Class Schedule: T Th 2pm-4:50pm | Professor: Steve Liebling |
Classroom: Pell Hall 302 | Office: Pell Hall 210 |
Text: J.Bennett, M.Donahue, N.Schneider, & M.Voit.
The Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition
and a personal access kit (required) for the Mastering Astronomy website (ClassID: Liebling1). |
Office Hours: M W 12:30-1:30pm |
Web: http://relativity.liu.edu/steve | Phone: 299-3439 |
Email: |
Labwork | 20% |
Project (details) | 15% |
Quizzes & Homework | 15% |
Classroom Participation | 5% |
Test 1 | 15% |
Test 2 | 15% |
Final Exam | 15% |
Class Participation: Everyone starts with 90%. Subtractions are made for being disruptive (excessive talking, ringing phones, being late, etc) as well as excessive absences. Additions are made for contributing (questions or answers) to class discussions.
Homework: Homework will be assigned in class, usually every week or two. Often the homework will consist of assignments from the publisher's class web page (masteringastronomy.com).
Quizzes: The online, "basic" quizzes for each chapter that we cover (masteringastronomy.com) is due by the date of the test which covers that chapter. You will be responsible for taking these quizzes online (and outside of class) before the deadline.
Labs: This class has an integral lab component which counts toward your grade for the course. We will have various types of labs: computer labs, DIY labs at home, observations, and in class labs.
Tests: The class will have two tests on the dates indicated on the syllabus. The tests will be given during classtime.
Final: The final will be held at the time dictated by the Registrar during Exam Week.
Academic Honesty: You are encouraged to work on homework problems with others. However, you must work alone on quizzes and tests. On quizzes and exams you may use only a calculator and writing utensils (no cell phones, PDAs, etc). All the work you turn in must be your own.
Other Resources: Tutors, library books, office hours, supplemental texts, and study groups.
Syllabus:
Below is the anticipated schedule of what we'll cover. The dates of
the tests are fixed; on principle I do not change them so that students
can plan for them. Near the end of the semester, I generally have
flexibility in what we cover.
If you have a preference for what we might cover, please feel free
to provide feedback.
Week 1 | Sept. 5 | Introduction | Course Overview; HW 1 | |
Sept. 7 | Our Place in the Universe | Ch. 1 | ||
Week 2 | Sept. 12 | Ch. 1 | ||
Sept. 14 | Discovering the Universe for Yourself | Ch. 2 | ||
Week 3 | Sept. 19 | Ch. 2 | ||
Sept. 21 | The Science of Astronomy | Ch. 3 | ||
Week 4 | Sept. 26 | Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation | Ch. S1 | |
Sept. 28 | Test 1 | |||
Week 5 | Oct. 3 | Making Sense of the Universe | Ch. 4 | |
Oct. 5 | Ch. 4 | |||
Week 6 | Oct. 10 | Light and Matter | Ch. 5 Project Part 1 Due | |
Oct. 12 | Ch. 5 | |||
Week 7 | Oct. 17 | Telescopes | Ch. 6 | |
Oct. 20 | Space & Time | Ch. S2 | ||
Week 8 | Oct. 24 | Ch. S2 | ||
Oct. 26 | Test 2 | |||
Week 9 | Oct. 31 | Our Planetary System | Ch. 7 | |
Nov. 2 | Ch. 7 | |||
Week 10 | Election Day--NO CLASSES | |||
Nov. 9 | Formation of the Solar System | Ch. 8 | ||
Week 11 | Nov. 14 | Ch. 8 | ||
Nov. 16 | Planetary Geology | Ch. 9 Project Part 2 Due | ||
Week 12 | Nov. 21 | Jovian Planet Systems | Ch. 11 | |
Thanksgiving--NO CLASSES | ||||
Week 13 | Nov. 28 | Building Blocks of the Universe | Ch. S4 | |
Nov. 30 | Our Star | Ch. 14 | Alissa's Extra Credit Group; Katherine's Extra Credit | |
Week 14 | Dec. 5 | Review | Ryan's Extra Credit | |
Dec. 7 | Project Presentations | |||
Week 15 | Dec. 12-18 | Final Exam Period | Scheduled: Tuesday, 12/12 1:50-4:30pm |