Professor Jack Burns, Ph.D.
Department of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Office: Stadium Rm 120B
Office Hours: Monday 3:00-4:00 pm, Wednesday 2-3 pm, or by appointment
Phone: 303-735-0963
E-mail: jack.burns@colorado.edu
Web page: http://lunar.colorado.edu/~jaburns
Teaching Assistant
Mr. Lucas Miller
Office: Duane D152
E-mail: Lucas.D.Miller@colorado.edu
Learning Assistants
- Isaiah Blodgett (brandon.blodgett@colorado.edu) – Recitations: Section 012 M 10-10:50 am; Section 018 W 10-10:50 am
- Beth Moger (elisabeth.moger@colorado.edu) – Recitations: Section 011 M 10-10:50 am, Section 017 W 10-10:50 am
- Karyn Perdue (karyn.perdue@colorado.edu) – Recitations: Section 016 W 9-9:50 am
- Katherine Shanahan (katherine.shanahan@colorado.edu) – Recitations: Section 013 T 3-3::50 pm, Section 015 W 9-9:50 am
The Astr 1020 Teaching Team (Katherine Shanahan, Wayne Schlingman, Karyn Perdue, Beth Moger, Jack Burns, Lucas Miller, Isaiah Blodgett):
Required Text
The Cosmic Perspective, 7th Edition, by Jeffrey Bennett, Megan Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, & Mark Voit, Addison-Wesley Press.
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Course Description
Introduces principles of modern astronomy for nonscience majors, summarizing our present knowledge about the Sun, stars, birth and death of stars, neutron stars, black holes, galaxies, quasars, and the organization and origins of the universe. Will require several nighttime observation sessions at Sommers-Bausch Observatory and class sessions at the Fiske Planetarium. Approved for Arts and Sciences core curriculum: Natural Science.
Course Prerequisites
ASTR 1010 or Astr 1000
Course Objectives
- Develop a sense of awe and appreciation for modern astronomy, including such topics as the origin of the universe, the formation and evolution of the Sun and other stars, the nature of space and time, and our Milky Way Galaxy and other galaxies.
- Develop an understanding of the scientific method and practice in its use. The following skills are important in this class and very useful outside of class:
- Critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.
- Emphasis on predicting/testing nature of science.
- Group communication skills.
- Absorb a moderately comprehensive introduction to modern astronomy and science so you can put into context discoveries that you might hear or read about later.
- Develop experience with quantitative reasoning and estimation.
- Gain practice in the evaluation of real data so you can understand measurement error and how to decide if data is trustworthy or not.
Strategies for Reaching the Objectives
- Come to class!! If you enroll in this course, plan on attending every meeting of the class. If you miss a class, you will lose points.
- Read the assigned text chapters or web pages before class.
- Take the homework assignments in Mastering Astronomy and class discussion in recitation seriously – they represent an important part of your grade. Also, exam questions will be closely related to the homework, reading assignments, class clicker questions, and class discussion.
- Discuss the class and homework with other students, and then turn in your own work. Testing your ideas against others is an important way to learn.
- Take advantage of office hours and recitation sessions to ask questions.
I will be sharing information regularly with you via your CU E-mail account. It is important that you check your E-mail several times each week to receive these important communications. This is the official CU communication method between the instructor and the class.
Homework Using MasteringAstronomy
There will be regular assignments using the on-line tutorial and exercises program MasteringAstronomy. You will need both an access code (free with purchase of new textbook or purchased on-line) and a class ID that I will E-mail to you and give you in class. Detailed information on getting onto and registering for MasteringAstronomy can be found by clicking here. If you are having problems with MasteringAstronomy, try clicking here. The website for MasteringAstronomy is http://www.masteringastronomy.com (select our textbook: The Cosmic Perspective, 7e).
Please use your CU Username (in LOWER case letters) in registering for MasteringAstronomy. This is the 8 character name with which you log into D2L, myCUinfo, library computers, etc.
Homeworks will consist of a combination of tutorials, multiple-choice questions, and a few quantitative questions. Homeworks must be completed by the date indicated to receive full credit; however, even after the assignment is due, you can still complete the homework any time and receive up to 50% credit. Assignments will generally be due by Friday at midnight.
Clickers and Clicker Questions
Each student will have a wireless student response system (“iclicker”). You must bring your clicker to each class! About 2-3 times each class, you will be asked questions designed to get you to think carefully about some of the concepts that we are discussing in class. Often, you will be asked to talk with your neighbors before answering, so you can help each other to figure out the correct answer. Use of the clickers:
- Improves your grades (everyone’s grades!). When you discuss and debate with others, your knowledge improves.
- Gives YOU immediate feedback on what you do and do not understand.
- Tells your instructor what the class doesn’t understand.
- Greatly improves class participation.
We will sometimes start class with a clicker question based on the assigned reading. So, do your reading before class!
