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Astronomy 1304, crn 77497
Spring 2014
Northwest College
Instructor:
Telephone:
Email
Professor Barry
713-974-5749 Home
john.barry@hccs.edu
Class meets: SPBR 205 Mon, Wed 11:00am to 12:30pm
Course : Introductory course for non-science students emphasizing broad themes;
Conceptual – general understanding of the fundamental laws of astronomy, the methods
and value of science, abstract reasoning; the historical development of modern astronomical
ideas; the night sky, the solar system, including the laws of motion and surface properties of
the planets. Significant emphasis on geological aspects of astronomy, attention to current
NASA projects. This is a lecture course, not involved with measurement, lab equipment or
observation of the sky; however, opportunities may arise for students to attend out-of-theclassroom activities such as night time observations and other pertinent activities.
Core curriculum course. The prerequisite for this course is the successful completion of
pre-algebra; MATH 0312. Contact the instructor should you have any questions. The
astronomy courses are not requisites of one another and may be taken in any order.
Course Text: Required; The Solar System. 6th, 7th or 8th Edition; Michael A.Seeds
Thomson/Brookscole Publishers. The text will be used extensively.
Note: There is a two-semester version of the text – Foundations of Astronomy 10, 11 or
12th Edition; Michael A.Seeds – Not recommended. Students will need a small
calculator.
Academic Responsibility
Please refer to the Student Handbook concerning grievances, complaints, discipline
(including student conduct), scholastic dishonesty and student rights. Cheating incidents
will be handled severely. Please contact me if you require any reasonable accommodation
to achieve your academic responsibilities.
Attendance – Student must sign the attendance sheet for each class. Texas state
guidelines and HCCS policies require that student with more than FOUR absences be
withdrawn from the class. Students will be dropped from the course when they miss 7
classes. Arriving late or leaving early will be recorded. Three late arrivals or leaving early
equals one absence. Attending class and paying attention is the key to a good grade. Stay
current in your studies – be prepared for lectures. Class participation will be monitored.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are struggling with the class. Class is dismissed
at 12:20pm. Students should not schedule a class that has a time conflict.
Withdrawal policy – The Texas administration now requires that students who do not
withdraw from a course before Mar. 31, at 4:00pm must be assigned a grade from A
through F and cannot be “withdrawn”.
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Exams will be based on lectures, reading assignments, in-class activities and films. All
exams will be closed book and open-notes. Students may use hand-written notes from
class or hand-written summaries of relevant material. Student must take all exams; there
are no “dropped exams”. Make-up exams are an unpleasant experience. They require a
valid excuse (Doctor’s note, accident report etc.) and are generally more difficult than the
missed exam. The college mandates that students attend the final exam on the published
date. The final exam is not comprehensive.
Exam Schedule and content – Grade calculation
Exam One
4 Chapters
Wed Feb. 5, 2014
Exam Two
4 Chapters
Wed Mar. 12, 2014
Exam Three
4 Chapters
Mon. Apr. 7, 2014
Final Exam
4 Chapters
Mon. May 5, 2014
Grading:
Exams
Notebook (8%), Short report(4%),
Video Reviews, Lecture quizzes (10%),
In-class responses(3%).
Buying a textbook
Completing EGSL3 Must submit by May 2, 2014
TOTAL
18.75%
18.75%
18.75%
18.75%
75%
25%
0.5%
0.5%
101%
Grading % may be adjusted at the discretion of the professor. No make-up exam
Late assignments- 20% penalty.
Syllabus subject to change without notice.
Grading Scale – 100-90 =A, 89-80 = B, 79-70 = C, 69-60 = D, <60 = F
“curved” to reflect the spread of the test scores.
Grades may be
Notebooks: Students must purchase a bound notebook to be used exclusively for
Astronomy 1304. A notebook “combined” with other courses will not be accepted. The
notebook should be submitted to the professor for grading at the end of each exam. The
notebook might be divided into 2 parts – notes taken in class and notes on the textbook.
