Lecture: 100% online through Blackboard. Click here for mandatory online Blackboard orientation.
Instructor:  Phi Vu      
Office: Virtual.  
Office hours: Email or by appointment.
Phone:  None.
Email:  philaccd@yahoo.com . Always put Canyons College and course number/title in the Subject field. (Email is the best way to contact me.)
Course Website: http://bb.canyons.edu. To login, you need to enter your username and password. Your username is the seven numbers of your student ID number. (ex: 1234567). Your password is student (unless you change it to something else). Note that you will not be able to sign into the Blackboard course-site until the first day of your session. A complimentary website has also been setup. This site contains some general information and course documents. It is located at: http://www.oriondirect.net/phi/canyons/index.htm

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK*
TITLE: Horizons: Exploring the Universe
AUTHOR: M.A. Seeds
EDITION: 12th ed.
PUBLISHER: CENGAGE
ISBN-13: 978-1111430207

*Notice that you are also allowed to use the older edition of "Horizons: Exploring the Universe" for the class. This might be more economical for some.

Catalog Description
ASTRON 100 - GENERAL ASTRONOMY
3.00 Units Lecture - UC:CSU
Survey of the content and dynamics of the solar system; the earth and its motions; time and the calendar; moon, eclipses, and tides; physics of the sun, planets, comets and meteorites, including their dynamical aspects and motions. Principles, logic, and development of stellar astronomy. Physics of the stars, stellar type populations, and stellar evolution; stellar organizations, galaxies, and cosmology. UC credit limitation: No credit for ASTRON 100 if taken after 101 or 102.

Student Learning Objectives:

• The student will gain an appreciation for the scale, composition, cosmology, and driving mechanisms of the Universe.
• The student will gain insight into the scientists, equipment, and techniques that make our understanding of the Universe possible.

• The structures of the major objects in the universe, including comets, planets, stars, and galaxies.
• The astronomical techniques of measuring distance, velocity, temperature, brightness, composition,
  etc., of the stars and galaxies.
• The major physical processes that operate in the cosmos, including planetary and stellar evolution.
• The environmental conditions on other planets, including atmosphere, temperature, terrain, and the
  possibility of life.
• The major concepts of modern physics, including Newtonian physics, relativity, and quantum mechanics,
  and their bearing on our understanding of the universe.
• The latest competing theories about:
• the origin of the universe
• the formation of galaxies
• the nature of black holes and neutron stars
• The new hypotheses concerning the unsolved question of our time, including:
• the origin of cosmic rays
• the missing neutrino problem
• the nature of Dark Matter in space
• The distinction between true science and pseudo-science;
• The stories of the more dramatic astronomical discoveries, including the discovery of neutron stars, quasars,
  and the cosmic background radiation.
• The appearance of the sky in terms of understandable analogies.

No Show and Drop Policies
If a student does not log into the course website during the first three days of class and there are student(s) on the waiting list wanting to add, that student will be dropped from the class. If there's any trouble logging in during the first three days, the student must email to notify me immediately to avoid being dropped from class. It is your responsibility to officially drop the course if you want to withdraw.  If the drop date has passed, you will receive a letter grade, and mostly likely that grade will be an F. Check the schedule for the deadline.

Teaching Generalities
Math and memorization of facts are not our goals.  I emphasize the understanding of processes and the development of critical thinking skills.  You should plan to spend at least three hours of study for each hour of class-equivalence each week. Students with disabilities who need any assistance or accommodations should contact me as soon as possible. To learn more about the general format of an online course at Canyons College, click here. It is recommended that you use the latest edition of the text if possible. However, for students who could not afford to buy the new edition, I will also accept the previous edition.

Grading

Online Assignments
There are 20 on-line multiple choice quizzes, each relating to the chapters in the textbook. The quizzes are opened throughout the semester and remain open until the end of the semester. Each quiz typically has about fifteen questions. There is no time limit on the quiz. It can be saved and resume later. You are allowed only ONE attempt per multiple choice quiz. To take the quizzes, you need to go to "Assignments" section of Blackboard.

Course Schedule 

*Note: The material in chapter 20 is not included in Exam 2 (Final). For 16 weeeks course, 1 block is about 2 weeks. For 8 weeks course, 1 block is about 1 week.

Student Conducts:

A student enrolling Canyons College may rightfully expect that the faculty and administrators will maintain an environment in which there is freedom to learn. This requires that there be appropriate conditions and opportunities in the classroom and on the campus. As members of the college community, students should be encouraged to develop the capacity for critical judgments; to engage in sustained and independent search for truth; and to exercise their rights to free inquiry and free speech in a responsible, non-violent manner.

Students shall respect and obey civil and criminal law, and shall be subject to legal penalties for violation of laws of the City, County, State, and Nation. Student conduct Canyons College must conform to District and College rules and regulations. Violations of such rules and regulations, for which students are subject to disciplinary action, include, but are not limited to the following:

• Dishonesty, such as cheating and plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information.
• Forgery, alteration, or misuse of College documents, records or identification.
• Obstruction or disruption of classes, administration, disciplinary procedures, or authorized College activities.
• Assault or battery, abuse, or any threat of force or violence directed toward any member of the College
  Community or campus visitor engaged in authorized activities.