FOLSOM LAKE COLLEGE
ASTRONOMY 300-15669
SPRING 2021
INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY
Professor: DANIEL HALE
Class time:
Online Only
Classroom: Online
Office Hours: M, T, W, Th 8:00 am – 9:15 am
Office: Zoom Password: 137314
Office hours will be first come first serve and there will be a waiting room and I will admit one student at a
time for privacy.
E-mail: haled@flc.losrios.edu
Phone: (916) 608-6786
PREREQUISITES/CREDIT: None.
Course is transferable to UC/CSU
TEXTBOOKS: The Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals 3rd edition with Mastering Astronomy, available at
the FLC bookstore.
MATERIALS REQUIRED: Have the book and a calculator with you when you’re working in the class.
OBJECTIVES: This course is a descriptive online course in general astronomy treating the nature and
evolution of the solar system, stars, galaxies, cosmology and life in the universe. It is also a course in scientific
principles and critical thinking. At the completion of the class the student will be able to use deductive
reasoning to create scientific conclusions from astronomical phenomena.
Remember, this is a science class, and that means there is an expected level of mathematical ability. I will
help with any math problems in this class. There will be some calculations which must be shown in a step by
step manner. Plan to spend 3 – 6 hours a week outside of class studying and reading.
When you are done with this course you should be able to:
• Recall important words and definitions used in astronomy.
• Investigate conceptual and simple quantitative problems requiring the application of basic physics
and astronomy.
• Explain astronomical evolutionary processes within the universe.
• Explain the major similarities and differences between the planets and other objects within the
solar system.
• Explain the daily and yearly motions of the night sky and of the Sun, Moon and planets.
GRADING: Your performance in this class will be evaluated on the following breakdown:
Other/Observations:
Quizzes:
Homework
Stellarium Assignments:
Discussion Boards:
Midterm Exam:
Final Exam:
10%
15%
10%
15%
10%
20%
20%
Final Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
100%-90% : A
89% - 80% : B
79% - 70% : C
69% - 60% : D
< 60%: F
READING/LECTURES: We will cover about 1 chapter (sometimes 2) a week in the course schedule.
You will know which chapters in the book and PowerPoint lectures to read as all a week’s readings and
assignments are in the module for that week, All reading corresponds to chapters from the book, except the
PowerPoints on Light which is an added in section with the material being dispersed throughout the text but
concentrated in the PowerPoint.
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QUIZZES: There will be 16 short multiple choice online quizzes on Canvas for each chapter, but I will drop
your two lowest quiz scores. These are done 100% online and must be done via a computer. There is no
make-up for the midterm or the final exam which are also done online.
HOMEWORK: Homework will done and graded on using Modified Mastering Astronomy. You will access
this via the My Lab and Mastering navigation tool under Modules on the left bar. Also check the instructions
for this in the modules. There are two ways to get access to this site, 1) if you buy the book with the access
code from the bookstore, or 2) you buy the book from a secondary source and you have to BUY access to
the homework site. If you buy access please make sure to choose the Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals 3rd
edition for the text. Also realize that this access and eText access costs $59.99 and it may just be cheaper to
just buy a new book from the bookstore. Please note MOST secondary sites DO NOT include mastering
astronomy access, even if it says online access (this refers to another site I do NOT use), so again it may be
best to just buy the book new from the bookstore. I will drop your two lowest homework scores. The
homework site is open until the day of the final exam but closes that night so no work can be turned in after
that point. Homework is the ONLY item that can be turned in late and they are docked 5% per day late. I also
drop your two lowest homework scores.
OBSERVATIONS: There will be two observation projects and additional assignments. The first observation
will be due on 3/6 and the second will be due on 5/8. More information can be found on the Canvas eLearing
site. Please note these assignments are Not done using Stellarium, they are done outside in person without a
telescopes, or what astronomers call naked eye.
STELLARIUM ASSIGNMENTS:
There will be 6 assignments through the term. These will be assigned different weeks depending on material
of the week. Once you enter the assignment there will instructions and files to use. I will also be dropping
you lowest score in this category.
