Syllabus

	AST102IN: Stars, Galaxies, Universe CRN: 20272 Pima Community College, Downtown Campus COURSE SYLLABUS

Instructor:	Kate Follette	Term:	Spring, 2014
Office:	Faculty Resource Center, CC Building, 2^nd floor	Class Meeting Days:	Mon/Wed
Phone:	520-206-7314	Class Meeting Hours:	5:30-8-:10
E-Mail:	kabrutlag@pima.edu	Class Location:	CD building
Website:	www.katefollette.com/teaching/ast102s14	Start Date:	1/22/2014
Office Hours:	5-5:30 Mon/Wed and by appointment	End Date:	5/19/2014

I. Welcome!

Welcome to AST102IN! This is a highly interactive course in which you will do the majority of the coursework in class. Lectures will be assigned as videos to be watched outside of class, and most assignments will be completed in class. The primary exceptions are the Observing Journal and Semester Observing Project, which will require you to spend some time outside of class each week observing the real night sky. I hope that you will enjoy these exercises and will leave this class with a greater appreciation of the many remarkable things to be seen overhead!

II. College Course Catalog Description

Introduction to the universe beyond the solar system. Includes the nature of light, how astronomers and telescopes work, and the possibilities of alien life in the universe. Also includes the lifetime of stars, exotic objects such as quasars, pulsars and black holes and the origin, nature and future of the universe. Also includes scientific thinking as an application of critical and quantitative thinking and science in contrast to pseudoscience. Also includes in-class measuremental and mathematical exercises, outside observation projects, independent studies, and self-initiated field trips to local astronomy facilities. Information: IN is the integrated version of the course with the lecture and lab taught simultaneously.

III. Course Overview

Course Content

We will cover four major topics throughout the semester, listed below. You’ll find a more specific course outline at the end of this syllabus.

Celestial Motions (1/27-2/17)
Light and Spectra (2/19-3/5)
Stars and Stellar Evolution (3/24-4/9)
Galaxies and Cosmology (4/14-5/5)

Class Time 5:30-8:10pm M/W

The first half of each class will be focused on review of lecture material, demonstrations and projects. The second half of each class will consist of a laboratory activity. You will be given one 15min break midway through the class.

Lectures and Lecture Quizzes

You should come to class having watched the lecture video for the day (20-45 minutes in length) and having completed any required observations for your observing journal. The first activity of each class period will be a brief multiple choice lecture quiz. These quizzes are simply designed to encourage you to stay on track with the lectures and are not meant to be punitive. If you have watched the assigned lecture, the quiz should be very simple. You may use notes taken while watching the lecture on the quiz.

The lecture quiz will be the first thing done every class period. It will be handed out at 5:30 and collected at 5:40, so there is a strong incentive to arrive at class on time. I realize that we all lead busy lives and occasionally you will not have time to watch the lecture video or will not be able to make it to class on time. For that reason, your lowest two lecture quizzes of the semester will be dropped.

Lectures will be available on the class YouTube channel at the URL below. They can be accessed from any computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection. If you don’t have internet access at home, you can use the computers in the Pima library or bring a USB flash drive to class each week to receive the videos. Library hours are listed below. If you anticipate having trouble accessing the lecture videos, please talk to me ASAP as this is a necessity for this class. I’d be happy to work with you on a solution.

Class YouTube Channel for Lecture Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FolletteAST102IN

PCC Downtown Campus Library Hours:

Mon-Thurs 8am-9pm

Fri 8am-5pm

Sat 9am-3pm

Sunday CLOSED

Labs

There will be a 1-2 hour lab activity for each class period except on exam days (3/12 and 5/14), review days (3/10 and 5/12), and your Semester Observing Project presentation day (5/7). Lab activities are designed to be finished in class and should be handed in before leaving. If you finish your lab carefully and completely before the end of the class period, you may leave early.

You will work with a partner for all of your labs, and as a pair you will hand in one copy of the lab. This partner will be randomly assigned to you at the start of each unit (1/27, 2/19, 3/24 and 4/14), so you’ll have four different lab partners over the course of the semester.

The majority of the labs for this course require specialized materials and cannot be done from home. However, they are a key component of the class (worth 30% of your grade), and none will be dropped. As some absences are inevitable, the lab portion of the class periods immediately preceding the midterm and final will be devoted to lab makeups, however you can only makeup one lab on each “lab makeup day”. Missing more than one lab in each half of the semester will require a good reason and special accommodations, so please make every effort to avoid it.

You and your lab partner should each fill out your own copy of the lab and choose which to hand in at the end of the period. This will ensure that you both have a copy to study from for exams and will protect you in case your lab partner is absent during a two class lab. You should exchange contact information with your lab partner so that you can let them know if you will be absent. In such cases, your lab partner will complete the lab on their own or with another partner and you will be expected to make up the second half of the lab on a lab makeup day (3/10 and 5/12). If you miss the first half of a two class lab, your lab partner will join another group and you may be left on your own for the next period.

