Geography 370: CLIMATOLOGY

Those of you who would like to raise your grade on your first and second midterms have the option of doing a short paper after each midterm.

What you must do: Write a 300 to 500 word (no more than two pages typewritten) report on an article in a scholarly journal or semipopular news magazine (see below) on a topic that was covered on the midterm. That means, for the first midterm, the topic should be something about weather processes, atmosphere, greenhouse effect, etc. Your paper should describe what the article was about, how it relates to what you learned in class, and what you think about the article. Include a photocopy of the article with your paper.

You must include a full citation of the article you review. This should include:

Name of author
Name of article
Name of journal or magazine
Volume number and issue number, if available
Date of publication
Pages article is found on

Suggested publications or scholarly journals: Scientific American , Popular Science, Natural History, National Geographic, American Scientist, Nature, Science. You may also find something in regular news media such as The Economist , the Christian Science Monitor, or the New York Times Science page on Tuesdays, but be careful that the article is sufficiently science-oriented. Does it cite the researchers who are reporting on their work? NOTE: This cannot be an article from a web site. It must be from a print journal. When in doubt, check with me regarding your choice of article before writing the review.

Due Date: For the first exam, your paper is due right before the second midterm, For second midterm, it is due by the last week of classes..

What you will earn: If you do a good job and get full credit, I will raise your grade on the midterm by 10 percentage points.

Other options for raising your grade: If the grade on your second midterm is ten percentage points higher than your first midterm, I will make your second midterm worth 30% of your final grade and your first midterm worth 10% (instead of 20% each).

You can do both of these options to raise your grade, or one, or neither. It's your choice.

Strategies for success: Come to class, read the text, ask questions, sign up with the tutor at the Learning Center, come and talk with me during office hours (Stv. 3056).

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Dated 9/20/07