Professors:
Dr.
Angela Speck, Physics & Astronomy speckan@missouri.edu
Dr.
Alan Whittington, Geological Sciences whittingtona@missouri.edu
Lectures:
MWF
9:00 - 9:50 room
436, Physics Building (3 credit hours)
Prerequisites: Either
Physics 1210 and Physics 1220
Or Physics 2750 and Physics 2760
Or consent of instructor
Course Description:
Solar System Science is an integrated field that applies knowledge from other fields of science to understand the origin and evolution of the Sun, planets, and minor bodies (asteroids, comets, etc). In addition to a survey of the components of the solar system, special attention will be paid to the composition and internal structure of planets, planetary volcanism and surface processes, planetary atmospheres, and evidence for the evolution of the solar system from meteorites and other sources.
Required Text: An
Introduction to the Solar System
by Neil McBride and Iain Gilmour (Cambridge University
Press, 2003)
ISBN
0 521 54620 6 (paperback)
Other Texts: Universe: the Solar System by Roger A Friedman and William J Kaufmann III, 7th edition (Freeman)
Exploring Earth by Jon P. Davidson, Walter E. Reed, and Paul M. Davis, 2nd edition (Prentice Hall)
Moons and Planets by William K Hartman, 4th edition (Brooks-Cole)
Grading: A-B-C-D-F
with ± grading for 4180 (A-B-C-F for 7180)
Six homework assignments 30% 24%
First lecture exam 20% 16%
20% second lecture exam 20% 16%
30% final exam (comprehensive) 30% 24%
Term paper (7000 level only) - 20%
Graduate credit: In
addition to homework and exams, graduate students taking the class at the
7000-level will be required to write a term paper of at least 2000 words,
including full reference list, on a topic to be determined by individual
students (after discussion with instructors). The paper will be in the form of
a research proposal and will require a literature search, reading and
synthesizing journal articles, and clear and articulate writing.
Policy on late submission of
homework or term paper:
Deadlines for submission of homeworks or the term paper will be clearly stated when each piece of work is assigned. No submission deadline will be less than seven days from the date at which the work was assigned. Every half-day increment past the deadline will incur a penalty of 10% of the available score for that piece of work (i.e. between 1 minute late and the end of that day loses 10%; the next morning loses 20%, and so on). Only in exceptional cases will deadlines be extended, in which case documentation of the reason for extension will be required.
Provisional course outline:
A Tour of the Solar System 1 Speck,
Whittington
The Internal Structure of the Terrestrial Planets 2 Whittington
Planetary Volcanism 3 Whittington
Planetary Surface Processes 4 Whittington
Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets 5 Speck
Giant Planets 6 Speck
Minor Bodies of the Solar System 7 Speck
The Origin of the Solar System 8 Speck
Meteorites 9 Speck, Whittington
Important dates: First day of classes Monday Aug. 22nd
First midterm Friday
Sept. 23rd
Last day to drop a course without a grade Monday Sept. 26th
Last day to withdraw from a course Monday Oct. 31st
Second midterm Wednesday
Nov. 9th
Final exam Thursday Dec 15th 8.00 a.m.
If you miss a lecture exam: the final will be weighted more (e.g. miss one midterm exam and the final is worth 50%). If you miss both midterms you will get a zero for the second exam. Extra weighting of the final will only be allowed with written documentation, and ADVANCE NOTICE where possible Ð if necessary call the department office on (573) 882-3335 (Physics) or (573) 882-6785 (Geology) to leave a message during the exam if necessary.
Accommodation of students with disabilities:
If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with us, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform usmmediately. Please see either professor privately after class, or in their office (Speck: 316 Physics, Whittington: 312 Geological Sciences).
To request academic accommodations (for example, a note-taker), students must also register with Disability Services, AO38 Brady Commons, 882-4696. It is the campus office responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and for accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and consistent with course requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click on "Disability Resources" on the MU homepage.
Students who have special conditions as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and who need any test or course materials to be furnished in an alternative format, should notify the instructor immediately. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of these students. Such students should also register with the Disability Services Office, A038 Brady Commons, phone 882-4696.
MU policy on academic honesty:
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of our university. Members of our academic community must be confident that every student's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort on the part of a student to gain an advantage not given to all students (including the asking of an instructor to arbitrarily change a grade) is viewed as dishonest, whether or not that effort is successful. Our academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation, to suspension, to expulsion. If you are ever in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult your course instructor. Please make sure you have read and understood the university's honor code, which ALL students are expected to abide by at all times. In the event of a suspected incident of misconduct, we plan to use option B (M-book, page 11: http://www.missouri.edu/~mbook/mbook.pdf)