planets, stars, and galaxies: ast1002-0002
TRANSCRIPT
Planets, Stars, and Galaxies: AST1002-0002
Instructor: Jorge PiekarewiczDepartment of Physics (Room 204)
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4350
Telephone: (850)644-6344
email: [email protected]
Time and Venue
• Location: Zoom Meetings (http://my.fsu.edu)• Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30AM – 10:45 AM• Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:45AM – 11:30 AM
Course ObjectivesThis course provides general acquaintance with some of the facts, concepts and scientific methods of astronomy. As
a liberal study course, the goal is to help students learn some basic facts of astronomy as well as gain an appreciation
of astronomy as a science, the universe, and the current scientific ideas about its history and its future. By the end
of this course, you will have the background to understand news on the latest advances in astronomy, and have the
means to assess the validity of a scientific claim.
Textbook; select one of the following:
• Lecture-Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy, Prather, Slater, Adams, and Brissenden (Pearson)• Understanding Our Universe, Palen, Kay, and Blumenthal (W. W. Norton & Company)
Evaluation of PerformanceAssignments Quizzes Class Participation Midterm Exam Final Exam
15% 15% 10% 20% 40%
Grading ScaleA A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F
93-100 92-90 89-87 86-83 82-80 79-77 76-73 72-70 69-67 66-63 62-60 59-0
In order to fulfill the Natural Sciences requirement, you must earn a “C-” or better in the course.
LogisticsClasses will be held online via Zoom. To join the Zoom meetings and attend classes, you will need to log
in through your FSU CANVAS account (https://canvas.fsu.edu), access this course through the Dashboard, and click
the link “Zoom” on the left navigation pane. A popup window will show you the scheduled Zoom meetings. Please
DO NOT share the meeting IDs with anyone outside of this course.
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LecturesClass attendance is absolute key to your success! Lectures are held Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-10:45 AM via Zoom.
Lectures will provide an active learning environment involving a combination of lectures and tutorials, rather than
the passive “notes transferring”. Be an engaged and an active participant during this time. If you are lost, please ask
questions. You are already taking—and paying for—the class so give it a chance by immersing yourself in astronomy
and try to learn some cool things about the universe! Classes last for only 75 minutes so during that time please put
away all materials that are not essential to the class. I am confident that you can stay away from social media for 75
minutes without serious consequences. These are some of the fascinating questions that you will be able to answer at
the end of the course:
• How was the universe born and how old is it?• How does the sun shine and will it shine forever?• How did the chemical elements essential for life form?• What are white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes?• What causes the seasons and what causes the eclipses?• And many more ...
Help is AvailableI am here to help and I love to help! Please do not wait until the end of the term to ask for help. Office hours are
scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:45-11:30 AM (also by Zoom). If you have other classes that prevent you
from attending office hours, you can email me and we will find a convenient time.
AssignmentsThere will be a web-based homework assignment each week. The weekly assignments will be uploaded into CANVAS.
You can assess the site from the FSU CANVAS system, where you need to have an active account. Please make
sure that you can login to CANVAS (http://my.fsu.edu) and can access the link to the AST1002 course. Homework
assignments will appear in the link “Assignments” on the left navigation pane. All assignments will be due exactly
one week after they have been posted and no extension will be given.
QuizzesThere will be approximately 5-6 quizzes during the semester and these will be administered sometime during the
lectures, either on Tuesday or Thursday. The quizzes consist of multiple-choice questions. No make-up quizzes will be
given, so to account for unexpected absence, your lowest score will not be counted towards your final course grade.
Class ParticipationAn easy 10% for you to collect. Show up to class, be fully engaged during lectures and tutorials, and be ready
to answer some multiple-choice questions. i>Clicker will be used during class meetings to answer questions. Since
the classes will be taught remotely, i>Clicker Cloud/Reef will be used. Note that traditional i>Clicker Re-
motes will no longer be supported. It is important that you purchase the i>Clicker and register your account on
CANVAS before the end of the first week of class. To acquire and set up your i>Clicker Cloud/Reef account,
visit https://www.iclicker.com/pricing. To receive credit, you will need to register your i>Clicker account on CAN-
VAS. For further instructions, visit https://support.canvas.fsu.edu/kb/article/1090- iclicker-reef-polling-setup-guide-
for- students/.
ExamsThere will be one midterm exam scheduled for Tuesday, October 13 at 9:30 AM. The two-hour final exam is
determined by the FSU registrar and has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 9 at 10:00 AM.
Academic Honor CodeStudents are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in the Florida State University Bulletin and the
Student Handbook. The first paragraph reads as follows: The Academic Honor System of Florida State University is
based on the premise that each student has the responsibility to:
• uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student’s own work,
• refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the University community, and
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• foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the University community.
Information at: https://fda.fsu.edu/academic-resources/academic-integrity-and-grievances/academic-honor-policy
Americans with Disabilities Act:
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to
the Office of Accessibility Services; and (2) request a letter from the Office of Accessibility Services to be sent to the
instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type; and (3) meet (in person, via phone, email, Skype,
Zoom, etc. . . ) with each instructor to whom a letter of accommodation was sent to review approved accommodations.
This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For the latest version of this
statement and more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact:
Office of Accessibility Services
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
https://dsst.fsu.edu/oas