Tohono O’odham Community College

Syllabus:

Course Information Course Prefix/Number: AST101 Credit Hours: 4 Semester: Fall 2013 Course Title: Introduction to Astronomy and the Class Days/Times: M/W 4-6:30 Solar System Room:

Instructor Information: Office location: West Campus Computer Lab Dr. Colette Salyk Office hours: Dr. Katy Garmany

Course Description: This course will introduce students to astronomy and the solar system, through lectures, hands-on activities, and observing. The course will also involve two field trips to the Kitt Peak National Observatory.

Course Objectives:

During this course students will -learn about the sun, the planets of the solar system and planets orbiting other stars -learn about the formation of planets and the conditions necessary for life -learn about the scientific process -lean about the history of astronomy, including the history of Kitt Peak Observatory

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Himdag Cultural Component: We will have a guest speaker talk to us about astronomy in Tohono O’odham culture. Various aspects of Himdag will be integrated into the class.

Evaluation and Grading & Assignments: -Homeworks will be assigned each class, and due the next class period -There will be one midterm and one final exam -Class participation and attendance will also count towards the final grade

Course Outline: The course will include the following topics, in roughly this order: 1. Course introduction 2. Intro to the universe 3. The lifecyle of stars 4. The motions of celestial objects 5. Eclipses and phases of the moon 6. Introduction to the solar system 7. Constellations 8. Gravity and Kepler’s laws 9. The Earth, Moon and Mercury 10. Venus and Mars 11. Gas giants and planetary atmospheres 12. Earth’s atmosphere and global warming 13. The Saturnian and Galilean Moons 14. Space missions 15. The history and use of telescopes 16. Extrasolar planets 17. Asteroids, comets and Kuiper belt objects 18. Origins of planets, meteorites 19. What is science? 20. Planetary rings 21. Astrobiology 2 Tohono O’odham Community College

22. Constellations and culture

Texts and Materials: -Text: Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (3rd edition). Must be brought to each class. -Other materials: ipad. Must be brought to class.

Policies and expectations:

Attendance: On-time attendance will comprise a component of the final grade Materials: Students should come to each class with the lecture tutorials book and their ipad

DISCLAIMER: This syllabus is designed to evolve and change throughout the semester based on class progress and interests. You will be notified of any changes as they occur.

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