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Course Syllabus ● Dr. Joshua Roth, Ph. D. ● Astronomy

Physics 1116 (Lecture) / 1117 (Lecture & Lab) ● Emmanuel College

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Lecture: Wilkens Science Center, Rm. 112, Tues./Thurs. 3:05 - 4:20 p.m.

Lab: Wilkens Science Center, Rm. 204, Thursdays 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Start Date: Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011

Final Exam: Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (location TBA)

Office Hours: TBA (follow for “bonus” office hours)

Course Web Site:

Instructor E-mail Address: rothj@emmanuel.edu

Required Texts:

● 365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year. By Chet

Raymo. ISBN-10: 0671766066. ISBN-13: 978-0671766061. $16.95.

● Lecture-Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (2nd ed.). By Edward E. Prather et al.

ISBN-10: 0132392267. ISBN-13: 978-0132392266. $42.20. Buy the 2nd edition only!

IMPORTANT: While we encourage you to patronize the Emmanuel College bookstore, you of course are free to purchase these books elsewhere. However, you should buy both books new (the first because of its intricate illustrations, and the second because it is a workbook in which you will write throughout the term). Bring both to our first class meeting. Do NOT bring a copy of Lecture-Tutorials that already has writing in it!

Essential Online Resources:

BOOKMARK - University of Nebraska’s Astronomy Apps

DOWNLOAD

About the Instructor:

A native of Los Angeles, Joshua Roth studied astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the California Institute of Technology. As an undergraduate, he helped design devices for analyzing X-rays from solar flares, neutron stars, and the like. After three years of house painting (in Los Angeles), computer programming (in Puerto Rico), office work (in Washington, D.C.), and aquaculture (in Israel), he went on to earn a Ph.D. by using the motions of spiral galaxies to weigh the universe’s mysterious dark matter. He then spent a decade editing and writing for Cambridge-based Sky & Telescope Magazine. His past five years have been spent in high-school, middle-school, and college classrooms. A cyclist, musician, and urban naturalist, Dr. Roth teaches stargazing courses for the Massachusetts Audubon Society and other local environmental organizations.

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Course Objectives:

1) To survey key developments in the history of astronomy, and their interrelationship

with the humanities and sciences.

2) To learn how ancient thinkers (above all the Greeks) used astronomical observations to

deduce the nature of the Earth, Moon, Sun, and cosmos.

3) To explore how light behaves, how it can be manipulated to form images, and how it

can be analyzed to learn about the physical nature of stars, planets, and other objects.

4) To explain, model, and demonstrate how the Earth’s rotation, tilt, and orbit around the

Sun account for the seasons and for the apparent motions of the Sun and stars.

5) To explore the nature of gravity using astronomical data and laboratory experiments.

6) To summarize modern theories about the evolution of stars, planets, and galaxies.

7) To investigate the existence and properties of planetary systems beyond our own.

8) To apply geometry, simple algebra, and scientific notation to astronomical scenarios.

9) To become familiar with the night sky and the tools used by amateur astronomers.

10) To become independent learners able to pursue further study about the heavens.

Course Overview:

Skywatching has guided human activity throughout history, in areas as diverse as agriculture and navigation; and it has played a central role in the development of mathematics and modern science. It also has inspired artists, musicians, and writers, and woven itself into nearly every human culture. The science of astronomy is in the midst of a golden age, where telescopes can view the edge of the visible universe and catch stars, planets, and galaxies in the process of being born. Yet city lights and urbanized lifestyles have severed many of us from the wonders of the sky, while textbooks and web sites can make the subject seem out of reach to those of us who struggle with numbers and complicated diagrams. This course aims to empower students to experience firsthand many of the steps that humanity has taken to probe the universe, while honing our skills at using simple mathematics and spatial reasoning. Reading, writing, skywatching, and group work all will play central roles, as will the use of numerous interactive online resources. Students enrolled in the laboratory section will investigate many of the course topics in depth using hands-on experiments, simulations, and astronomical data.

Expectations and Procedures

In this course, every participant – student and instructor alike – is responsible for her own learning and for encouraging and facilitating the learning of others. Our contact time will be filled with short lectures, short videos, and collaborative, team-based problem-solving activities. Homework will include reading, skywatching exercises, and investigations using interactive online multimedia. Grades will be based upon each student’s astronomy notebook (containing lecture notes, homework, and a skywatching log); periodic tests; a final exam; participation; and a written term project, such as a book report, high-school lesson plan, or in-depth essay (as well as lab work for Physics 1117 students). Rubrics, deadlines, and the like will be provided in advance of each assignment’s due date. Within limits, revisions will be accepted on all assignments except tests and the final exam.

