Meeting Time: 5:30 - 6:45 Monday/Wednesday
INSTRUCTOR: Sheldon Schafer, - Lakeview Museum of Arts &
Sciences
VP of Education & Director of Planetarium
Phone 686-7000 x145;
Office hours after class and by appointment M-F 9AM – 5PM.
e-mail sschafer@lakeview-museum.org
TEXT: Foundations of Astronomy 7th Edition, Michael A. Seeds, Thomson 2003.
MATERIALS:
• Supplementary Course Materials - distributed at first meeting.
• Starlite: Each student must have a light for map reading and note
taking in the dark. "Starlites" are available in the Museum Store @ $24.95
(checks and credit cards accepted), or student may prepare a special flashlight,
dimmed so that no direct light escapes. Required
• Heifetz Planisphere (yearly star map), available at
the Lakeview Museum Store ~$ 14 Required.
• Booklet "Cycles, An Introduction to Astronomy &
Time" available at the Museum Store ~$ 4 Required.
• "Skylights" on the Web at http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/skylights.html,
and Stars of the Week with constellation photographs at http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/sow.html.
• Blackboard.bradley.edu - Announcements, links and grades will be
posted here
• Current NASA Press Releases pertaining to astronomical discoveries.
The content of these will be included on the tests. These may be found
at www.nasa.gov in the "NASA Today" page, (link on Blackborad) or you may
subscribe via your Bradley E-Mail account to NASA's Press Release List.
Send an Internet E- mail message to domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the body of the
message (not the subject line) users should type the words "subscribe press-release"
(no quotes). The system will reply with a confirmation.
GRADING: Reports - 300 points total
Fully Graded Reports 50 points each, 250 points maximum
You may not do a planetarium report unless you attend that session
Pass/No Pass reports - 25 points each
See "Summary of Assignments" for Due Dates
Reports are individual, not group assignments; identical or similar papers
will not be graded
Late report Penalty: 20points/week (10P/NP)
Attendance - 100 points
10 points/planetarium session, maximum 80; 20 points for class attendance
with no more than
three unexcused absences. Must be in class when attendance is taken; late
arrivers will not be counted
Mid-semester exams - 300 points
Exam 1 - 100 points
Exam 2 - 100+ points
The higher of these will be doubled.
Finals - 300 points
Planetarium Exam - 100+ points
Course Final - 100 points
The higher of these will be doubled if the last class is attended,
otherwise the lower will be doubled.
Bonus Points - up to 65 points
Final Grading Scale: 900 - up A
800 - 899 B
700 - 799 C
550 - 699 D
All grades will be kept online on Blackboard.bradley.edu
Astronomy 300 Course Syllabus FALL SEMESTER 2003
Class Meeting Time: 5:30 - 6:45 Monday/Wednesday
Date Topic (Textbook Assignment)
WEEK 1
Wed Aug 27 Introduction,Overview,Grading,Pretest (Ch. 1)
Aug 27 - 30
Observe Mars at Northmoor Observatory, Donovan Golf Course
Any evening, 9 p.m. - midnight
See Blackboard for instructions & follow-up assignment
If cloudy, any Saturday evening at dusk through Oct 25
WEEK 2
Mon SEPT 1 Archaeoastronomy (Ch. 4.1)
Wed SEPT 3 PLM 1 Using star maps (Ch. 2.1,2.2, Appendix B)
WEEK 3
Mon SEPT 8 Classical Astronomy (Ch. 2, 4.1)
Wed SEPT 10 PLM 2 Ecliptic Motion Of The Sun & Astrology (Ch. 2.2 - 2.4)
WEEK 4
Mon SEPT 15 COSMOS#3-The Harmony Of The Worlds (CH. 4.2, 4.3, 5.1)
Wed SEPT 17 PLM 3 Seasonal Constellations (Ch. 2.2, 2.3, Appendix B)
WEEK 5
Mon SEPT 22
Kepler & Galileo (cont), Proofs of rotation/revolution
Development of science /scientific models (2.1)
Wed SEPT 24
PLM 4 Seasonal Constellations (Appendix
B cont)
Astronomical Climate Connections (Ch..2.5, 20.3)
WEEK 6
Mon SEPT 29 Cont. Scientific Models, Exam Review, Start Solar System
Wed OCT 1 EXAM 1 (CH.1,2,3,4,5, PLM 1,2,3,4)
WEEK 7
Mon OCT 6 Survey & formation of the solar system (Ch. 19)
Wed OCT 8 PLM 5 Lunar motions, eclipses (Ch. 3)
