Astronomy 101

Syllabus Spring 2005

Welcome to Astronomy 101, Section 5

Welcome to Astronomy 101, Section 5 where you will learn about the place where you live and spend all of your time, our fascinating universe.

In this course we will be looking into the past and as the course progresses, we will look farther and farther into the past. Telescopes are time machines in the sense that they can only look into the past. When we look at the moon we see it as it was over a second ago because light takes about a second to reach Earth from the Moon. As we look out farther distances to the planets light takes minutes and hours to reach us. And light from very distant objects takes up to billions of years to reach us. Studies are now being made of the oldest light thought possible to reach us and it has been traveling for billions of years; it originated a relatively short time after the start of the universe. And data provides evidence that the universe (including all matter, energy, space and time) did have a beginning as an unimaginable small point. And knowing about “nothing” may be crucial to our understanding . But I am getting way ahead of myself.

I sincerely appreciate this opportunity to teach you. I care about you. I look forward to every class. I also look forward to the chance to get to know and to help you. I HOPE YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS COURSE.

Expectations and Responsibilities

1. I take my teaching responsibilities very seriously. I set high standards for me and you. I will make mistakes and you will make mistakes (it is hard to teach and it is hard to learn without making mistakes). But I expect your best honest effort and I will give you mine. Student responsibilities are discussed throughout this syllabus. They include regular class attendance, arranging your schedule so you do not miss a test, reading the text, doing the assigned homework and following my advice and directions. Most of the students who follow directions and take my advice are very successful. Success in this course is more a matter of attitude and choice than talent.
2. I do not tolerate talking in class other than for class discussions or questions; talking bothers other students and it distracts me. Do not read non astronomy material in class (such as newspapers and notes and homework for other classes). If you do any of these things I may ask you to leave the class. The past semesters I have frequently had to ask students to leave the class. This class is for serious students who want to learn without disrupting my concentration or that of other students.
3. Turn off cell phones and keep them out of sight. During a test if I even see a cell phone the owner will receive a zero for the test.
4. During tests I do not tolerate any cheating behavior . Any form of cheating behavior will be dealt with severely. I use the words cheating behavoir because if you are looking in the direction of another student's paper I can't read your mind and determine whether you are cheating. If you talk to another student, even when standing in line waiting to hand in your test, I don't know what you are talking about. I will not tolerate this or other cheating behavior. Do not wear a baseball cap or any other type hat that covers your eyes during a test.
5. You must be on time for a test. If you try to enter the classroom later than 10 minutes after the class starting time you may be turned away and not allowed to take the test. You must take the test during the time your section of the course is administered the test. This means that someone in the morning class cannot take the test in the afternoon and vice versa.

Prerequisite For The Course: All you need is a curiosity about the universe. If you don’t have a curiosity then the course can become a boring collection of facts.

Attendance: Do not miss class. My teaching and testing assume you are faithfully in class every day. We will cover topics that are not in the textbook. There will be course material presented in several class videos. And I will frequently bring you up to date with information from other sources such as journal articles. If you miss class you will miss this additional information; some of it will show up on tests. I will tell you in class which information of this type you are likely to see on a test. I will not repeat these test hints. If you miss class you will miss the hints. Sometimes I find it necessary to change a test date or announce a change in course information. If you don't come to class or stay connected through a friend who is in class you will miss this important information.

Participation: Please participate in class by asking and answering questions. This is difficult to do in a large class (and intimidating for shy people like me). But it makes the class more interesting if I do not do all of the talking. If I don't hear any questions I may not know when to explain a confusing or difficult point in more detail. If you see me make a mistake please correct me.

My Web Page for Astro 101: HYPERLINK "http://panda.unm.edu" http://panda.unm.edu, then go to “Classes” pull-down menue, “Astro 101-Morrison” for the syllabus and homework assignments page.

Homework and Tests: Most of the test questions come from the homework and/or textbook. The homework consists of questions from the WebAssign website. In addition to your textbook, you will need to purchase a WebAssign card from the bookstore. For WebAssign information see the "Homework Assignments" section of the class website...you are reading the syllabus section now, back out of this and choose "Homework Assignments". You are also responsible for knowing the meaning of many of the bold terms in the reading (see homework assignments for further information about bold terms). To register for the online WebAssign system you will need to use a computer (there are computer pods around the campus for UNM students to use) and have a UNM Web address. I will set up an account for you so you can do your homework on line at WebAssign. See the "homework assignments" section of my website for information on how to do this.

