Teaching Assistant Opportunities for Fall 2023
Climate and society are accepting teaching assistant Application for the program’s fall 2023 core courses. Applicants must be full-time Columbia graduate students enrolled in the Fall 2023 semester. Students who have already received a Fall Student Officer appointment (another teaching assistant position, DRA, GRA, etc.) are not eligible. Teaching assistants should work an average of 10-20 hours per week.
Apply: submit application here go through June 26 at 11:55pm. The salary for each position is $7,000. Contact climatesocietyadmin@climate.columbia.edu with questions.
Teaching Assistant Responsibilities
Teaching assistants must perform duties as determined by the assigned supervising teacher while maintaining the highest level of professionalism and confidentiality. Teaching assistants may be responsible for directing drills, recitations, discussions, or laboratory sessions related to courses offered by higher-ranking officials. They will be responsible for meeting and coordinating with the instructor on a regular basis and performing other course-related duties as assigned, such as grading written coursework. Additional tasks may include setting up and managing Zoom meetings and breakout sessions; managing polls and other learning activities through Canvas; and developing scoring criteria for learning activities.
Teaching assistants should attend classroom meetings.
Course Introduction
CLMT 5001 Climate Variability and Change Dynamics
This course provides an understanding of the physical workings of the climate system and underpins the objectives of the remainder of the programme. Building on this foundation, students learn how to interpret climate information, such as forecasts and observation maps, through lectures, readings, discussions, and exercises. We’ll cover the physical and methodological basis of predictions—from weather to climate change—and their uncertainties. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate the suitability of different types of climate information for answering questions of societal interest in discussions and group projects. Given that climate variability acts on multiple temporal and spatial scales and may be further influenced by anthropogenic climate change, we will also address how these aspects of climate are realized, predicted and explained. A solid understanding of physical systems and appropriate use of climate-related terminology will be emphasized throughout the course.
CLMT 5008 Climate Change Mitigation
This survey course provides an overview of the tools (technologies, policies, etc.) available to mitigate the effects of climate change. This course will use a scenario planning framework to explore pathways to decarbonize the entire economy. In this work, the course will explore not only technological options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also policy responses, market structures, and behavioral changes that can support the achievement of net-zero emissions. The course will also draw on a series of case studies of decarbonization pathways in different regions of low-middle-income and high-income countries to provide insights into mitigation strategies, including risks and opportunities. The course is intentionally multidisciplinary, weaving together STEM, policy, and other social sciences. It will focus primarily on the application of mitigation solutions, and will highlight what net-zero “end states” might look like and transition pathways to those end states.
CLMT 5015 Climate Change Adaptation
Using a case study approach, the course will focus on climate change adaptation policies, exploring dimensions of adaptation across sectors and scales. Using the theme of pervasive global inequality, students will also consider challenges related to international development and disaster risk management. An interdisciplinary framework will enrich the curriculum, with students studying from the perspectives of natural sciences, law, architecture, anthropology, humanitarian aid and public policy.
