Astronomy 129: Introductory Astronomy I
Sections 001, 002, 005, 006, Fall 2009
Lecture: Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Location: Science
Center, room 125
Time:
11:00-11:50AM (sections 001/002), 2:00-2:50PM (sections 005/006)
Instructor: Dr.
George Chartas
Office: 129 RHSC
Office
hours: MWF 3:00-4:00 pm
Phone: (843)
953-3609
Email: chartasg@cofc.edu
A preliminary outline of the course can
be found at the SCHEDULE website. Some of
this material is subject to change and this site will be constantly up-dated so
please check it before each class.
_____________________________________________________________
Syllabus
Required materials:
The textbook Universe (8th Ed.) by Roger A.
Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III
A
scientific calculator capable of computing exponential functions
Course Objectives:
One of the goals of
this class is to reveal to you some of the wonders of our cosmos. Astronomy 129
will cover the planets, their moons and our sun. You will learn how the
scientific method is used to explain the underlying causes behind astrophysical
phenomena. What lies beyond our solar system will be covered in Astronomy 130. I
recommend that you review the material before it is presented in class. This
will help you to better understand the concepts and enjoy the class.
I
expect your active participation in the class. My lectures will be followed by
an activity which may include the use of astronomy software to demonstrate some
of the concepts described during the lecture.
Astro-News:
Each
class will contain a segment called Astro-News. Every student will be expected
to give a 5 minute presentation during Astro-News (only one presentation per
student over the entire course).
The presentation may be in powerpoint, keynote, overhead or blackboard. Astro-News will cover events that have
been recently presented in a recognized astronomy media source.
Great
sources of astronomy news include:
(a)
the Science Section of the New York Times
(see
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/index.html),
(b)
the NASA News Website
(see
http://www.nasa.gov/news/index.html),
(c)
the Hubble Space Station News website
(see
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/),
(d)
the Sky and Telescope news site
(see
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news), and
(e)
the spaceweather website
(see
http://www.spaceweather.com/).
Midterm Exams Homework and Quizzes:
There
will be 3 midterm exams over the semester. The worst score of the three may be
dropped. Homework will be assigned after each chapter and I expect it to be turned
in by the next class.
Due
dates for returning homework are listed on the schedule. Several quizzes will
be given during lectures. The quizzes will be based on material already
presented in lectures. There will be a final exam that will cover most of the
material presented in the lectures. As you will notice there are several review
lectures throughout the semester. I plan to review material from previous
lectures and go through several review and advanced questions drawn from your
textbook.
Grades
Your
final grade will be calculated as follows:
Homework
and Quizzes |
15% |
Activity
and Participation |
15% |
Astro-News |
10% |
Midterms |
40% |
Final |
20% |
Your
number grade will be converted into a letter grade as follows.
>85% |
A |
80-84% |
A- |
76-80% |
B+ |
72-76% |
B |
68-72% |
B- |
64-68% |
C+ |
60-64% |
C |
56-60% |
C- |
52-56% |
D+ |
48-52% |
D |
44-48% |
D- |
<44% |
F |
Special Needs
If you have any special needs or disabilities that
might require special arrangements to be made for any aspect of this course,
please let me know at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become
aware of them.
Class Policies:
Cellular technology: Please respect your class-mates and keep
your cellular devices off or in vibrate mode.
Cheating:
Violations of the College of Charleston
Honor Code (including cheating or attempted cheating) will be referred to the
Office of Student Affairs for adjudication. Examples of cheating include
copying test or quiz answers, using cellular technology to communicate
information during a test or quiz, copying homework answers verbatim from an
external source.