Warning: If you have problems getting to the homework assignments in WebAssign, let me know right away. Don’t wait until later in the course. Homework assignments will be due each week You can submit your answers in WebAssign and get immediate feedback on your answers. You will have five (5) chances to change your answers. After the due date for the assignment, WebAssign will post the answers for you to see.

Test Format: I plan to use about 40 multiple choice questions per test. Since not all of the homework questions are multiple choice, I will have to modify some homework questions to put them into a multiple choice format. And sometimes I may take a bold term and turn it into a multiple choice question. There will be test questions that come from material discussed in class that is not in the textbook. I will give test hints when this type of material is discussed in class. I will always be happy to repeat over and over again any astronomy information for you. But I will not repeat test hints. You must come to class to hear these hints or be in contact with someone who did come to class. If you miss a class there is a good chance you will miss test hints. For example, we will see several videos during the semester. After a video I may summarize a topic from the video and strongly hint that it will show up on the next test. If you attend class and study the class hints and if you study the homework there is no reason not to be successful in the course. But if you miss class it will be difficult to be successful. Sometimes there may be a small number of surprise quesions on a test (usually a very small number).

The tests will be machine graded. Bring several sharpened pencils to class on test days to mark your answer sheet. You must hand in the test as well as the answer sheet or you will receive a zero for the test. Failure to follow directions will at the minimum cause a delay in the grading of your test and it could cause you to receive a zero for the test. Your answers should be circled on the actual test and they should be bubbled in on the actual answer sheet that is machine graded. Your name and your 3 digit course identification number must be on both the test and the answer sheet. You need to write your seat number in the upper right hand corner of the answer sheet. You need to sign your test. Your 3 digit ID should be bubbled in under ABC which is under Identification Number on your answer sheet. (I will review all this in class before the test.) If you mark a different answer on the test and the answer sheet then the answer sheet answer will be the one that counts. If you don't hand in the actual test (as well as the answer sheet) then you will not earn a grade for the test. Tests will not be returned. You are welcome to come to my office to review your test and the answer key. Since the test material is so well defined I don't see any need for reviews for tests. And I don't know what a review would amount to other than a reading of the homework and answers (which you already have) and a review of the test hints. But as I said earlier, I will not repeat the test hints that I give in class. Analysis and synthesis are important skills for college students to acquire and practice and doing your own review helps you to develop these skills. Review and synthesis of the course material is an important student responsibility.

I will post test grades using your 3 digit ID in my web page, "Astro 101-Morrison", during or at the end of the first two classes after a test is graded.  I do not give out grades over the phone or by email. If you lose your 3 digit ID you will have to come to my office to get it. I do not give out 3 digit ID's by phone or email. You may see grades posted on the walls outside the classroom and/or in the laboratory area. These are grades are not yours, they are for other classes. Usually, your grades will only be posted on the web page the first 2 days after a test is graded.

Three Digit ID: I will give you a unique, personal 3 digit ID for the course. You will put this number on your tests. I will use this number to identify you when I post test grades. I plan to give you the ID when I distribute answer sheets for the first test. You will see a three digit number written on the answer sheet. Copy this number somewhere and do not lose it. You will use this number on all of the other tests and I will use it throughout the course when I post class grades. If you fail to identify yourself with this number when you take a test you will not receive your test grade and will have to come to my office to clear things up. If you miss the first test then you must come to my office to get a 3 digit course ID before the next test.

General Information: Astronomy 101, section 5, Spring 2005. "Introduction to Astronomy", in Regener 114. Instructor is Dr. Kent Morrison, my office is NOT in Regener Hall but is in the Physics & Astronomy (P&A) Building at NE corner of Lomas & Yale, Room 25, 277-4442. Text: Required is Astronomy, A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe, by Chaisson & McMillan, 4th edition, soft cover. Also required: WebAssign card available in the bookstore.

Course Grade: Your grade will come from of three parts:

The homework from WebAssign will count for 20% of your grade.

There will be in-class assignments that you do in small groups. Your answers will be individually input with “clickers” that will be provided to you at the beginning of each class period, then you must return them at the end of class. These in-class results will be 20% of your grade.

There will be 4 tests that will count for 60% of your grade. Each test weighted 100 points each and will represent 20% of your final grade. I will drop the lowest of your first 3 tests. Therefore the total weight for the tests is 300 points (200 points from the best two of tests 1,2,3 and 100 points from test 4). The last test (test 4) will not be dropped and is mandatory for everyone. Test 4 is not a comprehensive test and it is not harder than the other tests. I won't allow you to drop it because if it could be dropped, some students would be be able to quit the course early and violate the spirit of the course and the grading. Test 4 will be scheduled for the final exam week, May 7-14 at a time to be announced later.

