575.711.81 - Climate Change and Global Environmental Sustainability

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Modules on the left navigation menu in Canvas. A module will have several sections including the overview, lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. All modules run for a period of seven (7) days, unless otherwise noted in the Course Outline. You should regularly check the Modules and Canvas for assignment due dates.

Course Modules for this class will run from Wednesday – Tuesday of each week. This should provide students with the opportunity to review the current Module activities and ask any questions on Monday, prior to most due dates.

Course Topics

We will cover the following topics in this course:

• Climate Science, Evidence, and Indicators
• Climate Discourse, Language, and Social Drivers of GHGs
• Climate Impacts, Vulnerability, and Stressors
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
  
• Climate Change and Colonialism, Public Opinion, and Communication
  
• Sustainability and Global Environmental Outlook
• Sustainability and Millennium Assessment
• Sustainability Case Studies

Course Goals

To develop an understanding of climate change and environmental sustainability concepts including drivers, implications, and challenges, and to critically analyze efforts to assess, model, adapt to, and/or mitigate realized and potential negative regional and global consequences of human degradation of the environment.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Apply critical thinking concepts to complex issues related to climate change and sustainability including analysis objectives, key questions, assumptions, concepts, data and information, stakeholder analysis, inferences and implications.
• Identify and explain the drivers of climate change, observed and expected impacts, adaptation and mitigation strategies, policy options and implementation, and ongoing governance challenges.
• Evaluate climate change resources and scientifically credible facts versus bias and/or spin.
• Differentiate between environmental, social and economic aspects of a sustainability framework and recommend tractable solutions that address key issues in these areas.
• Apply relevant theories, analysis frameworks, and predictive scenarios or quantitative models to timely and relevant regional sustainable development issues.
• Critically assess and explain the role of vulnerability and stressors in shaping inequitable distributions of climate impacts and action.

Textbooks

There is no required textbook for this course. Readings can be accessed through online JHU libraries or will be attached for reading and educational purposes only.

Required Software

Students will need the following software and technical requirements to complete this course. For information on using Canvas and setting up your user profile, please see JHU’s Canvas Resource page.

Web Browser Plugins

You will need necessary plugins to view the course lectures.

PDF Viewer

You will need the free Adobe PDF viewer software to view PDF files in this course. Go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

Office Software

You will need access to word processing and spreadsheet applications. Microsoft Office will, of course, work – however, an open source alternative is available at OpenOffice.org: http://download.openoffice.org/other.html#en-US. Google documents, sheets, and slides should also work for coursework.

Zoom

As noted above, weekly Office hours will be held using Zoom. Zoom is a free program but requires a download. For assistance getting Zoom set-up and ensuring it will work, go to: https://support.zoom.us/hc/enus/articles/201362033-Getting-Started-on-Windows-and-Mac.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each module will take approximately 6–10 hours per week to complete. Here is an approximate breakdown: reading the assigned sections of the texts (approximately 2–4 hours per week) as well as some outside reading, listening to the audio annotated slide presentations (approximately 1–2 hours per week), and writing assignments (approximately 2–3 hours per week).

This course will consist of the following basic student requirements:

Assignments (20% Final Grade)

The course will include three homework assignments. The purpose of these assignments is to help reinforce concepts learned in class and through the readings. They will also give you an opportunity to think critically about the course content and form your own opinions and decisions. One of these assignments is specifically designed to help you engage with taking action in your own life on sustainability and climate change. This assignment (Assignment #1) is a multi-part assignment with something due in Module 1 and something due later in the semester. See Canvas for further detail. Lectures in Module 1 will also review this assignment. All assignments are due according to the dates on Canvas. Note that plagiarism will not be accepted (see below for further detail).

Required Formatting for Assignments

All assignments submitted on Canvas should include your full name, the course name, the module number, a brief assignment descriptor, and the date in the upper left corner of the first page. Pages should be numbered as Page XX of XX. All figures and tables should be captioned, labeled, and cited appropriately (see journal articles as an example). All assignments that depend on knowledge and information, software, tools, etc. that is based on outside resources should be cited both in-text and as formal citations at the end of your document. You may follow a citation style of your choice but note that websites or online information must also contain full references (a simple URL does not count). Note that many citation styles now only require you to include a “last accessed date” when the online content does not have a publishing date (e.g., Klasic, M. N.d. “The story of my life.” Meghan’s Missives. Last accessed 10 January 2023. Meghansmissives.info).

Please select a font and text size that is legible (I recommend Times New Roman, Size 11). Please adhere to normal margins and single spacing. Always use complete sentences and paragraphs. Your document can include headers/sub-headers for organization but should avoid simply numbering responses. You are turning in a “synthesized” document. Please submit your documents as PDFs (.pdf) and name the document using the following nomenclature: Last Name – Assignment X. Title of Assignment. For example: Klasic – Assignment 1. Carbon Footprint.  If you do not have Adobe software, note that there are several free online sites that will convert your work into pdfs. Do not submit a google doc, sheet, or slides link. If you use online processing such as Google Docs, you must download it, convert it to pdf, and submit it on Canvas. Note that students are expected to follow these formatting guidelines and points will be deducted if guidelines are not followed.

