• The course outline/calendar has been updated. The student talks (assignment 5) will be on Tuesday April 23 and Thursday April 25.

• Check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day!

• Class and Office Hours: This class, Astro 358, meets Tuesday and Thursdays from 9.30 to 11.00 am in RLM 15.216B. The instructor is Professor Shardha Jogee and the teaching assistant (TA) is Tim Weinzirl. Please consult us during the office hours listed below if you have any questions and we will be glad to help.

Hours: Office: Phone: Email:

Prof. Shardha Jogee Th 11.00 to 12.00 or by appointment RLM 16.224 (512) 471-1395 sj@astro.as.utexas.edu

Tim Weinzirl Wed 11-12 or by appointment RLM 17.308 (512) 471-3415 timw@astro.as.utexas.edu

• Course Description: Astronomy 358, "Galaxies and the Universe," is an upper division course designed for majors in the physical sciences. It addresses the properties, contents, origin, and evolution of galaxies; their interaction and mass assembly history; the properties of their central black holes and starbursts; and the characteristics of the early Universe. The emphasis will be on using the laws of physics to interpret observations and understand how galaxies form and evolve. I will also discuss some of the current/upcoming exciting science from observations conducted or planned with current/next-generation telecopes. We will explore the evolution of galaxies over a wide range of epochs, from the present-day out to epochs when the Universe was a mere few percent of its present age.

• Pre-Requisites The class pre-requisites are two semesters of college physics (Phy 301 and 316, or equivalent). A previous astronomy course, such as AST 307 or AST 352K is strongly recommended: if have not taken these courses, it is your responsibiity to contact the professor or TA during the first week AND to make sure that you develop the required background knowledge by covering the background pre-requisite reading before the second week of class.

• Textbook and Reading The primary course textbook is "Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology" (EAC) by Peter Schneider (Publisher: Spinger, copyright 2006). Several desk copies are in the Peridier Library (RLM 15.202) and in the PMA library (RLM, 4th floor). If you want to purchase a hardcopy, please contact the University Co-op or other local bookstores. You may also consider the purchase options below for electronic or/and hardcopy versions
  • Google eBooks
  • Powell's Books (eBooks)
  • Amazon (Kindle + Hardcopy)
  • Barnes and Noble (Nook + Harcopy)
  • Springer (Hardcopy + Electronic preview)
  
  For additional reading, I have put the following additional books on reserve in the PMA library (RLM, 4th floor) and in the Peridier Library (RLM 15.202):
  • "Galactic Astronomy" (GA) by Binney and Merrifield (Publisher: Princeton University Press, copyright 1998),
  • "Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction", by Sparke& Gallagher (Publisher: Cambridge University Press, copyright 2000)

  Additional material not present in the textbook will be posted in the section "Selected Material from Lectures & Assignments " as the class proceeds.

• Course Calendar The course outline/calendar provides an approximate sequencing of topics to be covered in class. The online calendar will be regularly updated, as needed. Note that as outlined in the Memo to Undergraduate Astronomy Students regarding Astronomy Courses , the professor is a professional astronomer who has research responsibilities and may be occasionally on travel in order to conduct research, present colloquia, and attend scientific meetings. In such cases, there may be a schedule change and an appropriate replacement lecture or other assignment will be scheduled.

• Course Grade Your grades will be posted online on Blackboard I strongly recommend that you attend classes as assignments are primarily based on the lectures and your in-class participation count directly toward your final grade. The final grade will consist of
  40% Homeworks
  20% Midterm exam
  20% End-of-term exam
  20% In-class attendance, participation and activities (e.g., quizzes)
  
  When converting your final numerical scores to letter grades, I will use the scheme below or one that is slightly more lenient.

  Letter Grade A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F

  Grade Points 4.00 3.67 3.33 3.00 2.67 2.33 2.00 1.67 1.33 1.00 0.67 0.00

  Numerical Score 91% to 100% 86% to 90% 81% to 85% 76% to 80% 71% to 75% 66% to 70% 61% to 65% 56% to 60% 51% to 55% 46% to 50% 41% to 45% 0% to 40%

• Class Policies (1) Late homeworks will be accepted for partial credit only if you have been granted an extension prior to the due date.
  (2) There will be no final comprehensive exam.
  (3) There will be makeup exams only for students having a valid excuse and an official note from UT for the specific date and time of the missed exam. Makeup exams may be based on any part of the course.
  (4) We will accept requests for correction or re-grade of an assignment (homework, exam or quiz), at latest two weeks after it is handed back to you.
  (5) You are encouraged to study with other students, but you must write up your own homework, exams, and quizzes. Cheating will be severely punished: if you copy someone's homework/quiz/exam or let someone copy yours, both of you will receive zero credit, and I will consider filing a report to the Dean of Students.
  (6) Plagiarism: Scholastic dishonesty, in particular any plagiarism, will be prosecuted in accordance with the university guidelines. In simplest terms, plagiarism occurs if you represent as your own work any material that was obtained from another source, regardless how or where you acquired it. Please read the description from the Dean of Students office on what constitutes plagiarism in its various forms. In particular, have a careful look at "paraphrasing".
  (7) Disabilities: Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities (phone = 512-471-6259).