WEEK 8
Mon OCT 13 Break - NO CLASS
Wed OCT 15 PLM 6 Planetary motions (Ch. 2.4)
WEEK 9
Mon OCT 20 Solar System (Ch. 21 - 25 (focus on Chapter summaries))
Wed OCT 22 "The Astronomers - Prospecting For Planets" (Ch. 19.1,23, 24)
WEEK 10
Mon OCT 27 Telescopes / Extraterrestrial Life (Ch. 6.2; supplemental article, Ch. 26)
Wed OCT 29 PLM 7 Tools Of Astronomy/Photography
WEEK 11
Mon NOV 3 EXAM 2 (Ch. 2.4,3,6.2,19-26; PLM 5,6,7)
Wed NOV 5 PLM 8 Springtime Of The Universe (Ch. 11 - 13,14.1-14.2)
WEEK 12
Mon NOV 10 No class - compensation for observatory visit
Wed NOV 12
PLM 9 Stellar Magnitude,Nomenclature,
(2.1, Ch. 9.1 - 9.3);
A Walk Through The Winter Circle; Review for final
WEEK 13
Mon NOV 17 Properties of Stars,Spectra (Ch. 6.1, 6.3, 7)
Wed NOV 19 PLM 10 Statistical Sampling & Galactic Structure (Ch. 15.1)
WEEK 14
Mon NOV 24
COSMOS#10-The Edge Of Forever
(Ch. 15,16,18)
Wed NOV 26 Thanksgiving Holiday - NO CLASS
WEEK 15
Mon DEC 1 Finish Properties & Lives of Stars,Galaxies & Cosmology
Wed DEC 3 PLM 11 Planetarium Exam
WEEK 16
Mon DEC 8 Bumper Sticker Astronomy, Review
Mon DEC 15
5:00 - 7:00 PM Final Exam
Summary of Text Assignments
Chapter 1 - 4 All
Chapter 5.1
Chapter 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
Chapter 7 All
Chapter 8.3, 8.4, 8.5,
Chapter 9.1 - 9.3
Chapter 11 - 13 All
Chapter 14.1 - 14.2
Chapter 15,16 All
Chapter 18 Summary
Chapter 19 All
Chapter 21 - 25 Chapter
Summaries
Chapter 26 All
Summary of Assignments – Fall 2003
All assignments (fully graded & P/NP) should be word processed or typed.
All essays (fully graded & P/NP) should be approximately 3 pages double-spaced
Fully Graded Reports (50 points each, 250 maximum)
Best 5 will be counted__________ Due Date
Planetarium 2 Sept. 17
Planetarium 3 Sept. 24
Cosmos #3 - Essay (NOT the Study Questions!)
Sept. 24
Planetarium 5 Oct. 15
Planetarium 6 Oct. 29
Prospecting for Planets – Essay ( " "
" ") Oct. 29
Planetarium 7 Nov. 19
Planetarium 8 Essay (NOT the Study Questions!)
Nov. 12
Planetarium 9 Nov. 19
Planetarium 10 Dec. 3
Cosmos #10 Essay (NOT the Study Questions!)
Dec. 3
Misconceptions/Misinformation (any 33
items) Nov. 24
"Contact" - Explore issues in the Movie
Nov. 24
Special Projects relating to your Major Up to 200 points, arrange with instructor Dec 15
Pass/No Pass Reports (25 points each, 50 points maximum)
Best 2 will be counted Due Date
Planetarium 1 TBA, after 10 clear nights
Date will be given according to the phase of the Moon
Planetarium 4 Climate Change Literature
Review (3 pages) Oct. 15
Cosmos # 4 Study Questions (2 pages) (reserve
in library) Oct. 29
Cosmos # 9 Study Questions (2 pages) (reserve
in library) Nov. 12
Explore & Review an Astronomy related
Web Site (2-3 pages) Nov. 5
Steven Hawking's "Universe" or "A Brief
History of Time"
Or Other PBS videos as approved by the
instructor Dec. 8
There are 6 one hour segments of the PBS series. Watch any EXCEPT the first.
Write a summary of the video or movie (2-3 pages)
Check these out from me (Note - This is not the video narrated by Wm Shatner)
Bonus Points - 65 maximum
20 points - Early Bird Bonus - 7 reports handed in, regardless of later due date, by Nov 24
up to 50 points - Real Sky Astrophotography Dec 8
* for the following, write a 1 page "reaction" or summary
10 points (required) - Observe Mars at the Peoria Astronomical Society’s Northmoor Observatory on Donovan Golf Course- Saturday nights at dusk through October 25. Oct 29
*20 points - Attend a show and visit one of the exhibit areas at the Adler Planetarium, Chicago, McDonnell Planetarium, St. Louis or other major planetarium Dec 8
*10 points - Watch an astronomy documentary on PBS (if available) Dec 8
*10 points - Attend a public or school planetarium show at Lakeview Dec 8
20 points - Travel to the Sun and each of the nine planets in Peoria's community solar system model. Take a photograph of yourself with the planet. Can be done in groups but everyone receiving credit must be in the photograph. Hand in the set of 10 photos or photo CD. Dec. 3