Astronomy 130: Introductory Astronomy II
Sections 1, 2, Fall 2017
Lecture: Tuesday
and Thursday
Location:
Harbor Walk, HWWE 112
Time: TR 11:20
am - 12:35 pm
Instructor: Dr.
George Chartas
Office: 206 J.
C. Long
Office
hours: TWR 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Phone: (843)
953-3609
Email: chartasg@cofc.edu
Pre-requisite:
ASTR 129 and 129 lab; CO: ASTR 130L
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 for the course is Bennett, J.,
Donahue, M., Schneider, N., and Voit, M., titled The
Cosmic Perspective 8th Edition.
You will also need 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 130
will begin with an introduction to the nature of light and a description of the
optics and telescopes used by scientists to collect electromagnetic radiation
from objects in the Universe. The course will cover the birth, evolution and
death of stars and the nature of galaxies including our own Galaxy the Milky
Way. You will learn about exotic objects in our Universe such as neutron stars,
black holes, quasars and active galactic nuclei. The course concludes with a
description of the evolution of the Universe and a presentation summarizing
ongoing searches for extraterrestrial life in our Universe.
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.
General Education Learning Outcomes:
1. Students
apply physical/natural principles to analyze and solve problems (This outcome
will be assessed by writing a report of one of the labs.)
2. Students
explain how science impacts society (This outcome will be assessed in the lab
class using an assignment involving writing a letter to a public official about
an astronomy-related current event.)
Outcome
1 will be assessed in a lab report and outcome 2 will be assessed in the lab
via a signature assignment. A more detailed description of the learning
outcomes and objectives of this course are included in Learning Outcomes.
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 2 midterm exams over the semester. Homework will be assigned after each
chapter and I expect it to be turned in by the assigned due date listed on the
schedule web site. 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.
Grades
Your
final grade will be calculated as follows:
Homework |
5% |
Quizzes |
15% |
Astro-News |
10% |
Midterms |
40% |
Final |
30% |
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.
1.
Any student eligible for and needing accommodations because
of a disability is requested to speak with the professor during the first two
weeks of class or as soon as the student has been approved for services so that
reasonable accommodations can be arranged.
2.
The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons
with documented disabilities. Students should apply for services at the
Center for Disability Services/SNAP located on the first floor of the Lightsey Center, Suite 104. Students approved for
accommodations are responsible for notifying me as soon as possible and for
contacting me one week before accommodation is needed.
3.
This College abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have a documented
disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which
you may require accommodations, please see an administrator at the Center of
Disability Services/SNAP, (843) 953-1431) or me so that such accommodation may
be arranged.
Class and Attendance Policies:
Cellular technology: Please respect your class-mates
and keep your cellular devices off. You are expected to attend all classes.
College of Charleston Honor Code and
Academic Integrity:
Lying, cheating, attempted cheating,
and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that, when identified, are
investigated. Each incident will be
examined to determine the degree of deception involved.
Incidents where the instructor
determines the student-s actions are related more to a misunderstanding will be
handeled by the instructor. A written
intervention designed to help prevent the student from repeating the error will
be given to the student. The
intervention, submitted by form and signed both by the instructor and the
student, will be forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in the student-s
file.
Cases of suspected academic dishonesty
will be reported directly by the instructor and/or others having knowledge of
the incident to the Dean of Students.
A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty
will receive a XF in the course, indicating failure of the course due to
academic dishonesty. This grade
will appear on the student-s transcript for two years after which the student
may petition for the X to be expunged.
The F is permanent. The
student may also be placed on disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary
removal) or expelled (permanent removal) from the College by the Honor
Board.
Students should be aware that
unauthorized collaboration--working together without permission-- is a form of
cheating. Unless the instructor
specifies that students can work together on an assignment, quiz and/or test,
no collaboration during the completion of the assignment is permitted. Other forms of cheating include
possessing or using an unauthorized study aid (which could include accessing
information via a cell phone or computer), copying from others- exams,
fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance.
Research conducted and/or papers
written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment
in this class without obtaining prior permission from the instructor.
Students can find the complete Honor
Code and all related processes in the Student
Handbook at http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/honor-system/studenthandbook/index.php