ASTRONOMY 5
COURSE
SYLLABUS
IMPORTANT: Students
who have taken Astronomy 10 may take this course for full credit
Course Description: Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe (3 units),
Lecture Course - General principles and the fundamental facts of stellar astronomy
and the large scale structure of the universe. Designed primarily for students
not majoring in a physical science or mathematics.
To
satisfy the
Full-Time Instructors: Dave
Offices: S204 (Kenyon), S201 (Dunn) in Sewell Hall, V322B
(Rice), all on the Roc
Campus Extensions: Kenyon (x7911, 916-660-7911)
Dunn
(x7912, 916-660-7912), Rice (x7942, 916-660-7942)
E-mail: Kenyon (dkenyon@sierracollege.edu),
Dunn
(ddunn@sierracollege.edu), Rice (brice@sierracollege.edu)
Office Hours: To be announced on first day of class.
Part-Time Instructors and Related Information:
Information is given in the Syllabus Supplement which is distributed
during the first week of classes.
What are the “Third-Hour” Sections?
Astronomy 5 is a 3-unit
lecture course, which for most 3-unit courses usually means that you attend 3
hours of lecture during a given semester week. However, in Astronomy 5, you
attend 2 hours of lecture and a third
hour in “Third-Hour” (and hence its name), where the majority of time is spent
working on a variety of hands-on activities (there are a few videos as well).
You will be assigned to a Third-Hour section (based on your schedule
preferences) by the end of the first week of classes. However, you should try
to attend one of the Third-Hours held during the first week of class to receive
a general orientation to the activities. Be sure to always attend your assigned
Third-Hour prepared with the required text and charts/maps, calculator, paper,
and pencils/pens.
Please note: Third-Hour does
not count towards lab credit.
The
Third-Hour section in which you are assigned after the first week may be
changed if a legitimate conflict exists (e.g., with another class or your job).
To change to another time, attend a Third-Hour section that does not conflict
with your schedule and ask the section instructor if an opening is available.
If an opening does not exist, the section instructor will assist you in finding
another section. Changing your Third-Hour section does not require you to fill
out any forms or even inform the Admissions and Records office.
If you miss or cannot attend your assigned Third-Hour
during a particular week, it is possible to attend another section during the
same week to pick up on missed information or complete the exercises. Inform
the Third-Hour instructor (who is not necessarily the same person as your
lecture instructor) that you are doing so.
Third-Hour Sections for Astro 5 (Room ST2, Sewell
Hall Astronomy Annex, Rocklin Campus):
See http://astronomy.sierracollege.edu/Courses/Third_Hour_Schedule.htm.
Lecture Sections, Course Codes, and Missed Classes:
On the first day of class,
be sure to pick up a copy of the Astronomy
5 Syllabus Supplement. This sheet will give the course codes for those who
may be adding Astronomy 5 during the first week of the semester. “Add Codes”
must be obtained directly from the instructor in whose class you wish to be
enrolled.
The Astronomy 5 Syllabus Supplement will also give all the days and
times that the various instructors will be lecturing and leading activities in
the Third-Hour sections. These times and days are important since if you must
miss your assigned lecture or Third-Hour activity, it is possible to make up
the class by attending a lecture or Third-Hour at another time during the week
of the missed class. To do so, you must receive permission from the instructor
whose lecture or Third-Hour you wish to attend.
VERY
IMPORTANT
It is the responsibility of the student (not the
instructor) to add or drop a class. An
instructor may drop a student for excessive absences, but there is no guarantee
of this. Also, if you switch Astronomy 5 Lecture Sections (but not Third-Hour
sections), you must complete a Change-of-Program
Form and submit it to the Admission and Records Office with the proper
instructor signatures.
Consult the Sierra College
Schedule of Classes for the last day to drop (receive a
refund and avoid a “W”) and the last day to withdraw (and get a “W”).
Textbook and Materials (Buy now at on or off
campus stores):
Required Text: The Cosmic
Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology, Latest Edition, by Jeffrey
Bennett, Megan Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, and Mark Voit
Required Handbook:
Required
Web Access: Mastering Astronomy
(http://www.masteringastronomy.com/)
Required Maps: Star Maps (Constellation
Charts) SC-001 and SC-002
Required Chart: The Current Year’s Sky Gazer’s Almanac
Optional CD/Software: Starry Night Pro, Version 3.1
Optional Equipment: The Night Sky
Planisphere (5” cardboard or plastic) by David
Chandler
Optional Study Guide: Astronomy
Quick Study Guide by BarCharts, Inc.
