ASTRONOMY 1020-11: STELLAR ASTRONOMY

Spring Semester 2009

Meeting Times:           MWF 1:25 – 2:20

Meeting Place:             Sundquist Science Center E-106B

Credit:                                3 Credit hours          

Instructor:                        Michael Smitka

            Office:          SSC B-323    Phone: 221-6157

            Hours:          MWRF 11:00-12:00, T 12:20-1:25
                      Or by appointment

Or you can call to see if I’m in my office at any time

            E-mail:       smitkam@apsu.edu

Website:               www.apsu.edu/astronomy

Textbooks:         1. 21^st Century Astronomy: Stars and Galaxies, 2^nd Edition

                                                Hester, Burstein, Blumenthal, Greeley, Smith, & Voss

                                    2. Starry Night Workbook, 2^nd Edition, D. Terndrup

                                    3. Lecture-Tutorials for Intro. Astronomy, 2^nd Edition

                                                Prather, Slater, Adams & Brissenden

Course Description:

This course covers the subjects of stellar astronomy such as the Sun, star formation and life cycles, galaxies and cosmology, the tools and methods of astronomy including celestial observations, light and other types of radiation, telescopes and spectroscopy. Laboratory ASTR1021 is to be taken concurrently.

Grading:          Exams………………. 45%              90 - 100%…     A

                              Labs…………………  25%              80 – 89% …     B

                              Observations……….   10%             67 – 79% …     C

                              In-class Activities…..    5%              50 – 66% …     D

                              Homework …………. 15%              < 50% …….      F            

Exams:

Approximately every ninth class meeting during the semester there will be a regular exam for a total of five exams. The fifth exam will be given during the final exam period. The lowest regular exam grade will be dropped; the final exam cannot be dropped.  The regular exams will consist of 30 multiple-choice questions, each worth 3 points and an essay question worth 10 points for a total of 100 points per exam. The final exam will be comprehensive and consist of five essay questions worth 10 points each covering all the material of the semester except that covered on Exam 5. The tentative dates for the exams are listed in the Reading Assignments/Exam Dates below in the syllabus.  Each of the 4 regular exams that are not dropped will comprise 10% of your grade and the final will comprise 5%.

Homework:

Homework is due by the end of class the meeting after the chapter is completed.

Example: Chapter 3 will be completed on Wednesday Sept. 12.  Homework is due by Fri., Sept. 14 in order to get a solution set out before the exam on Mon. Sept. 17.  The majority of the homework will be problems in the online homework system SmartWork.  SmartWork homework due dates can be found below in the course schedule.  Additional homework assignments from the Starry Night Workbook will be assigned throughout the semester.  Ranking Task assignments, which will be handed out in class and available on the course website, will also be assigned.  Due dates for the Starry Night workbook assignments and Ranking Tasks will be announced during class time.  Late assignments will not be accepted.

Laboratory:

You must register for the lab in addition to the lecture to receive credit for the course. The lab grade will be combined with the lecture grade for the course grade. You will receive the same grade for the lab that you receive for the lecture. Your lab instructor will distribute a separate syllabus for the lab during the first lab meeting. Laboratory attendance is mandatory. If you should miss a lab, for whatever reason, you must make arrangements to make-up the lab with your lab instructor. More than two un-made-up lab absences will result in automatic failure of the course (lecture and lab).

Observations:

During the course of the semester you will be required to attend at least one First Quarter night, perform a Virtual Observation and write a report. The First Quarter nights will be held at the telescope piers next to the handicapped parking in the Archwood parking lot if the sky is clear or in SSC atrium if it is cloudy. Information about the Virtual Observation will be distributed in a separate hand-out. The dates for the 1^st Quarter nights are:

First Quarter Nights

February 2^nd @ 7:00 PM (Monday)

March 3^rd @ 7:30 PM (Tuesday)

March 5^th @ 7:30 PM (Thursday)

April 2^nd @ 8:00 PM (Thursday)

April 6^th @ 8:00 PM (Monday)

In-class Activities:

The in-class activities will consist of a variety of different exercises conducted in class. Among the activities will be five-minute essays, group essays, question-of-the-day discussions, short quizzes, and comment cards. Not all days will have an in-class activity, days which do have an activity will be chosen at random. The in-class activities will serve as a means of taking attendance but their primary purpose is to enhance the learning experience.

