Individualized Instruction (INI)

AST 1040 - Introductory Astronomy - Section 200

Instructor: Timothy Holst

Instructor E-mail: tholst@d.umn.edu

Term: Fall 2007

Date Range: 16 weeks beginning September 4, 2007 or date of registration if after September 4, 2007; Refer to the Course Completion Table for your start and end dates.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Credits: 3

Course Delivery: Correspondence

Registration Deadline: December 14, 2007

Cost per undergraduate credit: To Be Announced

Additional fees may apply

Prerequisites: None

Additional Info: A-F only; meets LE req of LE CAT5

Description: Survey of present knowledge of solar system, interstellar space, stars, galaxies, and universe. Historical development of astronomy as a science.

Required Textbooks: Textbooks can be purchased from the UMD Bookstore

Horizons, Exploring the Universe, 9th Edition (Wadsworth, 2006), Seeds, Michael. (or any recent edition)

Study Guide and Workbook (1994, 2006), Holst, Timothy. This is available electronically from the instructor or by hardcopy in the bookstore.

Course Welcome from Instructor:

You may sign up for this course at any time. This is an INI course, not an “online” course, but the study guide and questions are available electronically (word or PDF) and WebCT. You may submit all work electronically by email paste-in or attachment, but the exams are taken in the instructor’s office. Distance exam-proctoring arrangements have sometimes been available. If you sign up for the course, you should get a confirmation email from CE and the instructor. If you do not, email tholst@d.umn.edu.

Briefly About the Course
This undergraduate course is designed to provide a descriptive, non-mathematical introduction to the science of astronomy, the study of the universe. The course material is divided into three main sections, Classical Astronomy--The View From the Earth (nine subsections), The Solar System (four subsections), and Beyond the Solar System (five subsections). The first section on classical astronomy covers such topics as what the sky looks like, seasons, timekeeping, moon phases, eclipses, energy from space, and telescopes. The section on the solar system takes a close look at the planets, the sun, and other components of the solar system, and explores ideas of solar system origin. The last section deals with stars and their life cycles, galaxies, and ideas about the origin of the universe. The science of astronomy tries to answer the questions: “What is the universe like?”, “Where did it come from?”, and “What is its destiny?” It deals with such fantastic topics as black holes, supernovae, string theory, and cosmology, and such mundane topics as what time is it, what day is it, and who says so?

Course Expectations
You will be required to complete assigned readings in the textbook, and to read the study guide. There are a series of questions in the last part of the study guide that are to be completed at the end of each of the subsections. There is an examination at the end of each of the three main sections of the course. Grades will be based on the subsection assignments, and the three exams.

Assignments, Questions, and Exams
Evaluation in the course will be based on your responses to the questions in the last section of the study guide, and on three exams. There are questions for each of the subsections of material in the course (except that the very first two subsections are combined for questions). The questions are designed to make you think about the material in the text and handbook. Often there is not a single “right” answer, but you will need to demonstrate your knowledge of the course material in providing a good answer. In total, your responses to the questions will constitute 55% of your course grade. The percentage of your course grade for the questions for a given section and subsection are given in parentheses in the question section, and in parentheses after the question page number on the course outline below.

If you prefer, you may submit homework electronically. Send an email request to Dr. Holst (tholst@d.umn.edu) and he will email to you an attachment file with the questions; or simply enter your answers (carefully numbered) into any word processing program, paste into an email message, or add as an attachment and send to Dr. Holst.

If you do not prefer email, when you have completed the assigned questions for a subsection, remove the sheets from your study guide, PUT YOUR NAME, AND A LOCAL (CAMPUS OR OFF CAMPUS) ADDRESS ON THE ASSIGNMENT, send to Tim Holst, 140 Engr Bldg, 1303 Ordean Court, Duluth, MN 55812, (or you may bring them to the CSE Office, 140 Engr Bldg). They will be returned to you as promptly as possible. If you wish to discuss anything with Dr. Holst, he may be reached at 726-7807, leave a voice mail message after hours. Perhaps the best method for communication in this course is email. Send any question to tholst@d.umn.edu.

The three exams (15% of course grade each) will be designed to be easily completed in an hour; you may find they take you considerably less. They will not require much writing on your part, but will be very concise, designed to ensure that you have a basic grasp of the various concepts. Please arrange to take the exams by sending an email to Dr. Holst, or a phone call. You will be required to complete all the subsection assignments prior to taking the section exams. Upon completion of the each of the first two exams, you will be told approximately what course grade you are currently earning. Upon completion of the last of the three exams, your final course grade will be assigned, and submitted using the UM electronic system. You will be able to view your grade online the next day. If you complete the course by the end of the term you sign up for it, a grade will be turned in with final grade reports. Otherwise, an “I” grade will be assigned, and a change of grade processed when you complete the course work. For any I grade entered, the UM system automatically converts an I grade into an F grade 53 weeks after the I grade was first entered. It is possible to change the F grade to the grade you earn after that time, upon course completion, but waiting that long to complete the course is strongly discouraged.

