PROFESSOR: Michael Shull (Office: Duane D-235)
TEACHING ASSISTANT: Erica Zetterlund (Office: Duane D-248)
OBSERVING NIGHTS: The ASTR 1200 classes (all 3 sections) are invited to attend observing nights, with viewing of of stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies through our 16-inch and 18-inch telescopes at Sommers-Bausch Observatory. Students will be encouraged to observe night-sky objects and write a short essay about 3 of them. We should have 6 nights this term (to be scheduled)
COURSE HOME PAGE: http://casa.colorado.edu/~mshull/gen-astro-1200/
GOALS OF THIS COURSE:
This class offers an introduction to stars and galaxies, intended primarily
for non-science majors. However, all students are presumed to have the
mathematical literacy appropriate for admission to the University
of Colorado, including basic algebra and quantitative reasoning skills.
The overall goal is to make you familiar with current astronomical views
on the Origin and Evolution of the Universe.
We will discuss current evidence for the expanding (and evolving) universe
and its content (stars, galaxies, gas, radiation, dark matter, dark energy).
By the end of this semester, you should be able to critically evaluate
news articles written on these topics.
For some of you, this course may offer a scientific context for
discussing religious issues: what scientists sometimes call "initial
conditions" or the "Anthropic Principle" in the creation of the universe.
I intend to devote some time for class discussion of these issues. To
that end, I encourage regular class attendance and student engagement.
I will hand out 5 homework sets and and 5 short writing assignments
(50% of total grade) on topics relevant to our in-class discussion.
These assignments must be turned in (written copies, not e-mail)
in class or directly to the TA.
Therefore, it will be in your interest to attend class regularly.
We have 50-minute classes, which offer sufficient time for questions and
discussion. So, please turn your cell phones off; don't spend
valuable class time surfing the internet or text messaging your friends.
You never know when I might call on you!
By all means, please enjoy this course -- the lectures, reading,
class discussion, maybe even the homework.
The major topics to be covered in ASTR 1200 include:
At various times throughout the term, I will
post required supplementary readings
on the class calendar, or on D2L (Desire-to-Learn) for you to download.
In class, I sometimes introduce "Science News" headlines on astronomical
discoveries relevant to the course. You are also encouraged to bring
in astronomy news stories if they seem interesting. I am happy
to spend a few minutes each class talking about these contemporary events.
For those of you who wish to read about Cosmology in more detail,
here is a useful link to a
Cosmology Tutorial,
a Web-Tutorial, written by Ned Wright of UCLA, complete with Frequently Asked
Questions, News of the Universe, even sections on "Cosmology and Religion"
and "Cosmology and Art".
Who says science isn't connected to the Humanities?
PREREQUISITES: None. MATHEMATICAL SKILLS REQUIRED:
While this class is largely non-mathematical,
dealing with concepts in the physical universe, you will be
expected to use some simple proportional and algebraic relations and
to manipulate and interpret numbers and physical units.
TEXTBOOK:
You should obtain the assigned Astronomy textbook (Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit)
which was developed here at Colorado. It's now in its 7th edition, and is the top-selling
astronomy text in the USA. Three of the authors (Jeff Bennett, Megan Donahue, and Mark Voit)
were previlous graduate students in our department, and Nick Schneider is currently on our faculty.
I will expect you to read the assigned chapters prior
to the relevant class.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
(All students are expected to read this)
TOTAL GRADE:
30% - Three in-class exams (Sept 16, Oct 9, Nov 6); no make-ups (lowest grade
will be dropped)
50% - Five Homeworks and Five Writing Assignments (each counts 5%) - submit in class on due-date
20% - Final Examination (Thursday Dec 17 from 4:30-7:00 pm)
EXAMS: Tests will comprise 50% of the total grade: 20% (final exam) and 30%
(your best two scores on the 3 midterm exams). Your lowest grade on the 3 midterm
exams will be dropped. If you have to miss a test for some reason, we will
drop that grade. No make-ups.
The exams will consist of a few multiple-choice or true-false questions,
but primarily short-answer or essay questions.
Please watch the course calendar for the 3 midterm exam dates (announced in class).
