Syllabus: Astronomy 130 - Summer 2007 What follows is a listing of policies for this course and a general outline of the material that will be covered.  You will be expected to be familiar with and abide by the provisions of this syllabus. Attendance Writing and Math Components Observatory Visits Homework Grades ATTENDANCE It is in your best interest to come to class all 23 meetings. I will take attendance at most class meetings, and class participation and discussion will be an important part of the course. There will be material presented in class that is not in the texts, and material in the texts that will not be emphasized in the course. Make up tests will not be given, nor will a test be given early. If you miss a test with a valid excuse (verified illness or university business, for example), your grade on the final exam will be substituted for the missed test grade. If you miss a test without a valid excuse, you will receive a zero on that test. There is no provision for missing the final. The Honor Code will be in effect for all tests and papers. Return to Top WRITING AND MATH COMPONENTS This course includes a writing component. Specifically, you will be asked to write a weekly current event article and write one paper (about 2 - 3 typewritten pages long). Current event articles will be collected every Monday. The paper will be due Friday, June 29. More detailed information will be presented for the current event articles and paper in separate articles. This course also includes a small computational component. A small percentage of tests and homework will include arithmetic or algebraic calculations.  Return to Top OBSERVATORY VISITS The Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory has one scheduled public night during this 5-week term on Thursday, June 14 at 7:30.  You are strongly encouraged to visit the observatory, but it is not required.  However, students who visit the observatory and turn in a brief report of their experience will be given the opportunity to answer a specific bonus question on the exam.  Only those students who have attended the session and turned in a report will be allowed to answer the question.  Make sure you sign the roll at the observatory so your attendance can be verified.  Dyer Observatory’s calendar, as well as a map and driving directions, are on the observatory’s website. If there is sufficient interest, we may be able to schedule an observing session just for this class. Return to Top HOMEWORK I will frequently assign questions from the text or other sources for homework. Sometimes these assignments will be collected and graded; sometimes I will use them as part of our class discussions. You are free to work with others on the homework assignments, but what you turn in must be an accurate representation of your understanding of the work (not someone else’s understanding).  Return to Top GRADES Grades will be weighted and assigned as shown below.  Students within one point of the cut-off grade (89.5, 79.5, 69.5 or 59.5) will receive the appropriate + or - grade.      RANGES:                 WEIGHTS:      90 < A                  Tests (2, 20% each)   40%      80 < B < 90             Final                 20%      70 < C < 80             Paper                 20%      60 < D < 70             Miscellaneous         20%           F < 60 The "Miscellaneous" category under grade weights will include things such as articles, class participation and homework. Return to Top Astro 130 home page | Syllabus | Schedule | Contact Information | Links | Assignments Physics & Astronomy Department (615) 322-2828 E-mail Dr. Farris Search | Site Index | People Finder | Help Copyright © 2007 Vanderbilt University