Course Syllabus

My goal for you is to come away from this course with

(1) scientific reasoning skills that can be applied to a variety of fields;

(2) the ability to describe several significant discoveries throughout the history of astronomy;

(3) the ability to explain how measurements of various properties of astronomical objects are made;

(4) a conversational understanding of modern astronomy that will allow you to interpret and explain popular-level articles that describe new discoveries in astronomy; and

(5) a desire to learn more about the field!

We will be using the following materials in our course, in addition to Canvas:

• Electronic textbook/online homework platform: Understanding our Universe, by Stacy Palen (ebook) & Smartwork (homework platform). These are bundled together, and you will be billed around $30 for them through Instant Access along with your tuition. This ensures that you will have immediate access to them. In our Canvas course, there is a module called “ebook: Understanding our Universe”. You can access the entire ebook from the link in this module. If you would like a paper copy of the text, you can request a 3-hole punch version for $15. You do this by following the ebook link, then clicking on the gear in the upper right-hand corner of the ebook screen. There will be an option there to request a paper copy.
• Workbook: Learning Astronomy by Doing Astronomy (hard copy). You will need to purchase this workbook. The University bookstore will have it for you to purchase for about $15. Please make sure that the pages are all blank if you buy a previously used copy.

Please review the communication methods and requirements for this course:

Preferred Contact Methods

You can easily contact me using my email: dennis.soldin@utah.edu

Office Hours

The instructor will hold office hours according to the following schedule:

Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays

Time: 10:30-11:30 am

Location:  JFB 212A 

I am happy to meet with you by appointment as well!

The Teaching Assistant will hold office hours according to the following schedule:

Name of TA: Joey Lee

Day: Wednesday

Time: 12:00-1:00 pm

Location:  JFB 209 (physics help lab)

The Learning Assistants will hold office hours according to the following schedule:

Name of LA: Amanda Alves

Days: Monday

Time: 12:00-1:00 pm

Location:  JFB 209 (physics help lab)

Name of LA: Ari Duven

Days: Friday

Time: 12:45-1:45 pm

Location:  JFB 209 (physics help lab)

ClassRoom

Lecture Meeting

Tuesday and Thursday, 9:10am - 10:30am

JFB 101

Your performance in this course will be evaluated by:

Reading Quizzes (200 total points possible):

You are expected to read the textbook material before meeting with the class. This will make our class time together more beneficial to your learning, as you will have already been exposed to the material and we will be able to spend time in class to address questions that you have. Reading quizzes will be taken through Canvas. These will quiz you on the reading material for the day’s discussion in class, as well as tell me what you would like to cover in more detail during our discussion. Reading quizzes will be due by 8:00 am on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. There will be 26 reading quizzes throughout the semester. Your six lowest reading quiz grades will be dropped.

Tuesday In-Class Assignments (100 total points possible):

You will be doing active learning exercises or quizzes as part of our lecture days in class.  There will be 6 of these in-class assignments throughout the semester. I will drop one of these from your overall score.  In addition, there will be no active learning exercise in the first week of class or on the three weeks that feature an exam. These exercises will not necessarily be announced ahead of time, but students that cannot make a class for a legitimate reason (illness, emergency, pre-approved absence, etc.) will be able to make up the assignment.

Thursday Group Assignments (200 total points possible):

On most Thursdays you will be working through assignments in groups.  Many of these will come from the Learning Astronomy by Doing Astronomy workbook. The others I will give to you as we go along. These will be exercises that are coordinated with the reading that is due that week. Each group will turn in one assignment. There will be no active learning exercise during the three weeks that feature an exam.  You will turn in 12 of these for credit, each worth 20 points. The two assignments with the lowest scores will be dropped at the end of the semester.

Homework (200 total points possible):

There will be 12 homework assignments, each worth 20 points, due on most Sundays online by 11:59 pm. I will be giving you more information about these homework assignments during the first week of class. Your lowest two homework assignment grades will be dropped from your overall score.

Midterm Exams (400 total points possible):

There will be two midterm exams, each worth 200 points. The questions on the exams will be similar in style to the quiz questions, homework questions, and all of the in-class assignments. The exams will be given during our regular meeting time on the dates specified by the Semester Schedule. You may need to show a picture ID at the exams.

Final Exam (200 points):

The written portion of the final exam will be on April 29 (8:00-10:00 am) in JFB 101. It will cover all of the course material. You may need to show a picture ID to the final exam. If your final exam score is higher than your lowest midterm score, I will use this score to replace your lowest midterm score.

Extra Credit Opportunities:

You may complete up to four extra credit projects. I will make these available on the course Canvas website. These extra credit projects will not be accepted after the due dates.

All assignments, unless otherwise announced, must be submitted to the designated area of Canvas. Do not submit assignments via email.

There will be no make-up opportunities for work in the course (in-class quizzes, group assignments, homework, pre-lectures, and checkpoint quizzes). There are many assignments in each of these categories and it is too difficult to arrange for make-up work. Consider that several assignments are dropped, the final can be used to replace a midterm score, and there is a 40-point buffer of bonus points available; no one assignment is worth very much. 

Grading for this course

I will be using the Canvas grade book to record your scores. Please check this grade book as the semester progresses and alert me of any discrepancies. You have until May 4 to notify me of any changes that need to be made.  Your final grade will be based on the University of Utah grading scale (see below).

University of Utah grading scale

Disclaimer

Accommodations will be considered on an individual basis and may require documentation.

Please contact your instructor and/or teaching assistant as soon as possible (preferably shortly before the semester begins) to request accommodations of any kind.

Extreme personal circumstances

Please contact your instructor as soon as possible if an extreme personal circumstance (hospitalization, death of a close relative, natural disaster, etc.) is interfering with your ability to complete your work.

Religious Practice

To request an accommodation for religious practices, contact your instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Active Duty Military

If you are a student on active duty with the military and experience issues that prevent you from participating in the course because of deployment or service responsibilities, contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.

Disability Access

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services (CDS). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations Links to an external site..

If you will need accommodations in this class, contact:

Center for Disability Services
  801-581-5020
  disability.utah.edu Links to an external site.
  162 Union Building
    200 S. Central Campus Dr.
     Salt Lake City, UT 84112

This syllabus is not a contract! It is meant to serve as an outline and guide for your course. Please note that your instructor may modify it to accommodate the needs of your class.

You will be notified of any changes to the Syllabus!