Because the lowest midterm exam grade is dropped, there will be no make-up
exams offered due to medical
absences, academic conflicts, personal reasons or religious holidays:
if you miss an exam, that will be the one whose grade will be dropped.
If you anticipate having conflicts for two or more dates, please
speak to me before September 20
I will hand out 5 homeworks and 5 writing assignments over the semester. In total, these
count for 50% of your final grade. They are 5% each, so make sure you don't missi one
(it could make a difference of a half letter-grade).
These will include traditional homework that you do on your own (short
answer questions and calculations) plus one-page written essays.
These written assignments must to be turned in during class on the due-date,
or given to me before that time.
FINAL EXAM:
The final exam will be on Thursday Dec 17 (4:30 - 7:00 pm) (sorry about this
late date, but these times are scheduled by the university)
The test will be cumulative (based on the entire course).
It will be similar in form to the other exams, but with more emphasis on
short essay questions.
Check your final exam schedule. If you have three or more finals
scheduled for Dec 17, please talk to me or send email to:
michael.shull@colorado.edu before Fall Break
regarding the other finals you will be taking that day.
Don't plan on leaving Boulder before Dec 17.
TRACKING YOUR GRADES:
If you have any questions about your grades, please see us during office
hours, or make an appointment. In general, if you suspect a simple grading
error, it's best to contact the TA first.
INCOMPLETES: The College of Arts and Sciences has strict rules about
"Incomplete" grades. Basically, I can give you grade of "Incomplete"
only in case of an emergency that is beyond your control, and I must
have written documentation. Moreover, your current grade must be
passing at the time the emergency occurs.
DISABILITIES: If you qualify for accommodations because of a
disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a
timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services
determines accommodations based on documented disabilities.
Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and
http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices
CU HONOR CODE:
I expect all CU students to be aware of
and to follow the CU Honor Code as well as the CU Policy on Classroom and
Course-Related behavior. Please come on time, and do not disrupt the
attention of other students by conversation or leaving the classroom
early with excess noise.
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate
learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may
be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially
important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of
race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance,
and nationalities. All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are
responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this
institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid
of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior.
All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code
Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in
violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic
sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but
not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other
information on the Honor Code can be found at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html
and at
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
NOTE: It's fine to help each other with homework; we encourage you to
do so, and will also offer help during office hours. But simply copying
other people's work without trying to understand it is cheating. The
reason homework is assigned is for YOU to learn what you need for the
course, and what you hand in should show us that YOU personally
understand it. If we find two or more homework assignments with
answers that are so exactly alike that we suspect unthinking copying,
we will split the credit for the work equally between each submitter
(note that this means you also must be careful not to let others copy
your work!). If you worked
with another student on homework assignments to the point where you
suspect that you may have very similar answers, please write so on the
front page of the homework assignment (e.g. "I collaborated with:
Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking on this assignment."
) Similarly, we'd like to know if you received help with a
given problem from a tutor- this will not change your grade, but will
allow us to track which questions are challenging students the most.
If you copy text or other information from any source for any reason,
you must also include a citation to that source (for example,
Bennett et al., "The Cosmic Perspective," p. 461;
or From " Astronomy Picture of the Day Website,
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html, Authors
& editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA).) Doing
this will keep you from plagiarizing, and will allow us to appreciate
your good scholarship.
If a student is caught cheating on
a quiz or exam, the minimum penalty will be a grade of F on that exam
and the maximum will be an F in the course. University
policy requires us to report any cheating incident to the Honors
Council.
PERSONAL BEHAVIOR (University Policy):
Students and faculty each have responsibility for
maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to
adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline.
Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat all students with
understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and
to set reasonable limits on the manner in which they and their students
express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially
important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with
differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation,
gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to
the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your
request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please
advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make
appropriate changes to my records. See policies at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html
and at
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and
Harassment (http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html),
the
University of Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment and the University
of Colorado policy on Amorous Relationships applies to all students,
staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who
believes she/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment
based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability,
religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the
Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the
Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the
ODH and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding
discrimination or harassment can be obtained at
http://www.colorado.edu/odh