Syllabus
PROFESSOR
Don Winget
Office: R.L. Moore 16.236
Phone: 471-3404 or Lab RLM 16.234, 471-6417
Email: dew@astro.as.utexas.edu
Office Hours (subject to change): Th 9:45-10:45
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
JJ Hermes
Office: RLM 16.318
Phone: 471-3466
Email: jjhermes@astro.as.utexas.edu
Office hours: MW 1:30-2:30, or by appointment
Steve DeGennaro
Office: RLM 15.302
Phone: 461-2869
Email: deg@astro.as.utexas.edu
Office hours: WF 1:00-2:00, or by appointment
TEXTBOOKS
Required: The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium, 3rd Ed., by Pasachoff and Filippenko
Recommended: The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 4th Ed., by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit
LEVEL OF COURSE
This course is a descriptive survey of the field of astronomy. I will not emphasize mathematics; however, an
understanding of basic algebra will be helpful. The course will provide you with a perspective on the universe,
its scale, structure, contents, and evolution. The course is primarily lecture, although I will show a few short films.
EXAMS AND GRADES
There will be a total of four in-class exams. Your grade will be determined from the best three exam scores,
weighted 30% each. Attending and participating in star parties, or trips to on-campus telescopes will account
for an additional 10%. There will be an optional project which may be used to replace one additional exam score;
the topic must be approved by JJ, Steve or me in advance of the announced topic deadline. As a result of this policy, I
will give no make-up exams.
CLASS PROJECTS
The deadline for project approval is Thursday, 1 October 2009. Please double check with JJ, Steve, or me to make
sure that we actually have your topic written down and not just simply verbally approved.
The deadline for turning in projects is Tuesday, 1 December 2009. You may turn them in during class or during our office hours. The projects will probably take a week to grade. Project grades will be posted on the web, or you can email the TA (be sure to include your UTEID). After they are graded, the projects will most likely end up in my office or the lab for safe keeping. You can pick them up from JJ or me.
Dumb Questions
There is no such thing. Ask!!