Video Reviews: Students will submit notes on videos shown in class. Videos will cover
historical scientists, planets, the sun, scientific topics. The notes will not be included in the
notebook; but submitted on separate sheets. Video reviews will be graded. Students
sleeping or texting during videos will not be credited with having watched the film.
Lecture quizzes – An “in-class” lecture quiz w ill be administered for some chapters.
Students must attend and listen to the lectures during the appropriate class periods to receive credit
for the quiz. Lecture Quizzes are due at the end of class.
Texting, laptops, computers and cellphones – Students may not use electronic devices
of any type in the classroom during class time. These devices are a detriment to learning in
that they break the concentration of students during lecture. In particular, texting is not
allowed during class time. Students needing to respond to a text or cell phone call must
leave the classroom. Students who text in the classroom will be asked to leave for the
day.
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Notebook – Students must purchase a notebook that is exclusive for Astronomy.
- Inside cover - Write your name, course name and phone number ( ladies may use
the professor’s phone number 713-974-5749) I suggest students offer a reward of $10
for return of the notebook.)
- Students should date each day’s entry – either lecture or notes from reading.
Name and title: Students should clearly indicate their name and the title of any item
submitted for grading. Students failing to do so will be penalized 2%.
Notice: If you feel you are going to be unable to continue with the course or you must stop
attending class periods and you wish to drop the course you must do so by the posted drop
date.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric,
vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the
Disability Services Office at his or her respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty
members are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support
Services Office. Persons needing accommodations due to a
documented disability should contact the ADA counselor for their college as soon as
possible. At Northwest College, a student may contact Mahnaz Kolaini or Norma Jean Brand by
visiting their office in the Accommodation Resource Center. Also, interested students may wish to
consult the Disability Support Services Student Handbook which may be found online.
Student Course Reinstatement Policy
Students have a responsibility to arrange payment for their classes when they
register, either through cash, credit card, financial aid, or the installment plan.
Faculty members have a responsibility to check their class rolls regularly,
especially during the early weeks of a term, and reconcile the official class roll to
ensure that no one is attending class whose name does not appear on it. Students
who are dropped from their courses for nonpayment of tuition and fees who
request reinstatement after the official date of record (OE Date) can be reinstated
by making payment in full and paying an additional $75 per course reinstatement
fee. A student requesting reinstatement should present the registrar with a
completed Enrollment Authorization Form with the signature of the instructor,
department chair, or dean who should verify that the student has been attending
class regularly. Students who are reinstated are responsible for all course policies
and procedures, including attendance requirements.
COURSE REPEATS:
Effective Fall 2006, HCC charges a higher tuition rate to students registering for the third or
subsequent time for certain courses. Students who enroll for most credit and CEU classes for a third
or more time will be charged an additional $50 per semester credit hour and $3.00 per contact hour,
except for courses exempted by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
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Academic Honesty
At Houston Community College, academic integrity is expected of all its members and stakeholders.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the willful attempt to misrepresent one’s work,
cheat, plagiarize, or impede other students’ scholastic progress. Scholastic dishonesty is treated with
the utmost seriousness by the instructor and the College. Please refer to the Student Handbook for
specific information related to professional conduct and scholastic dishonesty.
AskOnline Tutoring
Students can get free assistance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in Mathematics,
English and many other subjects, at www.hccs.askonline.net. Typically, posted questions
will be answered by an HCC tutor or faculty member within 24 hours (usually under 6
hours).
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System
At Houston Community College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is
necessary to improve teaching and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked
to answer a short online survey of research-based questions related to instruction. The
anonymous results of the survey will be made available to your professors and division
chairs for continual improvement of instruction. Look for the survey as part of the
Houston Community College Student System online near the end of the term.
This year, HCC with the help of the Faculty Senate is implementing the online EGLS3 -Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System to replace the paper SEOI,
Student Evaluation of Instruction.
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