ASTR100: Introduction to
Astronomy
Sections 0101-0106, Spring 2010
Prof: Doug Hamilton
Phone: (301) 405-1548
Email:
hamilton@astro.umd.edu
(Always put "ASTR100" in your email subject line)
Office: CSS 1245
Office Hours: TuTh 11:00-12:30 or by Appt.
Textbook: Bennett, Dohahue, Schneider, Voit The
Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals, ISBN 978-0-321-56704-8.
Although the book often comes packaged with a nice sky viewing CD, you
do not need the CD for this class. About $70. This is the shortest
Astro book on the market, so I expect you to read it cover to cover!
I've put two copies on reserve in McKelden library (at the
circulation/reserve desk, call number XPB5313.C7).
Class Web Page
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~hamilton/ASTR100/.
Packed full with course information, supplementary readings, and interactive programs
to make ASTR100 fun and to help you learn. Monitor
your estimated grade and use the ASTR100 Blog! See space pictures and movies!
Class Meetings:
Lectures
meet in PHYS 1412 on TuTh from 9:30am to 10:45am. Lectures are led by
the professor and will include demonstrations, slides, videos etc.
Discussion Sections meet in
the CSS building at rooms and times listed below starting the week of
Jan. 25. Discussion sections are led by graduate student and
exceptional undergraduate Teaching
Assistants (TAs). The sections provide a smaller and more
informal environment for further developing the material taught in
class. The TAs will also answer questions about the lectures and
reading and will hold review sessions before exams.
Course Description:
Welcome to Astronomy 100! You are about to embark on an ambitious
project - to survey our known Universe in one short semester. We hope
that you find this course enjoyable and walk away with a better
knowledge and understanding of the universe that we live in. With that
goal in mind, the course attempts to focus on major concepts in
astronomy and where possible tie those concepts into issues relevant
to your life. For example, global warming, an important worldwide
issue, is also central to understanding the differences between the
environments of Venus, Mars, and Earth. At a more philosophical level,
understanding how our universe works and how planets, stars, and
galaxies are formed gives us a better perspective on our place in the
universe and how special planet Earth is to our continued survival.
Most of you have chosen this course as part of your CORE Distributive
Studies Program, the general education portion of your degree program
(see Core Requirements below). CORE
Distributive Studies courses are designed to ensure that you will take
a look at several different academic disciplines and the way they
create and analyze knowledge about the world. A faculty and student
committee approved this CORE Distributive Studies course because it
will introduce you to ideas and issues that are central to a major
intellectual discipline and because it promises to involve you
actively in the learning process. Please take advantage of the
opportunities this course offers!
Course Expectations:
Attendance: In order to succeed in this course, I
expect you to attend ALL lectures and discussion sections. This is
very important! The material on the homeworks and exams are based upon
the material covered in the lectures, the text, and discussion
sections. If you have to miss a lecture or section, be sure to look at
another student's notes and make sure that you understand what was
covered. See me or the teaching assistant if you have questions.
There will be times during the semester, in both lectures and
sections, when I will ask for written responses to questions. Your
written answers will count towards your grade in the class.
Preparation: I expect you to be prepared to work.
You will understand the lecture more easily if you preview the reading
assignment. A more careful reading is recommended after lecture. You
should study your class notes sometime before the next lecture to make
sure that everything is clear. I encourage you to ask questions in
class, in section, during office hours, or over email.
Study Habits: Study wisely and ask for help if you
need it. If you just cram the night before the exam, you probably
will not do very well. It is better (and easier) if you keep up with
the material on a daily basis. If you have questions, please see me
or one of the TAs. We are here to help you learn.
Grading:
I grade on a point scale with different assignments weighted as shown
in the table. A description of each of these components is contained
in this syllabus.
ASSIGNMENT |
Syllabus Cover |
Homework | Section |
Exam I |
Exam II | Final |
Total |
POINTS |
10 |
140 | 150 |
100 |
100 | 200 |
700 |
Letter grades will be assigned based upon your curved cumulative
score. Grades for some discussion sections may be adjusted slightly
so that the average grade given by each TA is similar. Here is how
your grade will be determined from your point total in the class.