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COURSE POLICIES

• Ours will be an active-learning classroom – one in which I give short lectures, with you doing activities and group work for at least half of each class session.

• Take notes during class! I will base part of your grade on your having a record of what happened during each class session. Of course, I know that it can be hard to get down everything during an animated discussion – but you are expected to record most of what I write on the board (NOT every word that comes out of my mouth!). You are welcome to consult a classmate’s notes afterward, or to ask me to help with notes during office hours.

• Group work is an essential part of this course. Each group member must make efforts to participate fully in the tasks set before her. At the same time, each group member must be careful to ensure that all students get a chance to contribute – even those who may be shy, and those who may take longer to process information or to express themselves.

• Attendance is mandatory and counts toward your course-participation grade. That said, you may miss up to three class sessions without penalty – NO NEED to tell me the reason. (But do notify me in advance of absences whenever possible!) You ARE responsible for obtaining notes, worksheets, and the like for any missed class sessions, of course; and you are responsible for keeping up with any homework that may have been assigned during your absence (all such assignments will be posted on the course web site within 24 hours of being announced in class). Physics 1117 students may miss two lab sessions, but are expected to obtain lab notes from fellow students and to do all lab-related homework.

• Cellphones, pagers, BlackBerries, iPods, etc. MUST be turned OFF at the start of each class session, and put away in a purse, backpack, etc. Answering a cellphone, texting, or otherwise using such devices means you will be considered absent for purposes of the attendance policy. (Laptops/tablets may be used for note-taking, but they must be offline; violations will likewise result in an absence for the day.) I may allow students to use devices as web browsers, cellphone stopwatches, etc. in particular instances; but DO NOT assume that you may use these devices unless I explicitly allow it at a certain time.

• Homework will NOT always be collected – but you should always be prepared to hand it in. (I will decide at each class session whether to inspect it in-class or collect it). I expect you to use complete sentences, and to show all steps when solving problems. You may do homework with another person (or people), but you must write their name(s) down, along with their role (“tutor,” “classmate,” etc.).

• Late/make-up work: make-up tests will be offered only in the case of serious, documented circumstances. Grades on late projects will lose 10% for each weekday beyond the due date. Late homework will get half credit.

• Tests must be taken individually, unless otherwise announced. Before the day of each test, I will state whether or not it is open/closed book/notes, and whether or not you may prepare and bring a “cheat sheet” of personal notes. Generally I plan to give each test one week after that unit’s review session, to allow more time for extra help and office hours.

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Course Policies, Cont.

• It is your responsibility to frequently check the course’s Blackboard page for announcements. I will do my best, in turn, to make all essential announcements in class.

• Cheating and plagiarism obviously are unfair to your classmates. More importantly, they deprive you of a chance to learn and grow – an opportunity for which you, your parents, or another party may be paying a substantial sum. If you are unsure whether doing something a certain way would be considered cheating or plagiarism, by all means ask! Blatant cheating or plagiarism will be reported to campus officials.

• Lab Safety: While most of our activities will pose minimal hazards, you still must be aware of how you move and handle lab equipment. Use equipment only as directed (if you wish to improvise, ask me first!). NO FOOD OR DRINK is to be consumed in the lab (but you may bring a drink and a snack for consuming during a mid-lab break).

• Food and Drink: Please do not bring food or drink to our lecture hall. (If you have a medical condition such as diabetes, communicate with me privately.)

• Disability Statement: If you are a student with a documented disability who may require accommodations in this course, please register with the Director of Disability and Support Services, Susan Mayo (mayos@emmanuel.edu; Academic Resource Center,

Room L-G06; 617-735-9923 tel; 617-975-9322 fax; 617-735-9755 TTY).

• For Physics 1116 students, grades will be computed using the following weighting:

- lecture-tutorials 20%

- class participation (includes lecture notes) 20%

- homework 15%

- astronomy “podcast” 5% (details to come)

- written term paper 10% (ditto)

- tests 20% (four tests will be given, not counting the final; thus, each is worth 5%)

- final exam 10%

• For Physics 1117 students, grades will be computed using the following weighting:

- lecture-tutorials 20%

- class participation (includes lecture notes) 20%

- homework 15%

- laboratory work (participation, lab reports, and pre/post-lab assignments) 15%

- tests 20% (four tests will be given, not counting the final; thus, each is worth 5%)

- final exam 10%

• Grades will NOT be curved – in principle, everyone can get 100%! So feel free (except for cheating and plagiarism, of course) to help your classmates learn astronomy!

• I retain the right to modify any of the above policies – but rest assured that if I do so, I will inform you in writing, electronically, and verbally during class.

Feel free to e-mail me (rothj@emmanuel.edu) with questions or concerns! – Dr. R

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