Fall 2008 (All is subject
to change with notice) Metropolitan
State College Department of Physics COURSE OUTLINE COURSE
PREFIX/SECTION : CREDITS: 3 INSTRUCTOR:
Larry Sessions REQUIRED MATERIALS COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a "survey" course in astronomy, intended to introduce the student to basic concepts of both solar system and stellar astronomy, as well as a brief introduction to cosmology. We will study the planets, moons, the Sun, stars, galaxies, and the creation and evolution of the Universe. Students in the on-campus sections should take notes during each class session. Online students will be provided with one or more sets of class notes each week corresponding to the required reading assignment. The online notes are intended to illuminate the reading material, and in many cases to provide background or otherwise interesting material in addition to the reading. Most if not all of the project assignments will be listed. The student is responsible for checking the site for new notes at least twice a week. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES: First and foremost, you must keep in touch with the instructor. For on-campus classes, I expect students to attend regularly. Otherwise you may miss important information or changes of schedule. this is YOUR duty, not your instructor's. You must read the material in the book and take notes, take the tests or tests, and turn in the activity assignments before the deadline. Although extensions are sometimes granted for the activities, the instructor is under no obligation to do so. There is a lot of material to cover in this class, and the textbook can be intimidating to some students. Don't let that discourage you, as most students find that the course is not as difficult as it first appears. Another instructor suggests that students view the textbook as an "encyclopedia" used to illuminate the classroom lectures or online notes. We will put a bit more emphasis on the textbook in this class, but keep in mind that you will be responsible for the most important material, not the minute detail. Virtually any student who puts forth a genuine effort can at least pass the course. Typically, those who receive "F'" are those who just give up. If you have gotten this far in life, you have what it takes to do well in this introductory class. All it takes is a little determination and effort on your part. However, if you fall behind or suffer some unexpected illness or emergency, it is your responsibility to seek help and/or withdraw officially from the class. Deadlines for NC withdrawals are usually posted in the online schedule and in the printed class schedule. DO NOT ABANDON THIS COURSE WITHOUT WITHDRAWING OFFICIALLY. Incompletes are not granted in this course except under extreme circumstances. GRADING: Final grades are based on the total scores on tests, activities, the final and class participation, according to the following percentages:
GRADES: Grades are assessed on a "weighted percentage" basis. This means that the three assessment areas (tests, activities, final) all carry different percentages. Points for specific assessments (such as tests) do not carry the same value as points on other assessments (such as activities). Therefore, you cannot simply add up points totals for a grade. Percentage
Grade Fractional points or 0.5 or more will be rounded to the next highest whole number on the final grade. EXTRA CREDIT: Normally I do not give extra credit. Please don't ask. Study and get the work done on time and there should be no need for extra credit. MAKE-UPS & LATE WORK: There will be absolutely no make-ups of tests. Tests are given only during the time period scheduled and are not available for credit before or after that time period. The two lowest scores of the 12 tests will be dropped in lieu of make-ups. Similarly, late activities will not be accepted. For lecture-class students, the deadline for activities is the Wednesday scheduled class period on the week the activity is due. For online students, the deadline is 10 p.m. on the due date, typically the Friday of the week. Lecture class students must submit activities in regular paper form; online students must submit activities through the Internet submit form (not email of fax) and received by 10 p.m. on the due date. Since the submission of online materials may be automatically controlled, there is no leeway or "fudge factor" on the deadlines. [Deadlines are strict!] Forgetting to take quizzes or turn in activities, having computer or printer problems, vacations, business trips, elective surgery or other non-urgent medical procedures, personal problems and so on -- are NOT acceptable excuses. In a few rare circumstances, extenuating circumstances may be considered.
Please do not ask for exceptions to the make-up rule unless you qualify by the information above and can produce acceptable documentation of your situation. In no event will quizes be made up, but an equivalent project may be offered. Qualification for make-up work under these or any other circumstances will be determined solely by the instructor of record. COMPUTER PROBLEMS: Your computer or Internet problems are not an acceptable excuse for missing an assignment deadline. You need to understand how your computer, browser and Internet connection work. Please plan ahead so that if you do have computer problems of any kind you will have time to find a substitute computer or another way of accessing the Internet to complete your assignment on time. However, if the problem is due to my error or a verifiable problem with the computer server that holds the required class material or quizes, then I will consider an adjustment. If there is no demonstrable or verifiable error on the part of the instructor, class software, or the internet server on which quizes and activities reside NCs (No Credit): The dates for NCs or dropping a course with no credit are published in Metro's class schedule each semester, and usually in the schedule for this class. The NC does not constitute a grade and hence does not factor into GPAs. NC forms may be obtained from Registration or individual departments. The first deadline is for dropping the course without instructor signature. Up until that deadline you can drop the course without my permission. In the period between the first and second deadlines, the student may apply for an NC only at the discretion of the instructor. That is, the NC requires my signature, which is issued based on individual circumstances and class performance. Signatures for NC's in my classes are not issued without cause, and should not be used by a student to avoid the responsibility for completing course work. Application for me to request an NC during the period requiring my signature must be accompanied by a written description (letter) from the student outlining the reasons for the request. INCOMPLETES: I strongly dislike granting incompletes, and they are generally very difficult to get. If you find that you simply cannot keep up with the work in this course, your best alternative is to officially withdraw before the deadline. In order to qualify for an Incomplete, you normally must complete two-thirds to three-quarters of the class-work. This