91̽��

Course Credit by Examination
ASTR 1000—Survey of Astronomy

Three Semester Hours

CB 1/13

Prerequisites

None

Course Description

General introduction to astronomy, with emphasis on the structure of the universe beyond our solar system. Topics include historical astronomy, the sun, stars, galaxies, interstellar matter, black holes, the “Big Bang” theory, and the evolution of the universe. No prereq, but familiarity with basic algebra and geometry is beneficial. 

Textbook and Supplies

There is no specific required textbook for this course. Any modern textbook on introductory astronomy will do. We are using Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 12th edition, by Michael Seeds and Dana Bachman on 91̽��’s main campus, and the structure of the suggested study format and sample questions follow the order of topics in this textbook, but if you already have a modern astronomy book, go ahead and use it.

Seeds, Michael A. and Dana E. Backman. Horizons: Exploring the Universe. 12th ed. Boston, MA: Brooks/Cole, 2012. [ISBN: 9781111430207]

Reading Assignments

This course is based on the material covered in Horizons: Exploring the Universe by Michael A. Seeds, 12th edition. It is possible to study for this exam using any good contemporary astronomy textbook, or from notes that you have from any college-level introductory astronomy course, if you have taken one in the past. If you are going to acquire a new book to use in preparation for this course, the Seeds text is the one currently (as of 2012) used on 91̽��’s main campus. 

Most astronomy books are set up in a similar manner, although the order in which material is presented may differ somewhat. Using the Seeds text as an example, usually at the end of each chapter you will find the following study aids: “Summary,” “New Terms,” “Review Questions,” “Discussion Questions,” “Problems,” “Critical Inquiries for the Web,” and “Exploring the Sky.” All of these can be useful in your study for this examination in astronomy. I suggest that you pay particular attention to the “Summary” and “New Terms” sections as they are a very good guide to the most important topics covered in that chapter.

In case you do not use the Seeds text in your study for this examination, I have prepared a brief summary of the topics that will be covered on your test in the course guide. If you do use the Seeds text, you will find that this summary is very similar to the expanded table of contents found in the front of his book. I hope that this summary of topics will be useful to those of you who decide to use another textbook or previous lecture notes instead of the Seeds text as a basis for your study in this course.

If your book contains these or similar study aids, I would suggest that you read the “Summary” section first before you read the main sections of the chapter. After you have completed your reading of each chapter, reread the “Summary” to see if it all fits into place and then make sure that you understand and can define all of the “New Terms.” Then look over the “Review Questions” or the “Discussion Questions” to see if you have grasped the material in the chapter. Finally, reread any sections of the chapter that you still do not understand.

Nature of the Examination

The examination consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. You will be given three hours to complete the examination. You will be provided with all of the materials necessary to complete the examination. The use of textbooks, notes, or supplementary aids is prohibited.

All of the questions on the exam will be in the multiple-choice format, so you will not have to write out explanations or definitions, but will have to choose the best answer from a list of four or five choices. Remember that a course like this has about 40 hours of in-class lecture, and most students put in about 3 hours of outside study for each hour of lecture. This indicates that around 150 hours of work will be required by the average student to learn this material, so please do not expect to read the textbook once and feel that you are well prepared for the exam. For most of you, it will take more than that to prepare.

Grading Criteria

All examination questions are worth one point.