ASTR 1220:  Introduction to the Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe

Instructor	Shane Davis
Office	Astronomy 214	E-mail	swd8g@virginia.edu
Office Hours	Tue 2-3:30 pm; Wed 10-11:30 am or by appointment	Phone	(434) 924-4898

Lectures:

Mon/Wed  2– 3:15 pm, Clark Hall 107

A prospective schedule can be found here on the course collab site.  This will be updated, as needed, throughout the semester.  PDF copies of lecture slides will  be posted to collab after the lecture.

Course Materials:

For my section of ASTR 1220, you are required to have three items:

1. The textbook "The Cosmic Perspective," 7th Edition, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider and Voit published by Pearson Higher Education.

• Do not purchase the abridged version of the text called "The Essential Cosmic Perspective."
• Do not purchase the partial books "The Cosmic Perspective: Solar System" nor "The Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology."
• If you have a 6th edition copy of the textbook from a previous semester, you do not need to purchase the 7th edition. The 6th edition will be just fine. However, when registering for MasteringAstronomy, be sure to select the 7th edition since that is the version that the class is using.

2. Access to the Learning Catalytics interactive classroom system. To use Learning Catalytics, you will need to bring an internet enabled device (smart phone, iPad, iPod Touch, tablet, or laptop) to every class. If you do not have access to an internet enabled device, please let me know.
3. Access to the MasteringAstronomy online learning system.

Your options for purchasing these are:

1. New textbook bundle from the University Bookstore: The textbook comes bundled with Mastering Astronomy and Learning Catalytics, cost $186. This bundle includes everything you need, but may not be the least expensive.
2. Used textbook from the University Bookstore or online retailer: Cost is $80-$130 ($112 at the Bookstore). You will need to purchase access to MasteringAstronomy for $61 at http://www.masteringastronomy.com and access to Learning Catalytics for $12. Note that It may be less expensive to purchase a new textbook from the bookstore with MasteringAstronomy and Learning Catalytics included than it is to purchase a used text, access to MasteringAstronomy, and access to Learning Catalaytics separately.
3. Electronic version of the textbook that comes with access to MasteringAstronomy and Learning Catalytics. Cost about $93 and can be purchased at http://www.masteringastronomy.comI believe this is the most cost effective option.

Be careful with purchasing MasteringAstronomy. You can purchase access directly from MasteringAstronomy on their website for $60, or you can buy an access card at the University Bookstore for $75. It is more cost effective to purchase access directly from MasteringAstronomy on their website. Be VERY careful of purchasing an access code from an individual or online retailer. In some of these cases, the codes have expired, have already been activated, apply only to an earlier version of the textbook, or are fakes

Homework:

Weekly homework problems will be assigned using the online MasteringAstronomy system. To register, go to MasteringAstronomy and follow the directions for a new student. Use the course code DAVIS1220SPRING2016 to enroll yourself in this course. Homework assignments will typically be due on Sunday evenings at 11:00 pm.  Late homework will be penalized 1% per hour up to a maximum of 50%. After two days late, there is no additional penalty and the maximum grade is 50%.

In Class Exercises:

During most classes, I will ask you to respond to a number of questions using the Learning Catalytics student response system. I will use your responses to gauge the overall comprehension of the subject, to clear up any misunderstandings, and to learn your opinions on various topics. You will receive 1 point for each question that you answer and 1 additional point if you answer the question correctly.  The maximum score is 100 points, corresponding to full credit.  There is no make up for missed questions. You may not use another student's account to answer questions for them. Answering questions for another student, whether they are present or absent, is a violation of the honor code. To use Learning Catalytics, you will need to bring an internet enabled device (smart phone, iPad, iPod Touch, tablet, or laptop) to every class. Please let me know if you do not have such a device.

Labs:

You will be required to complete two labs this semester, the Constellation Lab and the Telescope Observing Lab.  Instructions for completing the labs can be found here.

Constellation Lab:

This lab consists of learning the names and locations of the brightest stars and constellations, completing a worksheet, and passing a short quiz. The lab can be completed in a single night and you may repeat it until you pass. The lab is graded pass/fail and the number of points that you receive depends on the date that you complete the lab:

Dates	Maximum Possible Grade
Jan 25 – Mar 3	50
Mar 14 – Apr 7	40
Apr 11 – May 3	30

 

 

 

 

You should complete the Constellation Lab as early as possible in the semester since the number of points that you receive will decline as the semester progresses.  The lab gets very crowded as deadlines approach and you run the risk of being clouded out. There will be no exceptions to this schedule. The lab operates every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening at both 9:00 and 10:00 pm and lasts one hour. The lab is operated in the garage area adjacent to the Astronomy Building (to the left of the Astronomy Building as seen from the Observatory Hill Dining Hall). You must sign up for a session in advance using the Sign- up tool in Collab (click on the Sign-up tab on the left side of the course Collab page). If you completed the lab in a previous semester for another astronomy class, you must complete the lab again this semester.

