Instructor: Dr. R. J. Pfeiffer

Office: P134 Science Complex; Telephone: 771-2557 or 771-2569 (secretary).

Office Hours:  Tues. & Fri., 9:00 - 9:50 and 11:30 to 12:00; other times are available by appointment.

Text: Zeilik and Gregory, "Introductory Astronomy and Astrophyiscs,"  4 edition, Brooks/Cole, Boston, MA.

General Course Outline:

1. The Celestial Sphere

2.  The Solar System

3. The motions, physical properties, and evolution of stars and stellar systems.

4.  The structure, physical properties, and evolution of  galaxies.

5.  Cosmology and cosmogony.

There will be a separate online document for readings and assignments.

For now, once you have the textbook, read Appendix 10 on celestial coordinates and my
online Chapters  1 & 2.

Tests:

There will be two major tests given during the semester, one every 7 weeks or so.

There may also be frequent, very short quizes.

A comprehensive final examination, worth approximately 30% of the course grade, will be given
during the final exam period. The final exam period is usually two hours long. Students are advised
to keep up with their studies in order to avoid cramming for tests.

Papers:

This course satisfies the intermediate writing requirement for physics majors.

A major paper,  20 pages long on a topic in astronomy to be decided the first day of class.
The paper will grow by successive drafts.  The first draft will consist of two pages and be due
in a week and a half.  Peer reviews of everyone's paper will be conducted twice.

Everyone will be assigned a specific topic to research and write.

Attendance and Missing a Test:

Students are expected to participate in each of their courses through regular attendance at
lecture or discussion sessions. It is further expected that every student will be present on time
and prepared to participate when scheduled class sessions begin. Attendance will be taken daily
for administrative purposes. While attendance itself is not used as a criterion for academic evaluation,
attendance is strongly correlated with test performance. Attendance in lab is mandatory.

All other appointments must be made around scheduled test times. Missing a test or quiz must be
considered a grave matter, since make-up tests are given only in rare cases and only when
documentation for a valid absence can be provided. Trips for personal reasons are not valid
absences.  In all cases, make-up tests are much harder than regularly scheduled tests. If a student
knows in advance that a scheduled test will be missed for a valid reason, it may be possible to
reschedule that test for another day or at a different time on the same day, if the instructor is notified
as soon as possible. In this way, the problem of taking a make-up test can be avoided. A test will not
be postponed for a student because they are unprepared. Missed quizes can not be made up.

Saying, "I missed the test because I was ill" is not an acceptable excuse. If a student is sufficiently
ill to miss a test, then they should go to the College Infirmary or see their physician. If a test or quiz
is missed because of illness, a student must present documentation from their physician or the
College Infirmary in order to take a make-up test. A note from a dormitory RA is not a valid medical
document.  Failure to comply with these procedures could mean automatic failure of the missed test.

Students who arrive late to class and miss a quiz automatically fail the quiz. If a student misses a quiz
because they were absent, they fail the quiz unless they have a medical or some other legitmate
excuse. In any event, a student who misses a class is still responsible for the subject matter they
missed and must be prepared to take the quiz on the day they return.

If a student misses a test or quiz because of a death in the family, proper procedure is for the student
to notify the Dean of Student Life, who, in turn, will notify the instructor. Only such notification from
the Office of Student Life will entitle a student to take a make-up test, otherwise a failure will be
incurred.

If a test is missed because of illness or other emergency and the above procedures are followed, a
student must contact their instructor to arrange for a make-up test at the earliest opportunity but no
later than the first day they return to campus.

In general, excuses for missing a test because of transportation problems are not acceptable. It is the
student's responsibility to get to class for a test, by whatever means it takes (plane, train, bus, cab,
bicycle, or skateboard), even if they are late. Students who depend on others for commutation to
campus should particularly take note of this.

The basis for these somewhat stringent rules is, in part, to provide equity amongst all students.
Simply put, to excuse someone for missing a test is not fair to those students who have made the
effort to be in class for the test.
 

Classroom Protocol

Please do not try to settle personal matters with me immediatley before class or as I walk into the
classroom because I need this time to prepare for class and/or it takes from class time. All personal
problems must be dealt with at least 10 minutes before class, during office hours, or after class.

Common courtesy for the instructor and other students demands that there be no talking, eating, or
drinking while class is in session.

Audio and video recordings of classes are not permitted.

Course Requirements:

1. Ability to work with numbers, to do calculations and to do very simple algebraic manipulations

2. You may be required to run software on a computer in the Science Computer Lab and complete
any assignments. No prior computer experience is necessary,

3. To do well on all tests, the final exam, all laboratory exercises, and any other assignments.

4. Equipment needed: a pocket calculator with trig functions, a centimeter ruler (at least 25 cm long
and preferably flexible and of clear plastic), and a stapler.

Assignments:

All pages of an assignment must be stapled together.  Please Note:  Assignments will not be
accepted if paper clips and bending and tearing a corner are used as a means of binding.

Grading Criteria:

1.    Students are expected to memorize the terminology, comprehend the subject matter, and to be
        able to apply the concepts to specific problems and questions on the tests. Test performance
        will be the primary factor for determining a student's course grade.T

2.    The instructor shall make a professional judgment of each student's mastery of the course
        material  based on his observations of the student in the both the classroom and laboratory.
        This judgment will be important when a student's grade is borderline.

3.    Each student is expected to attend all laboratory sessions and satisfactorily complete all
        assignments. Laboratory work will be graded through both test results and evaluation of an
        unspecified number of lab reports that will be submitted for grading and/or lab manuals will be
        inspected.

4.    Students will complete all assignments on time and in a satisfactorily manner. All assignments
        handed in for credit must be done on standard 8.5x11 inch, white paper, without serrated edges.
        Failure to adhere to these requirements will result in a failure or no grade.

5.    Students are expected to adhere to the College's standards for communication skills, especially
        for writing grammatically correct English. Tests will be graded accordingly. All astronomical
        terms, nomenclature, and proper names introduced as part of the subject matter must be spelled
        correctly.

Computation of Course Average and Grade:

    Course grades will be awarded primarily on the basis of a student's grand average percentage.
The latter is found by adding together all the points a student has earned on all tests and
assignments (total earned course points) and dividing this by the total number of possible course
points. The following is a partial example for a hypothetical student:

    Test #1: 85 out of 100 points
    Test #2: 90 out of 120 points
    Test #3: 75 out of 105 points
    Quiz #2: 8 out of 10 points
    Lab #5: 15 out of 20 points
    Hmwrk #3: 10 out of 10 points
    Final Exam: 195 out of 200 points
 

   Academic dishonesty is any attempt by the student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to
submit, as his or her own, work which has not been done by him/her or to give improper aid to another student
in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to: submitting as his/her
own a project, paper, report,test, or speech copied from, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of
another (whether the source is printed, under copyright, or in manuscript form). Credit must be given for words
quoted or paraphrased. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded,
group or individual, written or oral.

TCNJ?s academic integrity policy is available on the web at:

    Any student who has a documented disability and is in need of academic accommodations should notify the

END OF FILE