Berklee College of Music

Liberal Arts and Sciences

LMSC-222 Oceanography Syllabus
Spring 2024

Berklee Land Acknowledgement

The Diversity and Inclusion Office acknowledges that the land our Berklee Boston campus
resides on is the ancestral homeland of the Pawtucket, Massachusett, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag
tribal nations. We honor these communities and the elders of these nations—past, present, and
future—whose practices and spiritualities are tied to the land.

We recognize the enduring relationships between Indigenous communities and the traditional
territories that our Berklee campuses and global sites occupy.

As a cultural institution, we believe there is an obligation to accurately and responsibly

acknowledge the unceded land our institution is built upon. We recognize that American Indian,
Native American, indigenous, First Peoples, First Nations, and aboriginal communities are
present and alive today, and are not mere relics of history.

We are committed to using its institutional positionality to amplify the histories and livelihoods
of indigenous peoples, and to working toward dismantling the ongoing legacies of settler
colonialism.

Professor Breck McCollum

E-mail: bmccollum@berklee.edu
Office Location: 7 Haviland, Room 318
Office Hours: TBD, or via Zoom by appointment.
Course Chair: Dr. Jennifer Beauregard, jbeauregard@berklee.edu, 617-747-6689, 7 Haviland, Room
334

Course Description
In this course, students examine the interdisciplinary nature of the Earth’s oceans. Students learn about
the biological, chemical, physical, and geological aspects of the ocean. Students investigate the creatures
that live in the ocean, including fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, and microscopic plants and
animals. In addition, students examine waves, currents, and environmental aspects of the ocean, as well
as the features of the seafloor. Through this course, students also explore the interaction between
humans and the oceans, analyzing humanity's relationship with the sea.

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
•Analyze the connections between different aspects of the ocean.
•Evaluate the impact that oceans have on society, and that society has on the oceans.
 •Compare/contrast the processes that shape different coastal areas.
•Evaluate media reports on oceanographic issues.
•Evaluate ballot issues and legislation that affect the ocean.

Course Materials
• Online videos/podcasts assigned by instructor

Course Requirements
• Active participation in class
• News reviews
• Weekly homework assignments
• Exams
• Final project

Grade Determination
• 10% News reviews
• 20% Weekly homework assignments (also used to track attendance)
• 25% Midterm Exam
• 25% Final Exam
• 20% Final Project

Grading is done using Berklee’s standard scale: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B-
(8082), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D (60-69), F (0-59).

News reports: Students are required to present current, course-related news events to the class. During the
presentation, you should summarize the main point of the article/story, and briefly comment on the event (Why
did this catch your attention? How does it relate to what we have discussed in class?) The objective here is to
get comfortable discussing these topics with your peers and in your own words. Over the course of the semester,
you need to do TWO news reviews. Full credit for each report involves giving a brief, informal presentation to
the class and submitting a written summary of the article to the Discussion section on Canvas. These are worth
10% of your grade (1 whole letter grade)! All reports must be completed by Sunday, May 5th at 11:59pm.
More details, and examples from previous courses to follow.

Weekly homework assignments: Most weeks will have a homework assignment. These assignments will
typically include watching a video clip or listening to a podcast, then answering a few questions. The objective
behind these assignments is to link the concepts we have been discussing in class to current or historical events
around the world, and to make an intellectual leap beyond just parroting information presented in class.
Assignments will be due the following Sunday night by 11:59 pm. They must be submitted as PDF, Word,
Google Doc, or comment through the appropriate link on Canvas. Submitting these assignments on time will
give you the most intellectual benefit and prevent you from falling behind in class. Assignments may be
submitted late for full credit and/or through email with prior approval. My policy is do the work, get the points.

Final projects: Students are required to complete a final project at the end of the semester. Students may work
by themselves or work in small groups. These projects may be anything of interest to the student and related to
the course: a song inspired by the ocean, a performance of another artist’s work that relates to the ocean, a
presentation about a local ocean-related issue, a presentation about a global ocean-related issue, podcasts/expert
interviews, video tours, visual art pieces etc. Final projects should be submitted through Canvas by Sunday,
May 12th at 11:59pm. More details, and examples from previous courses to follow.

Academic Honesty
Berklee College of Music insists on academic honesty. Unless the assignment explicitly is a group project, all of
the work in this class must be your own. The source of all information in any written assignment must be cited
properly, whether it is a quotation, paraphrase, summary, idea, concept, statistic, picture, or anything else you
get from any source other than your own immediate knowledge--including the Internet. Writers give credit
through accepted documentation styles, including parenthetical citation, footnotes, or endnotes; a simple listing
of books and articles at the end of an essay is not sufficient.

Plagiarism—not giving proper credit to a source and thereby passing off someone else’s material or idea as your
own—is a type of intellectual theft and deceit and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting. The use of
Artificial Intelligence such as ChatGPT, and passing off that writing or those ideas as your own also constitutes
plagiarism. Plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the assignment or course, and possible dismissal from
the College. Just because your exams are open note/open internet, does not mean plagiarism is acceptable!

