29:50 Syllabus - Fall 2009

Course Syllabus

Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe 29:50

Spring 2009

Instructor: Prof. Philip Kaaret
Office: 702 Van Allen Hall
Phone: 335-1985
E-mail: philip-kaaret@uiowa.edu
Web: http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret
Office hours: 1:30-3:00 pm Monday, 10:00 am-noon Wednesday, or by appointment

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics and Astronomy
DEO: Prof. Thomas F. Boggess, Jr.
Office: 203 Van Allen Hall
Phone: 335-1686

Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe is a survey of the major ideas in current astronomical research, intended for students who are not majoring in the natural sciences. Students will learn about fascinating topics such as black holes, the birth and explosive death of stars, and the shape and eventual fate of the universe. The learning goals include some factual knowledge, but emphasize understanding concepts rather than memorizing facts. The major topics covered will be: the night sky and how we determine the properties of distant objects from observations, the search for planets and life in the universe, black holes, and cosmology - the study of the universe as a whole.

Your responsibilities to this class include attendance and participation. You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations. You have a responsibility to the rest of the class, and to the instructor, to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. Noise and disruptions during class will not be tolerated. Students talking during lectures will be expected to leave. Cell phones that ring during lecture will be confiscated.

General Information

To add or drop the course, students must visit the Physics General Office in 203 VAN. According to Departmental policy, the instructor cannot sign drop/add slips for courses with a course number less than 100.
Lectures are from 12:30 to 1:20 PM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in Lecture Room 1 of Van Allen Hall.
The textbook for the course is The Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology, by Bennett et al. 5th Edition, published by Benjamin Cummings.
Students must have an iClicker for attendance and in-class questions.
There is a website for the course: http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret/s09. The website will contain the syllabus, lecture notes, and other class-related materials.
Attendance will be taken at the start of each lecture using the iClicker. Attendance will count towards the grade only for lecture classes, i.e. not including exams and review sessions, and will begin being counted on January 26.
Homework will be assigned each each and due Monday's at noon (except for the last assignment that will be due at noon on the last day of class). Homework will be turned in via ICON.
One hour exams will be held during the regular class period on February 11, March 4, April 8, and April 29.
The final exam will be held at 7:30 A.M on Monday, May 11.
Make-up exams will be allowed only for the most compelling circumstances, such as incapacitating illness or death in the immediate family. Documentation of the circumstances will be required.
Students should visit the observatory on the roof of Van Allen Hall to see some of the objects discussed in this class. A laboratory instructor will be on duty on clear nights, Monday through Thursday at times to be announced. The roof of Van Allen Hall may be reached from a stairway at the east end of the 7th floor.
There is a laboratory associated with the B section of this course (29:050:00B). Students registered for 29:050:00B receive 4 semester hours of credit and satisfy the General Education requirement for a natural science laboratory. Each laboratory section meets for two hours per week in room 666 of Van Allen Hall. Laboratory classes do not meet the first week, but commence the week of January 26. Projects in the laboratory consist of excerises on topics in astronomy and performing and analyzing astronomical observations with the Iowa Robotic Observatory. Students registered for 3 semester hours (29:050:00A) do not attend the laboratory.

Grading

The score for the lecture course will be calculated from the scores received for attendance, homework, four hour exams, and the final exam.
For students in 29:050:00B (with lab) the score from the lecture course will count for 75% of the course grade and the laboratory grade will count for the remaining 25%. Student registered for 29:050:00B must attend the assigned laboratory section and receive a passing grade for the laboratory in order to pass the course.
Homework
The grade in lecture course will be determined as follows. Attendance will count as one point for each lecture attended on or after January 26 up to a maximum of 20 points. Each of the four one-hour examinations and the total of the homework will count for 80 points. Of these five scores (four exams and homework), the best four will be used in calculating the grade. Thus, either the lowest hour exam score or the homework score will be dropped in calculating the grade. The final will count for 160 points. The score for the lecture course has a maximum of 500 points.
Up to 20 points of extra credit can be obtained by doing observing on the roof of Van Allen Hall. Each object observed and duly recorded by an instructor will be worth one point. There will be two observing lists. Objects on the first list must be observed by February 24 and the list handed in by February 25. Objects on the second list must be observed by April 14 and the list handed in by April 15. Observing will not be possible on cloudy nights, so students are strongly encouraged to do the observing early. There will be no alternate means of obtaining extra credit in the course.
The final letter grade distribution will be curved as recommended by the College.

Additional UI and CLAS Policy and Procedures

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall or see the CLAS Student Academic Handbook at http:///www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/index.shtml.
Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is a serious matter and is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum. Instructors and DEOs decide on appropriate consequences at the departmental level while the Associate Dean enforces additional consequences at the collegiate level. See the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.
Students have the right to adjudication of any complaints about classroom activities or instructor actions. 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.
A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. See www.uiowa.edu/~sds/ for more information.
Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment at www.uiowa.edu/~eod/policies/sexual-harassment-guide/index.html for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.
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. (Operations Manual, Part IV, 16. See items e, h, and i.)