College Seminar 006 “A Cubic Mile of Oil” Fall 2010
MF 12:00-12:50pm
Dr Mary-Ann Pearsall
Hall of Science S221, x 3367, mpearsal@drew.edu
Office Hours: Tu 11:00 am – 12:00 noon
W 1:15 – 2:30 pm
Th 1:15 – 2:30 pm
If you need to meet with me at other times, call or email me to arrange a time or if you are passing you can just stop by - you will usually find me in on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons up to 4:00 pm
A cubic mile of oil is approximately the total annual consumption of crude oil in the world today. This is generally considered to be unsustainable in the future. Members of this seminar will constitute a scientific advisory panel convened to consider the issues surrounding this looming problem and to offer recommendations regarding future energy choices in the tristate region. We will begin by educating ourselves on the nature of energy and how we use it in our world today. We will then decide on criteria by which we might judge the various energy resources with a particular focus on their availability and cost as compared with their impact on the environment. Using these criteria we will assess the viability of using alternative energy sources in a substantial way and make recommendations for future energy choices.
Texts: “A Cubic Mile of Oil”, Crane, Kinderman, and Malhotra, Oxford University Press 2010.
“Alternative Energy for Dummies”, DeGunther, Wiley, 2009
College Seminar Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the College Seminar, students will be able to:
- Enter into and participate in a scholarly conversation both orally and in writing;
Comprehend, evaluate and analyze materials and texts [written, aural, visual numeric] as well as think synthetically and creatively about them;
- Evaluate and explain the appropriate use of different kinds of information from a variety of academic and non-academic sources
- Make an informed presentation on the benefits and drawbacks of different energy sources.
Course Format
In this seminar the in class portion will be built around readings and research that you will do prior to attendance in class. For each class you will be assigned a reading and a short writing to learn exercise on this reading. Both of these must be completed before the class and turned in via Moodle.
Grading Policy
The College Seminar is a collective exploration of a topic. Its success depends on the thorough preparation and participation of each of its members. Missing class means depriving yourself of the insights you will gain through discussion and depriving others in the room of your contributions. Therefore students are expected to be present at each meeting of the seminar and prepared to participate fully in the conversation. The College Seminar will be graded as follows:
Attendance and Participation 50%
Students will not be penalized for absences covered by a Drew Policy (Religious Observance, Athletics, Serious Illness, Death in the Family) (e.g. Athletes are allowed a maximum of two absences, i.e. x/24 rather than x/26). However, it is possible for a student to miss so many classes that they cannot be considered to have taken the class and will not earn credit for it.
Participation will be evaluated on the basis of a rubric.
Course Assignments 50%
There will generally be an assigned reading for every class with an associated writing to learn exercise. No credit will be given if you are not in class; missed in-class writing assignments, oral presentations or activities cannot be made up. Towards the end of the seminar you will each make a presentation and lead the class discussion – this counts for 12.5% of your total grade.
NOTE: No extra credit will be offered in this class.
Academic Accommodations
Should you require academic accommodations, you must file a request with the Office of Educational Affairs (BC 114, extension 3327). It is your responsibility to self-identify with the Office of Educational Affairs and to provide me with the appropriate documentation from that office at least one week prior to any request for specific course accommodations. There are no retroactive accommodations.
Academic Integrity
All work in the College Seminar must adhere to the College Standards on Academic Integrity. You must do your own work. You must cite sources appropriately in all papers and presentations. You must acknowledge the contribution of other students to your work. Any student who is in violation of this policy will be referred to the Dean’s Office for further action. The policy can be found at: http://www.depts.drew.edu/composition/Academic_Honesty.htm]
DoNUt and Library Training. This seminar is designed with the assumption that you will have completed both the orientation to the Drew Computing environment (DoNUT) and the orientation to basic use of the Drew Library, both of which are a part of the Common Hour, within the first four weeks of the semester.
Course Schedule:
A writing to learn assignment will be due at the beginning of EVERY class for which there is an assigned reading.
Key to Reading Sources: CMO Text “A Cubic Mile of Oil”
AED Text “Alternative Energy for Dummies”
PMHI Posted on Moodle, Handout, Internet Resource
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
M Aug 30 |
What do we know about energy? |
|
F Sep 3 |
Is there a problem? Some views. |
PMHI “It’s the End of the World (As We Know It” www.energyecomonyonline.com/End_of_World_as_Know_It.html |
M 6 |
LABOR DAY |
NO CLASS |
F 10 |
Is there really a problem? |
PMHI “The Bottomless Well” Huber and Mills, Basic Books 2005 |
M 13 |
Why not get all the oil we can? |
PMHI Vol. 32 No. 15 · 5 August 2010 pages 28-31 | 6408 words 
|
F 17 |
Where do we go from here? |
PMHI “Out of Gas” David Goodstein, Norton 2004 p. 23-40
|
M 20 |
Types of Energy |
AED Chapter 1 p. 11-24 |
F 24 |
Types of Energy |
AED Chapter 2 p.25 - 36 |
M 27 |
Energy Today – Global Picture |
AED Chapter 4 p. 65 – 71 |
F Oct 1 |
Electricity – What’s the Buzz? |
AED Chapter 3 p. 48 – 55 |
M 4 |
“The Elephant in the Room” |
AED Chapter 5 |
F 8 |
Carbon Capture? |
“Can we bury global warming?” Robert H. Socolow |
M 11 |
Coal and Combustion |
AED Chapter 5 |
F 15 |
Alternatives: |
AED Chapter 4 59 - 64 |
Assignment: Alternative Energy Sources and Fuels: Select your favorite alternative energy source or fuel and find a media article which deals with a problem or opposition to this new alternative. Once you have selected your article you will assign it to the class as a reading for the appropriate class along with a suitable writing to learn assignment. Your article and assignment must be approved by me before being distributed to the class. In class come prepared to give a short presentation on the topic. You will also turn in an annotated copy of your presentation. Your grade for this assignment will be 12.5% of your total grade |
||
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
M 18 |
READING DAY |
NO CLASS |
F 22 |
Conservation |
AED Chapter 6 |
M 25 |
Is it green? |
CMO Chapter 8 p. 233 – 250 |
F 29 |
Nuclear Power |
AED Chapter 8 |
M Nov 1 |
Nuclear Power – The Issues |
CMO Chapter 8 p. 151, p.156 – 176 |
F 5 |
Solar |
AED Chapter 9 |
M 8 |
Hydropower |
AED Chapter 10 |
F 12 |
Wind |
AED Chapter 11 |
M 15 |
Geothermal |
AED Chapter 12 |
F 19 |
Biomass |
AED Chapter 13 |
M 22 |
Alternative Fuels- Biomass |
AED Chapter 17 |
F 26 |
THANKSGIVING |
NO CLASS |
M 29 |
Electric Vehicles and Hybrids |
AED Chapter 18 |
F Dec 3 |
Hydrogen Fuel Cells |
AED Chapter 20 |
M Dec 6 |
Wrap-Up |
CMO Chapter 9 |