Course:            NATS 115 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Semester:         SPRING 2004 EVENING SESSION
Instructor:         Dr. VIVEK SAVUR
Office:              GOH 100 B
Office Hours:    11:50 TO 5:30 M W   Office Hours
Phone:              947-7419 or ext. 419
NASA Grant:     NASA Grant
Text: AN INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL SCIENCE by Shipman, Wilson and Todd Tenth Edition   Houghton Mifflin Company. 2003  ISBN 0-618-22319-3

For the schedule of the class, click here:     Schedule

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

To introduce students to topics regarding earth and space which will improve their understanding of the forces found in nature.  Emphasis will be placed on understanding both on the how and the why of scientific events occur.  Students will learn the different laws that govern science, and that there is a predictability to scientific occurrences.  Students should not only be able to understand, but also be able to explain, present and prepare reports on selected scientific topics.

OBJECTIVE:

The students should understand the principles of science and know how and why the forces of nature behave in that manner.  They should be able to answer some of the mysteries in the universe.  They should recognize and know the properties of minerals and rocks.  They should be able to read and interpret weather maps and understand the weather patterns.

COMPETENCIES

On completion of the course, the student should not only have a thorough understanding of science but also be in a position to explain in a manner that can be understood by a school student.

CLASSROOM POLICIES:

There will be classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:45 followed by lab on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30.

The class will consist of discussions with the instructor initiating the topics and the students sustaining the dialogue.  Points will be given for class participation.  Students are expected to read from the textbook following the schedule,  research topics to discuss from web pages, newspaper articles, magazines, etc.  Students are expected to prepare a web page and fill it with interesting articles.  The web page should be colorful, have tables, images, and links to other interesting sites.  Students will have to produce a report and a presentation on a topic of their particular interest.  The presentation can be on the web page or by power point.  The presentation can be used as a basis for the report.  Images and links to locations relating to the course should be included.

Students should constantly refer to my web page.  The topics for discussion will be appropriately presented.  The students can also find the quiz for the period.  This course will be web based.  There will be trips to places of interest.

A.         Attendance:

If as many as 3 classes are missed without excuse, the course grades will be reduced by one letter. If as
many as 5 classes are missed without excuse, the student will fail the course. An absence will be excused only if a doctor's written certificate for illness or a written statement concerning a death in the family is supplied. Other valid excuses are provided by coaches or other faculty for legitimate events.

B.         Evaluation:

Class Participation 15 points
        Attendance, On time arrival, participating in discussions, asking pertinent questions determine the score.
Class final 15 points
Daily Quizzes 15 points
Web page 15 points
        use of color, tables, images, and links to interesting sites will determine the score.
Presentation  20 points
        use of visual aids such as power point and/or web pages essential.
Report 20 points
        Use of word processors or web pages essential.  Report should include a table of contents, pages should be numbered,    there should be proper referencing, and a detailed bibliography.  Figures and tables should be included and properly referenced.

C.  Grading Scale:     88 to 100       "A"
                                    75 to 87         "B"
                                    62 to 74         "C"
                                    50 to 61         "D"
                                      0 to 49         "F"

Comprehensive final:  Wednesday April 28   5:30- 7:20

Tentative Schedule

Week          Material                                                                    Chapter

    1        Preparing web pages  Introduction Astronomy
    2        The Universe   The Galaxies                                                18
    3        The Stars The Solar System                                            18 and 15
    4        Earth and the other eight planets                                           15
    5        The Calendar     Time The Seasons                                    16
    6        The Moon  Tides  and  Eclipse                                             17
    7        Review and Midterm
    8        Geology
    9        Rocks  and  Minerals                                                            21
   10       Structural Geology ,  Isostasy  and  Diastrophism                   22
   11       Geological Time  and Surface Processes                           24 and 23
   12        Meteorology and  Atmospheric Effects                                 20
   13       Atmospheric Pollution                                                           19
   14        Presentations and Reports
   15        Final  Wednesday April 28, 2003  5:30 - 7:20