INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY AST-101-GS

INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY AST-101-GS

Center for Learning and Technology COURSE SYLLABUS INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY AST-101-GS Course Syllabus INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY AST-101-GS ©Thomas Edison State College October 2014 Course Essentials Introductory Astronomy is a one semester course designed to give you a good understanding of how people have learned and continue to learn about the physical universe. The course covers four major areas: Exploring the Sky, Stars, The Universe of Galaxies, and Planets in Perspective. The most important concept in Introductory Astronomy is the process of science—the process by which scientists ask questions of nature and gradually puzzle out the secrets of the physical world. You will discover how the universe is dynamic and continually evolving by applying the scientific method. Science is based on the interplay of evidence and hypothesis, and that interplay is the principal organizing theme for Introductory Astronomy. Objectives After completing Introductory Astronomy, you should be able to: 1. Identify the major structures of the universe. 2. Explain the contributions made to the study of astronomy by a select group of scientists from the past. 3. Explain the scientific method. 4. Understand and use scientific notation. 5. Identify and explain the major characteristics of the sun. 6. Identify the different types of stars. 7. Discuss the life-cycle of stars from how they are formed to how they die. 8. Identify the major classes of galaxies and describe their characteristics. 9. Explain dark matter and its importance. 10. Define cosmology is and discuss its basic assumptions. 11. Explain the “big bang” theory. 12. Discuss several possible courses for the future development of the universe. 13. Explain the history of Earth’s formation. 14. Compare and contrast the physical characteristics of other planets in the solar system. 15. Identify the minor members of the solar system and describe their characteristics. 16. Discuss the methods scientists use to determine the possibility that extraterrestrial civilizations exist elsewhere. Course Materials In addition to the Course Syllabus, you will need the following materials to do the work of the course. All of these materials are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct. Textbook Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 13th ed., by Michael A. Seeds (Belmont, CA:, Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning, 2013). ISBN: 978-1-133-61063-2 Course Structure Introductory Astronomy is a three-credit, 12-week course consisting of ten (10) written assignments, a midterm examination and a final project in the form of a paper. Weekly study assignments include readings from one or more chapters in the textbook (see the “Course Calendar”). Written Assignments There are ten written assignments in total, all of which consist of questions that deal with material in the textbook. Some of your assignment questions call for short essay answers, which usually require no more than a paragraph or two or a calculation or drawing. Standard essay questions require answers that are each a minimum of one typed page. You may write more, of course, in order to make your answers more comprehensive. As part of Assignments 6 and 8 you are also required you to arrange with your mentor the topic of a paper you must produce as a final project and submit an outline of its structure. See the “Final Project” section at the end of the syllabus for specific details. Be sure to complete all relevant readings before answering the questions in the “Written Assignments” section of the syllabus. Before you begin to write, it will be helpful to outline your answers, listing the points you wish to make and the examples you will use to support your ideas. Creative thinking and the use of your own wording are important aspects of an effective answer. Midterm Examination Introductory Astronomy requires you to take a proctored online midterm examination during Week 7. The midterm is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers material from Weeks 1-6 (Chapters 1- 10). It consists of multiple choice questions and essay questions. For the midterm, you are required to use the College’s Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the “Examinations and Proctors” section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester. Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks. Statement about Cheating You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:  Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.  Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.  Plagiarizing answers.  Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.  Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.  Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true. If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course. Final Project You are required at the end of the semester to hand in a final project in the form of a paper that details some type of current research that is going on in astronomy today. This paper will be worth 20% of your final grade for the course. For details of this assignment, see the “Final Project” section at the end of this syllabus. For the scheduling of your paper see the “Course Calendar” and “Assignments” sections. Grading To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exam, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade will be determined as follows: Written Assignments 1–10 50 percent Midterm examination 30 percent Final Project 20 percent Letter grades for assignments and examinations equate to numerical grades as follows: A = 93–100 C+ = 78–79 A– = 90–92 C = 73–77 B+ = 88–89 C– = 70–72 B = 83–87 D = 60–69 B– = 80–82 F = Below 60 Strategies for Success To succeed in this course, consider following these steps: 1. Read carefully the entire “Course Essentials” section of this syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course. 2. Take the time to read the entire Student Handbook. The handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule your midterm exam and arrange for a proctor, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College. 3. Before you begin working on your assignments, take the time to fill in the dates for the current semester on the “Course Calendar.” The Week-by- Week dates you will need to plan your semester’s work are located within the first section of this Course Manual. Once you fill out the calendar, you will know exactly when to begin your assignments, when your written assignments are due, and when to schedule your examination. 