Basic Structure

Office Hours

• Mon 2:30-3:45, Weds 11:15-12:15 in 503 Altschul

Lectures

• M W 1:10-2:25, 202 Altschul
• Students are strongly urged to attend class on a regular basis; if you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the material from a classmate. Lecture notes will be posted on Courseworks.

Textbook

• Life in the Universe, J. Bennett, S. Shostak, B. Jakosky Addison Wesley, © 2007.

Distribution Requirements

• ASTR BC 1753x satisfies the Barnard Quantitative Reasoning requirement and can be used towards the Columbia College science requirement.
• ASTR BC 1753x along with the lab course C1903x can be applied towards the Barnard lab science requirement.

Labs

• Students who want laboratory credit should sign up for the one point course ASTR C1903x.
• This is an L course so enroll ASAP.
• Labs meet in the evenings and will begin on Sept 17.
• A separate grade is given for the lab course.

Teaching Assistants

• TAs and Help Room Hours will be announced.

Homework:

• Problem sets will be due in class approximately every other week.
• Late HW will NOT be accepted after the solutions are handed out.
• Students are encouraged to work with other student together on the homework, but the writeups submitted must be all your own work in your own words.
• HW is required; you cannot pass this course by exam grades alone.
• The lowest HW score will be dropped; the remaining scores will count for 20% of your final grade.

Quizzes:

• There will be 4 short open--note quizzes.
• The lowest score will be dropped; the remaining ones will count for 15% of your final grade.
• No make-up quizzes will be offered without prior approval.

Extra Credit essay:

• Optional extra-credit essay on an approved exhibition (eg Planetarium Cosmic Collisions, etc). Details on essay later. (EC)

Exams:

• We'll have one midterm on Oct 31, and a final exam during the scheduled time on Dec 17 from 1-4 PM.
• The exams will be closed book.
• The midterm exam will count for 25%, and the final exam for 40%.