| Syllabus | Links | Schedule | Grades |
Instructor - Dr. Mark Lewis
Contact Info - Office: HAS 201K, Phone: 999-7022, E-mail: mlewis@trinity.edu, Office Hours: 9:30-11:30 MWF, 10:30-12:00 T, and 1:00-4:00 R, or by appointment.
Course Meetings - 12:30am MWF in SLH
Text - There is one text for this course and it is required: "The Cosmic Perspective" 3rd Edition by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit .
Course Description – This course is an introduction to the field of planetary astronomy. It satisfies the Common Curriculum for Natural Sciences. In this course you will learn to understand better the details of the night sky and what you see when you look into it. You will also learn about the structure and scale of our solar system and something of the scale of the whole Universe and our place in it. We will discuss how our Solar System formed and the details of the various bodies in it. Much of this will be done in the context of comparative planetology and we will apply what we learn about other worlds back to Earth. To help you understand what we know about the solar system and how we know it, we will also cover basic principles of physics.
You should be aware going into this course that astronomy is an applied branch of physics. As such, we will cover a fair bit of physics and the math required to do that physics in this course. None of the math will be more advanced than basic algebra, but you will be required to do unit conversions and solve some simple equations to find unknowns.
As with all of the courses that I teach, this course should also make you think. You should not only learn content, but how to apply that content and hopefully you will find that by the end of the semester, you look at problems you face in science or other classes with a different perspective. I also hope that this course give you a different perspective on the way that science works, the way the Universe works, and the role we play in the Universe.
Grading – The grade for this course will come from four different areas: assignments, tests, and quizzes, and class participation. A brief description of each follows.
Assignments (30%) – Over the course of the semester, you will be given 7 small assignments that test whether you are able to apply the things that we are discussing in class. They all count evenly so none is a significant factor on your grade alone. These provide you with a chance to test yourself and explore the options of what you can do.
Tests (20% & 30%) – The largest component of your grade comes from the tests. There will be a midterm and a final. The midterm counts as 20% of your average and the final is 30%. These will test your individual understanding of the concepts that are covered in the course. Test questions can pull from assignments or quizzes. The midterm will happen in class as stated on the schedule and the final is scheduled for the normal final exam time for our class meeting time (2:00pm Tuesday, 12-13).
Quizzes (10%) – Over the course of the semester you will be given 6 quizzes. The lowest of these will be dropped. The quizzes serve three purposes in this course. They help you to gauge how well you understand the concepts, they help me see what progress different students are making, and they help you to be prepared for the tests which count significantly more toward your grade. This last objective is accomplished by the fact that the quizzes consist of questions similar in style to what will be given on the exams.
Class Participation (10%) – The last 10% of your grade will be determined by a number of different factors related to class participation. I will keep track of attendance over the course of the semester and that will be a major factor in your class participation. During class we will also have discussions and there will be questions that you will answer in small groups. These will also impact your class participation grade.
All work that is turned in as part of this course will be pledged (assuming you are in a year that it part of the honor code). Unless otherwise noted, all work that you turn in is to be completed by you. I support students studying together and working together to understand the concepts of the course. Just make sure that what you hand in to me in the end is material that you yourself produced and reflects your abilities and understanding.