805-114
Lectures, Upham Hall Room # 141,
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:15pm
– 3:05pm
Lecturer: Ms. Juliana Constantinescu,
Department of
Physics, UWW
Office: Upham Hall #159 Phone: (262) 472-5115
E-mail:
constanj@uww.edu
Office
hours: 9:00-10:30
am Monday-Wednesday;
5:00-6:00 pm Wednesday
other times by appointment
Office hours are held by
your instructor for your benefit.
If you want to see your instructor and do not have free time during an
office hour, please make an appointment.
Appointments may be made after class, by phone, or by e-mail. Feel free to contact your instructor by
e-mail at any time. I check my email the latest at
7:00pm. So if you write to me after seven you cannot expect to receive
an answer before the next morning.
This course is a science course! It will introduces the basic aspects of astronomy, including knowledge regarding the structure of the smallest part of the matter up to the structure of the Universe, forces and fields which are acting into the Universe, without analyzing in deep the physical processes responsible for different phenomenon. You will familiarize yourself with astronomical vocabulary, concepts and ideas, which will help you to better, understand the Universe and create your own understanding regarding the World we live in.
The course will try to emphasize the core values of this university :
You should expect to leave this course with basic concepts of the modern astronomy and a working knowledge of some methods, past and present, that astronomers use to enlarge our body of knowledge.
¯ I hope you will be able to read, comprehend and discuss comfortably with your friends the popular articles appearing in daily newspapers, in weekly news magazines and in science-oriented magazines such as Discover, Scientific American, Astronomy.
¯ It would be expected from you to be able to improve your ability to recognize similarities and differences, recognizing patterns, summarizing information, generalizing, identifying problems and understanding the context, being able to research on your own and to collaborate with others, to work in team, to learn how to collaborate and adapt, how to respect the diversity of individuals.
¯ More than everything else, I hope you will be able to respect yourself for being able to face the challenge of approaching new topics and teaching yourself how to deal with unexpected subjects and / or problems.
Also, if you will learn to dream and love to search the sky, to look up stars and to keep an interest for astronomy, I will consider these as being an achieved goal of this course.
Observational activities would be included as integral parts of the course.
¯ So you will be required to participate in one session ( 60 to 75 minutes long) of nighttime activities: to study the brighter constellations in the early evening fall sky; and to learn about planets and deep sky objects such as galaxies and clusters.
ATTENDANCE AT THIS SESSIONS WILL BE MANDATORY. Those with unexcused absences will be given a zero grade for this portion of the course. Those with excused absences will be able to make up the missed time by appointment with the instructor. Permission to miss one of these evening activities must be obtained prior to session. Written documentation will be required.
¯ Evening time spent at the observatory will be compensated for by cancellation of an equivalent amount of class work.
Because of the Midwest weather, those activities that require outdoor daytime or nighttime observations must be done during the earliest available clear periods. If we will not be able to complete all observations nights additional work will be required: individual night observations, internet browsing for specific events and so on.
You will make your night observations at the Whitewater Observatory situated between Hyer Hall and the University Center. The observatory will be open only at nighttime, after class, when I will be present to supervise your use of it.
For those who are interested, we have in a very close distance the biggest refractor telescope in the world, at Yerkes Observatory, in Williams Bay, WI and the Observatory of University of Wisconsin – Madison, Washburn Observatory with open observations session for public (Not Open On These Major Holidays: Dec 25, Dec 31)
|
September and October |
9:00-11:00 PM |
1st and 3rd Wednesdays |
|
November and December |
7:30-9:30 PM |
1st and 3rd Wednesdays |
Course Prerequisites
Intermediate Algebra 760-141
Required Text and Materials
1. The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Jeffrey Bennett, Megan Danahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit( Pearson/Addison Wesley)
2.
Planisphere - The night Sky (Boston: Sky
Publishing) – the one you will find at the bookstore is MPP40 Millers
planisphere 40 a 5Ó diameter; you can order a 10Ó from same distributor ( www.lstp.com
or www.amazon.com ) When you buy one
just be sure to be for 40-50 north latitude
3.
Active
learning –in class tutorials – by Marvin L. DeJong.
4.
The Edmund Sky Guide by Terrence Dickinson and
Sam Brown (Barrington, NJ: Edmund Scientific, #9535).( not mandatory – helpful for observation of the sky)
5.