DISCUSSION BOARDS: There will be 2 discussion questions per week to get full credit per thread you
need to post one main post and respond to 2 other posts (either mine or other students). Week 14 only has 1
Discussion board. The dues dates will be Wednesdays for the first thread of the week and Sunday for the
second post. The discussion board is our classroom so please post and participate and let me know if you
have any questions. There will be other various threads (like the Introduction, What you want to know about
Astronomy etc.) that are in Addition to these threads and are graded. Also “good job” and “Well done” type
posts do not count. I will be dropping your two lowest discussion scores.
MIDTERM: The Midterm for the class will be on Friday March 5th through Saturday March 6th and will
be done 100% online. You will have access all day that day, But once you start it is timed and you cannot
leave and come back. So set up a good time during the day to work on this. Even though the quiz and home
for chapter 7 are due after the midterm, they are still covered on the test (chapters 1- 7 and light are covered).
If you miss the Midterm for any reason you will be dropped from the class. You are given ample
warning about the day and how to access the exam, so missing it is not an option.
FINAL EXAM: The Final Exam will be on Friday May 14th through Saturday May 15th and will be done
100% online. This is at the end of Week 16 (meaning you will still have other work due that week). You will
have access all day that day, But once you start it is timed and you cannot leave and come back. So set up a
good time during the day to work on this. The Final Exam will Only cover material from the mid-term on
(i.e. is NOT cumulative! Only chapters 8 - 15 are covered). There are no make ups for the Final, if you miss
it you get a zero on it.
ATTENDANCE/ WITHDRAWAL: If you miss more than 1 week of class for any reason then you are
subject to dismissal from the class. See course catalog. Do not assume that I will withdraw you from the class
if you stop attending. I track attendance in here by looking at discussion board posts and quiz and homework
completion. Also if you do Not do the Orientation quiz and intro post in week 1, I will drop you.
HONESTY: Any act of dishonesty will result in one of the following actions; the students shall fail the
project (Quiz, exam, etc.) and depending on the severity, the student can be subject to dismissal from the
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class and/or receive a failing grade for the course. This includes turning in identical (or nearly identical)
Quizzes.
If you are having trouble understanding something, be it Astronomy or mathematical in nature, PLEASE ask
me to explain it again. I want you to UNDERSTAND THE ASTRONOMY, not just memorize some
formula or fact and regurgitate it to me on the Homeworks, Quizzes and Exams.
CLASSROOM: Remember this is a college class and I expect all of you be respectful of me and others in
this class and to maintain a professional and open attitude. Even on discussion boards please remember to
get things civil! Deviation from this expectation may result in warning followed by removal from class and
formal disciplinary action (see Student Rights and Responsibilities section of catalog for details).
OTHER: If you have any questions at any time, please feel free to ask away!
DISABLED STUDENT PROGRAM & SERVICES (DSPS) – ACCOMODATIONS:
Accommodations: This course is designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone,
including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or
are new to online learning. Please let me know immediately if you encounter a required element or resource
in the course that is not accessible to you. Also, let me know of changes we can make to the course so that
it is more welcoming to, accessible to, or usable by students who take this course in the future.
Disabled Student Program and Services (DSPS): Students who may need an academic accommodation
based on the impact of a disability and who require instructional, curricular, or test accommodations are
responsible for making such needs known to the instructor as early as possible. Every possible effort will
be made to accommodate students in a timely and confidential manner. Individuals who request
accommodations must be registered with the Office of Disabled Students Programs and Services which
authorizes accommodations for students with disabilities. The philosophy of DSPS is to encourage
maximum independence and personal empowerment through a successful educational experience.
You can reach these services in a number of ways:
Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS) website
FLC Main Campus Phone Number: (916) 608-6611
El Dorado Center Phone Number: (530) 642-5630
Rancho Cordova Center Phone Number: (916) 361-6312
SCHEDULE: I have broken the class into 4 parts: There will be a Midterm halfway through and Final at the
end covering the second part only.
Section
Chapters Covered
# Weeks
I. Perspective and Key Concepts
II. Other Worlds/Our Solar
System
Chs. 1 - 3
4
Chs. 4 - 7
4
III. Stars
Chs. 8 - 10
4
IV. Galaxies, Beyond and Life
Chs. 11 - 15
4
This schedule is a TENTATIVE schedule, meaning that it may change at any time without notice.
Finally this is an Astronomy class, so you should learn and HAVE FUN! This should be a very interesting
class for all of us.
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