Instructor:
Prof. Frederick
M. Walter (ESS 459; 632-8232;
frederick.walter at stonybrook.edu)
Office Hours: most Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays 9-10 AM, or by appointment
TA: Ryan Richards
(Physics B-120;
Ryan.Richards at stonybrook.edu)
Office Hours: Tuesdays 5-6 PM; Thursdays 4-5 PM
Note: all this information is subject to change up until the first day of the semester.
Course Structure :
Astronomy 248 is a free-ranging examination of our universe as a habitat for
life. As such, we cover aspects of astronomy (the physical conditions in the
universe; extrasolar planets), information theory (how do we recognize signals
from alien intelligences?), biology (how does intelligent life evolve?), and
chemistry (where does life come from in the first place?). Among the goals of
this course are to train the student in estimation and critical thinking.
This course consists of two weekly lectures.
Attendance at lectures is strongly encouraged.
Part of each lecture will be set aside for discussions of current topics of
interest in the news.
Students are encouraged to use the world-wide-web to explore topics
covered in this course, but the web must be explored with caution.
Prerequisites: One DEC category E course. You are expected to
understand the concepts behind scientific reasoning. Your exact background
(e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy) may help you in certain areas
of the course.
We will use some mathematical reasoning, using
algebra, and will introduce physical principles as they are needed.
Expectations: This is a rigorous science course at the college
level. Students are expected to do all assigned readings prior to lecture, and
to participate in class. Students should expect to spend 6-9 hours per week
outside of class reading the material and doing the homework.
Astrobiology is a quantitative science;
students in this course will be expected to be able to solve problems and
answer quantitative questions. But this topic lies astride both the
humanities and the sciences. We will delve into the
humanistic side of science when appropriate.
Learning Objectives: Mastery of this course does not mean remembering
facts. It means knowing how to think scientifically.
A student who masters Astronomy will be able to think critically about data
(observations), and synthesize disparate facts to reach a conclusion in almost
any area where the data can be quantified. More specifics can be found here.
If passed, this course satifies DEC H or SBC "study interconnectedness"
requirements.
Required Books:
The book is available in the campus bookstore.
It can also be ordered on-line from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Suggested Books:
Grading : Lectures: Students are encouraged to ask questions at any time during the lectures.
The power point presentations may be placed online, but lecture notes will
not be available. You are responsible for taking notes.
Attendance Policy: Students who know in advance that they will miss a class or a test because
of university-related activities (including athletics) or civic obligations
(e.g., jury duty) should contact the
instructor as soon as possible in advance of the date of absence.
Students so-engaged, who inform the
instructor in a timely manner, will not be penalized, and will be allowed
to make up any work missed. However, the first 2 quizzes missed will not be
made up.
Homework: Homework problems from the textbook
will be assigned weekly, but will neither be collected nor graded.
I often ask these questions on the quizzes and tests.
Testing Policy: During an examination:
No electronic devices of any kind are allowed during examinations. Cell
phones and pagers must be turned off. Students who
who disrupt the examination because of an audible phone or pager,
or by answering a call,
will be asked to leave and will have their exam confiscated.
Students who may have a legitimate need to be on-call during an examination
should discuss this with the instructor in advance.
Students are responsible for coming to the tests prepared. The instructor
does not supply pens, pencils or answers.
Tests should be completed in pen (any color except red).
Attendance policy for midterms and final: Students will not be
permitted to leave for the first 30 minutes (midterms) or the first hour
(final). No students will be admitted after anyone leaves. Students
who leave the exam for whatever reason will not be allowed to return.
Makeup policy:
Midterm and final examinations may be made up only with a valid medical excuse
and a
doctor's note attesting that the student could not take the exam, or for
a sanctioned university event. Students
seeking a makeup must contact the instructor as soon as possible.
There will be no makeups on quizzes (the lowest 2 are dropped).
Requests for extra credit assignments will not be entertained.
Academic Dishonesty:
Students suspected of cheating in exams, of plagiarizing their writing
assignments, or of any other form of academic dishonesty,
will be assigned an F grade for the course and will be reported
to the academic
judiciary.
Students who suspect others of cheating are encouraged to report them.
Reports will be kept confidential.
Dishonest students make things that much harder for the majority of
students, who are honest.
Americans with Disability Act:
If you have a physical, psychological,
medical, or learning disability that may impact on your ability to carry out
assigned course work, the university urges that you contact the staff in the
Disabled Student Services (DSS) office, Room 133 Humanities, 632-6748/TDD. DSS
will review your concerns and determine, with you, what accomodations are
necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation of disability
is confidential.
Grades will be based on:
This tests will be graded on a curve.
All students who do A work (90% or better) will receive A grades. However,
from past experience typical grades will be lower. If the median grade is
less than 80%, grades will be curved such that the median test grade is C+, and
the top 10% of the students will get A grades.
The raw and curved grades will be available on the web (details later).
The lecture hall will be nearly full.
Students attending lectures are asked to exhibit common courtesy.
Testing is an important way of assessing whether or not you are learning
anything from this class. There will be two mid-term examinations
and a final examination. The final examination will be designed to take
about 1.5 hours to complete, and will be cumulative.
All exams are closed-book.
However,
each student is allowed to bring one sheet of paper, no larger than 8 1/2 x 11
inches in size, containing whatever information the student deems useful.
Students should have a picture ID to present upon handing in their exams.