Syllabus
If you are new to this course, please read the Welcome page in addition to this Syllabus page. Both contain essential information you must act on right away. You should also read through the Elements of the course to get a better idea of the different parts of the course. This Syllabus summarizes how I run the course. You can find more information on many specific topics by using the buttons at the left of this page.
Instructor Information
E-mail: dkary@citruscollege.edu
Phone: (626) 852-8031
Office: HH 750
Office Hours: M-Th 10-11:00 a.m.
Virtual Office Hour: T, Th 8:30-9:30 p.m. (On Blackboard)
Textbook Information
Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology: The Cosmic Perspective, 6th Ed. Bennett et al.
There are several versions of the book. Make sure you buy the version covering the stars and galaxies, not the solar system. Also, if you have the 4th edition, 5th edition or a used copy of the 6th edition, you will need to purchase access to the textbook website directly from the publisher. Earlier editions of the textbook will not work for this class. Too much has changed in the chapters, questions, etc.
A workbook. The workbook for this course is called Introductory Astronomy: Lecture Tutorials by Slater and Adams. We will be using this book in the discussion sections. This item is recommended, though I do not require all students to have it.
You can buy your textbook at the Owl Bookshop at Citrus College, or at the Owl Bookshop Online . Also, make sure you register with the textbook web site, Mastering Astronomy, so that you can access the course tutorials. You will need the textbook for this.
Strongly Recommended: Scientific Calculator. This doesn't have to be a really expensive model: anything that can do square roots and exponents should be able to handle anything you do in this class.
Learning Outcomes
If you are new to the course, you should also read through the Elements of the course as well as this syllabus page to get a better idea of the different parts of the course. This Syllabus summarizes how I run the course. You can find more information on many specific topics by using the buttons at the left of this page.
There are lots of different things I want you to learn from this course. First I am really fascinated by the universe, and I want to communicate my excitement to you. I'd like you to get a sense how strange and amazing our universe is, so that you know:
What is inside a star, and what makes it shine?
What's a black hole like, and what would you see if you fell into one?
How our galaxy look if we could see it from another galaxy, or sometime in the distant past?
As you will see, facts and details are valuable, but I don't want you to know the worlds just through a sterile set of memorized facts like: "The average surface temperature on Sun is 5800 Kelvin degrees...."
Instead, I want you to see the processes that govern how stars and galaxies work how they change with the passage of time, and even how we think the universe itself has evolved over time. These are big ideas, and they will give us a framework that will make all those individual facts and details meaningful. This course doesn't emphasize memorization. It emphasizes understanding.
Another thing I want you to learn is: How do we know the things we know? After all, most of the things we talk about in this course are way too far away for us to visit them. This is an even bigger question, for it is really a question about theory and evidence, and about what it means for knowledge to be scientific. These are the most challenging of ideas, but if you come to understand them, they could change how you view the world!
Here is the full list of the class learning goals:
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Use astronomy in the news to explain astronomical objects and processes to your peers to help improve understanding of current astronomical research.
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Estimate and/or calculate the characteristics of astronomical objects, and understand the meaning of these calculations in order to better understand natural processes.
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Formulate scientific hypotheses in order to distinguish between scientific and non-scientific questions and methods.
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Analyze data, analyze errors and report results in order to practice good scientific laboratory methods
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Apply an understanding of the orbital and rotational motion of the Earth to predict and observe the changes in the sky that result from these motions.
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Describe and use various tools and methods of astrophysicsto distinguish which kinds are useful for different investigations
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Develop an understanding of relevant astronomical and physical processes (e.g. star formation and evolution, relativity, emission and absorption of light) apply these processes to new physical situations to understand how natural processes lead to observed phenomena and to develop scientific reasoning skills
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Measure the observable characteristics of stars and galaxies and determine the underlying properties of these objects to develop scientific reasoning skills and an appreciation for the links between observation and theory in science.
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Estimate the size and scale of objects in the universe in order to describe the Earth’s relationship to them.
Grading
Course Grades will be determined on an absolute scale. The following scale will be used for letter grades:
| A |
Greater than 85% |
| B |
Greater than 75% |
| C |
Greater than 65% |
| D |
Greater than 55% |
| F |
Less than 55% |
Letter grades are assigned according to your overall score. Note that an incomplete ("I") grade will only be given out in cases of unforeseeable emergency at the end of term prevents you from completing the course work.
| Midterm exams (2 at 10% each) |
20% |
| Masteringastronomy Assignments(7 at 1% each) |
7% |
| Homeworks (5 at 3% each) |
15% |
Group Discussion Questions (1 each week)
|
8% |
| Quizzes (12 at 0.5% each) |
6% |
| APOD Presentations and Questions |
4% |
| Labs |
20% |
| Final Exam |
20% |
| Total |
100% |
If you do better on the final exam than on one of the midterms, then the final exam grade will replace the lowest midterm grade. For more information on the different parts of this course, have a look at the Elements of the course.
What activities will you do in this course?
