A
preliminary outline of the course can be found at the SCHEDULEwebsite. Some of this material
is subject to change and this site will be constantly up-dated so please check
it before each class.

Syllabus

Required materials:

You will need :

a)The College
of Charleston Astronomy Lab manual (you may purchase it from SAS-E Ink located on
219 Calhoun Str., Charleston),

b)A
scientific calculator capable of computing exponential functions

Course Objectives:

One of the
goals of this class in combination with the associated lecture is to reveal to
you some of the wonders of our cosmos.You will learn how the scientific method is used to explain the
underlying causes behind astrophysical phenomena. The lab activities will
provide a hands-on approach to better understand the material taught in the
astronomy 130 lectures.

Specifically,
in Astronomy 130 Lab, students will learn about black body curves, find out how
emission spectra are created, confirm the law of reflection, learn about and
operate telescopes,use parallax to compute the distance to an object, observe the
different colors of stars, learn about spectral classification, learn about the
Sun, use magnitudes to compute the distance to objects, learn to use the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, learn about eclipsing and
spectroscopic binary stars, identify the morphology of galaxies and verify the
expansion of our Universe.

Astronomy 130
will also improve several general skills that will be useful for students. In
particular, the lab will enhance studentŐs teamwork skills, students will learn
the basics of collecting, analyzing and presenting scientific data, use simple
statistics to analyze data, learn how to interpret data, improve on computer
skills and learn about telescope calibration.

I recommend
that you review the material before it is presented in class. This will help
you to better understand the concepts and enjoy the class.

General Education Learning Outcomes:

1. Students
apply physical/natural principles to analyze and solve problems (This outcome will be assessed by writing a report of one of the labs.
It will count as 5% in your final lab grade.)

2.
Students explain how science impacts society (This outcome will be assessed in lab
using an assignment involving writing a letter to a public official about an
astronomy-related current event. It will count as 5% in your lab grade.)

A more detailed description
of the learning outcomes and objectives of this course are included in Learning
Outcomes.

Attendance:

It is important that
you attend every lab since there are only 13 labs per semester and each one
therefore carries a significant fraction of your grade. Also missing a lab will
make it difficult for you to understand and carry out upcoming labs. For
example, missing the lab related to telescope setup would make it extremely
difficult for you to use the telescope in following labs that require you to
observe celestial objects. In the case that you do end up missing a lab, the
absence will have to be documented. You can miss up to one lab (documented
absence) without it affecting your final grade. Any additional labs missed, for
whatever reason, will negatively affect your final grade.

Grades:

You
will be graded for each lab. Labs reports will be completed and handed in
before you leave. I will indicate which lab reports you may collaborate on and
for which ones I expect you to complete individually. Collaboration is not
allowed on quizzes. Your number grade will be converted into a letter grade as
follows.

>85%

A

80-84%

A-

76-80%

B+

72-76%

B

68-72%

B-

64-68%

C+

60-64%

C

56-60%

C-

52-56%

D+

48-52%

D

44-48%

D-

<44%

F

Special
Needs:

If you have any special needs or disabilities that
might require special arrangements to be made for any aspect of this course,
please let me know at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become
aware of them.

1.Any student eligible for and needing accommodations because
of a disability is requested to speak with the professor during the first two
weeks of class or as soon as the student has been approved for services so that
reasonable accommodations can be arranged.

2.The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons
with documented disabilities. Students should apply for services at the
Center for Disability Services/SNAP located on the first floor of the Lightsey Center, Suite 104. Students approved for
accommodations are responsible for notifying me as soon as possible and for
contacting me one week before accommodation is needed.

3.This College abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have a documented
disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which
you may require accommodations, please see an administrator at the Center of
Disability Services/SNAP, (843) 953-1431) or me so that such accommodation may
be arranged.

Lying,
cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code
that, when identified, are investigated.Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception
involved.

Incidents where the instructor determines the student-s
actions are related more to a misunderstanding will be handeled
by the instructor.A written intervention designed to help
prevent the student from repeating the error will be given to the student.The intervention, submitted by form and
signed both by the instructor and the student, will be forwarded to the Dean of
Students and placed in the student-s file.

Cases
of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor
and/or others having knowledge of the incident to the Dean of Students.A student found responsible by the Honor
Board for academic dishonesty will receive a XF in the course, indicating
failure of the course due to academic dishonesty.This grade will appear on the student-s
transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the X to be
expunged.The F is permanent.The student may also be placed on
disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary removal) or expelled (permanent
removal) from the College by the Honor Board.

Students
should be aware that unauthorized collaboration--working together without
permission-- is a form of cheating.Unless the instructor specifies that students can work together on an
assignment, quiz and/or test, no collaboration during the completion of the
assignment is permitted.Other forms of cheating include possessing or using an unauthorized
study aid (which could include accessing information via a cell phone or
computer), copying from others- exams, fabricating data, and giving
unauthorized assistance.

Research
conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in
part for any assignment in this class without obtaining prior permission from
the instructor.