AY 101 Section 001: Intro To Astronomy
Fall, 2010
3 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: Murray Silverstone
Core Designation: Natural Science
Tuesdays: 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Wednesdays: 10:00am - 11:00am (after lecture)
or by appointment.
To survey the nature and evolution of planets, stars, galaxies and the Universe (see Learning Objectives below), to share with you all the excitement of modern astronomy, to leave you with a lifelong interest in astronomy, and an appreciation for all science. No knowledge of astronomy is needed as a prerequisite. While the course will also be mainly descriptive, some mathematical calculations are necessary to master certain topics. AS are living in a golden age of astronomy, new discoveries are constantly being made. The course will describe how our view of the universe has changed over time and cover new discoveries as they occur.
Learning Objectives:
At the concludsion of this course:
• Students will be able to identify key concepts in the sciences, contributing to the develoment of a broad perspective on the human condition.
• Students will be able to recognize and explain the scientific method, and evaluate scientific information.
• Students will be able to characterize the appearance and motion of celestial objects.
• Students will be able to identify the key conceptual advances (and associated figures) in the history of astronomy.
• Students will understand the relationship between light, matter, and energy in an astronomical context.
• Students will understand the content, formation and evolution of planetary systems.
• Students will understand the nature and evolution of stars.
• Students will understand the nature and evolution of galaxies.
• Students will understand the nature and evolution of the Universe.
• Students will learn how telescopes function to collect data on celestial objects and how the atmosphere affects the way we see the Universe.
• Students will understand how the concepts of living organisms on Earth might be applied to life on other worlds.
CHAPTER SCHEDULE (subject to change; updates will be posted on eLearning
website; exam dates will not change unless university closure
requires it):
1. W Aug. 18 Introduction/Syllabus
2. F Aug. 20 Chapter 1 Scale of the Cosmos
3. M Aug. 23 Chapter 2 Patterns & Cycles in the Sky
4. W Aug. 25 Chapter 2
5. F Aug. 27 Chapter 2
6. M Aug. 30 Chapter 3 The History of Astronomy
7. W Sep. 1 Chapter 3
8. F Sep. 3 Chapter 3
M Sep. 6 **** Labor Day Holiday - NO CLASS ****
9. W Sep. 8 Chapter 4 Telescopes and Astronomical Instruments
10. F Sep. 10 Chapter 4
11. M Sep. 13 Chapter 4
12. W Sep. 15 * In-Class Exam No. 1 Chaps. 1-4 *
13. F Sep. 17 Chapter 5 The Sun
14. M Sep. 20 Chapter 5
15. W Sep. 22 Chapter 5
16. F Sep. 24 Chapter 6 Stars
17. M Sep. 27 Chapter 6
18. W Sep. 29 Chapter 6
19. F Oct. 1 Chapter 7 Stellar Structure & Formation
20. M Oct. 4 Chapter 7
21. W Oct. 6 Chapter 7
22. F Oct. 8 Chapter 8 The Death of Stars
23. M Oct. 11 Chapter 8
24. W Oct. 13 Chapter 8
25. F Oct. 15 Chapter 9 Our Galaxy
26. M Oct. 18 Chapter 9
27. W Oct. 20 * In-Class Exam No. 2 Chaps. 5-9 *
28. F Oct. 22 Chapter 10 Other Galaxies
29. M Oct. 25 Chapter 10
30. W Oct. 27 Chapter 10
F Oct. 29 **** MID-SEMESTER STUDY BREAK - NO CLASS ****
31. M Nov. 1 Chapter 11 Cosmology
32. W Nov. 3 Chapter 11
33. F Nov. 5 Chapter 12 The Origin of our Solar System
34. M Nov. 8 Chapter 12
35. W Nov. 10 Chapter 12
36. F Nov. 12 Chapter 13 Terrestrial Planets
37. M Nov. 15 Chapter 13
38. W Nov. 17 Chapter 13
39. F Nov. 19 Chapter 14 Outer Planets
40. M Nov. 22 Chapter 14
W Nov. 24 **** Thanksgiving Holiday - NO CLASS ****
F Nov. 26 **** Thanksgiving Holiday - NO CLASS ****
41. M Nov. 29 Chapter 15 Life in the Universe
42. W Dec. 1 Chapter 15
43. F Dec. 3 In-class review for final exam
M Dec. 6 ** Final Exam ** (Comprehensive, with emphasis on
Chapters 10-15) Room 227 Gallalee Hall, 8:00am-10:30am
Exams: Three multiple choice exams: two in-class during term, plus a Final Exam. The dates for the exams are listed in the schedule and WILL NOT CHANGE. Make a note of these dates.
Final Exam: A comprehensive exam over the entire semester's material (with emphasis on the material covered since the 2nd in-class exam).
Grading: Clickers & Class Participation: 15%
Homework (Reading Comprehension): 15%
Two in-class exams: 40% (20% each)
Final Exam: 30%
Grading Policy:
Grades are based on the points received for the items listed below. Historically, students perform in similar ways to achieve these point and thus earn their final letter grades.
Students that receive an A are doing truly exceptional work. These students usually do the assigned reading at least twice, once to prepare class and once after class to review the material. They also ask the instructor questions during or after class almost every day to clarify their understanding of a topic. Finally, these students typically solidify their own understanding of the topics by tutoring other students in the class.
Students that receive a B are doing very good work. They have above average grades in all areas of the class. They have completed all of the homework and show up to each class. They will answer a question in class occasionally. These students usually do the assigned reading at least once.
Students that receive a C are doing acceptable work. They have not completed one or two of the assignments and may have missed a few classes. They will answer a question in class correctly if called upon, but seldom volunteer a response. These students will do the assigned reading when they have a chance, but have likely skimmed or skipped a few chapters.
Students that receive a D are doing poor work. They may have difficulty in most areas of the class. They have likely missed more than a few classes and forgotten to do a few assignments. The work that they do turn in is below average. These students may have read the first few chapters, but quit preparing for class after that.
The MINIMUM percentage points required for each final letter grade are as follows:
97.0% = A+ 87.0% = B+ 77.0% = C+ 67.0% = D+ 0% = F
93.0% = A 83.0% = B 73.0% = C 63.0% = D
90.0% = A- 80.0% = B- 70.0% = C- 60.0% = D-
The instructor reserves the right to lower the requirements for each grade but not raise them. Roughly, 20% of the students in this class will receive A's, 30% B's, 30% C's, 15% D's and 5% F's.
There are no makeup exams unless you have a good, documented excuse for missing an exam. Then a special exam or assignment will be required for make-up credit.
There will be no makeup opportunities for class participation or homework. However, the lowest homework score and the lowest three class participation scores will be dropped.
Class participation (using clickers) contributes 15% of your course grade. Students will receive DEDUCTIONS to their Class Participation grade for instances of inappropriate behavior during class. Examples include the following:
• possessing a ringing phone
• using computers or phones improperly during class time, such as instant-messaging or web-surfing
• eating during class
• sleeping during class
• distracting a classmate or the instructor by talking at inappropriate times
Lab Note: AY 102 (Astronomy Lab) must also be taken (in this or some later semester) for AY 101 to count towards the Natural Science portion of the Core Curriculum.
All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.
The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
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