Coronet Star Cluster (NASA/CXC/JPL-Caltech/CfA)
Astronomy 307 - Spring 2010
INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY
TTh 11:00-12:30 · RLM 15.216B · Unique No. 49020
Professor
RLM 16.324 · (512) 471-3449 · email
Courses - Spring '10 | Course Website
Lateness Policy for Homework: You are expected to turn in homework on time, which means at the beginning of class on the due date. If it is in the hands of the T.A. within the next 24 hours, it will receive reduced credit. Homeworks that are more than 24 hours late will not be accepted for grading. (Remember that you can drop one HW.)
Participation Credits: 16%. The remaining 16% of the grade will be based on various activities, mostly in class but also some out-of-class events. The in-class activities may include pop quizzes, index cards, surveys, and (possibly) small group projects. External activities can include Star Parties and special lectures (see the section on "Special Events" below). Some activities may receive varying amounts of credit depending on your answers, but this credit is cumulative rather than scores that are averaged. Furthermore, there will be more than 16 credits available to be earned, although once you reach the maximum of 16 points, you'll be "maxed out." Advice to the canny student: this portion of your grade is under your control; it's up to you to earn it!
INSTRUCTOR POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS: This course is designed under the assumption that students will attend regularly, and will stay engaged and up to date on the material being covered and the assignments for which they are responsible. We will be moving at a fairly rapid pace and will do our best to keep the class website current, but it is your responsibility to stay informed. Do "bookmark" the course website and consult it frequently for information, assignments, and feedback.
Classroom Protocol: While in class, I expect everyone to be respectful of the instructor and classmates. The classroom is not the place for social interactions or cell phone conversations. Please turn off the volume on your cell phone before the beginning of class. First time violators will be merely grimaced at, but subsequent cell-phone disruptions will adversely affect your grade. In addition, although some instructors allow students to use laptops in class, I find it distracting, so it will not be allowed.
Scholastic Integrity/Academic Dishonesty: The University of Texas at Austin has a generally stated, not very specific, honor code. More detailed and useful information is provided at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/index.php; see especially the links to "The Standard of Academic Integrity" and "Scholastic Dishonesty." The College of Natural Sciences takes these rules seriously. We will not tolerate copying or cheating on exams, homeworks, or other classwork. If we find duplicated work or other evidence of cheating, neither student involved will receive credit. We may also impose more severe academic penalties, depending on the circumstances, not excluding an F for the course, or a report of academic dishonesty to the Dean of Students.
GETTING HELP: The Instructor and T.A. will hold office hours each week. Please try to make use of these designated times, if at all possible, since both of us have other responsibilities and will not necessarily be available at other times. However, if you cannot attend the official office hours, please contact us to set up an alternate appointment time. The T.A. will hold help sessions the afternoon before homework is due and before each exam. You can also send questions by email. However, please check the class website first, to see whether the answer is already provided there.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Upon request, the University of Texas at Austin provides appropriate academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. Contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, or (TTY) 471-4641, or via email to ssd@uts.cc.utexas.edu or see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/.
SPECIAL EVENTS: The Astronomy Department offers evening Star Parties on campus on most Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; details will be announced and posted at http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/viewing.html. You will be allowed to earn up to two participation credits by attending star parties (one credit per event). In order to earn credit, however, you must get a signed slip from the person in charge of the star party. Warning to the naive: Star parties are held only when the weather permits. They are cancelled when it's too cloudy to see anything, so don't assume that you can wait until the end of the semester. If it's cloudy then, you will be out of luck!
There will be one or more public talks relevant to Ast 307 during this semester, which you may attend for participation credit. One such talk is coming up in early February (details to be announced). In order to earn participation credit for attending a public talk, you will need to submit a brief write-up summarizing in your own words what you heard and learned; the amount of credit earned will be determined from your write-up. The write-up must be submitted to the instructor as hard copy (not emailed).
