Lecture: Mondays &
Wednesdays Room: SCIC
125 Time:
5:30-6:45 PM
Instructor: James Neff (SCIC 144; 953-5325; neffj@cofc.edu)
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday: 3:30-4:30 PM
Textbook: Universe (8th Edition), by Freedman and Kaufmann. An
accompanying CD called "Starry Night" can be found inside the back
cover of your textbook. Starry
Night is a very useful planetarium program; you should become familiar with it
if you are not already.
We will make frequent reference to this year's convocation book
"Longitude" by Dava Sobel. I highly recommend you read this little gem of a book.
Websites: (1) The
primary home page for this course can be found at... http://neffj.people.cofc.edu/ASTR129/. Some required material might be
available only through this site, so I highly recommend that you check it
regularly. (2) The WebCT site for this course may include on-line exercises,
chat rooms, etc. You can log on at
webct.cofc.edu. (3) Finally, you should visit the textbook's website, which
has very valuable study materials... http://www.whfreeman.com/universe8e/.
Course Objectives: My principal objectives
in this course are (1) to develop an appreciation for modern scientific methods
by providing an overview of motions and cycles in the sky and then surveying
the solar system, (2) to develop your ability to critically evaluate scientific
and technical information, and (3)
to make you more aware of your physical environment and to inspire you to learn
more on your own. I will emphasize
HOW we develop scientific knowledge through discovery, experimentation, and
various levels of "proof".
Attached is a detailed statement of the department's goals
and objectives for this course.
Pre- and Co-requisites: This
course is the first half of a two-semester sequence. You must be registered for
(or have previously taken) a laboratory section. The lecture and laboratory are
independent courses, and you will receive a separate grade for the lab
section. However, I will be
teaching both lab sections as well.
While this course is NOT math intensive, I will assume a working knowledge of high-school
algebra, trigonometry, and geometry.
[continued
on back]
Lecture Material, Required Reading,
Chapter "Pre-Quizzes: You will be expected to read the
chapters in the text before they
are discussed in class. We will
have a quiz over the text material at the beginning of each chapter. Lectures will supplement and inter-relate the material in
the text rather than repeating it.
In-class projects, quizzes, and class participation will account for a
significant portion of your final grade.
Your attendance and participation in class is vital.
Recommended Activities: I will
periodically assign "recommended" activities for you to do outside of
class. These will not be graded,
but they might form the basis for future "in-class" activities, and
several questions on each exam will be based on these recommended activities.
Exams: This course is divided
into 3 topical sections, and there will be an exam at the end of each
section. Exams may cover ALL of
the material from the text AND from lecture, as well as the recommended activities. I realize that there is a lot to
remember, so I will prepare a study guide before each test that summarizes the
material that I consider to be most important for you to review and understand. No make-up exams will be given, and you
MUST take all 3 mid-term exams. A
comprehensive final exam will be given during finals week. This final exam will be optional. If you chose to take it, I will
drop the lowest of your 4 exam grades in calculating your final grade for the
course.
Grading:
3 Mid-term Exams + Final Exam 75 % In-class projects, quizzes, attendance 25 %
Special Needs: If you
have any special needs or disabilities that might require special arrangements
to be made for any aspect of this course, please let me know at the beginning
of the semester or as soon as you become aware of them.
Lecture Schedule: The preliminary schedule is attached. You can always find an up-to-date version on the course home page. This lecture schedule is subject to change, but the exam dates will not change unless there is a compelling reason to do so.