Colored pencils (one box), ruler, compass,
protractor and Steno notebook – for answers in class
6.
One folder for your final project.
Students can obtain text #1 from the textbook rental center.
Materials #2 and #3 and #4 are available at the Bookstore; additional materials would be given in class by your instructor.
Learning tools, Progress evaluation and Requirements
In many courses you have had before, the professorÕs responsibility was to lecture and your responsibility was to take notes and memorize the material.
In this course, my responsibility is to find ways to help you learn astronomy and your responsibility is to actively engage in your own learning process .
Participation on each and every class is necessary to fully understand the material. The reading of your book is not going to be enough for you to consider as an accomplishment for this course.
This is a science course for non-science majors. There are no prerequisites for this course other than the standards needed to graduate from high school. To understand science requires the use of numbers and relationships between numbers much like a literature course requires the student to be able to read.
The math examples used in class are to demonstrate how math is used to understand and resolve scientific problems. It is one of the goals of this course to expose you (the student) to how the scientific process works so as to become educated in both the answers that science provides and the methods by which it arrives at these answers.
All math exercises in this course will be worked out in lecture and will not require any expertise beyond the skills needed to balance your checkbook. If you can't balance your checkbook we need to talk.
á
Active
engagement with nearly weekly
group activities. It is our belief that you can only learn
a limited amount of information from lecture alone, no matter how clear or
entertaining . Therefore, this course has a series of mini-lectures that will
be augmented by collaborative classroom activities called Active learning-in class tutorialsÓ
The Tutorials activities
target specific ideas presented in lecture and are design to be completed in
pairs or no more than three students groups during class by talking through the
questions and writing a detailed consensus response. You will not submit these
for grading. However, the questions are quite similar to the questions you will
find on the quizzes and exams and you are therefore strongly encouraged to
consider these activities as a critical component to your success in the
course. The booklet is available at the bookstore and you must bring it to class each and every day. Without the
tutorial you will not be able to complete the work of that day and you will
receive a zero grade for participation.
á
There are a couple of homework assignments
that will be given to you at the end of some lectures. In some cases homework
will consist of a short writing assignment that will be completed and handed in
at the end of the class other time you will complete, type and handed in the writing assignment at the beginning
of the next class.
In other cases we
will assign a set of homework problems that you are to complete on your own
time and submit one week later in class. I will communicate all information
about assignments in class. If you are not in class on the day of an in-class
writing assignment you will not be able to make up this homework . No late
homework will be accepted for ANY reason
You will be expected to t y p e your answers clearly,
completely and on your own.
When answer questions, donÕt copy fragments from your book. I expect you to read and answer questions from the homework, using your own words. When you are using web information, I expect you to read and answer using your own words.
I encourage
you to work with someone else, but you need to turn in YOUR OWN ANSWERS/
HOMEWORK, NOT TO COPY THE SAME ANSWERS.
FINAL PROJECT
v A small team of (two-three) students will receive, on the third week of class, a list of topics . You need to find magazines, articles as well as web sources and write a paper related with the topic you have selected.
v This paper will be presented in separate different steps and will be no shorter than three pages and no longer than eight pages ;it should be in 12-point font with 1 inch or smaller margins on 81/2 by 11 white paper with no more than double spacing. Any spelling, grammatical or punctuation mistakes will result in the paper being handed back to you and an automatic 10% penalty.
When you write your paper you should always have your audience in mind. In this case, the audience consists of intelligent Astronomy 805114 students like you. REMEMBER, YOU ARE WRITING SO SOMEONE ELSE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TALKING. They should learn something new from your paper.
Step #1 – you will receive the topic and we will discuss the members of your team ; you will start the search for articles in periodicals at the university library, or any other library, and /or on the Internet, read them and write a draft of your paper. Your first draft is due on Monday November 9, 2009.
Late papers lose 10% per day starting when the bell rings for class. If you have problems with this you must talk to me BEFORE things are due.
Step #2 – I will read and/or correct your first draft and return it to you in a week period. You will rewrite the paper if necessary, or just prepare the final presentation: this can be a poster presentation or a power point presentation.
You will search for additional sources regarding same topics at the Library or/ and Internet. You may add any additional information you will wish.