If for some reason you or your partner need or want to take a lab home with you to finish, it should be handed in at the start of the next class in order to receive full credit.

Lab Makeup Days

Labs from first half of semester (Celestial Motions and Light/Spectra Units) – 3/10

Labs from second half of semester (Stars/Stellar Evolution and Galaxies/Cosmology Units) – 5/12

Observing Assignments

You will be asked to do a fair amount of observing of the night sky outside of class this semester, worth a total of 30% of your grade and described in detail in the Observing Journal and Semester Observing Project descriptions. Aside from watching lecture videos, this will likely be the ONLY homework that you have outside of class. Generally, these observations don’t require specialized equipment, however in certain cases you will need to either (a) check out equipment from your instructor or (b) attend a class “star party”, where telescopes and binoculars will be set up and I will be available to help you complete your observations.

(Tentative) Star Party Dates:

Friday, February 7 – Telescope/Binocular Observations of Jupiter’s Moons

Sunday, March 30 – Telescope Observations of Galaxies, Nebulae, etc.

Monday, April 14 – Total Lunar Eclipse

(Tentative) Location = Children’s Memorial Park off of the Rillito River Walk between La Canada and Oracle Rds

IV. Course Objectives /SLOs

Course Objectives

Primary:

Encourage an appreciation for science in general and astronomy in particular and develop the skills necessary to follow and evaluate developments in the field through popular media, which include:

An understanding of the scientific method and what distinguishes “good” science from “bad” or “pseudo” science
A solid foundation in the quantitative skills necessary to understand and evaluate scientific results (not to mention their usefulness to you as a citizen, voter and consumer!)
Critical reasoning and problem-solving skills

Secondary:

Give you a fairly comprehensive introduction to modern astronomy including: celestial motions, the nature of light, the life cycles of stars and galaxies, and the size, shape, nature and fate of the universe at large.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

a) identify various celestial objects in the real night sky and describe patterns in and causes of their motion

b) achieve a deep understanding of the nature of science and how it progresses in the modern world

c) become adept at identifying pseudoscience

d) utilize elementary arithmetic in the analysis of a variety of astronomical and “real world” situations

V. Course Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

VI. Course Credits

This is a 4 credit integrated lecture/lab course.

VII. Required Texts and Materials:
There are no required texts for this class.

VIII. Supplementary (Optional) Texts and Materials

The Cosmic Perspective, available at the campus bookstore, is an optional text for this class.

IX. Basis for Final Grade

Assessment	Percent of Final Grade
Observing Journal	20%
Semester Observing Project	10%
In-Class Labs and Projects	30%
Participation	15%
Lecture Quizzes

Midterm Exam

Final Exam5%

10%

10% 100%

Grading Scale (%)*
90-100		A
80 – 89		B
70 – 79		C
60 – 69		D
0 – 59		F

*I may choose to lower the cutoff for each grade at the end of the semester, however I will not raise it.

X. Grades of “Incomplete” and W

Pima Policies:

Student Withdrawal “W” Grades: We understand that unexpected events occur that may cause you to need to drop or withdraw from some or all of your courses. Before dropping or withdrawing, it is important for you to consider how the decrease in credits will affect your financial aid or scholarships. You may owe funds back to PCC and/or the U.S. Department of Education. It is strongly recommended that you speak with a financial aid staff member prior to dropping, or withdrawing from, courses. Dropping or withdrawing may also have a negative impact on your Satisfactory Academic Progress. Please see http://www.pima.edu/financialaid/managingaward/dropping-withdrawing.shtml

W Grades: Students who do not wish to finish the course are responsible for withdrawing themselves by the deadline date (April 10 for Spring 2014). Failure to complete the class and/or withdraw will result in a grade of “F”. Under very unusual circumstances, the instructor may give an “instructor withdrawal” as the final grade, if attendance and effort has been satisfactory.

Audit Grades: “A”. Audit status in a course will depend on availability of seats after credit-seeking students have been accommodated, and only with the permission of the instructor. All Audit requests require the signature of the instructor during the first week of classes. Once a student has signed up for audit credit, it may not be converted to credit-bearing status.

Incomplete (I) Grades: Under rare circumstances, I may be willing to assign an “Incomplete” grade to students who for some reason cannot complete the course in a timely manner. This request must be made before the date of the final exam (May 14, 2014). Any request should be made in writing, and should include a specific and concrete plan for timely completion of remaining coursework.

XI. Grade Dissemination

Graded assignments, exams, etc. will be returned to you during class. You may also keep track of your grade on the course’s D2L site.

XII. Course Policies: Grades

Late Work Policy:

There will be no make-ups for in-class lecture quizzes, the midterm or the final exam, however your lowest two lecture quizzes of the semester will be dropped.

Labs should be handed in at the end of the class period, or at the start of the next class period if you choose to take them home. Each subsequent class period that it is not handed in will result in a deduction of one letter grade per class. No labs will be accepted more than two weeks after the class period that they were finished.