4. Each week, consult the “Course Calendar” in the syllabus to determine which lesson(s) in the student guide you are to study and which chapter(s) in the textbook you are to read. It is essential that you follow the “Course Calendar” each week to ensure that you stay on track throughout the course. Course Calendar Using the table of week-by-week dates in the General Course Instructions in the Course Manual, write the dates for the current semester in the second column. In the last column, fill in the actual date for sending each assignment and taking examinations. Week Dates Textbook Chapter(s) Written Assignment/ Examination Due Date/ Exam Date 1 1, 2, 3 Appendix A 1 (submit by Monday of Week 2) 2 4 2 (submit by Monday of Week 3) 3 5, 6 3 (submit by Monday of Week 4) 4 7 4 (submit by Monday of Week 5) 5 8, 9 4 (submit by Monday of Week 5) 6 10 6 (submit by Monday of Week 7) 7 MIDTERM EXAMINATION Week Dates Textbook Chapter(s) Written Assignment/ Examination Due Date/ Exam Date 8 11, 12, 13 7 (submit by Monday of Week 9) 9 14 8 (submit by Monday of Week 10) 10 15, 16, 17 9 (submit by Monday of Week 11) 11 18, 19, 20 10 (submit by Monday of Week 12) 12 FINAL PROJECT (submit by Saturday of Week 12) Written Assignments Answer each of the following assignment questions as completely as possible. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. Formulate answers in your own words. When using material from your readings to answer the assignments, be sure to cite it properly by giving the source and page numbers in parentheses or using footnotes or endnotes. Use quotation marks even if only a few words are taken directly from a source. When you have completed an assignment, proofread your answers for correct grammar, accurate spelling, and clarity of ideas. Be certain you have answered the questions completely. Send your answers to your mentor according to the instructions in the Student Handbook on or before the appropriate due dates. Please contact your mentor if a written assignment is going to be delayed. The preferred method for preparing each assignment for submission is given within the assignment. Assignment 1 Chapters 1, 2, and 3 This assignment has a series of questions that call for short essay answers. The questions are designed to help you determine your grasp of how astronomers use basic math skills in their work and how they measure astronomical distances. Please show all calculations for each problem that requires math. Type your written answers, using no more than one paragraph to complete each answer. 1. A. Why do scientists use the metric system of measurement instead of the English system of measurement? What is scientific notation and why is it useful? Include math examples for each part. B. Why are some distances measured in light-years and some in astronomical units? Include a definition of each of these distance measurements. C. Answer Review Questions 2 and 4 and Problems 2 and 4 on page 21a (Chapter 2) of the Seeds textbook. Include all computations for the problems. 2. A. Discuss stellar magnitude. Include in your answer the definition of the term and the difference between absolute and apparent magnitudes. B. Relate how the magnitude scale was originally organized by Hipparchus and how today’s astronomers have modified it. 3. A. Explain the difference between the orbital period of the moon around Earth (sidereal period) and the length of the lunar cycle (synodic period). B. Explain why lunar eclipses occur, comparing and contrasting what happens during a total and a partial eclipse. Assignment 2 Chapter 4 Please answer both standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each. 1. A. Compare the Ptolemaic and Copernican models of the universe. State the main tenets of each theory: how they are alike or different, what evidence each used to support the ideas, and how each explained the retrograde motion of the inner planets. B. How did Tycho Brahe’s model of the universe differ from that of Ptolemy or Copernicus? Explain the points of dispute. 2. Discuss how Newton’s law of universal gravitation explained or clarified the orbital circular motion of planets. Consider Kepler’s second and third laws to help you in your explanation. Assignment 3 Chapters 5 and 6 Please answer each of the standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each. 1. The Seeds textbook states, “To an astronomer, nothing is so precious as starlight”. Today we recognize that this starlight is electromagnetic radiation. List the following: A. Each part of this radiation used by an astronomer. B. What instrument (telescope, etc.) works best with each type of radiation. C. What celestial objects we study and what we learn about them from the radiation they emit. D. What special instruments work in conjunction with telescopes to advance our studies of “starlight.” 2. The ultimate key to our understanding the universe is our knowledge of the atom. A. Illustrate with an example the difference between an atom and an ion. B. Describe two ways an atom can be excited. C. Why should photons emitted by a hotter material have an average shorter wavelength? D. Atoms produce spectra. Distinguish between a continuous, a bright-line, and an absorption spectrum by describing how each is formed. 3. How was the spectral classification system arrived at? Relate its construction to the Balmer series and explain how a star’s spectral class can give us clues to its temperature, motion, and chemical composition. Assignment 4 Chapter 7 Please answer both standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each. 1. Describe the sun in terms of its structure and activity. Include in your discussion the following terms: sunspots, prominences, solar flares, and solar wind. 2. How is it that the Earth and the humans who inhabit it can be affected by solar activity? Assignment 5 Chapters 8 and 9 Please answer both standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each. 1. Explain how the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram is constructed of the four main groupings of stars. Identify the characteristics of the four main groupings of stars on the diagram. 2. “A Star Is Born!” In a step-by-step fashion, reconstruct the birth of a star. In your answer, include interstellar medium, protostar, and how stellar equilibrium is finally reached. Assignment 6 Chapter 10 Please answer both standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each. 1. “A Star Dies!” Using the same technique you applied in question 2 in Assignment 5, trace the events in the demise of stars of low stellar mass, those of medium stellar mass, and those that are very massive. 