Though this is a distance education ("DE") course, it is just as real an astronomy course as the courses you find on campus at Citrus, or at a Cal State or University of California campus. This means most students will find it pretty demanding. Expect to spend 9-12 hours a week on:
- reading, studying, and critical thinking
- writing technical explanations of scientific questions
- math calculations -- We do use math in this course; it essential to convey the concepts of astronomy. However, I do work hard to choose only the mathematical techniques you really need for understanding, and to give you plenty of coaching and practice so you can master them. This is one of the parts of the course many students find difficult. If you do, I urge you to come to me for help as soon as you have trouble. I can help, and you can master this stuff -- if you start early in the term.
- computer activities
- communicating with me and your classmates (by email, the message board, etc.)
Note that this does not include the lab portion of the course.
Assignments
There are several different types of assignments in this class. They include quizzes, homework assignments, online tutorials, discussion board activities, and an observing project. All of these are discussed in more detail on the page describing the Elements of the Course.
What about keeping in touch?
When you don't have lectures to attend every week, it's easy to lose contact with the class and start forgetting about what you need to do. For this reason, I strongly encourage you to keep in touch with your classmates and with me. You have several ways of doing thing, including:
Labs: You will meet with half of your classmates every week in lab. I generally won't be leading the lab sessions, but if you want to see me and this is the time you can be on campus, let me know and I'll try to arrange to meet you.
E-mail: This is usually the fastest way of getting in touch with me. My email address is dkary@citruscollege.edu. During the semester I usually get back to people within a day or two, and often faster than that. If it takes more than 3 day, try again or give me a call at 626-852-8031.
Regular and Virtual Office Hours: I am in my office several days each week (see the instructor information for times) and I keep a weekly online office hour using the Chat function on Blackboard. If you have questions, these are great times to talk to me.
Discussion Boards: There are several discussion board forums set up on Blackboard that are set up for you to ask questions or just talk about astronomy.
Check the Schedule page on Blackboard regularly. The Schedule page contains links to each week's readings, reading notes, quizzes and homework assignments; as well as exam guides, and special events. Checking into the schedule page and the discussion board is the equivalent of attendence in this class. If you don't do it, you could easily miss out on important information.
Late Assignments
Most assignments must be sent to me by 12:00 midnight, Pacific time on the due date. I do not grade late homework assignments. However, if you turn in a homework assignment a few days late I will assign it a nominal grade of 40% of the total, assuming you appear to have done all parts of the assignment. If the assignment is incomplete, it will receive a lower grade. I reserve the right to disallow late assignments by an individual or by the class if I feel this is being overused. I do not accept late quizzes at all. I do accept late “masteringastronomy” assignments at for 50% credit.
Please keep a copy of everything you send in. In spite or your (and my) best efforts, homework will get lost and your copy is your backup. I will be mailing out homework solutions promptly.
What about the labs?
There are weekly labs in this class. You must sign up for one of the lab sections when you sign up for the course.
The labs offer a chance for you to see how astronomy is done. We'll do experiments on both the astronmy and the physics behind it. Some labs will be hands-on physics experiements. Some will involved observing and measuring the night sky. Some labs will be done on computer letting you see modern data analysis techniques.
The labs are required. You cannot pass this class without the labs. There is very little lattitude for missing labs, so it is your responsibility to make sure you get the job done.
Cheating
The whole system of higher education is based on the idea that you earn credit for the work that you do. If you try to present somebody else’s work as your own, that is cheating. While I encourage you to share ideas with other students, the final work you hand in must be your own. If I have reason to suspect that you have been cheating on an exam or assignment then you will receive a "0" grade, and you may be expelled from the course (Yes, I have done this). Click on
Exams
There are 2 exams during the term and 1 cumulative final exam. Exams test your understanding of the material and critical thinking skills. Every exam includes a few math problems, though math is not the major focus of the exams. All exams are taken on campus in the Testing Center . Most exams are divided between on-paper short-answer questions, and multiple-choice questions that you do on a testing computer. Exams are closed-book, but you may use a calculator. For further details, see the links for each exam on the Schedule page on Blackboard.
I will only give makeup exams under the following circumstances:
1. You contact me before the exam explaining why you won’t be able to attend.
or
2. You contact me no later than 24 hours after the end of the exam period to explain why you weren’t able to attend and arrange for a makeup exam.
You may contact me either in person, by telephone, or by email. All makeup exams should be done within 1 week of the original exam.
There are no makeup quizzes and I will not accept late quizzes.
Where do you get academic help and tutoring?
If you need help, ask me. In addition to the help I can give you, there is lots of other help available to you on campus and online. Tutors in math, science, and study skills are available online or in person from the Learning Center. They also have tutors specializing in astronomy. Technical (computer) help is available from Web office. For all these, see the Help link at the left of this page.
If you feel you might want help from me or from any of these sources, do ask for it right away. Tutoring can make a big difference to you if you start early in the term, but it only helps a little if you start the week before the exam.
What if you have special needs or disabilities?
I will make every reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities. It can take time to make these arrangements, so please contact me early in the term if you require accommodation. Students with disabilities should be aware that Citrus offers many special services; please contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S). All students should be aware that Citrus offers an impressive list of services that are available to everyone. Check out the web page for Student Services.