ASTR BC1753

There is one group project that I found to be a bit of a pain in the neck. Make sure you have a group you can trust because otherwise the group research paper is quite difficult. There are four quizzes, two exams, and six problem sets. We got to take one double sided cheat sheet to the first exam and two double sided cheat sheets to the second exam. The questions are not super easy, so I recommend studying each unit/lecture one at a time as the course goes on to refresh your memory before the quizzes and exams. The quizzes are open book, so be sure to take notes. Come to class! It is super fun to sit in on the lectures, and Dr. Luber does record absences. It also helps so much for the quizzes and problem sets if you've been to the physical class sessions.

Bi-weekly problem sets (six of them). Office hours for these are great. If you know LaTeX, you should totally use it to write these. One dropped. Four quizzes, which I think are given usually the week after a problem set. Typically one math-y question, one concepts/memorization question. One dropped. Two exams -- midterm and final. Each are standard fare. One side of one page of notes for midterm, double sided for final. Can be computer typed. Extra credit assignment, report about an exhibit at the AMNH or a book.

5 homework sets, a few quizzes, some extra credit reports and a final. The HMW sets are fairly simply if you attended lectures. The quizzes are a bit tricky, but he drops the lowest grade. The final is long but clear and simple if you study (you get a cheat sheet too). Pay attention, and you'll be just fine.

DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN!!! The comments below are wayy too forgiving. The avg. grade in this class was a 60. Yes he curved, but he was not specific on how he was going to curve, so he kept you wondering throughout the semester. As one student put it, he's like a TA gone wild! His exams, quizzes and homework assignments are ALL written in abstract form and they are ALL trick questions. Some of the questions didn't even have the right answer as an option. My GPA is a 3.9. I am not a lazy student looking to rip on some professor because he gave me a bad grade. This guy is just impossible and will give you an unbearable workload that will stress you out BIG TIME! He is a Harvard graduate and he definitely lets you know it! He comes off all cool and easygoing and then 1/2 way through the semester he has you crying. Don't fall for it. Stay away. Take Bio or something. This astronomy course is not easy, fun, or fulfilling.

Frequent homework sets, some in-class participation required

I expected this class to be just an average distributional requirement, but it was way beyond that. Dr. Luber is an incredible lecturer. He is engaging and funny, and he always explains things in a way that makes everything comprehensible. I recommend this class to anyone who needs a science or math requirement. He appreciates all student engagement, and is totally fine with students speaking out of turn, especially if it relates to course content. One of the best classes I've taken at Barnard.

Professor Kay is a pretty good teacher. I mean, she's not exactly overly enthusiastic, and it's not like I looked forward to going to lectures every week. Most concepts were pretty self explanatory and plenty of people took this class and just turned in problem sets, sat for quizzes and exams. Which is fine and she knows this. I always sat in the front but it's something to look at how few people show up most days. I think the day before Spring Break, it was something like 30 people showed up (over 100 are registered for the class). Which is fine, I don't judge. If you're looking for that kind of class, definitely take this one. That being said, if you do show up for lecture, I don't think you'll regret it. She DOES post PowerPoints online but she uses much more detailed ones in class. She usually shows cute space clips in class, too, though their usefulness varies. If you have to skip a lecture, I wouldn't sweat it (I did) though I felt that lectures helped me digest information better and made the book unnecessary. She only makes casual reference to the book, and I only used it a few times. As for math, this class is pretty much plug and chug or really simple algebra problems. You may have to do some unit conversion (like parsecs to light years, or days to years) but it's literally nothing to worry about if you took FroSci or even high school chemistry. As long as you know w…

Prof. Schiminovich is one of the nicest, simply intelligent and pleasant professors I've had at Columbia/Barnard. I had no prior experience in Astronomy, and I took the class for my core science requirement. I'll admit that the first lecture left me a little bit afraid and most of the material went completely over my head, but that soon changed after a few days. His lectures are abundantly clear, he will always take time to meet with you during office hours, and his syllabus and grading policies are such that you have plenty of extra credit and partial credit given for attempted answers. I recommend attending the lectures (even though some of them did put me to sleep...not many, but some) because they are infinitely helpful for quizzes, homework and the final. This man writes jokes for Futurama and The Simpsons while also building satellites for NASA. He is certainly a connected and experienced professor, and like others have said before me, he'll even bring you brownies and macaroons at some point during the semester! I learned quite a lot with having a very managable workload. The class is recommended to those of you interested in astronomy as well as those looking for fulfilling your science requirement.

Putman's maternity leave came about midway through the semester I had with her, but her appearance in the audience of the lecture a few weeks later clearly shows her interest in the class. She starts the lecture with an "alien of the day", and relates how this alien may or may not be biologically, chemically, and physically able to live in the universe in such conditions as on its planet. Examples included Superman and the alien from Avatar, etc. A kind of silly trigger for the beginning of class, it actually does provide some insight into requirements for life in the universe, which *is* the point of this class. The material was fascinating; a combination of the three classic sciences point to possibilities for life in the universe. Sometimes it will make you feel very small, but it is this notion which, I think, makes this class all the more fascinating. Putman uses a multiple-choice card to gauge the reception of basic concepts learned in class. She asks a question on the board, provides 4 possible answers, and the class holds up the letter of the response they think to be correct. This is a great way to get the participation of the students. Additionally, she would send out in-class assignments (usually worked on in groups or pairs) to answer a short list of questions. This would be counted as a participation grade. Grading was fair; tests were on the material learned in c…

6 psets 25% (lowest score dropped), 4 quizzes 10.5% (lowest quiz dropped), cumulative midterm & final exam 40%, group semester project 24.5%. 3 extra credit opportunities You can miss up to 6 lectures without penalty - but not sure how participation/attendance factors into the overall grade The final project was new for this semester & may be discontinued