Astronomy Department, Text, and BlackBoard Web Sites;
The Astronomy Department
maintains a web site with a variety of features. Of particular interest to
Astronomy 5 students will be the availability of lecture notes, class handouts,
Third-Hour exercises and answer keys, detailed scores for all completed
exercises, and current grades. Use http://astronomy.sierracollege.edu/ for the web address of the department
homepage and then select the Astronomy 5 hyperlink to access information
related to this course. Friendly warning: Periodically check your
assignment scores for accuracy; report any errors to your lecture instructor.
The course text has a companion
web site at http://www.masteringastronomy.com.
All students must register on this web site in order to complete homework
assignments and the “Take-Home” Midterm. Before you register, you will
need an Access Code (supplied with a new text or purchased at the Mastering Astronomy web site), a Mastering Astronomy Course ID (to be
given to you by your instructor during the first week of classes), and a Mastering Astronomy Student ID (also to
be given to you by your instructor during the first week of classes).
Besides being the place to
work on homework assignments, the Mastering
Astronomy web site also has a few very valuable resources to help students
improve their proficiency in astronomy. For example, in the “Study Area” there
are “Interactive Figures”, “Movies”, and “Flashcards”.
All
Finally, there is a bulletin
board area dedicated to Astronomy 5 just outside the planetarium. General
announcements and selected handouts, answer keys, and gradesheets will be
posted in this area. Students are expected to check this area on a regular
basis.
General Instructor Expectations of Students: We expect each student to
give his or her best effort in participating in class activities and
accomplishing assigned tasks. We expect students to adhere to their behavior
responsibilities as detailed in the Sierra
College Student Handbook. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other forms of
dishonesty are considered grounds for an immediate course grade of F (with a
permanent designation of “academic dishonesty”) and possible dismissal from
Student Expectations of Instructor: You can expect our best
effort in teaching the principles of astronomy. We hope to impart in our
students a sense of excitement in observing and studying nature’s show in the
cosmos. We are very open to suggestions for topics that students wish to
discuss or improvements in the course content and/or presentation. If you are
experiencing severe difficulty with a particular instructor, bring your concerns
to the attention of the Astronomy Department Chair or the Science and
Mathematics Division Dean.
Student Safety: All students should be aware of the proper
procedures under emergency conditions in the classroom or building. This
awareness includes how and where to meet during an evacuation or lockdown, and
location and use of the building first aid kit, fire extinguishers, and phones.
COMPLETE
THE PINK INFORMATION CARD
Give this card to the
instructor before leaving class on the first day. Be sure to note the 4-DIGIT NUMBER on the card and
write it down in your text or notebook. This is your Astronomy 5 Student ID# and will be used to record and post
your scores throughout the semester. Important items to remember about this
number:
Grading
and Attendance
1. The final grade in this class is based on total
"assigned" points (500):
A
= 90% or more of total points assigned (= 450)
B
= 80% or more, but less than 90%, of total points assigned (= 400)
C
= 70% or more, but less than 80%, of total points assigned (= 350)
D
= 60% or more, but less than 70%, of total points assigned (= 300)
2. A two-part 100-point Midterm Exam will be given at the times and
places shown on the General Schedule of
Activities. A Star Quiz worth 30 points and a three-part Final Exam worth
110 points will be given during the last week of class. Any exceptions to the
exam schedule will be noted in class.
3. During lectures, instructors will give “CPS Quizzes” (using a CPS Keypad explained in class) based on
material presented during the lectures. These quizzes are worth 5 points each
week (beginning in Week 2) and you must be in attendance to participate. See
the General Schedule of Activities
for scheduling. In lieu of the “CPS Quizzes”, instructors may give weekly
5-point quizzes using a different format.
4. Homework exercises are worth 10 points each. Generally, there are
20 questions with each question worth 0.5 point, although the number of questions
and the point value for a given question may vary slightly from one exercise to
the next. A final homework score that includes a half-point is rounded up to
the next highest integer. See the General
Schedule of Activities for the exact due dates.
5. Third-Hour exercises are worth 5 points each. There are more
questions on these exercises than are graded. A pseudo-random process is used
to determine which five questions are graded (one point per graded question).
See the General Schedule of Activities
for the exact due dates.
6. Extra Credit may be earned for special activities described on the
Extra Credit Options sheet. Any
single extra credit activity may earn no more than 5 points. The maximum number
of points for extra credit during the semester is 25 points. Ten of this total
must be completed by the Midterm with the remainder due by the end of the last
week of classes. See the General Schedule
of Activities for the exact due dates.
7. Bonus point activities may be given at the instructor's discretion.
These points, like extra credit can only enhance your grade. You have to be in
attendance to receive any bonus points the instructor may offer.
8. The maximum total points a student may earn through extra credit
and bonus is 50.