You will significantly increase your chances of passing the quiz if you learn the names and locations of the major constellations and bright stars in the night sky. You can get very good star maps at SkyMaps.com and Heavens-Above. Go outside at night and use the star maps to locate the constellations and bright stars. At the start of the lab, the teaching assistant will review their locations and names.

The Constellation Quiz Lab will not operate if the skies are cloudy. If you are in doubt, call the Astronomy Department Night Lab hotline at (434) 924-7238 after 7:00 pm to learn if the labs will be open.

If you pass the lab, your grade will appear in the Gradebook on Collab within a week. If you do not pass the lab, you will receive an email and you should schedule another lab session.

Telescope Observing Lab:

In this lab you will attend a single observing session at the Leander McCormick Observatory and sketch at least three objects as seen through the telescopes. The Telescope Observing Lab operates only on Monday and Thursday evenings and runs from 9:00-11:00 pm You sign up for a session in advance using the Sign-up tool in Collab (click on the Sign-up tab on the left side of the course Collab page). You should meet the teaching assistant at the left entrance of the Astronomy Building (as seen from the Observatory Hill Dining Hall) no later than 9:00 pm to get a ride to the Observatory. The lab will also be graded pass/fail. The number of points that you receive for passing the lab depends on the date that you complete the lab:

Dates	Maximum Possible Grade
Feb 1 – Mar 31	50
Apr 4 – May 2	40

 

 

 

You do not need to do any work or studying prior to the lab. The teaching assistants will have the telescopes pointed at interesting objects. You must make a quick, but accurate, sketch of the object and write a brief description of its appearance. If you pass the lab, your grade will appear in the Gradebook on Collab within 10 days. If you do not pass the lab, you will receive an email and you should schedule another lab session.

Exams:

There will be two in-class midterm exams that will constitute 17% (each) of your grade and a final exam constitutes 26% of your grade.  The 2nd midterm exam will focus on the material covered since the 1st exam, although you may be expected to use concepts covered earlier in the course.  The final exam will be comprehensive and cover all material in the course, but will emphasize material covered after the second midterm exam.  It will be approximately twice as long as a midterm and will have similar types of questions.

Midterm 1	Feb 24, in class
Midterm 2	Apr 6, in class
Final	May 12, 2 – 5pm, Clark Hall 107

Grades:

You final grade will be based on the following weighting of the exams, quizzes, homeworks, exercises, and labs:

Homework	20%
In Class Exercises	10%
Constellation Lab	5%
Telescope Observing Lab	5%
Midterm Exams (each)	17%
Final Exam	26%

 

Grades will be posted on the course collab site http://collab.itc.virginia.edu.  Final grades will be assigned as follows:

Letter Grade	Percentage	Letter Grade	Percentage
A+	97-100%	C	73-76%
A	93-97%	C-	70-72%
A-	90-92%	D+	67-69%
B+	87-89%	D	63-66%
B	83-87%	D-	60-62%
B-	80-82%	F	0-59%
C+	77-79%	Pass	>59%

Honor Code:

ALL work for this class is subject to the Honor Code, even if you did not explicitly sign the pledge. This means the work you submit for exams, homework, in-class exercises, and lab work should be exclusively your own. If you are unsure of exactly what this means, ask me for clarification.

Attendance Policy:

It is in your best interest to attend class regularly. During most classes you will be asked to answer a number of questions using the Learning Catalytics system (see above). Credit will only be given for answers completed during class. You must attend the scheduled quizzes and the final exam. See me at least two lectures before an exam if you have a conflict. Makeup exams are given only at the discretion of the instructor.

It is distracting to those around you and also to myself when you are chatting with your neighbors or using your computers, tablets, phones, etc. for non-class purposes.  Silence all devices before class begins and don’t use your devices for non-class purposes.

Additional Help:

I strongly encourage you to take advantage of my office hours. I am always happy to meet with you to discuss the material and answer questions. If the posted hours do not work for you because of a class, please schedule an appointment with me for another time.

Weather:

Astronomy Department Night Lab weather hotline: (434) 924-7238 (after 7:00 p.m.)

Clear Sky Clock for McCormick Observatory

A study of stars, star formation, and evolution primarily for non-science majors. Topics include light, atoms, and modern observing technologies; origin of the chemical elements; supernovae, pulsars, neutron stars, and black holes; structure and evolution of our galaxy; nature of other galaxies; active galaxies and quasars; expanding universe, cosmology, the big bang, and the early universe.