Course Guide
Instructor
Brent Studer
Email: bstuder@kirkwood.edu
Angel Learning Management System
Facebook group: Astronomy@kirkwood:ic
Follow on Twitter: text follow brentstuder to 40404
Course Information
PHS-151, 3 s.h.
Astronomy is the oldest physical science and based on the supposition that the universe is comprehensible through natural laws. We will study our place in the universe from both a historical and modern perspective. Our studies will include reading of original texts and narratives that place significant astronomical discoveries in a historical context. Recent discoveries and theories will be included as we explore and attempt to identify the underlying unity of the physical laws governing our universe.
We will learn the basic terminology of astronomy and astrophysics, how the scientific method works, and various facts about astronomical objects. The lab portion of the course will illustrate how we make observations and collect data, assess errors and learn to write in the style of scientific journals.
Prerequisites: None.
Co-requisites: None. Although
there are no formal prerequisites established for registration in this
introductory class, mathematics is an integral part of modern science.
If you have completed and retain some understanding of high school-level
Algebra 1, you can be successful. Students concerned with their math
background are strongly advised to discuss this with the instructor
Section Information
0147528
6:00 – 8:50 p.m. Thursday, Iowa City Credit Center,
Room 262.
Course Material Needed
Comins, Neil, Discovering the Essential Universe, 4th ed
Bartusiak, Marcia, Archives
of the Universe
Ferris, Timothy, Coming of Age in the Milky Way
Sky Publishing Company laboratory handouts
SC001 Equatorial Star Chart
SC002 Northern Polar Star Chart
Drop Date
Students dropping a class during the first two weeks of a term may receive a full or partial tuition refund. Details of the refund schedule are available from Enrollment Services in 216 Kirkwood Hall. For detailed discussion of drop dates and policies, please read the student handbook. The last date to drop this class for this term is April 12, 2011.
Final Exam
Final exams are scheduled during the last week of the term from May 5 to May 11. The final exam for this class is scheduled for May 5 at 6 p.m.