You are entitled to 5 “free clicker” days where your lowest clicker scores will be dropped. If you are sick for a day, have a family emergency, or your clicker stops working, this should cover you. You can miss up to 5 classes without it hurting you.
You will need to register your clicker to get credit for your answers. Instructions on registration of your iClicker are simple. Just go to MyCUinfo, to the "student" tab, and then to button that says "CUClicker Registration". Enter your clicker ID where it says to register clickers. Please do this as soon as you purchase your clicker.
Buy extra batteries for your clicker now!
Recitation Sections
Besides the three 50-minute lectures, there is one 50-minute recitation session that you must attend each week. The recitation is taught by one of our Learning Assistants (LAs) and will have only about 20 students per section. During the recitation, there will be a clicker quiz based upon material from the previous week, review of important concepts, and a recitation workshop. You are encouraged to bring your questions and be prepared to discuss topics with the class and the LA. 20% of your grade will be determined by your performance in recitation.
Class PowerPoint Lecture Notes
Class PowerPoint presentations will be placed on the Astr 1020 website AFTER each lecture. The format will be PDF with 6 slides per page so you can easily print out the notes. A link to each PowerPoint presentation can be found in the last segment of this syllabus under the date of the lecture.
Exams
There will be 3 in-class mid-term exams and a Final Comprehensive exam during the semester. These exams will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. The lowest of the three mid-term exams will be dropped. As a result, no make-up exams will be given.
The Exams will be closed book. However, students may bring one sheet of paper (front and back) with notes for each exam.
Individual Attendance
Daily class attendance is expected and is an individual responsibility. Graded clicker questions will be given each class and will count for 5% of your grade. The 5 lowest score clicker question days will be dropped in calculating this part of your grade.
Fiske Planetarium
We will conduct four classes this semester at the Fiske Planetarium (near Regent Drive and Kittridge Loop Drive). In addition, the Planetarium has FREE (show your student ID) shows every Thursday night. You can gain extra credit points by attending these shows! Schedule of Planetarium shows is at http://fiske.colorado.edu/.
Sommers Bausch Observatory
There will be several observation sessions of the sky and using telescopes at the Sommers-Bausch campus observatory during the semester. These sessions will be designed specifically for our Astr 1020 class. Each night session and associated worksheet will be equivalent to one recitation session and worksheet. Details on Sommers-Bausch observatory can be found at http://cosmos.colorado.edu/sbo/.
Observing Nights for Class Night Exercises:
September 10, 12, 16, 18, 24, 25
Extra Credit Night Telescopic Observing:
October 10, 17, 23
November 7, 12, 21
December 4
Astronomy in the News Extra Credit Presentations
Every Friday, there will be an opportunity for one student to present a summary and brief discussion of an on-line article about recent developments in Astronomy. This presentation will be worth one point of extra credit in your final grade. Volunteers will be solicited regularly via E-mail and in class. Possible sources of on-line news include Astronomy magazine (http://www.astronomy.com/en/News-Observing/News.aspx) and Space.com (http://www.space.com/).
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, please contact me in advance of the religious observation to make arrangements. See details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html.
Discrimination and Harassment
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working, and living environment. The University of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities. (Regent Law, Article 10, amended 11/8/2001). CU-Boulder will not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment based upon Protected Classes or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. For purposes of this CU-Boulder policy, "Protected Classes" refers to race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or veteran status. Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Student Conduct (OSC) at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies, and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/dh.
Classroom Behavior
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See policies at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code.
Academic Integrity
All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information about the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://honorcode.colorado.edu/.
When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult with me.
Disability Services
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner (for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam) so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or by e-mail at dsinfo@colorado.edu.
If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Medical Conditions: Injuries, Surgeries, and Illnesses guidelines under Quick Links at Disability Services website and discuss your needs with your professor.
Grading
Your final grade will be based upon:
- 5% on “clicker questions” asked in class. Clicker questions will be graded 1 point for any answer and 2 points for the correct answer. Often, you will be encouraged to discuss the answer with your neighbors in class before you give it. The main purpose of these questions is to help you understand what you know and don’t know, and learn more. And, at least sometimes, have fun! It has been shown that the use of clickers raises grades. Your 5 lowest Clicker score days will be dropped.
- 20% for your recitation section grade (clicker quizzes, class participation, and worksheets).
- 20% on homework from MasteringAstronomy.
- 30% for mid-term exams (total of 3 midterms will be given but the lowest will be dropped).
- 25% on the comprehensive final exam.
- Up to 2% extra credit will be available. 1% extra credit will be available for each of the following (1) short class presentations on “Astronomy in the News”, (2) attendance & summary of planetarium events, observing session + worksheet at Sommers-Bausch Observatory, and (4) attendance/summary of special campus lectures. You choose up to 2 of these from 2 different options in the above.
Based upon past years, little or no "curving" is expected to be applied to the final grades. So, you should plan on A corresponding to an average of 90% or above, B is 80-89%, C is 70-79%, D is 60-69%, and F is <60%.
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