Course	ASTR/PHYS 3070
Department	Physics & Astronomy
Pre-Requisites	"C-" or better in (((MATH 1220 OR MATH 1250 OR MATH 1320 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 2210) OR AP Calculus BC score of 4+) AND ((PHYS 2210 OR PHYS 3210) OR AP Physics C Mech score of 4+))
Credit Hours	3
Semester	Fall 2025
Description	This Foundations course provides an introduction to the breadth of Astronomy through the use of astronomical examples to reinforce physical concepts such as distance scales, magnitudes, mass, velocity, temperature, pressure and angular momentum. Topics include the celestial sphere, coordinate systems, Kepler's Laws, orbits, eclipses, tides, emission and absorption spectra, astronomical detection of light, telescopes, the Sun, properties of stars, our Galaxy, and galaxies.
Topic Schedule	The initial planned schedule of topics, along with associated readings in the textbook, are provided here.  The actual topic and associated readings/assignments for each class will be contained in Modules and/or Pages, with the most relevant material available on the Front Page of Canvas for this course.
Exam 1	Tuesday, Sep 16th
Exam 2	Thursday, Oct 23rd
Exam 3	Tuesday, Nov.25

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• speak fluently using the basic jargon and units used in astrophysics.
• apply basic physics concepts to astrophysics problems
• interpret quantitative astronomical plots and be able to draw qualitative conclusions from them
• solve order of magnitude problems related to astrophysics
• describe the lifecycle of stars
• connects the characteristics of galaxies with their observable properties
• characterize stars and galaxies based on their spectroscopic and photometric data,

Materials required for this course are:

• Textbook: Foundations of Astrophysics by Barbara Ryden & Bradley M. Peterson also available through Day 1 Books Access Program
  You should be able to access this through Book module
• Access to this Canvas site

Preferred Contact Methods

You can contact the instructor, the LA, and the TA via:

• Canvas, using your Inbox tool on the far left
• Coming to scheduled office hours (see top of syllabus)
• Email (see top of syllabus for addresses)

Office Hours

When/Where: Days/Times/Locations stated at the top of the syllabus for the Prof/TA/LA.  No prior communication/signup is necessary---you can and are encouraged to just drop in!

What: Office hours are times for YOU to come talk to US about anything that will help you in this course. This can include---but is not limited to---help on upcoming homework, help understanding a past homework or exam problem, or help understanding some concept from class. You don't need to be asking a question either---you could just come to chat about something in the class you thought was interesting! This is time that is dedicated specifically to promoting learning in this course.  One TA office hour each week will be devoted to group problem solving. 

Student assessment will comprise roughly weekly problem sets, three exams, and one interpretive project.  The course will be graded with the following weights.  

• Reading Assignments (10%): There will be short assignments associated with your assigned reading from the textbook.  These will typically be due before class on days when there isn't homework or an exam.
• Homework Sets (30%): There will be 8 homework assignments/problem sets during the semester. Submissions will be via Canvas assignment. Students are encouraged to work together on assignments, but all submitted work should be your own, and you should understand anything you submit.  Please do not use AI/large language models; the information you need to solve the problems should come from attending class and reading the book, and using these resources will help you learn and understand the material more deeply than getting answers in 30s from an LLM.
  
• Exams (30%): Three exams will be given roughly evenly spaced throughout the semester. These will be taken in the classroom, during normal class periods. Exams may be reworked and resubmitted within a week of them being returned for up to 50% of the missed points back.  Each exam is worth 100 pts.
  
• Communicating Science project (20%): Students will work individually or in small groups to incorporate what they have learned in this course into an activity to teach their classmates something new.  More details will be given later in the semester.
• Attendance (10%): I will post my lecture slides online as a study aid, but this course will involve in class problem solving and interactive portions of the lecture that I hope will contribute significantly to your learning.  Because of this I will take attendance with each student getting two excused absences: your absence can be excused if you inform me before class unless that is impossible (i.e. you had a significant medical issue).  To excuse your absence email me and Hayley Coluccio (our TA) on Canvas before class.    There is no need to provide a doctors note or any excuse when using your excused absences.  If you have some long term health issue etc. that is causing you to miss class, please talk with me. 

Letter	Scoring
A	100% - 93%
A-	92.9% - 90%
B+	89.9%–87%
B	86.9%–83%
B-	82.9% - 80%
C+	79.9%–77%
C	76.9%–73%
C-	72.9% - 70%
D+	69.9%–67%
D	66.9%–63%
D-	62.9% - 60%
E	59.9%–0%

All homework sets and exam re-submissions, unless otherwise announced, will be submitted via the posted Canvas assignment. Do not send assignments over email.

Late assignments will be penalized at a rate of 10% per day and accepted for up to a week after the due date, unless prior permission is obtained from the instructor.

See the "Communication & Office Hours" section above for office hour times and locations.

Instructors are available by email, but plan ahead to avoid anything that needs a reply on a short timescale.

It is my intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, culture, and more. Student suggestions for meeting these goals are encouraged and appreciated.

I also expect all students to maintain respectful and courteous behavior with me and with each other, both in and out of the classroom. Our learning community will only be effective if we respect each other and embrace the challenges (academic and non-academic) that this class brings.

The use of computers, tablets, etc., for note-taking is fine, provided it does not distract others.

There are bathrooms in the north hallway of the fourth floor of the building.  The nearest non-gendered restrooms are on the third floor; go down the south stairway and then take a right to find them.  

There are two stairwells and two elevators that reach the fourth floor.  The elevators are both down the north side hallway, while there are stairwells on both the north and south sides (the south one is closest to the classroom).

The instructor reserves the right to modify any of the policies described here. Notice will be given in class if anything significant is changed.