Extra Credit Policy:

The observing journal assignment contains several opportunities for extra credit. Additionally, you may gain up to two lecture quizzes or two classes worth of participation points by making a brief (2min) presentation at the start of class on (a) a recent astronomy news story (b) a recent example of pseudoscience in the media (c) a public lecture on astronomy or (d) a tour or “observing night” at an astronomical facility. Details can be found in the Extra Credit Options handout and on the course website.

Group Work Policy:

Group work is an important life skill and a major component of this class. You will be asked to work with a different randomly assigned lab partner for each of the four units we will cover throughout the semester, each lasting approximately one month. If you are having issues with your lab partner, see me privately.

XIII. Course Policies: Technology and Media

Email: When necessary, important course information may be communicated by e-mail. For this reason, you should check your e-mail regularly between classes. At a minimum, you should check your e-mail on Tuesday and Sunday evenings in case there is anything you need to know about Monday and Wednesday’s classes respectively.

Laptop Usage: I strongly discourage the usage of laptops in class, as they are a proven distraction to you and those around you. I will not be lecturing, so there are very few legitimate reasons to have a laptop out during the lecture review and tutorial section of the class. If you feel very strongly that you need to use a laptop during this period, please see me. In cases where internet access is required, laptops will be provided during the lab period.

Classroom Devices: Like laptops, cell phones are a proven distraction to you and to others. You will be given breaks during class, and these are the most appropriate times to use your cell phone to check in at home or at work. If you absolutely must use your cell phone to communicate with someone during class, please step outside to do so. All devices must be on vibrate mode in the classroom. If your device makes noise more than once, you will be asked to leave for the remainder of the class period.

XIV. Disabled Student Resources (DSR)

Pima Community College is committed to providing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in a timely and effective manner. To request a reasonable accommodation, students must be registered with the campus Disabled Student Resources (DSR) office. Accommodations will be made based on eligibility determined by Disabled Student Resources. Services can be requested at any time during the semester. Requesting services well in advance will help to ensure that resources are available when needed. Please contact a DSR office at 206-6688 or DSRhelp@pima.edu. (5/1/12)

XV. Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Subject to certain exceptions set forth in the Federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, Pima Community College will not provide personally identifiable student information (including but not limited to grades, billing, tuition and fees assessments, financial aid and other student records) to third parties absent the student’s consent. Third parties include parents, spouses and third-party sponsors. You (the student) may grant Pima Community College permission to release certain information to a third party by submitting the FERPA Release form. Ask your instructor for a copy of the form BEFORE you arrive with a third party.

Mandatory Reporting for Abuse of a Minor Statement

Pursuant to Arizona law (A.R.S. §13-3620), College personnel, including faculty, staff, and administrators, who learn in the course and scope of their employment that a minor (defined as under 18 years of age) has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse, are required to report this information immediately to law enforcement.

Attendance Policy:

Success in this course is highly dependent on your attendance and participation, as the majority of coursework will be done during class. It will be considerably more difficult to complete the coursework outside of class, so it is to your advantage to attend every class possible. Participation, which includes regular attendance and participation, will make up 15% of your grade in the course.

Professionalism Policy:

All students must adhere to the all policies set out in the Student Code of Conduct. Student Code of Conduct

Academic Integrity Policy:

Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. If you are uncertain as to what constitutes academic dishonesty, please consult your instructor. Violations of these rules will result in a record of the infraction being placed in your file and receiving a zero on the work in question AT A MINIMUM. At the instructor’s discretion, you may also receive a failing grade for the course. Confirmation of such incidents can also result in expulsion from the College.

XVI. Important Dates to Remember:

Last Day to Add/Drop Classes:	January 28
Refund Deadline:	February 3
Withdrawal Deadline:	April 10
Mid-Term Exam	March 12
Final Exam	May 14
Observing Journal Collection	March 12, April 30
Semester Observing Project Presentations	May 7

Course Outline

**Subject to Change**

Date	Lecture Topic
1/22	Class Introduction
	Gravity and Motion Unit
1/27	Daily Motions
1/29	Yearly Motions
2/3	Motion of the Sun
2/5	Motion of the Moon
2/10	Motion of the Planets
2/12	Kepler’s Laws
2/17	Newton’s Laws
	Light and Spectra Unit
2/19	Light
2/24	Light Propagation
2/26	Blackbody Spectra
3/3	Emission & Absorption Spectra
3/5	Doppler Effect
3/10	Midterm Review
3/12	Midterm
3/17	Spring Break
3/19	Spring Break
	Stars Unit
3/24	Powering a Star
3/26	Birth of a Star
3/31	Main Sequence Stars
4/2	End States of Stars
4/7	Star Clusters
4/9	Binary Stars
	Galaxies and Cosmology Unit
4/14	The Milky Way
4/16	Types of Galaxies
4/21	Expanding Universe and Hubble’s Law
4/23	Cosmic Distance Ladder #1
4/28	Cosmic Distance Ladder #2
4/30	The Big Bang
5/5	The End of the Universe
5/7	Semester Observing Project Presentations
5/12	Final Exam Review
5/14	Final Exam
5/19	Final Exam and Project Pickup