Course Syllabus

 

	Areas of Interests and Expertise Environmental Policy Analysis Science and Technology Policy Water Policy Energy Policy     Phone: No phone; only email Email: mmeo@ou.edu Live Session: Thursdays, 6:00-7:25 p.m. Central Time (5-minute break at 6:45) Zoom link: https://oklahoma.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJItcuihrTwoGN0vCJZgKhTgrD2ax_8S8lP1
Professor Mark Meo Professor Emeritus Civil Engineering & Environmental Science Geography and Environmental Sustainability

For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Course Prerequisites 

This course is offered to both graduate students enrolled in the Hydrology and Water Security (HWS) program (Section 997) and undergraduate students (Section 995) who have an interest in U.S. water policy.

Course Materials

Required Course Materials

• A Thirsty Land: The Making of an American Water Crisis by Seamus McGraw, University of Texas Press, 2018.
• A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy by Juliet Christian-Smith and Peter H. Gleick, with Heather Cooley, Lucy Allen, Amy Vanderwarker, and Kate A. Berry, Oxford University Press, 2012.
• Drying Up: The Fresh Water Crisis in Florida by John M. Dunn, University Press of Flora, 2019.
• Sustainable Water: Challenges and Solutions from California, edited by Allison Lassiter University of California Press, 2015.

Additional Reference Materials

Reference materials that are not required reading are on the Course Resources page. Students may find these useful for the completion of the course requirements.

Grades

Breakdown

Graded Activities & Assignments	Percent of Total Grade
Written Assignment #1	30%
Written Assignment #2	30%
Written Assignment #3	30%
Class Participation	10%
Total Points	100%

Scale

Total Grade Percentage	Letter Grade
90-100%	A
80-89%	B
70-79%	C
60-69%	D
59% and below	F

 

Course Components

Live Sessions via Zoom

Held each week on Thursdays from 6 pm – 7:25 pm, with a short break from 6:45 to 6:50 pm.

Students are expected to attend the weekly live session and be prepared to participate in class discussion about the assigned readings. Student participation is worth 10 percent of the final grade, and every student is expected to participate. Do not worry about participating in every class, but routine discussion is expected.

If rescheduling is necessary, an announcement will be made in Canvas.

Written Assignments #1, 2 and 3

One of the criticisms made about students in technical fields is their relatively weak skill in written communication. These course assignments are designed to help students improve their writing talent and their overall ability to communicate the course material.

Each of the three written assignments is due on the day of the live session. The first two assignments are due 1 week after they are given to students. The third assignment is due after 2 weeks. Students will be given a detailed set of guidelines to follow for the completion of each assignment and should not be at a disadvantage about drafting a coherent paper.

Assignment	When Given to Students	Due Date
Written Assignment #1	Week 2	Week 3
Written Assignment #2	Week 8	Week 9
Written Assignment #3	Week 12	Week 14

 

Selected Readings and Other Materials

The required readings encompass states extending from the eastern to the western regions of the United States and reflect the various water laws and institutions that predominate. Additional readings from the Web are available to students to improve their understanding of the issues raised and discussed in the assigned readings and in the live class session. Students are encouraged to use the weekly lecture slides as study aids. Additional materials may be added in the future.

Final Exam

There is no scheduled final exam for the course. Student grades are based on the assigned writing and class participation.

Course Policies

Communication Plan

All email sent to you by your instructor (important announcements, grade information, etc. will be sent to the email registered in your name at the University of Oklahoma. If you use a different Internet Service Provider for email, you need to notify OU or you will not receive emails from your instructor. You can easily change your account email by going to account.ou.edu or calling the OU IT department (405-325-4636).

Since this course is offered online through Zoom, students who wish to speak with the instructor in confidence should email him (mmeo@ou.edu) to arrange a telephone call. Otherwise, there will be time to speak with the instructor during class. Depending on the campus protocols for COVID-19 safety, a personal visit to my office (Room 618, Sarkeys Energy Center) may be possible. Contact me first by email for more information.

For technical support with Canvas or other University systems, call 405-325-HELP.

Course Login

Your online course is located on Canvas, http://canvas.ou.edu. To log in, use your 4+4OUNetID and your OUNet password. Your 4+4OUNetID is the first four letters of your last name plus the last four numbers of your OU student ID number (e.g. smit1234). (If your last name contains less than four letters, all the letters are used in the OUNetID – the OUNetID is simply shorter.)

Late Policy

If students know in advance that he/she will miss a deadline, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor prior to that deadline. Students missing a deadline without prior arrangement or a legitimate emergency will receive a 5% deduction per day. The grade will be reduced for late work without exception, unless special exception has been granted in writing by your instructor and/or course facilitator due to documented extraordinary circumstances.

Pre-Approved Absences

The instructor shall have the authority to grant “pre-approved absences”, provided the student provides any requested documentation regarding the absence. If a student is granted pre-approved absences for unavoidable and necessary issues, the student will be able to work ahead in their classes. Pre-Approved Absences for online courses will not be granted for business travel or vacations, as students are expected to take laptops, texts, and materials with them to continue their studies.

For Students with Disabilities

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodation necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.

Basic Principle of Academic Integrity

Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Academic assignments exist to help students learn; grades exist to show how fully this goal is attained. Therefore, all work and all grades should result from the student's own understanding and effort.

---

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Course Catalog 

Search the OU Course Catalogue.

Student Handbook

Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.

Online Library

Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.

Academic Misconduct

In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook. 

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.

This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism. 

For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.

Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.

If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Disability Resource Center.

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability.  Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.

Title IX Resources  

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident. 

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.

Copyright Policy

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Registration and Withdrawal

If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Student Grievances

In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.