ASTR 110G
Introduction to Astronomy

Section 4
T-Th, 10:20-11:35
Biology Annex 102 (BX 102)

Lab Section....
Day................
Time .............
Place ............
Lab 4A
Wednesday
6:30-8:30 PM
BX 102

Lab 4B
Thursday
1:30-3:30 PM
BX 102

Lab 4C
Thursday
3:30-5:30 PM
BX 102

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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Professor

Dr. Chris Churchill
Office hours: W & F 12:00-1:00
Office: Rm 206 ASTR (Bldg 55)
Phone: 646-1913
Email: "cwc" (domain: "@nmsu.edu")

Teaching Assistants

Labs 4A,B
Joe Wellhouse
Office: Rm 220 ASTR (Bldg 55)
Phone: 646-8180
Email: "jwell" (domain: "@nmsu.edu")

Lab 4C
Linghong Hu
Office: Rm 107 ASTR (Bldg 55)
Phone: 646-4834
Email: "huli" (domain: "@nmsu.edu")


COURSE OUTLINE

This course is designed to be a general introduction to the scientific method of understanding the universe and our place within it. Face the fact that this class, by the very nature of its content, will introduce an astronomical perspective to your life. Human beings have looked to stars from the beginning, and have always found (or wanted to find) some meaningful connection between their daily lives and the universe. Out of a time span of tens of thousands of years, it has been only in the last 100 years that we have begun to really grasp at the unfathomable expanse of time and space: several hundred billion galaxies spread out over billions of light years of space. Each galaxy is an "oasis" in space-- each an ecosystem in which hundreds of billions of stars are born, live out their lives, grow old, and die (sometimes quite catastrophically). The life cycles of the stars is our story, for our Sun is one of these stars, born from a previous generation of stars-- a link in a chain for a next generation to come in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Something like 90% of all stars have planetary systems... and life as we know it? This is our current picture of our place in and connection with the universe. It bares little resemblance to what our ancestors believed. How will our ancestors view themselves?

In this context, we will study the details of the objects in the universe and how they evolve. Most important are the concepts of gravity and energy generation. Each star is a delicate balancing act between the two. Though the details may be many and often times numerous, what is desired is that you, the student, walk away with the big picture of the lives of stars, the structure of galaxies, the ecosystem of the universe, and its history and fate.

COURSE SPECIFICS


Credit
This is a three (4.0) credit course. The Lab component is one (1.0) unit and the Lecture component is three (3.0) units. Attendance to the lectures and to all Labs is mandatory and will be charted. In summary, the following will be counted for credit: Attendance will include your scores on occasional very short pop quizzes. There will be four required mid-term exams, of which your three highest scores will be counted (see below- your lowest score is dropped). There will be a required cumulative final exam. However, see below for a possible "out" of the final exam!

Prerequisites
None. There will be very little quantitative analysis, but being able to make simple calculations will be helpful.

Lectures
The lectures are designed to introduce and explain scientific concepts, to stimulate interest in the reading material, to expand on the reading material, and, in some cases, to introduce topics not covered in the textbook. You are encouraged to ask questions during the lectures!

Required Reading
The required textbook for this course is Foundations of Astronomy (Thomson - Brooks/Cole) by Michael Seeds. A copy will be put on two hour in-house reserve at the Zuhl Library. The book has been written for non-science majors and is not heavily mathematical. You are responsible for knowing the reading schedule and keeping up with the required reading. Your best strategy will be to do the assigned reading the night before the material is presented in class.

Course Home Page
A home page will be continually updated for this course, and its address is the following: http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/cwc/Teaching/ASTR110/Spr07/.

Attendance (Pop-Quizzes)
There will be occasional, yet very brief pop quizzes that will serve to assist in recording attendance. Tardiness, and "bugging out" of class early will be spot checked. Talk to me if you have a daily or weekly scheduling constraint. The quizzes will reflect items from lectures.

