Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None.
Course Description:
The course includes the study of the motions and structures of the Earth, the Moon, the
Sun, planets, stars and galaxies, and consideration of cosmological theories.
Meeting Time and Location:
6:30-9:10pm Mondays in LaTourette Hall 200
Instructor Information:
Instructor: Mr. Matt Wiesner
Office: Faraday 223
E-mail: matthewwiesner@aol.com
or mwiesner1@niu.edu
Office Hours: 1-2pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Other times by appointment. It is very likely I will be in my office between 4-6:20pm on Mondays.
Office (Observatory) Phone: (815) 753-1305
Required Textbook:
Comins, Neil F. Discovering the Essential Universe, Fourth Edition. W.H. Freeman and
Company, 2009. ISBN-13: 978-1-4292-1797-2.
Course Weighting:
Exams (2) 30%
Final Exam (1)
Attendance and participation
Homework
Grading Scale:
90-100% A
79-89%
68-78%
B
C
57-67% D less than 56% F
20%
20%
30%

Groups:
For many activities, you will need to work with in a group of 2. Please choose a group partner during the first week and plan to work with this person regularly. During each class you should plan to work with another person.
Exams:
There will be two Exams and one Final Exam in this course. The two exams will cover material since the previous exam. The final exam will be cumulative. All exams will cover material presented both in class and in the text book.
For each exam, you may have one 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of paper on which you may write anything you wish on both sides. That is all you may use on the exams; all other materials and devices will not be allowed.
Attendance and Think-Pair-Share:
ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY AT ALL CLASSES. At each class, an attendance sheet will be passed around for you to sign. You must sign the sheet to obtain the 5 points for attendance each day.
At each class, several think-pair-share questions will be asked. You should discuss these questions with your group partner before responding. Responding to these questions will be part of your participation grade.
At random intervals I may collect written responses to think-pair-share questions as part of your participation grade.
Keep in mind: I work under the expectation that you will be present every class day. I will often make announcements and provide information only in class, and not in any other place. Thus if you skip many classes you will be at a strong disadvantage.
Classroom Decorum:
It is expected that you attend class regularly and respect your classmates.
 Please do not sleep in class.
 Please do not use cell phones or iPods.
 Please do not text.
 Please do not use profanity in the classroom.
 Please also do not carry on conversations during class.
 Please do not arrive late or leave early.
If you regularly do these or other disruptive things, I will stop class and ask you to stop or ask you to leave and/or decline any attendance/participation points for that
day.
Questions:
You can earn extra credit for asking questions. If you ask a reasonable, meaningful and relevant question during the class, you can earn 1 point of extra credit (applicable to
Homework grade). You can only get 1 point of extra credit per class. To obtain the extra
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credit, after asking the question you must write down the question and turn it in with your name on it and “Extra Credit Question” written on the top.
Homework:
Homework will be distributed in class and part will be done in class. The remainder should be completed at home. At times you will need to use a simple Excel spreadsheet (a “Black Box”) to finish this work.
Other Extra Credit:
Beyond the daily questions, Extra Credit may be available for:
(1) Attending Mars Night at NIU (tentatively March 3) (30 points);
(2) Attending the talk by Uwe Bergmann (date TBA) (30 points)
(3) Attending the “Learn the Spring Constellations at NIU!” demonstration (tentatively
April 23) (30 points for attending the whole time)
(4) Improving your score on the post-test ( 1 /
2 than the pre-test)
point for each percentage point higher
All of these extra credit points will be applied to the Exams category.
Extracurricular Activities:
If you will be participating in extracurricular activities that will impact course attendance, you need to contact me and advise me within the first week so we can discuss accommodations.
Make up Policy:
Homeworks are due when stated. You will lose 50% of the credit on homeworks if they are up to 1 week late. After 1 week they will not be accepted.
Makeups for exams will only be allowed if a documented emergency or universitysanctioned event has taken place and I have been advised via e-mail BEFORE THE
EXAM. Documentation of the excusing event will be required. Makeups for exams may or may not be allowed at the discretion of the instructor. There are no makeups for the final exam.
Honors Program:
Students who are taking this as an honors class should speak to me no later than
January 31 to discuss an honors project. The honors project will be treated as pass/fail.
It will not directly impact your grade, but it must be completed in order to earn honors credit for this class. Honors projects typically involve a research project at the
Observatory.
Right to Modify Course Content:
The instructor and the university reserve the right to modify, amend, or change the syllabus (course requirements, grading policy, etc.) as the curriculum and/or program require.
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Accommodation for Disabilities:
Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations should speak to me as soon as possible to discuss their needs. Assistance is also available from the NIU
Center for Access-Ability Resources (www.niu.edu/caar/).
Academic Integrity Policy:
Academic dishonesty on any assignment will result in a failing grade on that assignment and possible referral to university authorities. Other penalties may also be applied as stated in the NIU Student Code of Conduct.
You may not use any books or notes on exams. You may not have cell phones or any other electronic devices out during tests. You obviously may not look at another person’s work or confer with another person.
Finally, when completing homework, do not copy another person’s work. While discussing the homework with others is fine, copying their work is not and will be treated as plagiarism.
Class Day
23-Jan
Topic
Intro, pre-test and Introduction to the Night Sky
Please Read
Chapter 1
30-Jan
6-Feb
13-Feb
20-Feb
27-Feb
5-Mar
12-Mar
19-Mar
26-Mar
2-Apr
9-Apr
16-Apr
23-Apr
30-Apr
7-May
Gravitation and planetary motion
Light and telescopes
Earth, Moon, planets and asteroids
Review and Exam 1
In-person meetings
The Sun
No class, spring break
Classifying stars
Lives of stars
Deaths of stars
Review and Exam 2
Galaxies
Cosmology
Astrobiology and review for Final
Final Exam 6-7:50pm
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapters 4-6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
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