THE FINAL COMPLETE PAPER, WITH A COPY OF THE ARTICLE AND / OR ARTICLES , LIST OF WEB SOURCES AND ANY OTHER SOURCES YOU USED AS REFERENCES, A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND GRAPHYCS ( IF NECESSARY) AND ALSO A PACKAGE, NICELY STAPLED, CONTAINING YOUR FIRST ROUGH DRAFT, ARE DUE, BACK TO ME On Wednesday NOVEMBER 25, 2009 ( before the Thanksgiving break).
Late papers lose 10% per day starting when the bell rings for class. If you have problems with this you must talk to me BEFORE things are due.
On last week of semester starting November 30 to December 11, 2009 your team will l make a small presentation ( 8-10 minutes) in front of class regarding your topic and your additional information related with that topic. Professional dressing code and presentation is required.
The project will count 15% of your final grade.
á Occasional small quizzes will be given online ( every other week)to help remember concepts and review information previously presented in class and used by students for homework.
á Attendance to class is REQUIRED. Your attendance and full participation at each class period will be an essential component of your success in the course.
á Carefully studying the text is REQUIRED!. You are accountable for all material, concepts, and interrelationships presented in lecture, the book text and Lecture tutorials. Reading assignment should be completed BEFORE the class lecture. It is important to remember that exams will cover material from the text readings that may or may not be discussed in class.
á
Two
Summary Examinations and a Final Examination will be given during the
course. The Final Exam will cover all the course material.
1. There will be no make-up of missed homework assignment, regardless of the reason for the absence. If you are absent form the class when the homework is assigned, you are expected to obtain the problem from a classmate and hand it in at the required time. A missed homework assignment will be recorded as a zero grade.
2. There will be no make-up of missed quiz, unless you have an excused absence for a University activity, family emergency or health problem. A written documentation is required and you have to inform the instructor in advance.
3. Attendance at examinations is mandatory. Those with
excused absences will be able to make up the exam
( once) at the scheduled date by your instructor. Permission to miss an
examination must be obtained from the instructor prior to examination. Family
emergency, University activity and health problems need to have written
documentation. Those with unexcused
absences will be given a zero grade for this portion of the course; the
unexcused absence to the regular date of your exam will you the permission to come at the make
up time scheduled for that particular
GRADING
POLICY
SUMMARY:
¤
Exams 45%
¤
quizzes 5 %
¤
assignments 12%
¤
in class activities 18%
¤
term-paper
15%
¤
outside act 5%
---------
TOTAL
POSSIBLE = 100%
GRADE ASSIGNMENTS:
89%<A<100%; 76%<B<88%; 66%<C<75%; 56%<D<65%; F<55%
The Final Exam will cover all the course material and be of the same form as Summary Examinations. However will count 1.5 times as much as a single exam.
Students with a minimum grade of
89%, prior to the final exam, will be excused from taking it.
One way to earn extra credit is an optional field trip: on a Saturday of your choosing you may take a tour of Yerkes Observatory in WilliamÕs Bay, home of the worldÕs largest refracting telescope. If you are interested please contact your instructor to find out what you need to submit in order for the trip to be considered a credit.
However the extra credit will be consider for your final grade and will make a difference only in borderline cases ( between C+ and B- ,for example).
á
The grade for extra effort would be consider at the end of the semester
for the students between grade and
it will NOT represent more than 3% of the total of your grade
Successful completion of this course requires your
possession of a scientific calculator with at least the power of the Casio FX
-300 series. You are expected to bring working scientific calculator to
every class. If you do not already own such a calculator, a Casio
fx-300 series calculator or an equivalent can be purchased at Wall-Mart for
about $15. Of course, you may use as expensive a scientific calculator as you
wish to purchase, provided it possesses the functions available on Casio fx-300
series.
FOR THE EXAMS, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO USE YOUR
CALCULATOR. YOU WILL USE THE PHYSICS DEPARTMENTÕS CALCULATORS.
Policy of cellular phone
Cell phones are definitely a convenience in this day and age, but they
are not a necessity. Bringing a
cell phone to school is a privilege, not a right. No cellular telephone would be allowed
during the lectures and exams time in class . You are NOT allowed to
use the phone as a calculator. If you have an emergency, you should inform me
before the class, have your cell in vibrate, get out of the class and take the
call, without disturbing the class.