Letter Grade |
Course Total | Percentage |
A |
630-700 | 90%-100% |
B |
560-629 | 80%-89% |
C |
476-559 | 68%-79% |
D |
385-475 | 55%-67% |
F |
0-384 | 0%-54% |
The point scale makes it possible for everyone in the class to do
well. For example, if everyone scores above 80% in the course, you
would all receive either a B- or better letter grade. I do use +/-
modifiers - you will get a "+" if you are in roughly the upper 1/3 of
students with the same letter grade and a "-" if you are in the lower
1/3. I may adjust the number of points required to get a given grade
depending on the class averages; however, any adjustment will make it
easier to get a given grade, never more difficult. You can monitor my
current estimate of your grade from the class webpage as the semester
progresses. Students with a documented disability who wish to discuss
academic accommodations should contact me as soon as possible.
Midterm Exams
There will be two in-class 75-minute examinations which will be held
in PHYS 1412 on Tuesday, March 2 and Tuesday, April 20. These exams
are closed book with no notes, no calculators, and no other electronic
devices allowed. You will only be allowed to leave the classroom at a
few specified times. Each exam will consist of 25-40 multiple choice
questions and three or four essay or problem solving questions. These
exams are incremental (i.e., non-cumulative) checkups on how well you
have learned the material. The schedule of lectures included in this
syllabus shows what material will be covered on each exam. Please
bring only a pencil and your ID card to both midterms and the final.
If for whatever reason, the University is officially closed on the
exam date, the exam date shifts to the next lecture date.
Final Exam
According to University rules, the final exam for this course will
be held on Friday, May 14 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am in PHYS
1412. This final exam is cumulative, that is, it will cover
all material discussed in this course. However, since chapters 10
- 15 will not be covered by the midterm exams (see Lecture Schedule),
the weight on these chapters will be higher than on earlier
chapters. The final will include multiple choice, essay and
problem solving questions with the exact combination to be determined.
This exam is also closed book with no notes and no calculators
allowed. Please bring a pencil and your ID card to the final.
Missed Exams
If you are not able to take an exam due to illness or other legitimate
reasons (as outlined in the Academic Info section of the schedule of
classes) and you wish to take a make-up exam, you must
1) contact me by email before you miss the
regularly-scheduled exam and
2) submit a valid written
excuse for your absence within one week
after the regularly-scheduled exam.
Make-up exams will be given within one week after you submit the valid
written excuse. The make-up exams will consist entirely of essays,
problems, and short answer questions, and may also include oral
questions asked by the professor.
If you miss the final exam and have a valid written excuse,
you must arrange for a make-up final within 48 hours after the
scheduled exam. The make-up final, like the make-up midterms, will
have no multiple choice questions.
Discussion Sections
Your weekly hour-long discussion section, which begins the week of
Jan. 25, is an integral part of this course. The sections are run by
the TAs, with just general guidelines from me; they will normally
include a review of lecture material, presentation of problems and
material not covered in lecture, exercises and quizzes etc. These
sections serve as a forum to enhance your understanding of the course
material. Your TAs are an excellent resource; get to know them and use
that resource! Homeworks, Exams, and other work will be returned to
you during your discussion section. Please attend all your discussion
sections. If for some reason you have to miss a section meeting, you
may go to one of the other section meetings offered by your TA that
week if you get permission from him/her first.
Be sure to attend the discussion section for which you registered. The
only way to switch sections is through the registrar's office;
unofficial changes are not allowed. Memorize your
section number and write it on everything that you turn in.
Section | Discussion Time |
Room | TA Name |
0101 |
W......... 1:00pm-1:50pm |
CSS 2400 |
Lauren Woolsey |
0102 |
W......... 2:00pm-2:50pm |
CSS 2400 |
Erin Grand |
0103 |
F......... 10:00am-10:50am |
CSS 2400 |
James Keane |
0104 |
F.........12:00pm-12:50pm |
CSS 2400 |
Kenneth Melville |
0105 |
W......... 1:00pm-1:50pm |
CSS 2324 |
Kenneth Melville |
0106 |
W.........2:00pm-2:50pm |
CSS 2428 |
Bryan Holler |
The Prof. and the Teaching Assistants all hold office hours that are
open to everyone. There is someone available for 2-3 hours each day of
the week - we are here to help! When contacting us by email, always
be sure to put "ASTR100" in the subject line to ensure that your email
is not overlooked.