2. Explain how Type I and Type II supernovae occur. As part of Written Assignment 6 you are required to arrange with your mentor the particular topic you want to write about for your Final Project paper and submit a preliminary list of sources you intend to use. Consult the “Final Project” section at the end of this syllabus for details of what this involves and what you are required to do. Assignment 7 Chapters 11, 12, and 13 The questions in this assignment are very specific and call for short essay answers. In some cases, a paragraph will do; in others, you may need no more than two paragraphs. Because of the nature of these questions, there are more for you to answer. In this section, we are very much in the realm of theoretical and controversial debate. 1. Describe how Harlow Shapley determined that the sun was not at the center of our galaxy. 2. Compare the differences between galactic and globular clusters. 3. How does the use of H II regions to find a galaxy’s distance differ from the use of Cepheid variables? 4. How does the cluster method tell us the mass of galaxies? 5. What evidence do we have that the center of our galaxy is a powerful source of energy? Assignment 8 Chapter 14 The questions in this assignment are very specific and call for short essay answers. In some cases, a paragraph will do; in others, you may need no more than two paragraphs. Because of the nature of these questions, there are more for you to answer. In this section, we are very much in the realm of theoretical and controversial debate. 1. Explain the Big Bang Theory and discuss why modifications to the theory as originally stated were eventually accepted. 2. Briefly relate several possible courses for the future of the universe and the kinds of observation that would be necessary to resolve the issue. As part of Written Assignment 8 you are required to submit to your mentor a brief outline of how you intend to structure your Final Project paper and, if applicable, a list of any additional sources you intend to use. Consult the “Final Project” section at the end of this syllabus for details of what you are required to do. Assignment 9 Chapters 15, 16, and 17 Please answer both standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each 1. Outline the solar nebula theory, and explain how the characteristic properties of the solar system provide evidence that supports that theory. 2. Compare and contrast the Terrestrial Planets of Earth, Mercury, Venus and Mars. In what ways are they similar enough to be classed together and how are they different from one another? Assignment 10 Chapters 18, 19, and 20 Please answer both standard essay questions in this assignment in a minimum of one typed page each. 1. Compare and contrast the Jovian Planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. How are they different from the Terrestrial Planets and what are the unique features of each? 2. Discuss the minor members of the solar system such as comets, meteors, and asteroids. Include in your answer their origin, properties, and geology, where it applies. 3. Explain the Drake equation and its significance in the effort to locate civilizations on planets other than Earth. Final Project You are required at the end of the semester to hand in a final project in the form of a paper, which will be worth 20% of your final grade for the course. For the scheduling of this paper see the “Course Calendar.” Your Paper Your paper must be about some type of current research that is going on in astronomy today. It should be a minimum of eight to ten (8-10) pages in length and should be supported by reputable sources. We suggest you go to astronomy journals to do this paper. Journals whose dates of publication are no more than three years old are acceptable resources so that this is truly current science. There is no specific referencing style that you must use, but whichever one you choose it should be an accepted style (i.e. MLE, Turabian, AP), and you should be consistent in using it. Check with your mentor. The Production of your Final Project You will produce your paper in three stages: 1. Selection of Topic and Preliminary List of sources As part of Written Assignment 6 you are required to arrange with your mentor the particular topic regarding current research in astronomy you want to write about and submit a preliminary list of sources you intend to use. 2. Outline of Structure Once your selection and preliminary list of sources has been approved you are required to submit as part of Written Assignment 8 a brief outline of how you intent to structure your paper and, if applicable, a list of any additional sources you intend to use. In your outline you should state the hypothesis being examined or the theory being tested, what avenue the research on that topic is taking, and what might be partially or wholly resolved as a result of this research. 3. Writing Your Paper Once you have received feedback from your mentor regarding your outline, proposed structure, and any additional sources, you will then produce your paper. Your completed paper is due at the end of the semester. Submitting Your Paper To submit your paper, go to the “Assignments” area of the course site. Minimum Requirements for your Paper Your paper must meet the following minimum requirements: 1. It must be between eight and ten (8-10) pages in length with double spacing. The length of your paper does not include the title page, table of contents page, or reference page. 2. It must have a title page. The title page must have the title of the paper, your name and address, and the name of the course. 3. In addition to the main body of your paper it must have a conclusion section. This section should briefly summarize the issue(s) you covered and clearly articulate your analysis of the topic. 4. Your paper must have a reference section. There is no specific referencing style that you must use, but whichever one you choose it should be an accepted style (i.e. MLE, Turabian, AP), and you should be consistent in using it. Check with your mentor. The references you cite should be from reputable and authoritative sources. Be discerning; just because something is in print or on the Internet does not mean it is credible. Your references must include primary and secondary sources. 5. Each section of your paper must have a separate heading. Placing a heading at the beginning of each section of the paper makes the discussion in the paper easier to follow. Headings also improve the paper’s visual presentation. 9. Your paper must use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. All technical flaws in your analysis paper will result in grade deductions. 10. A missed due date will also result in a grade deduction. Check the course “Calendar” area of this syllabus to find out when your paper is due.

 

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