Students that will
be found text- messaging during class will be asked to leave the class and
receive a warning. After two warnings, you will be invited to talk with the
chair of the department and the dean of the college for unrespectfully
disturbing the class environment and insubordination
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE CELLULAR PHONE AS A CALCULATOR DURING ANY EXAMS!
No iPod will be allowed during lecture time and exams time!
If
a student plan on bringing his/her laptop in class, talk to your instructor
BEFORE CLASS. You are encouraged NOT to bring your laptop to class.
You are not allowed to bring your laptop, iPod and any
other electronic devices with you during exams time and during final exam time.
Attendance
is expected. Students are
expected to participate fully in class discussions and in-group assignments.
¯ Show the instructor
documentation for missing class for a university sponsored event as soon as possible
in advance of the absence so that arrangements may be made for
makeup. Absences for university
sponsored events will not count as an absence in recording grades
¯ In case of illness or other
unavoidable reason for missing, it is the responsibility of the student to
contact the instructor within 24 hours and be able to document the reason
for being absent.
Students with special needs
should contact the instructor to make appropriate arrangements.
Board of Regents policy
states that students' sincerely held religious beliefs shall be reasonably
accommodated with respect to scheduling all examinations and other academic
requirements. Students must notify
the instructor, within the first three weeks of the beginning of classes
(within the first week of summer session and short courses) of the specific
days or dates on which they will request accommodation from an examination or
academic requirement. For
additional information, please refer to the section of the University
Bulletin and the Timetable titled, Accommodation of Religious
Beliefs.
Academic dishonesty
includes such things as cheating, inventing false information or citations,
plagiarism, and helping someone else commit an act of academic dishonesty. It usually involves an attempt by a student to show possession of a
level of knowledge or skills that she or he does not posses.
á
Cheating is
the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of any
dishonest, fraudulent, or unauthorized means.
á
Plagiarism is
the act of taking the specific substance of another and offering it as oneÕs
own without giving credit to the source.
The University believes that
academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher
education and of the University of Wisconsin System. The University has a responsibility to promote academic
honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with
instances of academic dishonesty.
Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of
their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others'
academic endeavors. Students who
violate these standards are subject to disciplinary action. URS Chapter 14 identifies procedures to
be followed when a student is accused of academic misconduct. For additional information, please
refer to the section in the Student Handbook titled, Student Academic
Disciplinary Procedures.
University policy adopted by
Faculty Senate and the Whitewater Student Government states that students will
not be academically penalized for missing class in order to participate in
university-sanctioned events. They
will be provided an opportunity to make up any work that is missed; and if
class attendance is a requirement, missing a class in order to participate in a
university event will not be
counted as an absence. A
university event is defined to be
any intercollegiate athletic contest or other such event as determined by the
Provost. Activity sponsors are
responsible for obtaining the Provost's prior approval of an event as being
university sanctioned and for providing an official list of participants. Students are responsible for notifying
their instructors in advance of their participation in such events.
The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events. (For details please refer to the Undergraduate and Graduate Timetables; the ÒRights and ResponsibilitiesÓ section of the Undergraduate Bulletin; the Academic Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Bulletin; and the ÒStudent Academic Disciplinary ProceduresÓ [UWS Chapter 14]; and the ÒStudent Nonacademic Disciplinary ProceduresÓ [UWS Chapter 17]).
* This syllabus conforms to the "Common
Syllabus" resolution S 95-96: 09 of the Whitewater Student Government.
POSSIBLE TOPICS TO BE COVERED
This is a tentative schedule of coverage of material and exams during the
semester . Not all chapters
would represent material for exam,
partial chapters could be part of exam.
Your instructor will
inform you about the material you will be asses on exam a week prior to each
exam. In class activity topics will be subject of exams also.
1. Unit 1 Introduction
to Astronomy. Definition, Origin, early and modern Astronomy. Basic principles
of observations in Astronomy
CHAPTER 1,2,4, 5.1
2. Unit 2 Planets and our solar System
CHAPTER 5,6,7,8, 10
3. Unit 3 Stars and evolution of stars CHAPTER 11, 12,
SECOND EXAM- Monday November 16, 2009
4. Unit 4 . Galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Milky Way, our
galaxy
CHAPTER 13,14,15
FINAL EXAM Upham
#141 Monday December 14, 2009
from 1:00-3:00 pm