Instructor Information

Angela Osterman Meyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Office info: Whitaker Hall 254, 239-590-7244
Email: ameyer@fgcu.edu or using Canvas messaging
Office hours: by appointment only

Manuel Mon, M.D., Ph.D., Adjunct Instructor of Astronomy
Office info: Egan Observatory
Email: mmon@fgcu.edu
Office hours: by appointment only

Basic Course Information

Class Meets: Mondays (M) 3:00 - 5:45 p.m. in Academic Bldg. 7, room 220

Lab Meets:
CRN 11859: Tuesdays (T) 5:00 - 7:45 p.m. in Ben Hill Griffen Hall (BHG) 267 and other locations TBA
CRN 11860: Wednesdays (W) 5:00 - 7:45 p.m. in BHG 267 and other locations TBA
CRN 11861: Thursdays (R) 5:00 - 7:45 p.m. in BHG 267 and other locations TBA

Course Text and Materials:

• Astronomy Today by Chaisson & McMillan; 8^th Edition, Pearson
  ISBN-13: 9780321901675
  Note: The 7^th Edition of this text is also acceptable (ISBN-13: 9780321691439)
• Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy by Prather, Slater, Adams, & Brissenden; 3^rd Edition, Pearson.
  ISBN-13: 9780321820464
  Bring your Lecture Tutorials manual to EVERY lab session!
• i>clicker personal response system for in-class activities
  ISBN-13: 9781429280471
  There is also a mobile app available through i>clicker
  Bring your i>clicker to EVERY Monday class session!

College: Arts and Sciences

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites: none

Course Web Pages:
Canvas material for this course includes this syllabus, summaries of course material, and the course gradebook.
http://faculty.fgcu.edu/ameyer/ is Dr. Meyer's website.

Course Topics and Philosophy

Topics: General principles of Astronomy with emphasis on the structure and evolution of stars, stellar systems, galaxies and the universe. Topics include stellar birth and death, neutron stars and black holes, galactic distances and the expansion of the universe. Activities include observing of stars, constellations, binary and variable stars, star clusters, nebulae. Indoor and/or internet activities include radiative properties of stars, stellar spectra, and stellar and galactic distances.

Course Philosophy: The curriculum is inquiry based and fully integrated with laboratory and/or field experiences which emphasize active learning strategies. The main objectives of the course are to familiarize you with the night sky, observing techniques and instrumentation of state of the art observatories, and to gain knowledge of the scientific process involved in astronomical discoveries.

What to Expect During Class and Lab

During the lecture part of our class meetings, we will discuss the topics and concepts covered in your readings. It is extremely important that you read the assigned chapters in the textbook before you come to class. Don't expect me to just read the textbook to you! Cell phones need to be turned off at the beginning of class. If you intend to use a laptop to take notes, no other program can run on the laptop than your text editor.

You are required to bring a working flashlight and a coat (as needed) to outdoor activities. Your required course materials include Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy and an i>clicker. You will need to bring the Lecture Tutorials manual to all lab meetings. The i>clickers will be used during the Monday lecture part of the course. Each student is responsible for correctly registering their i>clicker within Canvas in order to receive credit for in-class quizzes (see next paragraph). You will use your clicker every Monday, make sure that you register your i>clicker within our Canvas course.

Course Grading Scheme

Here is a summary of the different components that will contribute to your final grade:

Quizzes

We will utilize the clickers for our in-class quizzes. Therefore it is important that you bring your clickers to every lecture (Monday class) and that you correctly register your i>clicker. At the end of the semester, your two lowest quiz grades will be dropped. The average of your remaining scores will count for 12% of your final grade.

Laboratory

The laboratory is an integral part of this class. We will do both indoor and outdoor lab exercises. Due to the nature of the outdoor labs, the schedule of the laboratories is subject to change! Please dress accordingly for the outdoor activities. Warm clothing might be required for the nights in January through March, whereas mosquito repellent might be needed later in the semester. There will be no make-up labs!! A missed lab will receive a lab score of zero. Your two lowest lab scores will be deleted (not including the Lunar Phases Project).

There will be Observing Session opportunities throughout the semester to go outside to observe some astronomical objects (galaxies, nebulae, planets, etc.) using 8"-diameter telescopes. These Observing Sessions will all take place at Egan Observatory on campus. The specific dates and times will be coordinated through your lab instructor, Dr. Mon. Attending at least one Observing Session is mandatory. You will complete a write-up for the Observing Session you attend, this will count for as much as one regular lab grade and will be part of your overall lab average. The Observing Session write-up cannot be used as one of your dropped grades.

You can miss up to two lab sessions for any reason, but there are strong grade penalties for missing more than two labs. If you miss or fail to hand in work for three labs, then the highest overall grade you will be eligible for is a D for the entire course. If you miss or fail to hand in more than three labs, it will result in an automatic F for the entire course. The laboratory will contribute 25% to your final grade, and you must pass the laboratory portion of the course with at least a 65% average in order to pass the class! If you hand in your lab work late, there will be an automatic deduction of 15 points (out of a maximum of 100 points) for every day (including weekends) your report is late.
CLICK HERE for Astronomy Lab Procedures

Homework

The online homework quizzes will account for 7% of your final grade. We will utilize Canvas for the homework quizzes. There will be thirteen (13) homework assignments, approximately one per week. No homework grades will be dropped. All homework assignments will be due Sundays at 11:55 p.m., and the next quiz will open that morning. The first homework quiz is available beginning Monday January 6.

Exams

There will be 4 in-class exams during the semester. These exams will mainly focus on the material covered since the previous exam, however, some questions might build on previous material. We will also have a comprehensive Final Exam, which can be used to replace your lowest exam score (i.e. If you are content with your exam grades, then you do not have to take the Final Exam if you don't want to). There will be no makeup exams!

The overall grading scale will be as follows:

University Policies/Statements

Academic Behavior Standards and Academic Dishonesty: All students are expected to demonstrate honesty in their academic pursuits. The university policies regarding issues of honesty can be found in the FGCU Student Guidebook under the Student Code of Conduct and Policies and Procedures sections. All students are expected to study this document which outlines their responsibilities and consequences for violations of the policy. The FGCU Student Guidebook is available online at http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/judicialaffairs/new.html

Disability Accommodations and Services: Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university's guiding principles, will provide classroom and academic accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you need to request an accommodation in this class due to a disability, or you suspect that your academic performance is affected by a disability, please contact the Office of Adaptive Services. The Office of Adaptive Services is located in Howard Hall, their phone number is 239-590-7956 or TTY 239-590-7930

Student Observance of Religious Holidays: All students at Florida Gulf Coast University have a right to expect that the University will reasonably accommodate their religious observances, practices, and beliefs. Students, upon prior notification to their instructors, shall be excused from class or other scheduled academic activity to observe a religious holy day of their faith. Students shall be permitted a reasonable amount of time to make up the material or activities covered in their absence. Students shall not be penalized due to absence from class or other scheduled academic activity because of religious observances. Where practicable, major examinations, major assignments, and University ceremonies will not be scheduled on a major religious holy day. A student who is to be excused from class for a religious observance is not required to provide a second party certification of the reason for the absence.

Schedule for AST 2004c Stellar Astronomy w/Lab

The following is a tentative schedule! I reserve the right to change or add items at any time. These changes will be announced/discussed in class and you can find them on the class web page. Please check this schedule and our Canvas course regularly.