usually means that incompletes cannot even be applied for until after the last opportunity to withdraw from the class. Furthermore, incompletes cannot be granted simply because you have fallen behind, or because of most personal or financial difficulties. Incompletes, when granted, usually go to students who have been active in the class, but because of some unforeseen accident, personal illness or major personal or family emergency in the last few weeks of class cannot complete the course in the current semester. Incompletes are not granted for a preexisting condition. (That is, if you had the condition or circumstance prior to the deadline for withdrawing with an NC, then it cannot be used as a basis for an incomplete grade.) Different schools have different policies, but my policy is that any incomplete granted must be resolved by the end of the next full semester. Otherwise the grade reverts to an "F." Furthermore, I reserve the right to stipulate the conditions of completion, which may require a full or partial retake of the class. If you fit the criteria above and you feel that you want to apply for an incomplete, you must have your faculty or academic advisor write me a letter (not email) stating your case. Incompletes that arrive prior to the last official withdrawal date will not be considered and will be discarded. Letters may be sent to me at the school address above. ADA Accommodations: Do you have an ADA declared, diagnosed and documented disability? If so, you may qualify for certain limited special accommodations. In order to qualify for any special accommodations in this course, it is my policy that you must declare this disability to the Access Center (Disability Services Office), that your disability be diagnosed and documented by that office. Then you must provide the appropriate official paperwork to me attesting to your disability at least one week prior to any required accommodation. The
Metropolitan State College of Denver is committed to making
reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in
reaching their academic potential. If you have a disability
which may
impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this class and are
requesting accommodations, then you must first register with the Access
Center, located in the Auraria Library, Suite 116, 303-556-8387. RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: As a general school policy, students at MSCD who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities, or submit graded assignments on particular days shall, without penalty, be excused from such classes and be given a meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments provided that advance written notice that the students will be absent for religious reasons is given to faculty members during the first two weeks of the semester. Students who need to avail themselves of this policy should inform the instructor within the first two weeks of class, and in no event less than one week before the date or dates in question. PREREQUISITES: There are no specific prerequisites for this course other than the normal enrollment requirements for Metro. This is not a mathematics-based course, but a few basic mathematical skills are required and will be discussed in class or on-line. COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS: There are a wide variety of backgrounds for the people taking this course. I will try to match the course as closely as possible to your needs. However, this approach undoubtedly will leave some people feeling it is too hard, and others feeling that it is too easy. If you have such a concern, please contact me and I will be happy to work with you to make this course fit your needs as closely as possible. Please let me know your complaints about or suggestions for this course. Complaints will not adversely affect your grade in any way! If something is bugging you, I can't correct it if I don't know about it. Also, I cannot guarantee what you learn. I can only provide information and direction. What you learn is up to you, but I am here to help in any way I can. PLAGIARISM & ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Policies relating to plagiarism vary, but my policy is fairly strict: If I even suspect you of submitting work that has been plagiarized, that work will automatically be assigned a score of zero and you may receive a grade of "F" for the course, depending on the circumstances. Plagiarism is any instance in which one person passes off the work of another as his or her own, no matter how small. Any time you include in any work as little as 5 words of another without proper credit given to the original source, I will consider it plagiarism. If you take material from an article or book or Internet source, always put it in quotation marks and provide a reference (for example: Sky & Telescope, June 2000, page 198). The reference should come immediately after the quoted material, and should also be included in the bibliography at the end of your work. Even paraphrase quotes should be so referenced. For examples of plagiarism and how to avoid it, there are many good references on the web. While I am not a major stickler on the exact form of your references as long as they have sufficient information. You also can find plenty of information on making proper references on the web or in the library. Other forms of Academic Dishonesty include but are not limited to cheating on quizes, receiving outside help when it is forbidden, and fabricating data or observations. More can be found in the Student Handbook and in the Policies Statement for this class. WITHDRAWALS AND OTHER POLICIES: See the Student Handbook, Academic Calendar or contact your academic advisor. EXTRA HELP: If you are having trouble or need extra help, contact me as soon as possible. My first and best advice is to arrange your schedule so that you have time for the course. The semester is too short and moves too fast to put assignments off. If you need help writing, please visit the Metro Writing Center Some of the activity projects are designed to allow the student to complete them independently. No prerequisites or knowledge of science is required and all projects are designed such that any student -- regardless of background or preparation -- should be able to complete them successfully. Complete instructions will be given, which if followed exactly, will make these projects easy. When the use of anything other than ordinary equipment, such as telescope use, is required, the instructor will assist you. The project assignments are constantly being refined, so I will not make the specific assignments here. However, here are some of the projects that likely will be assigned. 1) Track the Moon and/or planets PRIMACY: In the event that any provision of this syllabus is shown to be in contradiction to any official policy of Metropolitan State College of Denver, that provision shall be deemed invalid and superceded by official Metropolitan State College of Denver policy. Larry Sessions Office: (303) 556-2454 (in Denver) CONFUSED? Ask Questions!Please contact me through this link:Contact me via email here:
(this, too, is subject to change with notice.)
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