SYLLABUS – AST 2002, Section 0003, Fall 2011

Instructor:Dr. James Cooney

PS 154

Phone – 407-823-5513

E-mail:

Office Hours:Tuesday, Thursday 10-11am, Wednesday 10:30-11:30am, or by appointment.

Textbook: The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 6th Edition by Bennett et al.

iClicker

Grading:Exams: 75%

Quizzes/HW: 20%

Clickers: 5%

There will be four exams, of which I will count the three highest for 25% each. There will be NO make-ups given, which means that if you miss an exam, it will count as your dropped score.

The HW will be online. Access is briefly discussed below and will be elaborated on during the first week of class.

We will be making use of the iClicker feedback system every day. You will receive points both for participation and for correct answers. There will be three dropped clicker days to account for any days you might miss due to illness, forgetting your clicker, etc.

1% of extra credit, added to your final grade, may be earned by visiting UCF’s Robinson Observatory during the semester. They have open house nights approximately once per week, during which time you may attend and bring whomever you like. Open hours for this facility can be found at They have forms there for you to fill out to earn the extra credit. Additionally, 2% of extra credit may be earned by reading The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan and discussing the book with me in my office. This book is not available in the campus bookstore, but may be found in local libraries or online. This must be done before the last day of classes.

90-100% - A

80-90%– B

70-80% – C

55-70 – D

Less than 55% - bad news

Important Dates:Classes Begin: August 22

Withdrawal Deadline: October 27
Classes End: December 3

Exam 1: September 8

Exam 2: October 6

Exam 3: November 3

Final Exam: December 6, 1pm

iClickers:iClickers are available in the campus bookstore and other locations. The same iClicker can be used for any classes which require them. Both iClicker and iClicker 2 are compatible with our system. When you first get the iClicker, go to to register it. Use your NID, including the two leading letters, as you student ID. You MUST always use only your iClicker. Anyone caught using someone else’s clicker will immediately receive an F for the course, as will the owner of that clicker.

Website:We will be using Mastering Astronomy for this course. Access to this system can be found at Pay attention in class to find out in more detail how to access the site for our course. All homework will be done on the site, in the Assignments section. All of your grades will be accessible on the site, as well as a wealth of other tools, including course announcements. Course notes and other documents, such as exam reviews, will be posted here as well. The course code that you will need is COONEYF110003. Use your NID for your student ID.

Course Description:Welcome, friends, to the wonderful world of astronomy. Who hasn’t sat outside on a dark, clear night and wondered at the beauty of what they beheld? The observational science of astronomy deals with our attempts to understand what we see and to find our place in the universe. This course is intended to be of interest to students of any major and, as so, will be largely qualitative in nature. That is not to say that there will be no mathematics used, be will we tend to keep it to a minimum. Please know that I am very invested in your learning and understand of astronomy, so please feel free to come and see me if you ever need any help!

Some additional policies:

  1. Picture ID will be required at all exams.
  2. Don’t cheat. It takes a real jerk to cheat in a class like this because it screws everyone else who is working hard for their grade. The deterrent should not be the punishment, but your sense of decency, but should you get caught, I will immediately fail you for the course and proceed with the University disciplinary hearings.
  3. Don’t come to me at the end of the semester with a question about a grade on an exam or quiz. If you think there has been a mistake made, bring it to my attention immediately.
  4. All details subject to change, so please pay attention to announcements on the website and in class.
  5. All general UCF policies apply. Especially see the Golden Rule, and the UCF Creed,