COURSE WEB SITE: http://www.etsu.edu/physics/bsmith/fall01/astro1_fall01.html
This web page will contain general information about the course, homework assignments, quiz answers, reminder notices, useful links, and other information.

CONTENTS OF THIS COURSE: This is the first half of a year-long course in modern astronomy for non-science majors. In Astronomy 1, general astronomical concepts and the solar system are covered. In Astronomy 2, stars, galaxies, and the Universe will be studied.

REQUIRED TEXT:  Universe: Origins and Evolution by Theodore P. Snow and Kenneth R. Brownberger   

In the fall semester (Astronomy I), we will be covering Chapters 1 - 11 in this book (basic astronomical concepts and the solar system). The rest of the book will be covered next semester.

LABORATORY: This course has a required laboratory. This laboratory meets either Monday, Tuesday, OR Thursday from 7:30 - 9:30 PM, depending on the section. The first lab meeting will not take place until the 3rd week of the semester (starting September 10). The location of the laboratory will alternate weekly between Brown room 264 and the ETSU Observatory. The first week we will meet in Brown, the next week at the Observatory, and so on throughout the semester. Reminders about the lab location will be posted weekly on the course web page.

Each student is required to buy the ASTR-1010 Astronomy I Laboratory Manual from the bookstore for this course, as well as the Star and Planet Finder. At the end of each lab in the manual, there is a sheet entitled either Observing Log or Laboratory Report, depending upon whether the lab deals with outdoor or indoor activities, respectively. Raw data taken during the lab should be recorded on these sheets and all questions answered. There is also an Experimental Summary section on these log/report sheets, where the student is required to write a paragraph or two summarizing the results of each experiement. These labs/reports will be due at the end of the lab period. No laboratory reports will be accepted late and there will be no make-ups for the labs! See the lab manual for more details about the organization of the lab.

HOMEWORK:  The homework in this class will be done over the internet, using the Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach (CAPA) software. A link to this software is available from the homework web page on the course web page, or can be reached directly at http://nebula.etsu.edu. This software provides immediate feedback from the computer as to whether the solution is correct or incorrect. You have unlimited tries to solve the problems; there is no penalty for incorrect answers.

Six CAPA homework assignments will be given during the semester. They will be posted by 3:30 PM on the day listed on the syllabus, and will be due at MIDNIGHT a week later. NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Only five out of the six homework assignments are required for full credit; the sixth set will provide extra credit.

When each homework set is posted on line, each student will be emailed their special CAPA password, which allows them access to CAPA. You must have a valid email address to receive this email. This can be an email address via a commercial service or your ETSU account. Every student at ETSU is provided with an ETSU email address at access.etsu.edu. Directions for activating your email are attached. If you have any questions, contact the Office of Information Technology at 439-4648 or in Room 309 Dossett Hall.

QUIZZES AND THE FINAL:  There will be six short quizzes during the semester, given during the last 20 minutes of class on the days listed on the syllabus. In addition, there will be a final exam. The final will be Tuesday December 11, from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM.

GRADING:  Your course grade will be based on your grades on the quizzes (60%), the laboratory grade (25%), the homework (15%), and class participation (3%). If your grade on the final is higher than your two lowest quiz grades, it will be used to replace those two quiz grades. In other words, your four highest quiz grades will be 40% of your grade and the final will be 20%. There will be 6 quizzes during the semester (see the syllabus for the dates of these quizzes).

There will be NO make-ups for the quizzes or the final. Instead, the lowest of either your two lowest quiz grades OR your grade on the final will be dropped. (Note that the final is worth two quiz grades). In other words, you can miss either two quizzes OR the final. I suggest, however, that you take all of the quizzes and the final, unless there is an extreme emergency. Do not skip quizzes for frivolous reasons! Other unforeseen difficulties may arise later on in the semester, making you unable to attend a later quiz or the final. Even if you have taken all the quizzes, I recommend that you take the final, unless you have an A average before the final. There is always the possibility that you may do better on the final than your lowest two quiz grades, and so improve your total score. Taking the final will not hurt your grade: it can only improve it.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: You might have noticed that the total percentage points for the final grade given above add up to more than 100%. The extra three percent is a bonus given for class participation. During class, there will be numerous demonstrations, as well as opportunities for questions and answers, etc. Participation in these activities will count towards your final grade, and may boost your grade from a B- to a B, for example.

Your final letter grade will be determined from the following percentage scale:

Percent	92 or more	90 to 92	87 to 90	83 to 87	80 to 83	77 to 80
Grade	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+

Percent	72 to 77	68 to 72	65 to 68	59 to 65	less than 59
Grade	C	C-	D+	D	F

ANY QUESTIONS? Send email to: beverly@panda.etsu.edu