Astronomy 307 - Fall 2010
INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY
TTh 9:30-11 · RLM 5.104 · Unique No. 47690
Helix Nebula (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Professor
RLM 16.324 · TBA · (512) 471-3449 · email
Courses - Fall '10 | Course Website
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS:
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Unit I: Observing the Sky |
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Unit II: Light, Scopes, and Planets |
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Unit III: The Sun and Stars |
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Unit IV: Galaxies and the Universe |
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IMPORTANT DATES FOR SPRING 2010 CLASSES:
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First class day: Wed., Aug. 25 |
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4th Class Day (Last day of the official add/drop period): Mon., Aug. 30 |
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12th Class Day (Last day to drop with a possible refund): Fri., Sep. 10 |
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Last day to drop a class without a possible academic penalty: Wed. Sep. 22 |
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Last day to drop, except for documented non-academic reasons; also last day to change between letter-grade and pass/fail grading: Wed., Oct. 20 |
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING POLICIES: My general philosophy regarding earning credit and determining your course grade is as follows:
- Grades should be based on your individual performance, not on a “curve” driven by other students. There will be no quotas on A's or B’s.
- A significant portion of the grade will be based on sustained effort throughout the semester, such as regularly assigned homework, and participation credits earned either in class or in certain pre-approved external activities.
- The exams will incorporate several different formats, including multiple-choice questions, short essays, and numerical problems. There will usually be some choice among the questions presented for the latter two categories.
- No individual make-up exams will be given for missed hour exams, nor are any excuses or documents required. Instead, I offer all students the opportunity to take an optional comprehensive final exam during finals week. For our class meeting time, the final is Mon., Dec. 13, 2 – 5 PM. Because the final exam covers the entire semester, it will serve as the all-purpose make-up exam for any one of the earlier missed exams. In addition, anyone who would like to improve their overall course performance and grade is welcome to take the optional final, even if they did not miss an earlier exam. The best three exam scores of all four (3 in-class exams plus the final) count towards your course grade.
