METEO 1N - Surviving the Storm: Navigating Weather Disasters
This is a sample syllabus.
This sample syllabus is a representative example of the information and materials included in this course. Information about course assignments, materials, and dates listed here is subject to change at any time. Definitive course details and materials will be available in the official course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Overview
METEO 1N: Surviving the Storm: Navigating Weather Disasters is a 3-credit course. It is a non-technical breakdown of extreme weather phenomena and how they combine with physical and social vulnerabilities to create human-made disasters. It is a General Education course offered by the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science. The inter-domain course is designed specifically for learners seeking general science and/or social science credit.
METEO 1N will introduce students to the fundamentals of impactful weather and climate phenomena, and then explore how each extreme weather and climate event threatens individuals, communities, and ecosystems, and brings extensive economic costs. The course will conclude with a lesson on emergency management to highlight effective preparedness and recovery strategies so that a particular disaster does not happen the same way again.
METEO 1N uses online text with digital video, audio, virtual field trips to online data resources, and interactive quizzes that provide instantaneous feedback. Lessons consist of an online reading assignment, which includes interactive exercises, links, animations, movies, and supplementary explanations of physical science and social science principles.
Objectives
When you successfully complete this course, you will be prepared to:
- discuss the long-standing desire for humans to plan for the future, including for weather events
- gather and interpret atmospheric data and forecast products relevant to extreme weather using basic techniques used by meteorologists (and other scientists)
- define risk, and apply it to weather forecasting and extreme weather events
- discuss the strong relationship between perceived hazards and decision-making among the public
- identify numerous social vulnerabilities that cause natural weather events to turn into human-made disasters
- describe the basics of climate change and how the combination of a changing climate and human behavior are working together to create a more vulnerable society
- identify the fundamentals of good crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) and leadership
Required Materials
Typically, there are no required materials for this course. If this changes, students will find a definitive list in the course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Prerequisites
None
Expectations
On average, most successful students will need to spend roughly 3 to 4 hours working on each lesson in METEO 1N, completing the assigned readings and other exercises for that lesson. This is on par with what the University estimates for a 3-credit course. Your workload may be a bit more or less depending on your prior experience with online courses, and also with meteorology in particular.
We have worked hard to make this the most effective and convenient educational experience possible. How much and how well you learn is dependent on your attitude, diligence, willingness to ask for clarifications or help, and willingness to communicate with me and your fellow students. It's important to log into the course several times a week (on different days) in order to check your course e-mail, the discussion boards, and any course announcements that I've posted. Falling out of touch with course happenings for even just a week is a big way to jeopardize your chances of success.
Major Assignments
The final grade is composed of three components.
- 12 "Assessing the Damage" Surveys ... 10%
- 12 Graded Lesson Quizzes … 40%
- 5 Knowledge Checkpoints (Projects) ... 50%
Course Schedule
All assignment deadlines will be available in Canvas at the start of the semester.
| Lesson | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Social Vulnerabilities |
| 2 | Weather Data and Weather Maps |
| 3 | Weather Forecasting Basics - From Past to Present |
| 4 | Severe Thunderstorms |
| 5 | Tornadoes |
| 6 | Floods |
| 7 | Hurricanes |
| 8 | Drought and Wildfire |
| 9 | Physical Stress from High Temperature and Moisture |
| 10 | Winter Weather and Extreme Cold |
| 11 | Climate Change and Shifting Risks |
| 12 | Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication |