Instructor:	Nicole Vogt
Contact:	646-6522, nicole [at] nmsu.edu
Office hours:	Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:35 - 12:50, Astronomy #203
Texts:	Black Holes, White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars: The Physics of Compact Objects, by Shapiro & Teukolsky
	Gravitation, by Thorne, Misner, & Wheeler

Background
The seminar will focus on a few current astronomical issues related to black holes, rather than on the theoretical physics which motivate their construction. A working knowledge of basic black hole physics will be assumed, but we will not assume that you are greatly conversant with general relativity. Two texts are recommended above, for background reading in black hole physics.

Evaluation
Performance will be judged on the basis of individual seminar presentations, verbal and written work related to the presentations of other students, and (perhaps) a few short homework assignments.

You are responsible for reading the Presentation article(s) each week, and for participating actively in discussion of each paper each week. I emphasize the importance of doing so; it will be critical to maintaining the professional level of our seminar. Hard copies will be provided on request.

Presentations
Seminar presentations should be created for display with a laptop and projector (speak with Jon Holtzman to guarantee that you have the hardware you need on your presentation day). You may work in PPT, HTML, PDF, or any other common file format. Practice your talk several times before you give it, so that you appear polished and can focus on communicating the science rather than reading the slides.

I recommend reading at least one paper mentioned in the Introduction of your article (to establish context and motivation), and at least one paper mentioned in the Conclusions (to understand the implications of the work). Having done so, be sure to integrate this information into your presentation.

Your presentation should discuss the major conclusions of the papers, and place it in the context of its field. Theoretical papers should be examined for connections to actual data, in the form of testable predictions. What are the extended ramifications, if a particular theory is correct? What are the alternatives, if it is incorrect? For observational papers, it may be appropriate to walk through the observational and analysis techniques in detail. If you disagree with a paper, do not hesitate to criticize it!

As a general rule, show figures in your presentation but avoid including large tables of data (the audience cannot read them quickly, and will be far more interested in your conclusions that in the raw numbers). You may assume that your audience has read the paper once for themselves.

Attendance
Attendance at seminar is mandatory. Up to one absence may be excused, for (a) a planned trip to a major telescope or to work with collaborators in which you will play a significant role, or (b) an unplanned bout of diphtheria. Discuss case (a) scenarios with me well ahead of time.