ASTR 2010 -- Modern Cosmology

PROFESSOR:  Michael Shull (Office: Duane C-328A)

TEACHING ASSISTANT:  Elizabeth Beckel (Office: Stadium Room 123A)

TIME AND PLACE: Tu-Th 9:30 am-10:45 am, DUANE G1B-20. Two of our classes (Feb 19 and Mar 19) will be held at the Fiske Planetarium.  Three in-class "midterm exams" will be given (Feb 3, Mar 17, Apr 16). You can always check the  class calendar  for the schedule of lectures, readings, homework due-dates, and exam dates.  

COURSE HOME PAGE:  http://casa.colorado.edu/~mshull/modern-cosmology/  

GOALS OF THIS COURSE: This class offers an introduction to cosmology, 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 four homework sets and and four short writing assignments (30% 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 75-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 2010 include:  

TEXTBOOKS:   In this class, I have asked you to obtain (and read) two textbooks on Modern Cosmology:

  • (1) (Duncan & Tyler) "Your Cosmic Context: An Introduction to Modern Cosmology"
  • (2) (Robert Kirshner) "The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Cosmos"

The Duncan-Tyler textbook provides a detailed, up-to-date presentation of many of the course topics. Kirshner's book is meant to show some of the human side of astronomy, with personal descriptions of exciting discoveries of the accelerating expansion rate of the universe. Kirshner emphasizes the excitement of the discoveries and how they were made.

At various times throughout the term, I will post required supplementary readings on the class calendar, or on CULearn 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.

In addition to these texts, I recommend that you obtain access to an introductory astronomy textbook, particularly if you have not taken college-level astronomy before. Although all concepts needed for this class will be covered in lecture, they may not be adequately covered in the books above, and a good introductory text will be very useful. I recommend The Cosmic Perspective (Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit), especially during  the first third of the course. Through CULearn, I will provide access to Chapter 4 (Motion, Energy, and Gravity), Chapter 5 (Light: The Cosmic Messenger), and Chapter 11 (Surveying the Stars). This book is not a required text for two reasons: (1) it covers a wide set of topics in astronomy, many of which are not relevant to this class; (2) the book is expensive. However, it is widely used on the CU campus and around the nation, so you should be able to find a used copy or borrow one from a friend or the library. You do not need any of the CDs or internet accounts that are sometimes linked to this book. Please try to use a 4th or 5th (latest) edition, as cosmology has been changing rapidly!

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.



ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION  (All students are expected to read this)
 
TOTAL GRADE:

45% - Three in-class exams (Feb 3, Mar 17, Apr 16); no make-ups (lowest grade will be dropped)
30% - Homework and Writing Assignments (four each) - submit in class on due-date
25% - Final Examination (Saturday May 2 from 4:30-7:00 pm)   

EXAMS: Tests will comprise 70% of the total grade: 25% (final exam) and 45% (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 see the course calendar for the 3 midterm exam dates (Feb 3, Mar 17, Apr 16)   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 Jan 29, 2009.

HOMEWORK: There will be four homework and four writing assignments over the semester, which, in total, count for 30% of your final 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 (no e-mail) on the due-date or given directly to the TA.  

FINAL EXAM:  The final exam will be on Saturday May 2 (4:30 - 7:00 pm)   in Duane 1B20. 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 May 2, please talk to me or send email to: michael.shull@colorado.edu  before Feb 26th regarding the other finals you will be taking that day. Don't plan on leaving Boulder before May 2. Our final is on the first day of final week, so this should not be an issue.

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