Level of the Course and Other Requirements
This is a course for non-science majors. If you are one of these people, you should have no trouble. If you are a math major with
several college math and physics courses, you are in the wrong course.
The course introduces students to modern astronomy with a special focus on how stars work. The course uses some mathematics
on homework, for which lots of help is available, and no mathematics on exams.
Help Sessions, General Requirements and Discipline
The help sessions are extremely important and very helpful. You are urged to plan to attend at least one of them each week. You
may attend as many as you wish. We will work through each assigned problem and go over any problems which students have
with the lecture material. Please see the Help Sessions page for scheduled times, on the course website. The rooms will be announced
in a week or so after we are given the room assignments. Your schedule should allow you to attend at least one session each week.
Again, I urge you to attend a help session.
We understand that people do their homework together. Nevertheless, we will not accept homework which is a direct copy of another
paper. Both papers will get a grade of zero.
Cheating on exams will not be tolerated!
On both exams and homework we require complete answers which include the method you used to get the answer. Answers without
an explanation of the method used will get no credit.
I also expect your answers to be expressed in legible, lucid, correctly spelled English sentences. If not, you will have points deducted
from your homework score.
Because this class is large we must have your homework papers turned in by the time they are due and in the correct place. Late
homework papers or papers left in the wrong place will not be graded. If you ask a friend to turn in your paper, make certain that
he/she knows where to leave it. The time each homework set is due will be posted (usually Fridays by 5:00 p.m.).
Turn in your homework in class before 5pm on the due date or leave it in the box, labeled for this class, on the 13th floor of RLM.
The turn-in box is the one with a slot in its top near the floor. (See the drawing, linked below.) But there are turn-in boxes for all astronomy
classes. Be sure to find the one for our class. Papers will be picked up at 5pm sharp on the due date.
Here is a map to help
you find the homework boxes. The boxes are on the 13th floor of the RLM building (26th and Speedway streets).
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