holiday – No classes
    Exam 1 (Ch.1-2+ Ch.3-6)
3   Winds & Global Circulation (Ch.7)
Weather Systems (Ch.8)
Global Scope of Climate (Ch.9)
Earth Materials and the Cycle of Rock Change (Ch.12)
The Lithosphere and the Tectonic System (Ch.13)
Volcanic and Tectonic Landforms (Ch.14)
4   Weathering and Mass Wasting (Ch.15)
(Review Ch. 7-9 + 12-13)
The Cycling of Water on the Continents (Ch.16)
Fluvial Processes and Landforms (Ch.17)
Landforms and Rock Structure (Ch.18)
5   Waves and Wind (Ch.19)
Glacier Systems and the Ice Age (Ch.20)
Soil Systems (Ch.21)
Systems and Cycles of the Biosphere (Ch.22)
(Review Ch. 16-22)
6   Exam 3 (Ch.1-2+ Ch. 16-22)