Science Seminar students: General information: All Spring Science Seminars meet from 3:00-4:30 in 1037 LAB 1

• Meet your team the day before each seminar, discuss the reading, and post your seminar PIQs.
• Post your one-page essay the day after seminar - perhaps to work out ideas exchanged in preseminar or seminar.
• Read and respond to at least two classmates' essays the following day (i.e., within two days of seminar).
• Check teammates essays and also respond to any which have not received two peer responses within two days.

Your assignment by the DAY BEFORE each seminar is to:
* Complete readings, making notes of key points and your questions
* Look up a couple of your burning questions in the library, in textbooks, or online. (How can you tell whether a source is trustworthy? Think about it.)
* Meet your team and discuss readings (pre-seminar). Discuss key points and questions. You may well answer some of "questions of fact" for each other, based on your careful reading of our texts or your outside reading. These become Insights.
* Post your PIQs as a team

Your pre-seminar team will together articulate three Points, Insights, and Questions ("PIQ"s) by the end of each pre-seminar, and post them on WebX:
* Points: restate a few key points of each author, concisely, in your own words. Reference (author, page) for each point.
* Insights: Articulate a few key insights reached in your pre-seminar. Acknowledge specifically how each teammate originates, clarifies, or deepens the insights you reach together, in your PIQ post.
* Questions: note interesting questions that are still outstanding after your pre-seminar. You and your classmates can often answer "questions of fact" for each other (and those answers may constitute some of your Insights). You may clarify and deepen other questions which do not have simple answers. Such "significant questions" can launch substantial discussions in later seminars.

Week 1 only: Please come to BOTH Science Seminar meetings if possible, even if you are only in Monday or only in Thursday. We will form teams and learn to use WebCrossing (WebX) to share our pre-seminar writings, essays, and responses. If you cannot make both seminars this week, you are responsible for (1) finding seminar teammates by Friday, (2) discussing both Monday and Thursday readings with your team, (3) learning the workshop content from them over the weekend, and (4) posting your introduction with photo.

Physics of Astronomy (PA) students:

• Read everything and come to all program activities, including Science Seminar.
• Meet your team each weekend and Wednesday, discuss both seminar and physics readings, and post your PIQs on any/all readings.
• Seminar essays are not required for Physics of Astronomy students (though you are welcome to write them, given inspiration and time).
• Post your Physics Essay each Friday.
• Each weekend, read and respond to at least two classmates' Friday essays on WebX.
• Complete other homework as assigned.
• For further assignment details, see links and WebX, and Science Seminar syllabus above.

In winter, we will focus on classical mechanics and some modern physics, with applications to astronomy and astrophysics, culminating with the Sun.

In spring, we will focus on electromagnetism, astrophysics, and your research projects.

This syllabus may evolve in response to students needs and faculty ideas. See Schedule for times and places.

Weekends:

Star Trek TV collection is on reserve in the library for us during week 5!

Wednesdays:

Week 1 only (11.Jan) Required WebX workshop in CAL at 1:00 or 2:30. Read Finkel, Sandoz (App.3), and Olson. Post introductions + teams.

Writing Center workshops
(recommended)