Name |
Office |
Phone |
Email |
Office Hours |
Prof. Doug Hamilton |
CSS 1245 |
405-1548 |
hamilton@astro.umd.edu |
Tu 11:00pm-12:30pm Th 11:00pm-12:30pm |
Erin Grand |
CSS 1250 |
405-1561 |
egrand@umd.edu |
M 3:00pm-5:00pm |
Bryan Holler |
CSS 1250 |
405-1561 |
astronomerbjh@gmail.com |
Tu 3:30pm-5:00pm Th 3:30pm-5:00pm |
James Keane |
CSS 1250 |
405-1561 |
jamestuttlekeane@gmail.com |
F 11:00am - 2:00pm |
Kenneth Melville |
CSS 1250 |
405-1561 |
krash@umd.edu |
W 2:00pm-4:00pm |
Lauren Woolsey |
CSS 1250 |
405-1561 |
woolsey@umd.edu |
M 6:00pm - 8:00pm |
Homeworks
There are a total of seven homeworks in this course. All homeworks
are included with this syllabus and can also be obtained from the
Assignments link from the class website. The syllabus cover sheet
is treated like homework, except we grade it very generously! Please
type or writeup your assignments neatly. Solution sets will be posted
online.
All homeworks are due in class at 9:30 am (i.e., at
the beginning of class). Homeworks turned in after 9:45 am will be
considered late and docked at least 20%. After the end of class on the
due date, no more homework will be accepted. If for some reason you
cannot turn in the homework in person, you should ask a friend to turn it
in for you. Homeworks may not be turned in by email.
If you experience a valid emergency, you must write me an email or
leave me a voice mail message before the assignment is due
telling me why you will be late. In this case, you must secure a valid
written excuse and arrange with me to have the homework turned in to
me as soon as possible and, in any event, absolutely no later than the
beginning of the next lecture.
If for whatever reason, the University is officially closed
on the due date, the due date shifts to the next lecture date.
Although you may discuss the homework problems with your friends,
the final writeup must be in your own words. Copying from a
friend's homework, copying from a book, or allowing a friend to copy
your homework is academic dishonesty (see Academic
Integrity below) and will not be tolerated in this class. If you
consult a reference other than the course text, please acknowledge
it in your homework - this includes websites!
Open House
The astronomy department hosts an open house on the 5th and 20th of
each month at the university observatory which is located just off
campus on Metzerott Road. Each open house consists of a speaker
talking about some aspect of astronomy. Following this short talk,
there will be public viewing of the heavens with the observatory's
telescopes (weather permitting). Dress warmly as you will be outside
when using the telescopes! A list of scheduled speakers and topics is
available online at
http://www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse/. While not required for this
course, I highly encourage you to take advantage of a unique
opportunity to see the universe with your own eyes.
Extra Credit
There will be no extra credit papers. The following are the
only ways to earn extra credit in this class:
- Attend Class: I will frequently ask questions worth bonus points
during lectures.
- Do the Extra Credit questions on each homework assignment.
- Do the Extra Credit Assignments that I will occasionally make available.
Special Circumstances
Students with a documented disability should let me know as soon as
possible (preferably on the first day of class) so that appropriate
academic accommodations can be made.
The academic community at the University abides by a Code of Academic
Integrity. Acts of academic dishonesty include cheating, fabrication,
facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism. Activities
including, but not limited to, cheating on exams or quizzes, copying
homework from a friend or book, allowing your homework or paper to be
copied, and submitting forged excuses for absences from exams are
violations of this code. If you are aware of an incident of Academic
Dishonesty, it is your duty to report it to one of the TAs or me. If
we suspect that a serious incident of academic dishonesty has
occurred, we will turn the case over to the Student Honor Council to
investigate and resolve. If the suspected party is judged
'responsible' for the act(s) of academic dishonesty, the normal
sanction is a course grade of 'XF' which denotes failure due to
academic dishonesty. This grade is recorded onto the student's
academic transcript. The Code of Academic Integrity can be found in
the Academic Info section of the Schedule of Classes. It is printed in
full in the Undergraduate Catalog and on the web at
http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html#. Please
familiarize yourself with this Code and refer to it if you have
further questions about what is construed as academic
dishonesty. We are very serious about this.
ASTR100 is intended for non-science majors and requires no more than a
modest, high-school level science and math background. This course
satisfies the CORE Distributive Studies requirement for a
non-lab physical science course (CORE code PS). To satisfy the
CORE Distributive Studies requirement for a lab physical
science course (CORE code PL), this course must be taken
simultaneously with ASTR 111 (Observational Astronomy Lab) or
you must take ASTR101 (General Astronomy). Note that you cannot get
credit for both ASTR100 and ASTR101. Please be sure that you have
chosen the correct course.
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