ASTR 1104
Summer 2017
Instructor: Mr. Mark Polson
E-mail:
Phone:581-2893
Office hours:225H 5:00 to 6:00 PM Tuesdayand Thursday
or by appointment.
Web Page:
Text:Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy, Arny, 8th
ISBN:978001259729720
Software:Astronomy Connect
Class hours:6:00 – 9:30 PM, Tues.and Thurs. in room SC 100.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Refer to “attendance” in the university catalog. Regular class attendance
is highly recommended although not required. Attendance for scheduled exams is
required. There will be NO MAKE-UP EXAMS and no exams will be given early.
GRADING
Points toward the course grade will be apportioned as follows:
2exams500
Final Exam200
Astronomy Connect assignments 200
Assessment exercises100
------
Total Points 1000
Grade Distribution:
87 – 100% A
77 – 86.9% B
60 – 76.9% C
50 – 59.9% D
< 50% F
As the instructor I reserve the right to award letter grades higher than the percentage
earned would guarantee.
The last date to drop the course and receive an automatic “W” is July 13.
After that date the grade will be either “W” or “F” depending on whether you are
passing or failing. You must initiate the withdrawal procedure. I cannot.
Ceasing to attend class without official withdrawal guarantees an “F” as the course
grade. The session ends with a comprehensive final on July 27 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
EXAMS
Regular exams will consist of multiple choice questions and will be one
hour long. Numerical constants and some formulas will be provided. The final exam
will be comprehensive and will be two hours long. A ScanTron answer sheet is
required for each exam.
HOMEWORK AND QUIZZES
Approximately 8 homework assignments will be given. These assignments
will be due by the end of the class session specified. No homework will be accepted
after this time. The highest 7 homework assignments will be used to compute the
homework grade which allows the student to miss one homework assignment without penalty.
Students are encouraged to work together and discuss homework problems outside of class. However, the homework that is turned in should be your own work and not copied off another’s paper.
Use the following link to register for Astronomy Connect:
Astronomy Connect is required to access the online homework.
If you buy a new textbook bundled with Astronomy Connect, the access code is included. Astronomy Connect can be bought online and includes the electronic textbook.
ASSESSMENT EXERCISES
Several assessment exercises will be given. Students will analyze a problem and give the answer in essay form. Several astronomy night sessions will be given. Students will be able to view objects through a telescope.
University Policy:
Cameron University discourages lecture and/or laboratory attendance by any person not enrolled in the course. Included are student’s friends, student’s spouses, and student’s children. Tobacco product use is not allowed in any building on Cameron University campus.
Accommodations of Disabilities:
It is the policy of Cameron University to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal and state law. Students with disabilities who need classroom accommodations must make their requests by contacting the Office of Student Development at (580) 581-2209, North Shepler, Room 314.
Academic Honesty:
Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action.
TENTATIVE EXAM SCHEDULE
EXAM NUMBER CHAPTERS DATE
1 1, 2, 4, 5, Essay 1June20
2 6 – 10, Essay 3, Essay 4July 11
Final ComprehensiveJuly 27
Our study of astronomy will focus on a few basic things: We live in a big universe that is described by a small set of rules; those rules are knowable; and that through the process of science the rules can be determined. Or can they? Are the rules the same everywhere?
Obviously, along with content (factual information), astronomy, as a course, embodies the following as science education goals:
- the nature of scientific understanding which includes ways of knowing (e.g., What are the characteristics of Jupiter’s interior?); collection, organization, and classification of data or information (e.g., Describe the characteristics of the solar nebular hypothesis.); discovering laws, models, theories (e.g., What evidence supports the Ptolemaic theory of the universe? Is the Big Bang a theory?); the limits of scientific knowledge (e.g., Can one successfully predict the age of the universe?); and the vocabulary and terminology of science (e.g., What is a supernova?). The nature of science provides opportunities to students to experience scientific inquiry.
- integrative concepts which includes change and evolution (e.g., Describe the
Sun’s life and death cycle.); scale and proportion (e.g., How old is the
universe? How far away is Rigel?); causality and consequences (e.g., How does
the elliptical shape of the earth’s orbit affect the seasons?); and dynamic
equilibrium (e.g., Describe stellar structure. What prevents a mature star
from neither collapsing or expanding?).
o the context of science which includes historical, cultural, and intellectual
contexts of science using the discipline of astronomy; along with the political,
social, ethical, and economic dimensions of science illustrated using astronomy
(Why does the number of inhabited worlds we might hear from depend on how
long civilizations survive at a technological level? economy? social issues?
politics? etc.?). Astronomy crosses disciplinary boundaries and involves several
decision-making disciplines.
An astronomy journey to the cosmic frontier allows individuals to “step out into space” and begin to conceive the sheer vastness of the universe. The most comprehensive models of Universe processes are the Earth as a planet and the Sun as a star. From the dawn of time, skywatchers have projected images of their own imaginations and inventions onto the stars. Reviewing the history of the universe also illustrates how the scientific process works and how scientists (and you!) propose hypotheses, gather information, discard ideas, and modify ideas, experiments, and hypotheses to support existing knowledge. Also, students are introduced to some of the newer technologies which include the Hubble Space Telescope and gamma-ray observatories.
ASTR 1104 Contemporary AstronomyDate / Chapter / Video / HW Due
1-Jun / Ch 1 / Preview / Mech. Univ. #21
6-Jun / Ch 2 / 4 / Backyard Astro
8-Jun / Ch 4 / Mech. Univ. #22 / Assign 1: 1,2
13-Jun / Ch 5 / Astro Night
15-Jun / Ch 8 / Review / Assign 2: 4, Essay 1
20-Jun / Ch 8 / Exam 1 (Ch 1, 2, 4, 5, Essay 1)
22-Jun / Ch 6 / 7 / Keeping Time
27-Jun / Ch 7 / 9 / Astro Night / Assign 3: 8
29-Jun / Ch 10 / Essay 4 / Assign 4: 6, 7, Essay 3
4-Jul / Holiday - no class
6-Jul / Ch 11 / Review / Mech. Univ. #24 / Assign 5: 9, 10, Essay 4
11-Jul / Ch 12 / Exam 2 (Ch 6 - 10, Essay 3, Essay 4)
13-Jul / Ch 12 / 13
18-Jul / Ch 13 / 14 / Astro Night / Assign 6: 11,12
20-Jul / Ch 14 / 15 / Assign 7: 13
25-Jul / Ch 15 / Review / Black Holes / Assign 8: 14
27-Jul / Final Exam