Labs
At some level, the Lab will be equivalent to doing homework assignments. The Lab is your opportunity to apply what you have heard in lecture. Doing is knowing, so this is where you will most often really begin to obtain a deeper appreciation for astronomy. Take advantage of the one-on-one time and exploit the chance to improve your exam scores by learning in Lab. You must purchase a Lab Manual. The lab manuals are to be purchased from Media Production in Gerald Thomas Hall, room 173 (located near the Skeen palace). They are about $15.

LAB POLICY: You must be enrolled in a Section 4 Lab. The policies for grading, etc, will be explained by your Lab teacher. They will be grading your lab work and your scores will incorporated into your overall grade for this course.

Office Hours & Communication
Attending office hours is optional. They are scheduled to provide an additional resource for you. Office hours are a guaranteed way to talk to either the professor or the lab instructor. If you have any questions about an assignment, or about what was talked about in class, you can come ask us in a one-on-one situation. If you feel that you are falling behind, or that what was covered did not make sense, please come talk to us and we would be happy to go over it with you. This is also your chance to come ask us general astronomy questions, that might not be covered in the class.

Frank communication with your instructor and professor will always serve your interest best. If you have personal issues that affect your performance and/or attendance, the responsible thing is to communicate these as soon as possible. For example, missing class for three weeks and then showing up (or emailing) to discuss your grade is NOT affective communication. Calling or emailing that you will be missing class is affective communication. You of course do not need to disclose you personal issues in detail. If you want the best damage control for a situation going bad, communicate up front. We are here to assist you in succesfuly achieving your educational goals. We will gladly work out a program to help you complete the course, provided you do not request it in the "11th hour".

Exams
There will be four midterm exams covering the material discussed in class and the assigned readings. Emphasis will be on the main concepts rather than rote memorization of details. "Trick questions" will be avoided, and the main concepts will be clearly emphasized in class lectures and in the book. Your lowest score of the four will be dropped; only your three highest scores will be counted toward your grade. You must take all four exams, even if you require a make-up exam. You have been informed. There will a required cumulative final exam. However, if you obtain an "A" on all four exams, you may opt out of taking the final exam, in which case the average of your three highest exams will be used to compute your final exam score. You must tell the professor ahead of time if you choose this option. Failing to do so will result in an "F" on the final exam.

EXAM DAY POLICY: (1) No hats or objects that obstruct your face; (2) All books and papers zipped shut in your back pack; (3) All exams written in pencil only; Bring a No. 2 pencil with excellent eraser.

MAKE-UP EXAM POLICY: No make-up exams will be given except in cases of: (1) a medical emergency documented by an official physician's note; (2) official University business documented by an official from the University; or (3) death in your family with official documentation. The format of the makeup exam will be at the discretion of the instructor. YOU MUST CONTACT ME BY EMAIL OR PHONE MESSAGE NO LATER THAN THE DAY OF THE EXAM FOR THESE POLICY TO HOLD. CONTACT AFTER THE EXAM DAY WILL RESULT IN A ZERO SCORE. PERIOD. NO EXCEPTIONS. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

Grading
Grading will be weighted as follows:

Drop Policy
IMPORTANT-- READ THIS: Monday, March 12 is the last day to drop the course with a "W" grade. You are responsible for taking the correct administrative steps for dropping the course. You will not "automatically" be dropped if you simply stop attending the class or the Labs. If your name appears on the university grade roster at the end of the semester, you will receive a letter grade, which could result in an "F". You have been informed.

Office Hours
You are encouraged to come to my office hours for help with the course material. If you cannot make the appointed times, please make an appointment (my office hours are given above).

Academic Integrity Policy
All New Mexico State University policies regarding ethics and honorable behavior apply to this course (and they are taken very seriously). For details, please see Division of Student Affairs Handbook. Plagiarism will be dealt with harshly.

PLAGIARISM includes, but is not necessarily limited to, submitting examinations, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, undocumented quotations, computer-processed materials, or other material as one's own work when such work has been prepared by another person or copied from another person. Both intentional and unintentional plagiarism is considered academic misconduct. If any of this is unclear, please investigate additional information at http://gervaseprograms.georgetown.edu/hc/plagiarism.html. These definitions will be applied as matter of policy in this course.