Astronomy 162: Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, & the Universe Prof. Richard Pogge, MTWThF 9:30

General Information

Lectures:

MTWRF, 9:30-10:18am

1008 Evans Laboratory (EL1008)

Prof. Richard Pogge

Office: 4037 McPherson Lab, 292-0274

Office Hours: TWTh 11-12:30 or by appointment

E-Mail: pogge.1@osu.edu

TA: Shawn Poindexter

Office: 4031 McPherson Lab, 292-7881

Office Hours: M 11:15-12:15, T 1:00-1:30, W 1:30-2:30 or by appointment

E-Mail: sdp@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

Recommended Textbook:

Universe 7th Edition, by Roger A. Freedman & William J. Kaufmann III (W.H. Freeman & Company)

NOTE: it has recently come to my attention that the campus bookstore has mistakenly listed two books as "required". If you already purchased Universe, you have all you need. If you purchased The Solar System for Astronomy 161, you should purchase Universe: Stars+Galaxies instead of the full version of Universe. However, DO NOT BUY BOTH: Stars+Galaxies is just the second half of Universe repackaged in a smaller volume.

Course Web Page: www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/

Course Objectives

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Homework Assignments

Collectively the homework will count for 15% of your grade, equivalent to one in-class quiz. These are not practice quizzes, but instead are an opportunity to ask somewhat more challenging questions than I can on the quizzes. They are designed get you thinking about the course topics in an active way. I strongly encourage you to form study groups to discuss the questions, though you must decide on the final answers yourself (beware the perils of group-think!).

Late Homework Policy

No late homework will be accepted. All assignments must be submitted in class on the due date. Exceptions will only be made for legitimate, documented emergencies.

In-Class Quizzes

In-Class Quiz 1: Friday, January 20

In-Class Quiz 2: Friday, February 3

In-Class Quiz 3: Friday, February 17

In-Class Quiz 4: Friday, March 3

The quizzes will be held at the normal class time, 9:30-10:18pm, and you will have the entire class time to take it. Bring only a #2 pencil with you: no notes, books, scrap paper or any other items will be allowed.

All of the in-class quizzes and the final exam will be closed-book, closed-notes multiple-choice tests. These computer-generated tests provide each student with a unique test (you are asked the same questions and answers as everyone else, but the order of questions and answers is randomized).

The in-class quizzes will cover the material in the lectures and readings since the previous quiz, whereas the final exam will be comprehensive, covering the entire quarter. Each consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. The general emphasis is on the important "core" facts of covered, plus some questions that require putting ideas together and drawing correct conclusions. I do not expect you to know multi-digit numbers, historical dates, etc. I will also ask a small number of quantitative questions, but the constraints of the multiple-choice format restrict the kinds of such questions I can ask on a 50-question test. As such, I usually defer more complicated quantitative questions to the homework where we have more scope to ask such problems.

Makeup Policy

Makeup in-class quizzes are only offered by advance arrangement with the professor. Exceptions will be made for legitimate, documentable emergencies which require no advance notice. If you will be away on an official University-sponsored activity (e.g., sports teams, band, etc.), please provide a letter from your coach, director, etc. in advance of the quiz. In-class quizzes must be made up before Wednesday after the quiz that you missed, otherwise that quiz becomes the one that I will drop in computing your final grade.

Final Exam

The final will be comprehensive, covering all lectures and assigned readings, and of the same format as the in-class exams, only longer. It is worth 40% of your final course grade.

In keeping with official University policy, early finals will not be available for those persons who wish to depart early for Spring Break. Please plan ahead and make your travel plans accordingly, as I will make no exceptions (excluding military personnel called to active or reserve duty, but please provide a letter from your CO).

Grading Policy

• The 5 homework assignments will collectively account for 15% of your grade, equivalent to 1 in-class quiz.
• I will drop the lowest score of the 4 in-class quizzes, and use the scores on the 3 remaining quizzes to compute your grade. Together, these in-class quizzes count for 45% of your grade.
• The final exam will be cumulative, covering all material from the class. It accounts for 40% of your grade, and must be taken by all students.
• All grading, homework and exams, is done on a standard C+ curve.

Lectures & Readings

The daily lectures are your primary resource for this course. The textbook will be only used as a secondary reference from which I will suggest related readings. We will not (and cannot) cover all of the topics in the second half of the textbook during a 10-week course. In between these two resources in importance are the daily lecture notes available on the web. While you will very likely find these notes to be useful aids for studying and following along in lecture, they are not substitutes for regular attendance. Most students find that the best strategy is to print out the notes, bring them with to class, and then add their own notes in the margins. Remember, these are only outlines of what I cover each day in class, not comprehensive transcripts.

Reading the web notes alone instead of going to the lectures is like reading the script of a movie on the web instead of going to see it for yourself - you get (most) all of the words, but important nuances, visuals, and connections between ideas will be lost. Astronomy is a very visual science, working with often striking images, and you'll get little or none of this from the notes.

In general, students who do not attend class regularly score one whole grade below those who attend class (i.e., a D instead of a C).

Related Readings in Universe

Online Resources

Of course, you are not limited to just the materials presented here, and you are encouraged to explore the many astronomy-related sites on the Internet. What I hope will come out of your participation in this course is not only a knowledge of the various Astronomy-related Internet sites, but also an increased critical awareness of what constitutes a good site, and what is garbage (and there is lots of garbage to sift through out there). One of the things I hope you will get out of this course is how to do that sifting.

Students with Disabilities

Academic Misconduct

Classroom Etiquette

Use of cell phones and pagers is prohibited.

This includes using cell phones for instant messaging, email, web, pictures, etc. When in class, all cell phones and pagers must be turned off (i.e., do not simply put into a standby or "silent ring" mode).

Use of Wireless Laptops or other networked devices is prohibited.

Surfing the web, instant messaging, reading email or typing on a keyboard during class is extremely distracting to those around you. When in class, all laptop computers and other networked devices (e.g., expecially devices like PDAs, Blackberries, etc. that can be used for 2-way communications, email, IM, etc.) must be turned off and put away.

Please do not start packing up until class is completely over.

Nothing is more rude or distracting than the noise of notebooks closing and jackets and backpacks rustling while the professor is trying to finish up. I'll be very clear when we're done, and work very hard to stay on time, so please wait until I get to the end.

If you come late or have to leave early, please sit near the back of the room.

This will make your late arrival or early departure less disruptive for your fellow students.

No conversing during lectures.

Please respect the wishes of your fellow students to listen to the lecture, and do not carry on conversations during class. Sound carries remarkably well even in a large room like EL1008, and your conversation will be heard by others around you.