It is your responsibility to be aware of and abide by the rules governing plagiarism, fraud, and cheating found in
the Policy Handbook for Students under the section "Honesty in Academic Work and in Scholarly and
Professional Practice." If you have any questions about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, please talk with
a reference librarian, ask a teacher, or refer to a writing handbook. Websites that discuss types of plagiarism and
how it can be avoided through evaluation and proper documentation of sources include:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html
www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Documentation.html
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html

Class Attendance Policy

As stated in the Berklee Bulletin, attendance is a critical part of students’ responsibility for their education. We
are still in the midst of a global pandemic, and there are a plethora of local and global events currently vying for
our attention. Please decide whether attending class makes the most sense for you, as the adult you are. Slides
used in lectures will be posted online before each class. However, for nuance, context, and me excitedly yelling
“Oh, this will definitely be on the exam!”, you’ll need to be in class. Whether or not you make every class, it is
your responsibility to stay on top of deadlines and due dates, as well as any content you might have missed.

Late Work Policy

My policy is that if you do the work, you will get the points. Assignment due dates are suggestions. If you
follow them, you won’t get bogged down with work at the end of the semester. Again, you are an adult so you
may choose your own fate here. “Late” assignments will be accepted as long as it makes sense for me to accept
them, and no late work will be accepted after May 5th at 11:59pm. If you miss four or more assignments, and
don’t respond to the nudges I send you via Canvas, I will assume you are no longer participating in/attending
the course, and you will receive an ‘F’ in the course.

Important Dates for Berklee

Deadline for course withdrawal at Berklee College of Music is Wednesday, April. 10th. Refer to the
Registration Manual for details. Neither the instructor nor the student may initiate a “W” after this date.
Deadline for add/drop is Friday, February 9th.

Support Services
The Center for Liberal Arts & Sciences Tutoring (CLAST) offers various tutoring services to the Berklee
community. CLAST falls under the auspices of the Liberal Arts & Sciences Department in the Professional
Education Division. For more information, please visit https://www.berklee.edu/liberal-arts-tutoring

Additional Student Services include:

● Counseling Services, 617-747-2310
https://www.berklee.edu/counseling
● Academic Advising Center, 617-747-6535
https://www.berklee.edu/academic-advising/appointments
● Accessibility Resources, 617-747-2387
https://www.berklee.edu/accessibility-resources/appointments
● Stan Getz Library and Media Center,
https://library.berklee.edu/

Accessibility Resources for Students

It is my goal to create a learning experience that is as accessible as possible. If you anticipate any issues related
to the format, materials, or requirements of this course, please meet with me outside of class so we can explore
potential options. Students with disabilities may also wish to work with Accessibility Resources for Students to
discuss a range of options to removing barriers in this course, including official accommodations. Please visit
their website for contact and additional information: www.berklee.edu/accessibility-resources. If you have
already been approved for accommodations through Accessibility Resources for Students, please meet with me
privately so we can develop an implementation plan together.

Liberal Arts & Sciences Department Equity Mission Statement

The Liberal Arts & Sciences Department at Berklee strives to provide a supportive environment for all
students, regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual identity and orientation, health, ability, social class,
and racial, ethnic, religious, national, and personal backgrounds. Our strength is in our differences, and a
diverse community promotes equity through the support of and respect for people with a broad range of
backgrounds and experiences. We welcome the opportunities to work with and learn from each other.

For Information on Berklee’s Equity policy College's equity information:

https://www.berklee.edu/equity.

Title IX
Berklee is a diverse community composed of individuals with different life experiences, viewpoints,
belief systems, and identities. A welcoming and inclusive culture is essential to maintaining the
college’s role as a leader in music education and Berklee highly values the dynamic environment that
results when students, faculty, administrators, and staff from diverse backgrounds come together to
learn, live, and work. The Equity Policy and Process prohibits and addresses sexual misconduct, as well
as other forms of discrimination and/or harassment based on legally “protected characteristics” and
provisions covered under Title IX of federal law. If you have concerns about a possible violation of the
college’s Equity Policy, please contact equity@berklee.edu. For more information,
visit www.berklee.edu/equity.

(Tentative) Class Schedule:

Week of Topics/Assignments
January 23rd-26th (week 1) Introductory material
Introduction to the oceans
Week 1 assignment due Sun., Jan. 28th

January 29th-February 2nd Plate tectonics

(week 2) Week 2 assignment due Sun., Feb. 4th

February 5th-9th (week 3) Bathymetry

Coastal oceanography
Week 3 assignment due Sun., Feb. 11th

February 12th-16th (week 4) Composition of seawater

Marine pollution
Week 4 assignment due Sun., Feb. 18th

February 20th-23rd (week 5) Climate vs Weather

No classes Feb 19th, Tuesday Climate Change in the oceans
follows Monday Schedule Week 5 assignment due *Mon., Feb. 19th

February 26th-March 1st Climate Change in the oceans

(week 6) Week 6 assignment due Sun., Mar. 3rd
March 4th-8th (week 7) Midterm Exam Prep
Midterm Exam Wednesday March 6th
No weekly assignment due week 7
Week of Topics/Assignments
March 18th-22nd Spring Break - No classes or homework!

March 25th-29th (week 9) Currents

Waves
Week 9 assignment due Sun., Mar. 31st

April 1st-5th (week 10) Waves Continued

Tides
Week 10 assignment due Sun., April 7th
April 8th-12th (week 11) Invertebrates
No weekly assignment due week 11

April 16th-19th (week 12) Vertebrates

No classes 15th, No weekly assignment due week 12
Wednesday follows
Monday schedule

April 22nd-26th (week Climate Change in the oceans

13) No weekly assignment due week 13

April 29th-May 3rd Finals Prep

(week 14) Week 14 assignment due Sun., May 5th
News Reports and all remaining homework assignments ALSO
due Sun., May 5th

May 6th-10th (week 15) News reviews due by Sun., May 12th
Finals Week Final Exam Wednesday May 8th
Final Project due Sun., May 12th