ASTRONOMY 1020
STELLAR AND GALACTIC ASTRONOMY
SPRING 2007
SYLLABUS

Course Information:
Class:	Monday, Wednesday, Friday Period 6 (1:25pm to 2:15pm) Room 202 in Physics Building
Instructor:	Dr. Robin Shelton Room 306A in Physics Building
Office Hours:	Wednesday 4pm-5pm & Thursday 2pm - 3pm Room 306A in Physics Building
Textbook:	Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, 4th ed., by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit
Website:	http://hal.physast.uga.edu/~rls/astro1020/index.html

Class Schedule:
Day	Date	Chapter	Topic
Mon.	Jan. 8	1	the Universe (I)
Wed.	Jan. 10	1	the Universe (II)
Fri.	Jan. 12	1	the Universe (III)
Mon.	Jan. 15	-	MLK jr. Holiday
Wed.	Jan. 17	3	Science of Astronomy (I)
Fri.	Jan. 19	3	Science of Astronomy (II)
Mon.	Jan. 22	4	Motion, Energy, Gravity (I)
Wed.	Jan. 24	4	Motion, Energy, Gravity (II)
Fri.	Jan. 26	4	Motion, Energy, Gravity (III)
Mon.	Jan. 29	5	Light and Matter (I)
Wed.	Jan. 31	5	Light and Matter (II)
Fri.	Feb. 2	5	Light and Matter (III)
Mon.	Feb. 5	6	Telescopes (I)
Wed.	Feb. 7	6	Telescopes (II)
Fri.	Feb. 9	1,3,4,5,6	Review
Mon.	Feb. 12	1,3,4,5,6	Midterm I
Wed.	Feb. 14	14	Our Star (the Sun) (I)
Fri.	Feb. 16	14	Our Star (the Sun) (II)
Mon.	Feb. 19	14	Our Star (the Sun) (III)
Wed.	Feb. 21	15	Stars (I)
Fri.	Feb. 23	15	Stars (II)
Mon.	Feb. 26	15	Stars (III)
Wed.	Feb. 28	16	Star Birth (I)
Fri.	Mar. 2	16	Star Birth (II)
Mon.	Mar. 5	17	Star Stuff (I)
Wed.	Mar. 7	17	Star Stuff (II)
Fri.	Mar. 9	18	Star Death (I)
Mon.	Mar. 12	-	Spring Break
Wed.	Mar. 14	-	Spring Break
Fri.	Mar. 16	-	Spring Break
Mon.	Mar. 19	18	Star Death (II)
Wed.	Mar. 21	14,15,16,17,18	Midterm II
Fri.	Mar. 23	19	Our Galaxy (I)
Mon.	Mar. 26	19	Our Galaxy (II)
Wed.	Mar. 28	19	Our Galaxy (III)
Fri.	Mar. 30	20	Galaxies (I)
Mon.	Apr. 2	20	Galaxies (II)
Wed.	Apr. 4	21	Galaxy Evolution (I)
Fri.	Apr. 6	21	Galaxy Evolution (II)
Mon.	Apr. 9	21	Galaxy Evolution (III)
Wed.	Apr. 11	22	Dark Matter and Dark Energy (I)
Fri.	Apr. 13	22	Dark Matter and Dark Energy (II)
Mon.	Apr. 16	S2	Space and Time (I)
Wed.	Apr. 18	S2	Space and Time (II)
Fri.	Apr. 20	S3	Spacetime and Gravity (I)
Mon.	Apr. 23	S3	Spacetime and Gravity (II)
Wed.	Apr. 25	19,20,21,22,S2,S3	Midterm III
Fri.	Apr. 27	23	Beginning of Time (I)
Mon.	Apr. 29	23	Beginning of Time (II)
Fri.	May 4	cumulative	Final Exam (noon-3pm)

Homework:
Working out homework problems is an excellent learning tool and will help you on the exams. Homework problems will be assigned regularly but will not be graded. The homeworks and answers will be posted at http://hal.physast.uga.edu/~rls/astro1020/hw/index.html.

Tests:
This course will have 3 midterms and a final exam. Each of the midterms will take place during class time and will cover several chapters. The final exam will take place during finals week and will cover the entire course.
You need to bring a pencil, calculator, and your UGA ID number to each exam. At each exam period, you will be given a formula sheet similar to the one posted at http://hal.physast.uga.edu/~rls/astro1020/formulae.jpg.
Your exam scores will be posted on the bulletin boards outside room 202 before the next class meeting. Your UGA ID numbers will be used for the postings, so be sure to bring your ID number to class on the days of the exams.
In order to accommodate you during times when you are ill, have had an accident, etc., your lowest exam score will be dropped. Each of the remaining exams will be weighted equally. For the purpose of applying this "drop one exam" policy, the final exam will be treated in the same manner as each midterm. The "drop one exam" policy applies to every person in the class.
To prepare for the exams, read the assigned chapters, work the homework and in-class problems (they tend to reappear on the exams), and talk with me or your classmates about the material in order to test your knowledge. After the exams, you are welcome to go over the problems with me during office hours.

Grades:
Each of the 3 highest exam scores counts for 1/3 of the class grade.
A = 90.00 to 100.00, A- = 88.00 to 89.99, B+ = 86.00 to 87.99, B = 80.0 to 85.99, B- = 78.00 to 79.99, C+ = 76.00 to 77.99, C = 70.0 to 75.99, C- = 68.00 to 69.99, D = 60.00 to 67.99, F = below 60.00

Support and Advice:
I am here to help you. I'd be happy to talk with you during office hours about the course material, how to solve the homework problems, and even how to solve problems on your previous Astronomy 1020 exams.
Reading all of the assigned reading, taking notes during class, doing the homework, and talking with classmates about the concepts covered in the course tends to improve students' exam scores by one or two grade points. The exam questions cover similar topics as the homework, textbook, and in-class questions. So, working these problems tends to boost one's exam grades.
Astronomy is can require several hours a week of study. It would be helpful to you if you are able to devote the standard time commitment for university courses (3 hours outside class for every unit of credit) to reading the text and your notes, working problems, and talking with me or with other students.

Policies:
Cell phones are not allowed in class on exam days. If you bring a cell phone during an exam day, you may leave it with the instructor during the exam. On non-exam days, cell phones may be brought into class, but must be turned off. We will discuss additional forms of classroom etiquette during class.
Make-up midterm exams may be offered on a limited basis at the professor's discretion to students who have not previously taken a make-up midterm exam in this course, who will be taking the make-up exam instead of dropping their lowest exam score, and who can provide 1.) a legitimate reason for missing the exam, 2.) a written, signed explanation of the reason, and 3.) supporting documentation within one week of the date of the missed exam. The professor is the final judge regarding the acceptability of the reason, explanation, and documentation. The make-up exams may have a different format and scope than the regular exams. For example, the make-up exams may be in essay format.
Midway through the semester, the university asks instructors for names of students who have not regularly attended class. If you miss the first or second midterm but intend to continue taking the class, please contact the instructor. If the instructor has not heard from you, she may list your name as a non-attender.
We will follow the university policies on withdrawals, incompletes, and academic honesty. For more information, see The University of Georgia Bulletin and A Culture of Honesty at www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/culture_honesty.htm.

Revisions:
The syllabus may be revised.