Knowledge Check Quizzes (15% of Final Grade)

During the course there will be three knowledge check quizzes. These quizzes will be administered through Canvas. Students will need to complete the quizzes during one seating. Quiz content will be drawn from lectures, readings, and discussions. Quiz dates and formats will be outlined in Canvas within the appropriate modules.

Discussions (10% of Final Grade)

Throughout the course there will be several discussions required. Discussions provide a means for you to engage more deeply with materials in conversation with your peers. Discussions also enable you to apply what you are learning to your jobs and real-life experiences. We encourage you to take full advantage of discussions.

Discussion posts will generally consist of two parts. First, you are asked to post an initial response or post to the discussion prompt. See the Canvas for specific due dates. Posting a response to the discussion question is part one of your grade for module discussions. Part two of your grade for module discussions is based on your interaction and responses with at least two classmates. Initial posts and interactions should be completed by Day 7 of the given module. You are encouraged to engage with your classmates’ posts as well as comments and questions on your own post. For now, Day 7 will be the due date for all posts, but note that your initial post should happen early in the module for robust discussion. If you consistently don’t post your initial post until Day 7, it is likely that you will not receive full discussion credit at the end of the semester.

Discussion posts will give you another opportunity to show off your critical thinking skills. See the Canvas Critical Thinking Folder for resources to help ensure your posts reflect critical thinking skills. The Critical Thinking Rubric will be discussed during Module 1 of the course and is the rubric for all discussion grading. Please ensure that your postings are civil and constructive. Hate speech or discriminatory language will not be tolerated. See Academic Misconduct Section of the syllabus for details.

Documentary Critical Review (15% of Final Grade)

During the first half of the course, you will be asked to select and critically review a climate change documentary with respect to challenging physical scientific claims, social scientific claims, and production features. You will be provided with a list of documentaries to choose from. You will be required to watch the two documentaries and then to develop a 20-minute recorded presentation of your findings and a hosted discussion. Hosted discussion will include interacting with your classmates both on your own documentary findings as well as your peers Wiki pages.

Please refer to the ‘Documentary Critical Review Guidance Document’ available in the Projects folder on Canvas.

Climate Change Summit Simulation (10% of Final Grade)

An interactive climate change summit simulation will take place over a three-week period during the course. You will be assigned to a negotiating group and will be provided with objectives and supporting guidance and reference materials. The results of your negotiations will be input into a systems dynamics model which will be used as a diagnostic and decision-making tool. Negotiation rounds will take place and an analysis and discussion section will present and summarize these results. Refer to the ‘Climate Change Summit Simulation Guidance Document’ available in the Projects area of the left navigation menu on Blackboard for further details.

Research Presentation Project + Policy Brief (30% of Final Grade)

To tie together the concepts covered in this course, students will be tasked with selecting a topic of their choice for a final research project. Students will develop a recorded presentation on their topic. Students will then select one of their peers’ presentations and write a policy brief making a recommendation on how to address the issue or topic discussed. This will encourage students to engage deeply with peers on their research projects and enable students to practice multiple forms of writing and analysis. Students will have one week to write policy briefs–this replaces a final exam and pushes students to develop well-researched and developed policy recommendations under pressure.

Research Presentation (20%)

Students will select a topic of their choosing, research the topic, and record a robust and clear presentation. Presentations will be due Mod 13, Day 7. During Mod 14, students will engage with their peers’ presentations and ask questions and make comments. Refer to the Projects Folder on Canvas for further details and information. Note that students are expected to include all aspects of critical review.

Policy Brief (10%)

Students will select one of their peers’ research topics to engage with in a more in-depth way – by creating writing a policy brief that recommends a policy action to an ongoing challenge or issue related to the topic. Students will be provided with an example policy brief template to use for this assignment. Students are expected to conduct research outside of their peer’s presentation/work. While policy brief memos typically don’t feature in-text citations, student will be expected to provide a separate document of citations (see guidelines in the Projects folder on Canvas for details).

Grading Policy

Student assignments, readings, discussions, and projects are due according to the dates on Canvas in the Modules. I will post grades within 1-2 weeks after the assignment due dates depending on the type and complexity. As graduate students, I expect you to use proper spelling and grammar as well as citations. Please take advantage of spell check before submitting your assignments.

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week. A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:

Course Evaluation

In addition to the University course evaluations that will be distributed, I encourage you to send me your thoughts on assignments, readings, course topics, and projects on the course. I am always tweaking or otherwise revising the course to meet student needs and desires, so I appreciate your feedback.

Course Policies

Life happens. Students will automatically be given one 24-hour grace period on due dates. After this grace period, there will be a late penalty of 10% (one letter grade) for each day that they are late. Submissions may be accepted later than one week late for credit, but will still be reviewed for comment.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.