Course Syllabus

Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe

29:50:B and E, Fall Semester 2004

Instructor Prof. Philip Kaaret Office: 702 Van Allen Hall Phone: 335-1985 E-mail: philip-kaaret@uiowa.edu Web: http://phobos.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret Office hours: 2:30 –3:30 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.

General Information

• Lectures are from 1:30 to 2:20 PM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in Lecture Room 1 of Van Allen Hall.
• The required textbook for the course is Astronomy Volume II: Stars and Galaxies by John D. Fix.
• There is a website for the course: http://phobos.physics.uiowa.edu/~kaaret/sgu_f04.  The website will contain the syllabus, lecture notes, other class-related materials, and links to interesting astronomical sites.
• Students are expected to attend all lectures.  Poor attendance is likely to affect success in the course.
• Students should expect to spend an average of five hours per week preparing for the lecture class sessions and one hour per week observing the night sky.
• 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 9:00 PM.  The roof of Van Allen Hall may be reached from a stairway at the east end of the 7th floor. The roof is kept dark during observing sessions, so be careful where you step and be alert for changes in elevation.  Extra credit can be obtained by observing.

• One hour exams will be held in the regular class period on September 17, October 8, October 29, and November 17.
• The final exam will be held at noon on Monday, December 13 in Lecture Room 1 of Van Allen Hall.
• 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.

• There is a laboratory associated with this course. Students registered for the laboratory receive 4 semester hours of credit will satisfy the General Education requirement of a natural science laboratory. Students registered for 3 semester hours do not attend the laboratory. The lab section meets for two hours per week in room 665 or 666 of Van Allen Hall. Laboratory classes do not meet the first week, but commence the week of August 30. Projects in the laboratory consist of taking and analyzing astronomical observations with the Iowa Robotic Observatory of the University, and use of the graphics capabilities of personal computers to carry out various exercises. Please Note: Those students registered for 4 semester hours must attend the assigned laboratory section and receive a passing grade in the laboratory portion of the course as well as the lecture portion in order to receive a passing grade for the course.

• Students registered for the laboratory will also need the lab manual Imaging the Universe by Robert Mutel and Michael Wilson.
• Course policies are governed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
• The grade in the course will be determined as follows.  Each of the one-hour examinations will count for 40 points. The final will count for 80 points. Each student’s grade will be determined from the three one-hour exams on which the student did the best and the final.  For students registered for four semester hours (with lab), the scores from the lecture course will count for 75 percent of the course grade, and the laboratory grade will count for the remaining 25 percent.  Note carefully: a student registered for 4 semester hours will not receive a passing grade for the course as a whole unless he or she receives a passing grade for the laboratory portion. The final letter grade distribution will be curved as recommended by the College. 
• Up to 5 points of extra credit can be obtained on each one-hour exam by doing observing on the roof of Van Allen Hall.  Each object observed and duly recorded by an instructor will be worth 1 point. Observing for extra credit for the first exam must be completed by September 24, for the second exam by October 15, for the third exam by November 5, and for the fourth exam by December 3.

• Students have the right to adjudication of any complaints about classroom activities or instructor actions. Information is available in the College's Student Academic Handbook.
• Your responsibilities to this class-and to your education as a whole-include attendance and participation.  You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations (the College's policy on plagiarism and cheating is in the College's Student Academic Handbook). You have a responsibility to the rest of the class, and to the instructor, to help create a classroom environment where all may learn.
• I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during office hours.