9. A student may be dropped from class for excessive absences. See
the
Policies
and Procedures
1. Tests and quizzes cannot be made up. If a problem exists, notify
your lecture instructor before the test/quiz date. However, even with
prior notification, an instructor is not obliged to extend any test/quiz
deadline. In addition, instructors reserve the right to refuse student
admission to a test/quiz for excessive tardiness (defined as more than 5
minutes after the test/quiz begins).
2. Late homework exercises are not accepted under any conditions.
These exercises are due by
3. Third-Hour exercises are to be completed in the section assigned
to the student and during the week the exercise is due (see the General Schedule of Activities for the
exact dates). However, if a student is unable to attend his/her assigned
section (for a valid reason; for example illness), he/she may attend another Third-Hour
section provided it is during the same week the exercise is due and he/she
informs the Third-Hour instructor of his/her presence in the class.
4. Students are expected to be on time for their Third-Hour class. Third-Hour
instructors reserve the right to refuse student admission to class for
excessive tardiness (defined as more than 5 minutes after class starts).
5. Third-Hour instructors may penalize students up to 20 points for
non-participation in class with the severity of the penalty being in direct
proportion to the severity of the non-participation.
6. The Astronomy Department teaching staff believes it is important
for students to maintain basic communication and organization skills in a
science class. Consequently, students may be penalized 1 point per
exercise/exam for not displaying these skills. Examples are: 1) Not writing
your name and/or Astronomy 5 ID # (see “Complete
the Pink Information Card” section above) on an exercise/exam that is turned in for grading;
and 2) Gross misspelling of any common word (gross misspelling is defined as
more than two letters in a given word are incorrect).
7. Students are expected to check the grading accuracy of their
exams/quizzes, exercises, and bonus/extra credit. Students are also expected to
check their posted grades for accuracy. Students are given 2 weeks (14 days)
after a given deadline to bring any errors to the attention of their lecture
instructor. Under no circumstances will grade accuracy be discussed after the
final grade-reporting deadline established by the Sierra College Admissions and
Records office. This deadline is usually set in the week after the last week of
class.
8. Examples of behavior subject to a grade F with academic
dishonesty:
·
The use of answer keys from previous semesters
·
Passing/receiving answers to/from students taking Third-Hour classes at
another time
·
The use or visible proximity of any electrical or related device during
exams/quizzes
·
The use of “crib sheets” written on anything, including your skin,
rubber bands, etc.
Course
Content Outline
1.
Historical
Developments in Stellar and Galactic Astronomy
2.
Physical
Principles Relevant to the Science of Stars and Galaxies
3.
Telescopes,
Observatories, and Spacecraft
4.
The Celestial
Sphere
5.
The Sun – One
Star
6.
The Properties of
Stars
7.
Stellar Evolution
8.
Stellar Remnants:
White Dwarfs to Black Holes
9.
The Milky Way
Galaxy
10. Galaxies: Properties, and Evolution
11. The Large Scale Structure of the Universe
12. Cosmology
Student Performance Outcomes
1.
Discuss a variety
of historical developments that have led to important discoveries in the
science of stars and galaxies.
2.
Identify 20-30
celestial objects and/or groupings associated with stars and galaxies and found
in the night sky and provide descriptive information about each.
3.
Use a star chart,
a "cosmic window", a planisphere, and/or a "Stargazer's
Almanac" to determine the time and date of a variety of celestial events
associated with stars and a variety of deep sky objects.
4.
Solve problems
involving spatial relationships with regard to the stars and galaxies found on
the celestial sphere.
5.
Use computer
software to retrieve and evaluate information and data of significance to
stellar and galactic systems.
6.
Compute various
performance measures of telescopes and other astronomical instrumentation.
7.
Apply physical
principles (mechanics, gravitation, electromagnetism, atomic structure) to the
natural behavior of stars and galaxies.
8.
Discuss the
physical principles behind the overall structure and appearance of the Sun.
9.
List the
principle properties of stars and the various techniques used to measure them.
10. Describe the general physical processes associated
with a given star as it evolves from its birth to its death.
11. State the possible end states for stars.
12. Draw a detailed picture of the overall structure of
the Milky Way Galaxy and its content.
13. Compare and contrast the various types of galaxies and
their possible evolutionary associations.
14. Describe the observed large-scale structure of the
Universe.
15. Discuss a current theory for the structure and
evolution of the Universe since its creation.
16. Speculate on the existence of life forms within the
Milky Way and beyond.
Thank you for electing to take Astronomy 5. We hope you will enhance
your knowledge and appreciation of astronomy and enjoy the subject as much as
we do.
The Sierra
College Astronomy Department Staff