Tentative Schedule

The above schedule and procedures are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

The Usual Caveats

Disability Policy:        

Any student that has a condition that may affect his/her academic performance is encouraged to make an appointment with me and with Disability Services (telephone 221-6230;voice 221-6278; voice tty) to discuss the matter. This discussion should take place before the first exam.

Academic & Classroom Misconduct:

Students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all times.  Academic and classroom misconduct will not be tolerated.  (i.e. it will be dealt with harshly by myself and the Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy!) 

Students must read the “Code of Student Conduct” provided on the APSU website at http://www.apsu.edu/student_affairs/judicial1.htm for an understanding of what will be expected of them within the academic setting. 

You may not bring unauthorized materials of any kind to any of the quizzes or exams. This includes, but is not limited to, storing formulas in a programmable calculator.

Blatant copying of any problem solution from any source is forbidden.  This includes, but is NOT limited to, copying problems from solutions manuals, other students’ (both prior and current) homework or project assignments, etc..  If you suspect you are breaking the Student Code of Conduct, then you probably are.

Course Objectives:

1. To help students develop an understanding of the scientific method.

2. To introduce students to the historical development of the science of astronomy and how that development influenced other sciences and philosophies throughout history and across cultures.

3. To help students develop competence in reading scientific materials, listening and taking notes in lectures and responding in written and oral form.

4. To help students develop the skills of critical thinking and logical analysis.

5. To promote the understanding and use of numbers, the metric system of units and statistics in making and interpreting measurements.

APSU Policy for Minors on Campus

According to APSU policy #3:032, minors (defined as those under the age of 18) are not allowed in classrooms.  While I recognize that extenuating circumstances occur and make it difficult for some students to attend without bringing children with them on occasion, I must enforce University policy and thus will deny any request for a child in my classroom.  You should also be aware that minors are not allowed in academic labs, computer labs, science labs, or the library.  Further, children cannot be left in halls outside classrooms. Please be aware that the policy on unattended minors is for the purpose of ensuring that our classrooms are conducive to learning and for the safety and protection of minors.  For additional information on minors on campus, contact the Office of Student Affairs in the Morgan University Center.

Midterm Grades

A midterm grade will be awarded for all students in this course.  The grade awarded may or may not necessarily be based on 50% of the course requirements and may or may not differ from the final grade.  Your mid-term grade will be posted on APWeb.

ASTRONOMY 1020: STELLAR ASTRONOMY

STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET

Name: _____________________________________________

Student ID Number: ___________________________________

Local Telephone Number: ______________________________

Email Address: _______________________________________

By signing below, I acknowledge I understand that:

(a)   This course has scheduled examinations and a final examination as shown in the syllabus and listed in the University student schedule.  I will not make plans that interfere with these scheduled examinations.  In addition, I will bring my student photo-ID to each examination and show it to the test administrator if asked.

(b)   Attendance is required for this course.

(c)    Attendance at one night time observing session (of the 5 scheduled) is required.

(d)   In addition to assigning a course grade, the periodic questionnaires and scheduled exams are also used for the purposes of improving this current course offering and future course offerings.  Any and all scores gathered during the semester might be shared with other faculty or evaluation agencies however; my name will never be associated with this data as a participant in any way.

(e)   Further, I understand that cell phones and text-messaging are not part of this course and calls/messages may be answered by the instructor or any of the teaching assistants.

_________________________________________      ______________

Signature                                                                               Date