Brief Introduction to Course Material
Hi, welcome to Ast 1040, Introductory Astronomy, the individualized learning version. The UMD Bulletin describes this course as a “nonmathematical description of present knowledge of the solar system, stars, interstellar space, galaxies, the universe”. Well, they got the nonmathematical part right. This course has no prerequisites, and there will be no required mathematics at all. By that, I mean that you will never be required to perform anything mathematical. There will be some addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in the text and in the course notes, but it will all be explained in great detail. Occasionally some more advanced mathematical concepts will be mentioned, alluded to, or discussed, but this is solely for those who do have a bit more math background, and may be curious as to the origin of certain relationships. There, we got your worries about math in this science course laid to rest.

In this course, we will take an exploratory tour through the science of astronomy, one of the most fascinating subjects around. There will be plenty of “wow, cool” types of subjects such as black holes, supernovae, string theory, and the origin of the universe, as well as incredible looks at details of the planets in the solar system we have recently discovered. We will also lay out the basics of classical astronomy, including such concepts as why the sky looks like it does (and what it looks like, for those of you who haven’t taken detailed notice), what causes seasons on the earth, why there are phases of the moon, and what time it is on Sesame Street (I mean this literally---timekeeping is an important subject in astronomy).

“Astron” comes from the word for star in Greek, and “nomus” means rule or law, so fundamentally astronomy is the science that deals with the celestial bodies, and the relationships, or “natural laws” that exist between them and govern their motion and evolution. Astronomy tries to answer the questions: “What is the universe like?” “Where did it come from?” and “What is its destiny?”

It is my hope that at the end of the course you know more about the various topics we shall cover than you do now. I have further hope for the accomplishment of two additional goals: First, that you develop an appreciation for and awe of what you see when you look up at night, and second that you develop a feeling for what science is, and what critical thinking means to a scientist. I hope we can discover a number of examples of the latter during the course.

The course is divided into three main sections, Classical Astronomy--The View From the Earth, The Solar System, and Beyond the Solar System. A more detailed outline of the various sections is given below, in several versions, for various editions of the textbook (Seeds) that you may have. Page numbers of handbook (this book) material, question page numbers, and an approximate timetable for completion of the course in 16 weeks, is also given. Read the handbook and the pages indicated in Seeds before attempting to answer the questions in the assignments. The handbook is intended to be a supplement to the text, in the same way that lectures would be in a course that was not an independent study course. As such, it is very detailed in some areas where the text is less detailed, and vice versa. Thus, the discussions in the handbook are rather long for some of the early topics in the course, but very cursory in later topics where the textbook is very detailed.

About the Instructor
Tim Holst, Ph.D., is a Professor of Geology, and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. In addition to teaching geology courses, he has been teaching introductory astronomy at the college level since 1970.

WebCT Information:

Please read through this document carefully as it will explain how to use WebCT and different ways to access your online course:

  • If you have not used the WebCT environment before please visit the “Student Orientation Course Site” http://webct.umn.edu/students/ prior to the beginning of this course.
  • It is very important that you test your login prior to the course start date. If you are having problems or if you need assistance, please email the WebCT Vista help desk at webct@umn.edu. Please note, you will not be able to access your course materials until September 4, 2007, but can test your login.
  • Please have your book or course materials before the course begins, contact the UMD bookstore to request the required materials 218-726-7286 or toll free 866-726-UMD1 or visit the book store web site at http://umdstores.com.

How do I access my online course(s)?

Log in:

  • Go to the University of Minnesota Duluth homepage http://www.d.umn.edu
  • On the left side of the page click on “My UMD” (see Quick Links)
  • Click on “Log into Portal”
  • Enter your x.500 login information
  • Click on the “My Toolkit” tab
  • Scroll down to find your course(s) or click on the WebCT Vista link.
  • Remember to Log Out when you are finished using WebCT.

You can also access your online course by following this route:

  • Go to the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Psychology homepage: http://www.d.umn.edu/psy
  • On the left of the page click on “Online Courses”
  • In the middle of the page click on “MyU Portal”
  • In the upper left of page click on “Click here to sign-in”
  • Enter your x.500 login information (same username and password you use for UMD email)
  • Click on the “My Toolkit” tab
  • Scroll down to find your course(s) or click on the WebCT Vista link.
  • Remember to Log Out when you are finished using WebCT.

Note: There is a wealth of information located within the psychology online course web page, so please bookmark this site: http://www.d.umn.edu/psy/online_courses/index.html

I do not know my University Internet ID and password

  • Please note: you must initiate your internet id account before logging into your online course. https://www.umn.edu/initiate
  • If you have initiated your account and forgotten your password, you will need to have your password reset. During business hours contact the Help Desk (218-726-8847) or if you are on campus, please visit the Campus Center Info Desk).

Important browser set up information

  • Please check to make sure that your browser is set to work with correctly with your online learning environment. http://webct.umn.edu/browser/config-vista.shtml
  • You will need to have your pop-up windows enabled and java configured. Review the above link.

Helpful WebCT Vista Student Resources:

 

DISABILITY ACCESS STATEMENT

To request disability accommodations, please contact:

Catherine Rackliffe
UMD Office of Equal Opportunity
269 DAdB
1049 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812-2496
Tel. 218-726-6827
FAX No. 218-726-7505
E -mail: cracklif@d.umn.edu

For more information on disability services and resources at UMD, please check out http://www.d.umn.edu/access/.