Syllabus | Grading | Learning Outcomes
| Dates | Topic | Text Reference |
|---|---|---|
Astronomy | ||
| Introduction: Overview of the Course, Syllabus, Grading Policy, Classroom Etiquette, Technological Skills | ||
| Lecture One: Introduction to Astronomy What is Astronomy? The Scale of the Universe. The History of the Universe. Spaceship Earth. | Chapter 1 | |
| Wed Jan 15th | Lecture Two: Patterns in the Sky Celestial Motion, Seasons and Earth's Tilt | Chapter 2: 2.1, 2.2 |
| No Class Monday, January 20th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day | ||
| Wed Jan 22nd | Lecture Three: Our Moon and Ancient Mysteries Moon Phases, Lunar Eclipses, Apparent Retrograde Motion of the Planets, Parallax | Chapter 2: 2.3, 2.4 |
| Mon Jan 27th | Lecture Four: History of Astronomy Ancient Greece, Copernican Revolution | Chapter 3: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 |
| Wed Jan 29th | Lecture Five: The Nature of Science Scientific Method, Limits of Science, Spotting Bad "Science" | Chapter 3: 3.4 |
| Mon Feb 3rd | Lecture Six: Motion, Energy and Gravity Newton's Laws, Conservation Laws, Gravitational Force | Chapter 4 |
| Wed Feb 5th | Lecture Seven: Light and Matter Spectrum, Parameters of Waves, Particle Properties, Interaction with Matter | Chapter 5: 5.1, 5.2 |
| Mon Feb 10th | Lecture Eight: Light and Telescopes Light as Information, Thermal Radiation, Telescopes | Chapter 5: 5.3, 5.4 |
| Wed Feb 12th | Exam One | Chapters 1 to 5 |
| No Class Monday, Feb 17th, President's Day | ||
| Wed Feb 19th | Lecture Nine: Tour of the Solar System Introducing Planets, Asteroids, Meteoids, and Comets | |
| Mon Feb 24th | Lecture Ten: Earth and Venus | Chapter 7: 7.1, 7.4, 7.5 |
| Wed Feb 26th | Lecture Eleven: Mercury, Mars and the Moon | Chapter 7: 7.2, 7.3 |
| Mon March 3rd | Lecture Twelve: Jovian Planets | Chapter 8 |
| Wed March 5th | Lecture Thirteen: Asteroids, Comets and Dwarf Planets | Chapter 9 |
| Mon March 10th | Exam Two | Chapters 6 to 9 |
| Wed March 12th | Lecture Fourteen: Other Planetary Systems | Chapter 10 |
| Mon March 17th | Lecture Fifteen: The Sun | Chapter 11 |
| Wed March 19th | Lecture Sixteen: Surveying the Stars | Chapter 12 |
| No Class March 24th & March 26th - Spring Break | ||
| Mon March 31st | Lecture Seventeen: Elemental Synthesis in Stars | Chapter 13 |
| Wed April 2nd | Lecture Eighteen: Stellar Evolution | Chapter 13 |
| Mon April 7th | Lecture Nineteen: White Dwarf, Neutron Stars | Chapter 14: 14.1, 14.2 |
| Wed April 9th | Lecture Twenty: Black Holes | Chapter 14: 14.3, 14.4 |
| April 10th Last Day to Drop | ||
| Mon April 14th | Lecture Twenty-One: Our Galaxy | Chapter 15 |
| Wed April 16th | Lecture Twenty-Two: Other Galaxies | Chapter 16 |
| Wed April 21st | Lecture Twenty-Three: The Birth of the Universe | Chapter 17 |
| Mon April 23rd | Exam Three | Chapters 10 to 17 |
| Mon April 28th | Student Presentations | Students |
| Wed April 30th | Student Presentations | Students |
| Mon May 5th | Course Review | All Chapters |
| Exam Four ON BRIGHTSPACE | ||
| Wed May 7th | Departmental Final Exam | See List of Topics |
Departmental Policy
As part of a mandatory Physical Science & Engineering Department policy, students will be given a Department Final Exam on the last day of class at the time designated by the instructor within the section’s regularly scheduled hours. Students that are absent for the Department Final Exam for their section will receive a zero for the exam.