Astronomy 320 -- Stars, Planets, and the Milky Way -- Spring 2004
This is a course about our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The primary emphasis will be on the structure, evolution, and dynamics of the Milky Way and its constituent stars, gas, and dust. The course will also include material on the solar system, planetary systems beyond the Sun, and the search for extraterrestrial life. Weekly required reading assignments will be from two required texts and astronomy articles distributed by the instructor.
The course is designed to be the first upper-level astronomy course taken by astronomy (BA) and astrophysics (BS) majors. It is also suitable for students in other majors who have a strong interest in astronomy and physics and have taken at least one semester of physics.
The course will emphasize physical laws and principles that underlie astronomical theory and observation. Homework assignments will be a mixture of problem sets (calculations), reading and short writing assignments, and occasional web-based exercises. Scientific notation, algebra, trigonometry, and logarithms will be used extensively. Calculus is not required but may be helpful.
Meeting
time: Mondays & Wednesdays
Meeting place: TH432
Instructor: Dr. Adrienne Cool
Office: TH416
Phone: (415) 338-6450
Email: cool@sfsu.edu
Office
hours: Tuesdays
Required texts:
* Zeilik and Gregory (Z&G), Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics, Fourth Edition
* Croswell (KC), The Alchemy of the Heavens:
Searching for Meaning in the Milky Way
Additional
readings will be provided by the instructor
Grading policy:
class participation 8%
homeworks (about 10 x 5% each) 50%
midterm 17%
final (Mon. May 24,
no late homeworks will be accepted; lowest homework grade will be dropped
Dates to remember: last day to drop: Feb. 24 last day to withdraw: Apr. 28
CR/NCR option: deadline Mar 30 (sign up at www.sfsu.edu/student)
* turn over for syllabus *