The exact order and schedule will be posted by the official beginning of the semester. One or more sets of class notes corresponding to the required reading assignment will be posted on the WWW site, along with other illustrative material, appropriate links to other Internet sites, and other useful study material. The notes are intended to illuminate the reading material, and in many cases to provide background or otherwise interesting material in addition to the reading. In addition to the readings, there will be 6 to 8 project assignments, some of which will require students to make some simple outdoor observations. Some projects can be done on the computer, or printed out and completed in a traditional manner.
None requires any special equipment or knowledge.
Optional opportunities for outdoor observation through a telescope with the instructor will be announced. Most if not all of the project assignments will be listed on the WWW site. This course is scheduled as a Monday-Wednesday course. Therefore we will meet only on Wednesdays, and the rest of the course materials will be accessed online. We will make every effort to resolve any scheduling conflicts so that these requirements do not pose a problem.