Astrophysics of Stars
Prof. Gayley
Fall 2019

Syllabus

• Take-home final
• Lecture Schedule and Notes
• Homework Assignments

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  Purpose and Goals

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  The purpose of the course is to gain a physical understanding of stars. You can open almost any physics book to any page, and what is being described there happens at some place and time in the structure and evolution of some type of star. We cannot understand in detail how every page of physics pertains to every type of star, so our goal instead will be to understand general trends and behaviors, from as simple a perspective as possible. In so doing, we will find that stars behave in mysterious ways that at first seem surprising and even paradoxical, but ultimately can be made sense of. They also provide a stage for laboratory physics to play out on the grand scale, so not only do we learn physics so we can understand stars, but understanding stars helps us learn physics.

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  Course Grading

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  The course grade will come from the three (3) homework assignments, which each count 10% of the grade, the two in-class midterms, which each counts 15%, the take-home final exam (20%), one mock research presentations (10%), and one group proposals (10%). Details about the curve are:

• Grading Policy and Curve

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  GENERAL INFORMATION THE COLLEGE ASKS US TO SHARE WITH ALL STUDENTS:
  
  
  Department Office: 203 Van Allen Hall
  Department Chair (DEO): Professor F. Skiff
  Rules and Procedures governed by: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  Class attendance: Class attendance is expected but not formally graded. In general, your grade will be higher if you attend all classes. See me for work you may have missed if you miss class for a valid reason. Although there will be notes on the website to remind you of the key topics, they are arranged weekly and are not in enough detail to replace your own notes taken during class, where you will record your key insights or unanswered questions that occur for you during class. All absence policies shall uphold the UI policy related to student illness, mandatory religious obligations, unavoidable circumstances, or University authorized activities (https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/attendance-absences). Students may use this absence form to communicate with instructors: https://clas.uiowa.edu/sites/default/files/ABSENCE%20EXPLANATION%20FORM2019.pdf
  
  Electronic Communication
  University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences. (Operations Manual, III.15.2 . Scroll down to k.11.)
  
  CLAS Final Examination Policies
  Final exams may be offered only during finals week. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. Students should not ask their instructor to reschedule a final exam since the College does not permit rescheduling of a final exam once the semester has begun. Questions should be addressed to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum.
  
  Making a Suggestion or a Complaint
  Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor, and then the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. See the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.
  
  Reacting Safely to Severe Weather
  In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety web site.
  
  Academic Integrity
  All undergraduates enrolled in courses offered by CLAS have, in essence, agreed to the College's Code of Academic Honesty. Misconduct is reported to the College, resulting in suspension or other sanctions, with sanctions communicated with the student through the UI email address (https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/academic-fraud-honor-code).
  
  Accommodations for Disabilities
  UI is committed to an educational experience that is accessible to all students. A student may request academic accommodations for a disability (such as mental health, attention, learning, vision, and physical or health-related condition) by registering with Student Disability Services (SDS). The student is then responsible for discussing specific accommodations with the instructor. More information is at https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/.
  
  Administrative Home of the Course
  The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is the administrative home of this course and governs its add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and related policies. Other colleges may have different policies. CLAS policies may be found here: https://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook.
  
  Final Examination Policies
  The final exam schedule is announced around the fifth week of classes; students are responsible for knowing the date, time, and place of a final exam. Students should not make travel plans until knowing this information. No exams of any kind are allowed the week before finals. Visit https://registrar.uiowa.edu/final-examination-scheduling-policies.
  
  Nondiscrimination in the Classroom
  UI is committed to making the classroom a respectful and inclusive space for all people irrespective of their gender, sexual, racial, religious or other identities. Toward this goal, students are invited to optionally share their preferred names and pronouns with their instructors and classmates. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination and harassment against individuals on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and other identity categories set forth in the University’s Human Rights policy. For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (diversity.uiowa.edu).
  
  Sexual Harassment
  Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community must uphold the UI mission and contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment must be reported immediately. For assistance, please see https://osmrc.uiowa.edu/.
  
  Amount of Work Expected
  The College guideline is that one semester hour of credit is the equivalent of approximately three hours of work (class time + out-of-class preparation) each week over the course of a whole semester. In a typical lecture/discussion course, each hour of class normally entails at least two hours of outside preparation for the average student (e.g., in a three-credit-hour lecture course, standard out-of-class preparation is six hours per week).
  Academic Misconduct
  Instructors who detect cheating or plagiarism may decide, in consultation with the DEO, to reduce the student's grade on the assignment or in the course, even to assign an F. The full policy on academic misconduct is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook (http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml).
  Student's Rights and Responsibilities
  Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have both rights and responsibilities. Students are expected to follow the University's Code of Student Life, and any academic misconduct is taken seriously. Students who are physically or verbally disruptive in a class may be dealt with summarily by the instructor or referred to the dean of students. The instructor reports in writing to the dean of students any disciplinary action undertaken against a student. Inappropriate classroom behavior is a violation of the Code of Student Life. If you have questions, please talk to your instructor, your adviser, or CLAS Academic Programs & Services. Inappropriate classroom behavior may include, but is not limited to: disruption of the classroom atmosphere, for example by sleeping or by reading non-class materials; engaging in non-class activities, for instance, talking on a cell-phone, working on another class assignment, and so on; inappropriate use of profanity in classroom discussion; use of abusive or disrespectful language toward the instructor, a student in the class, or about other individuals or groups.