If you miss one of the first 3 tests there is no makeup. The missed test will be the one you drop. If a real emergency causes you to miss the 4th test you must contact me as soon as possible. (Leaving early for a vacation is not a real emergency.) If you drop the course, make sure you tell me. Sometimes I don't get the word from the registration office and this can lead to difficulties. *Important note: If you take all of the first three tests then your lowest score will be dropped. But if you miss a test then you will receive a zero for the test and this is the grade that will be dropped. It does not matter why you missed the test. Most students who miss a test do so because of an important reason. Bad things happen in life to all of us and many of these things are not within our control. And even good things beyond our control can cause us to miss a test. With large classes these things happen to many students for any given test. I have found from personal experience it is not practical to have a make-up test when this many students are involved; there simply are too many issues to contend with. If I were able to give make-up tests then I would not drop the lowest of the first three tests. I drop the lowest of the first 3 tests to cover the problem of students missing a test. Some of you already are in a position to know that you will have to miss one of the test dates or know that there is a reasonable chance you will miss one of the dates. If this is the case, perhaps you should not take this course from me. There are other sections of 101 that may have more flexible rules than mine.

Grading Scale:  

A+	98-100	B+	87-89.99	C+	77-79.99	D+	67-69.99	F	below 60
A	93-97.99	B	83-86.99	C	70-76.99	D	63-66.99
A-	90-92.99	B-	80-82.99			D-	60-62.99

Posting Grades: I will post grades by your assigned course ID number in my web page the first two days after the test is graded. You need to check your grades to make sure I have not made a mistake with your grade. Do not wait, if you spot a mistake then see me right away.

Course Content: Starting with the prologue (which I will treat like a regular chapter in the text) we will cover approximately 80% of the material in the text. I will omit chapter 18 and will also omit significant parts of chapters 2 and 3, and will also omit some material of other chapters. On Monday and/or Wednesday of the last week of class I plan to show a video that reviews cosmology as well as other portions of the course and also gives you a view of the working life of an astronomer. If you work to keep up with our course schedule you should be able to complete all the homework during the next to last week of class. No assignments or homework will be due the last week of class.

Email Communication: I want you to be able to communicate with me about various things. But email is a not a good way to go about this since I have too many students to answer these communications. You will need to see me in person. (This is what office hours are for.) I have office hours in Regener right after class, and in my office in the Physics and Astronomy Building on Mondays and Wednesdays. Serving students is important to me; you are important to me. But the only way I know to accomplish this is to carefully structure the limited time I have to serve you.

Estimated Test Schedule: This is for planning purposes; it is possible that the dates will be changed.

• Test 1: Thursday 8th class day, February 14, Covers Prologue and Chapter 1
• Test 2: Thursday 14th class day, March 7, Covers Chapters 4 through 6
• Test 3: Thursday 22nd class day, April 11, Covers Chapters 7 through 10 and Chapter 2
• Test 4: Final exam week, 7-14 May. Day and Time to be announced. Covers Chapters 11 through 17 and perhaps a little of chapter 3 depending on our progress.

Office Hours: These office hours are tentative and might be revised as the semester progresses to better meet your needs. I can possibly arrange to meet at other times if you absolutely need to talk. Monday and Wednesday: after class, 13:15-14:15 in Regener Monday and Wednesday: 10:45 - 11:45, I'll be either in the lobby of the Physics and Astronomy Building or my office room 25. This is a good time to review a test or obtain or check your 3 digit ID.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How can I get feedback on my tests? You are welcome to come to my office hours when I am in my office area Room 25 of the Physics and Astronomy Building near (see office hours) to review your test and the answer key.

Where can I see my grades? I will post the grades (by your 3 digit identification number) on my web page (usually at the end of class) for two days after I have the most recent test grade. You can also come to my office hours.

How do I fill out the test answer sheets? You must use a pencil so be sure to bring a couple of sharpened pencils to class for tests. Fill out your last name, then first name (separated by a blank) and bubble in the correct letters on the answer sheet. Put your 3 digit course ID under A B C under Identification Number towards the bottom of the answer sheet. Bubble in the correct numbers. DO NOT PUT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON THE ANSWER SHEET. If you do not follow these instructions your test results will be delayed. I do not want to know when you were born so please do not fill in your birth information.

Why don't we use student ID or social security numbers? These numbers carry with them all sorts of complications and legal and privacy issues. Please do not ever use these numbers on any material intended for me. Use your course ID.