• Welcome to Astro 358 "Galaxies and the Universe" -- an upper division course designed for majors in the physical sciences. Please make sure that you meet the Physics and Astronomy Pre-requisites before taking this class. If you are unsure, please talk to me.

• Second Exam: The second exam is on Thursday May 7. The exam will be based on material included in the lectures on "Galaxy Interactions and Mergers" (including the lectures on this topic before the Spring break), and on the material covered subsequently from March 24 to April 30, as listed in the course outline/calendar. Note that the exam will include one general question related to your class project "Unveiling Galaxy Evolution with Current and Next-Generation Observational Facilities". Below is some additional info:
  • The exam will include a mix of quantitative questions (similar to the homework) and conceptual qualitative questions. This is a closed-book exam: no textbooks, notes, or other study materials are allowed. We will *not* provide any formulae sheet. We will supply writing material. You may use a calculator.
  • The course outline/calendar lists the main topics covered to date. For each main topic, you can find a more detailed listing of sub-topics in the extracts of the lecture notes posted on the class website under "Selected Material from Lectures & Assignments"
  • The extracts of the lecture notes posted on the class website, along with the in-class notes written on the document reader, are self-sufficient for studying. If you wish to do further reading, you can use any of the three books listed on the class website or at the end of the course outline/calendar : you can look up the relevant sub-topics in the book's appendix to locate the relevant sections in the book to read.

• Useful quick links
  • Selected Material from Lectures & Assignments
  • Course Outline/Calendar
  • Course Grade

• Check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day!

• Class and Office Hours: This class meets Tuesday and Thursdays from 2.00 to 3.30 pm in RLM 15.216B. The instructor is Professor Shardha Jogee and the teaching assistant (TA) is Benny Tsang. 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 10.00 to 11.00 or by appointment RLM 16.224 (512) 471-1395 sj@astro.as.utexas.edu

Hyunbae Park Wed 11.00 to 12.00 or by appointment RLM 16.212 (512) 471-8443 hcosmosb@gmail.com

• 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 (such as PHY 301/101L or 303K/103M and PHY 316/116L or 303L/103N) 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 astronomy background pre-requisite reading before the second week of class.

• 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.

• 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 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
  45% Homeworks
  20% Midterm exam
  20% End-of-term exam
  15% 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 and University Policies
  
  
  • Please turn off all cell phones before the start of class.
  • Late homeworks will be accepted for partial credit only if you have been granted an extension prior to the due date.
  • Requests for correction or re-grade of an assignment (homework, exam or quiz) will be accepted at latest two weeks after it is handed back to you.
  • There will be no final comprehensive exam.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • By UT Austin policy, you must notify the professor of a pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.
  
  
  • Academic Integrity and the University Code of Conduct: A fundamental principle for any educational institution, academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at Austin. More specifically, you and other students are expected to maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work undertaken at the University.
    The University Honor Code states: "The core values of the University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community."
    Academic dishonesty includes: cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, multiple submissions, and any other acts or attempted acts that violate the basic standard of academic integrity. Consequences of academic dishonesty can be severe. Grade-related penalties are routinely assessed but students can also be suspended or even permanently expelled from the University for scholastic dishonesty. Other potential consequences can be particularly far-reaching, such as the creation of a disciplinary record that may very well impact future opportunities. Furthermore, incidents of scholastic dishonesty diminish the overall value of scholastic achievements on this campus and reflect poorly on the University. Helpful resources:
    
    • Office of the Dean of Students:
    • Descriptions of plagiarism and Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism
  
  
  • Emergency Procedures: In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Students requiring assistance in evacuation should inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy and remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office.
  
  
  • Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): The Behavior Concerns Advice Line is a service that provides The University of Texas at Austin’s faculty, students and staff an opportunity to discuss their concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). An individual can either call the line 512-232-5050 or report online