There are 17 weeks in the semester, including finals week and spring break. The following is a loose schedule of material that will be covered in the course on a lecture-by-lecture basis. (Chapters refer to the text of Chaisson & McMillan.) A given topic may overrun into the lecture following or begin in the lecture prior. To be safe, attend every lecture!
| Week | Date | Topic | Chapter | Homework | Lab |
| 1 | 01/15 | Introduction and Astromaths | No Lab in Week 1 | ||
| 2 | 01/20 | The Sky | 1 | No Lab in Week 2 | |
| 01/22 | Ancient Astronomy | 1, 2 | No Lab in Week 2 | ||
| 3 | 01/27 | Renaissance Astronomy | 2 | Lab meets | |
| 01/29 | The Newtonian Revolution | 2 | Lab meets | ||
| 4 | 02/03 | Properties of Light | 3, 5 | Lab meets | |
| 02/05 | Telescopes | 3, 5 | Lab meets | ||
| 5 | 02/10 | Properties of Radiation & Review | 4 | HW#1 Due | Lab meets |
| 02/12 | MIDTERM EXAM #1 | Lab meets | |||
| 6 | 02/17 | Properties of Gases | 4 | Lab meets | |
| 02/19 | Overview of the Solar System | 6, 15 | Lab meets | ||
| 7 | 02/24 | The Sun | 16 | Lab meets | |
| 02/26 | The Earth | 7 | Lab meets | ||
| 8 | 03/03 | The Earth | 7 | Lab meets | |
| 03/05 | Space Exploration | Lab meets | |||
| 9 | 03/10 | Spring Break | No Lab in Week 9 | ||
| 03/12 | Spring Break | No Lab in Week 9 | |||
| 10 | 03/17 | The Moon | 8 | Lab meets | |
| 03/19 | The Moon & Mercury | 8 | Lab meets | ||
| 11 | 03/24 | Venus and Mars | 9, 10 | HW#2 | Lab meets |
| 03/26 | Jupiter & Saturn | 11, 12 | Lab meets | ||
| 12 | 03/31 | Review and MIDTERM EXAM #2 |
Lab meets | ||
| 04/05 | Uranus & Neptune | 13 | Lab meets | ||
| 13 | 04/07 | Dwarf Planets | 14 | Lab meets | |
| 04/09 | Moons of the Solar System | 13 | Lab meets | ||
| 14 | 04/14 | Solar System Debris | 14 | No Lab in Week 14 | |
| 04/16 | Extrasolar Planets | 15 | No Lab in Week 14 | ||
| 15 | 04/21 | The Search for Life | 28 | HW #3 | No Lab in Week 15 |
| 04/23 | Review and MIDTERM EXAM #3 | No Lab in Week 15 | |||
| 16 | 04/28 | In-Class Lab on Radio Telescopes | No Lab in Week 16 | ||
| 04/30 | Review for Final Exam | HW #4 | No Lab in Week 16 | ||
| 17 | 05/07 | FINAL EXAM (Thurs, 1:20-3:20, Multiple Choice) | No Lab in Week 17 |
Exam #2 does not cover material on Jupiter and Saturn. That material
will be covered in Exam #3.
Students with Disabilities: I need to hear from anyone
who has a disability which may require some modification of seating,
testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements
may be made. Please see me after class or during my office hours.
Complaint Procedures: In the event of a ``complaint'', the first step would be to speak with the Instructor. Alternatively one could speak with the Physics & Astronomy Chair in 277 Brown Hall.